(560) Bennet of Tresillian

Bennet of Tresillian

This family used the same coat of arms as the Earls of Tankerville, and the Bennets of Babraham and the Bennets of Widcombe House, but the precise connection to these families is unclear. By the mid 18th century, the Rev. Thomas Bennet (d. 1767) was vicar of St. Enoder in Cornwall, and his son John (c.1735-85) followed in his father's footsteps and became vicar of Gwinear (Cornw.) in 1768. It was the Rev. John Bennet who laid the foundations of the family's rise into the landed gentry by his marriage in 1764 to Philippa Gully (1742-84?), the daughter of Samuel Gully of Tresillian, whose family had owned that estate since 1694. When Philippa's brother, Richard Gully, died unmarried in 1791, the Tresillian estate passed to John and Philippa's eldest son, the Rev. John Bennet (1765-1804), who was then just embarking on an ecclesiastical career, and held a curacy at Anthony (Cornw.). John, who had recently married Elizabeth Wallis, the daughter of another minor Cornish squarson, the Rev. Mydhope Wallis, seems to have abandoned the idea of a clerical career and embraced the life of a landed gentleman; he never proceeded to priestly orders. He and Elizabeth produced four children who were all still young when both parents died within the space of eight months in 1804-05. Under John's will, responsibility for the children - two sons and two daughters - passed to John's unmarried brother, Major William Bennet (1780-1817), and his sister Patty (1777-1851) and her husband, Joseph Norway (1774-1825), who was an attorney at St Columb Major (Cornw.). With Major Bennet serving in the army, the bulk of the responsibility for the young family fell on Patty and her husband. Everything seems to have gone well until the children approached adulthood, when the eldest daughter, Elizabeth Bennet (1792-1842), caught the eye of Francis Camborne Paynter (1785-1858). Paynter had set himself up as a solicitor at St Columb Major in competition with Joseph Norway, and there seems to have been a very real dispathy between the two lawyers. Norway naturally discouraged his ward from having anything to do with Paynter, who responded by persuading the heir to the Tresillian estate, Richard Gully Bennet (1793-1836), that his uncles had been quietly milking the estate during his long minority. Rather than raising these concerns directly with his trustees, however, Paynter helped Gully (as he was usually known), who was then an Oxford undergraduate, to launch a legal case in Chancery, seeking the appointment of Paynter as receiver of the estate revenues, and requiring a complete accounting for the estate income and expenditure since 1805. Norway, who seems to have been largely blameless, was absolutely furious at his integrity being publicly impugned in this way, and at the ingratitude exhibited by his nephew, although he seems to have recognised Paynter as the villain of the piece. The case took several years to unfold - as Chancery cases usually did - but in the end Joseph Norway's stewardship was vindicated and his relationship with Gully Bennet seems to have been repaired. Paynter may have failed to get his hands on the estate revenues, but in 1815 he did marry Elizabeth Bennet, and they went on to have four daughters.

Gully Bennet himself married in 1820, but his wife died less than two years later, leaving him with a single surviving son, called Richard Gully Bennet after his father. Gully Bennet subsequently took a mistress, Elizabeth Mountstevens Tinney, who lived with him as his housekeeper, and by whom he had four children before he died at the age of forty-three in 1836. His will appointed his friends, Edward William Wynne Pendarves MP and Thurston Collins, to be his legitimate son's guardians and trustees, and stipulated that a servant should occupy the house at Tresillian until his son came of age. He probably had Elizabeth in mind for this role, but by 1841 she had become an innkeeper at St Enoder and taken a local farmer as a husband, and Tresillian may have fallen into disrepair. Richard Gully Bennet (1820-1910) came of age in 1841 and decided soon afterwards to rebuild Tresillian House. George Wightwick had produced plans by 1846, which were used as the basis for Twycross' engraving of the intended new house, published in that year, but work did not actually begin until 1848. Part of the new house was ready for occupation in 1849, but work continued in a desultory fashion until final completion in 1862.

