William Bennet

Who was William Bennet?

William Bennet was Bishop of Cloyne, Ireland, and an antiquary.

He was born in the Tower of London and educated at Harrow School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he was senior tutor for many years. One of his pupils was John Fane, who appointed Bennet as his chaplain on taking up the post of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1790. Bennet then became Bishop of Cork and Ross until 1794 when he became Bishop of Cloyne.

He died in Montagu Square, London, and "His exertions while preaching a charity sermon at St Michael, Cornhill, exacerbated by a recent attack of gout, are supposed to have hastened his death." He was buried in Plumstead, at that time in Kent.

He was a scholar and antiquary, elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1790. He was particularly interested in tracing the Roman roads of Britain, and Bishop Bennet Way is a horse-riding, walking and cycling route in Cheshire, England, named in honour of his surveys of the Roman roads of the area.