John Whitchurch Bennett

John Whitchurch Bennett (28 July 1790 – 10 June 1853)[1] was a British army officer, official and printer, known as a naturalist.

Life

Bennett served in the Royal Marines from 1806 to 1815. He transferred to the British Army in 1815, and in 1816 was posted to Ceylon. He served there to 1827.[1] His rank in 1815 was 2nd lieutenant; he was placed on half-pay in 1819.[2] With a civil service appointment in Ceylon, he served in junior posts, and then was appointed magistrate of the Mahagampattu district, at Galle and Hambantota on the south coast of the island, in 1826.[3][4][5]

When in 1827 Bennett left Ceylon, it was under a cloud: he had been accused of financial mismanagement.[6] In 1828 he was again placed on half-pay, for the 3rd Ceylon Regiment.[7]

In 1829 Bennett was listed as a Fellow of the Linnean Society, with a London address in Prospect Place, and given as a Fellow of the Horticultural Society.[8] In 1830 he petitioned Parliament to look into the conduct of Sir Edward Barnes, as Governor of Ceylon.[9] In 1837, he appealed to Sir Alexander Johnston for support.[3] Working as a printer, he suffered bankruptcy in 1839, and was confined to the Fleet Prison.[10]

Works
Gomphosus Viridis, from a drawing by John Whitchurch Bennett

Bennett wrote:

  • A Selection from the Most Remarkable and Interesting Fishes Found on the Coast of Ceylon (1830).[11] Bennett acknowledges the assistance with the fish of Thomas Hardwicke.[4]
  • The Coco-nut Palm, Its Uses and Cultivation (1836)[12]
  • Ceylon and Its Capabilities: An Account of Its Natural Resources, Indigenous Productions, and Commercial Facilities (1843).[13] It includes description of a nadagama theatre performance, a Singhalese form derived from the natakam of south India.[14][15][16]

Family

Bennett married in 1815 Frances Luttrell Moriarty.[17]

See also
  • Category:Taxa named by John Whitchurch Bennett

Notes
  1. Pethiyagoda, Rohan (2007). Pearls, Spices, and Green Gold: An Illustrated History of Biodiversity Exploration in Sri Lanka. WHT Publications. p. 111.
  2. Office, Great Britain. War (1821). A List of the Officers of the Army and of the Corps of Royal Marines. p. 620. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  3. J. W. Toussaint, Literature and the Ceylon Civil Service (1931) (PDF), pp.120–1
  4. Saunders, Brian Greig (2012). Discovery of Australia's Fishes: A History of Australian Ichthyology to 1930. Csiro Publishing. pp. 68–9. ISBN 9780643106703. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  5. Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 87. Royal College of Surgeons of England. 2005. p. 112.
  6. Harris, Elizabeth (2006-04-18). Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter: Religious, Missionary and Colonial Experience in Nineteenth Century Sri Lanka. Routledge. p. 44. ISBN 9781134196258. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  7. Britain, Great (1828). The London Gazette. T. Neuman. p. 50. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  8. "List of the Linnean Society of London". Internet Archive. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  9. "House of Commons Journal Volume 85: 13 May 1830, British History Online".
  10. Comprising Reports of Cases in the Courts of Chancery, King's Bench, and Common Pleas, from 1822 to 1835: And Law Journal Reports Divided Into Equity and Bankruptcy Cases. Common Law Cases 1836-1858. 1839. p. 4.
  11. Bennett, John Whitchurch (1830). A Selection from the Most Remarkable and Interesting Fishes Found on the Coast of Ceylon: From Drawings Made in the Southern Part of that Island, from the Living Specimens. Longman. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  12. Bennett, John Whitchurch (1836). The Coco-nut Palm, Its Uses and Cultivation ... As Adapted for the General Benefit in Our West Indian and African Colonies... Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  13. Bennett, John Whitchurch (1843). Ceylon and Its Capabilities: An Account of Its Natural Resources, Indigenous Productions, and Commercial Facilities. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120611689. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  14. Brisbane, Katherine; Chaturvedi, Ravi; Majumdar, Ramendu; Pong, Chua Soo; Tanokura, Minoru (2005-08-16). The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Volume 5: Asia/Pacific. Routledge. p. 523. ISBN 9781134929788. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  15. Bennett, John-W. (1843). Ceylon and Its Capabilities. pp. 101–2. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  16. Rubin, Don; Pong, Chua Soo; Chaturvedi, Ravi; Majundar, Ramendu; Tanokura, Minoru (2001). The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia/Pacific. Taylor & Francis. p. 420. ISBN 9780415260879. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  17. The Monthly Magazine: Or, British Register ... 1815. pp. 95–6.
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