Richard Gully Bennet married Mary Jean Hosken in 1846 and the couple had two sons and two daughters. Both of the sons, Edward Gully Bennet (1849-1927) and Ferdinando Wallis Bennet (1850-1929) were career soldiers, achieving the ranks of Lt-Col. and Col. respectively. Edward retired from the army in 1893 and gradually took over some of his ageing father's roles in local government, but he was unmarried, and in 1921 he was living at Tresillian with just one servant. His brother, who inherited the estate in 1927, settled at Northam (Devon) on leaving the army in 1901 and became heavily involved in local government and voluntary work in north Devon for the next quarter of a century. He handed over Tresillian to his son, Major Leonard Wallis Bennet (1897-1957) shortly after his brother's death and it was Major Bennet who led a campaign of restoration work on the then neglected house and grounds, including refitting the library in 1928. Shortly before the Second World War, however, Major Bennet decided to let the house to Thomas Albert Victor Wood (1893-1978), who was looking for a property on which he could selectively breed new daffodils, and moved to Northam Lodge near where his father had lived. Wood remained as tenant at Tresillian until at least 1950, but in 1947 Major Bennet had sold the freehold to Frederick J. Davy, who brought a legal action against the sitting tenant in 1950 for breach of the maintenance conditions in the lease, and seeking possession of the property. His action was unsuccessful, but Wood seems to have left soon afterwards. In due course, the estate descended to Rex Davy (1917-2007) who created the 'Dairyland' farming theme park on the Home Farm in the 1970s. In 2000, he sold the estate to the present owner, a grandson of the Mr T.A.V. Wood who was a tenant in the 1930s and 1940s, and the house has since been thoroughly restored. The sale of the estate in 1947 brought the Bennet family's status as landed gentry to an end. Major Bennet had no son to succeed him, but produced four daughters, at least two of whom settled in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where in 1963 the eldest daughter, Armenell Mary Betty Bennet (1929-2000), married Clifford Walter Dupont (1905-78), a leading figure in the government of the self-styled republic of Rhodesia and its President, 1970-75.

Tresillian House, St Newlyn East, Cornwall

A substantial manorial barton or farm on this site belonged in the medieval period to the Tresilian family, of whom Sir Robert Tresilian was Lord Chief Justice before his execution at Tyburn in 1388. It subsequently passed through the hands of the Hawley and Davies families, before being bought in 1694 by Samuel Gully. Instructions were given for repairs and alterations to the house in 1777, and some accounts suggest that part of the 18th century house is incorporated in the present building, which is a solidly-built but severely plain L-shaped house with a five-bay entrance front, designed by George Wightwick for Richard Gully Bennet (1820-1910), but there is nothing obvious in its plan or appearance to suggest the existence of older fabric. 

Tresillian House: entrance front.

The present building was illustrated in Twycross' Mansions of England and Wales volume on Cornwall, published in 1846, although construction did not actually begin until 1848: his illustration was based on sight of the architect's drawings. The family were able to move into part of the house in 1849, but it was not completely finished until 1863. 

Tresillian House: engraving of the house built for Richard Gully Bennet in 1848-50, from Twycross' Mansions of England & Wales: Cornwall, 1846.

The main block of the house is a double pile, with a central spine wall dividing a hall, dining room and library along the front from a large drawing room and a dramatic top-lit staircase hall at the back. The service wing lies behind the staircase hall and is connected to the dining room by a small room under the staircase which at one time was the butler's pantry. 

Tresillian House: staircase hall. Image: Tresillian House.

Tresillian House: drawing room. Image: Tresillian House.

Tresillian House: library, remodelled in 1928. Image: Tresillian House.

The house has recently been nicely restored, and it seems to have been very little altered since it was first built, apart from a refitting of the library in 1928. The main house and two cottages are now available for holiday lets. A walled kitchen garden was laid out in woodland a short distance from the house in the mid 19th century and is immaculately maintained today. It featured on television recently as part of the Rick Stein's Cornwall series, in which the presenter interviewed the characterful head gardener, John Harris.

Descent: sold 1694 to Samuel Gully; to son?, Enodor Gully (d. 1748); to great nephew, Richard Gully (d. 1791); to nephew, Rev. John Bennet (1765-1804); to son, (Richard) Gully Bennet (1793-1836); to son, Richard Gully Bennet (1820-1910); to son, Edward Gully Bennet (1849-1927); to brother, Ferdinando Wallis Bennet (1850-1929), who gave it to his son, Maj. Leonard Wallis Bennet (1897-1957); sold 1947 to Frederick J. Davy; to son, Rex Davy (1917-2007), creator of the DairyLand Farm World theme park; sold 2000 to George Edward Silvanus Robinson (b. 1956), hedge fund manager and grandson of Thomas Albert Victor Wood (1893-1978), who leased the property from 1937 until after 1950. 

