John Whitchurch Bennett Biography

John Whitchurch Bennett (1790-1853) was a British army officer, official and printer, and was also known as a naturalist.

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 until 1827. His rank in 1815 was 2nd lieutenant; he was placed on half-pay in 1819. 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.

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

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. In 1830 he petitioned Parliament to look into the conduct of Sir Edward Barnes, as Governor of Ceylon. In 1837, he appealed to Sir Alexander Johnston for support.

The standard author abbreviation J.W. Benn. is used to indicate John Whitchurch Bennett as the author when citing a botanical name.