Bennet family of Tresillian

Bennet, Rev. John (c.1735-85). Son of Rev. Thomas Bennet (d. 1767), vicar of St Enoder (Cornw.) 1735-67, and his wife Dorothy Vinicombe, born at Exeter about 1735. Educated at Clare College, Cambridge (matriculated 1754; BA 1758; MA 1761). Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, 1761-64. Vicar of Gwinear (Cornw.), 1768-85. He married, 22 May 1764 at Newlyn East, Phillippa (1742-84?), daughter of Samuel Gully and sister of Richard Gully (d. 1791) of Tresillian House, and had issue:

(1) Rev. John Bennet (1765-1804) (q.v.);

(2) Philippa Bennet (b. 1766), born 20 September and baptised at St Enoder, 2 October 1766; probably died unmarried;

(3) Dorothy Bennet (1767-1815), baptised at St Ewe, 2 December 1767; married, 29 July 1790 at Fowey (Cornw.), Rev. James Pascoe (c.1765-1807), vicar of St Keverne (Cornw.), 1789-1807, and had issue seven sons and three daughters; buried at St Keverne, 22 March 1815; will proved in the PCC, 17 July 1815;

(4) Mary Bennet (b. 1769), baptised at Gwinear, 26 July 1769;

(5) Elizabeth Bennet (b. 1772), baptised at Gwinear, 27 March 1772;

(6) Ann Bennet (b. & d. 1773), baptised at Gwinear, 11 December 1773; died in infancy and was buried at Gwinear, 18 December 1773;

(7) Ann Bennet (1776-1862), baptised at Gwinear, 17 April 1776; died unmarried at Wadebridge (Cornw.), 19 September 1862;

(8) Patty Bennet (1777-1851), baptised at Gwinear, 31 October 1777; married, 28 April 1801 at St Keverne, Joseph Norway (1774-1825) of St Columb Major (Cornw.), attorney, who acted as one of the guardians and trustees of his brother-in-law, Rev. John Bennet's, children from 1805, son of Neville Norway of Lostwithiel (Cornw.), and had issue one son and four daughters; died at St Columb Major, Jul-Sept. 1851;

(9) William Bennet (1780-1817), baptised at Gwinear, 2 March 1780; an officer in the army (Maj.), who acted as one of the guardians and trustees of his brother, Rev. John Bennet's, children from 1805; died 20 April 1817;

(10) Kitty Bennet (1783-1819), baptised at Gwinear, 9 February 1783; died unmarried and was buried at St Columb Major, 22 February 1819.

He was buried at Gwinear, 17 February 1785. His wife is said to have died in 1784, but I have been unable to trace a matching burial in that year.

Bennet, Rev. John (1765-1804). Son of Rev. John Bennet (c.1735-85) and his wife Phillippa, daughter of Samuel Gully of Tresillian House, born 6 June and baptised at St Enoder (Cornw.), 18 June 1765. Educated at Clare College, Cambridge (matriculated 1785; BA 1789). Ordained deacon, 1789. Curate of Antony (Cornw.). He married, 31 October 1791 at Stoke Damerel (Devon), Elizabeth (1770-1805), daughter and heir of Rev. Mydhope Wallis (d. 1791) of Trethill in Sheviock (Cornw.) and vicar of Rame (Cornw.), and had issue:

(1) Elizabeth Bennet (1792-1842), baptised at Anthony, 3 October 1792; married, 2 November 1815 at Newlyn East, Francis Camborne Paynter (1785-1858) of St Columb Major, solicitor, and had issue four daughters; died 4 November 1842;

(2) Richard Gully Bennet (1793-1836) (q.v.);

(3) Rev. Mydhope Wallis Bennet (1795-1824), baptised at Newlyn East, 13 April 1795; educated at Pembroke College, Oxford (matriculated 1813; BA 1817); ordained deacon, 1818 and priest, 1819; curate of Talland, 1818; died unmarried at East Looe (Cornw.) and was buried at Morval (Cornw.), 8 November 1824; will proved in the PCC, 10 December 1824;

(4) Ann Bennet (1796-1870?), born 3 November 1796 and baptised at Newlyn East, 2 January 1797; married, 30 December 1818 at St Martin by Looe (Cornw.), Rev. James Pascoe (c.1792-1839), vicar of St. Keverne, and had issue six sons and two daughters; probably the 'Ann Pascoe' buried at Sithney (Cornw.), 10 August 1870.

He inherited Tresillian House from his maternal uncle, Richard Gully in 1791.

He died 31 December 1804 and was buried at Newlyn East, 7 January 1805; his will was proved in the PCC, 28 May 1805. His widow died 17 August and was buried at Newlyn East, 24 August 1805.

Bennet, Richard Gully (1793-1836). Elder son of Rev. John Bennet (1765-1804) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Rev. Mydhope Wallis of Trethill, born 13 November and baptised at Newlyn East, 21 December 1793. Educated at Pembroke College, Oxford (matriculated 1811). JP for Cornwall. He married, 3 January 1820 at St Enoder (Cornw.), Loveday (1798-1821), daughter of William Basset of Pencorse, St Enoder, and had issue:

(1) Richard Gully Bennet (1820-1910) (q.v.);

(2) John Bennet (1821-22), baptised at Newlyn East, 27 December 1821; died in infancy and was buried at St Columb Major, 22 September 1822.

After the death of his wife he seems to have taken as his housekeeper and mistress, Elizabeth Mountstevens Tinney, by whom he apparently had four illegitimate children (mentioned but not named in his will):

(X1) Francis Tinney (b. 1830), baptised at Cuby with Tregony (Cornw.), 13 August 1830; living in 1841 but apparently died in the lifetime of his mother;

(X2) Millicent Tinney (b. 1832), said to have been born in May 1832; baptised at St Columb Minor, 16 March 1837;

(X3) Melissa Tinney (b. c.1834); living in 1841; 

(X4) John Wallis Tinney (b. 1836; fl. 1895), baptised at Newlyn East, 30 August 1836; living in Truro in 1895.

He inherited Tresillian House from his father in 1805 and came of age in 1814.

He died 2 December and was buried at Newlyn East, 9 December 1836; his will made provision for his housekeeper and her children. His wife died 22 December and was buried at Newlyn East, 28 December 1821. His partner became the innkeeper of the Anchor Inn, St. Enoder, and married, Oct-Dec 1841 at Stoke Damerel (Devon), Anthony Cock of St Enoder (Cornw.), yeoman, and had further issue one son; she was buried at St Enoder, 24 October 1846 and her will was proved in the PCC, 27 July 1847.

Bennet, Richard Gully (1820-1910). Only surviving legitimate son of Richard Gully Bennet (1793-1836) and his wife Loveday, daughter of William Bassett of Pencorse, St Enoder (Cornw.), born 31 October 1820 and baptised at Newlyn East, 12 January 1821. Educated at Taunton, Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1839; BA 1843) and the Inner Temple (admitted 1843). JP and DL for Cornwall; County Councillor, 1889-98; chairman of St Columb Board of Guardians, 1845-95. He married, 21 April 1846 at Cubert (Cornw.), Mary Jean (1821-1906), fourth daughter of Richard Hosken of Carines House, Cubert (Cornw.), and had issue:

(1) Kathleen Tryphena Bennet (1848-1931), baptised at Newlyn East, 12 June 1848; married, 9 August 1871 at Newlyn East, William Vigor Fox (1832-95) of Comberbach House (Ches.), son of Rev. William Fox, but had no issue; died 13 April 1931; will proved 16 May 1931 (estate £3,227);

(2) Edward Gully Bennet (1849-1927) (q.v.);

(3) Ferdinando Wallis Bennet (1850-1929) (q.v.);

(4) Edith Mary Bennet (1858-1941), born 27 May 1858; lived with her sister at Comberbach; died unmarried at Newquay (Cornw.), 28 February 1941.

He inherited Tresillian House from his father in 1836, came of age in 1841, and rebuilt the house in 1848-63.

He died aged 89, on 11 January 1910; his will was proved 6 April 1910 (estate £22,179). His wife died 2 June 1906.

Bennet, Edward Gully (1849-1927). Elder son of Richard Gully Bennet (1820-1910) and his wife Mary Jean, fourth daughter of Richard Hosken of Carines House, Cubert (Cornw.), born 24 October and baptised at Newlyn East, 4 December 1849. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1868; Lt., 1871; Capt., 1881; Maj. 1886; retired as Lt. Col., 1893). JP (Chairman of St Columb Petty Sessions) and County Councillor for Cornwall. He was unmarried and without issue.

He inherited Tresillian House from his father in 1910.

He died 1 August 1927 and his body was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, London; his will was proved 12 November 1927 and 19 April 1928 (estate £35,660).

Col. F.W. Bennet (1850-1929) 

Bennet, Ferdinando Wallis (1850-1929). Second son of Richard Gully Bennet (1820-1910) and his wife Mary Jean, fourth daughter of Richard Hosken of Carines House, Cubert (Cornw.), born 13 December 1850 and baptised at Newlyn East, 17 January 1851. Educated at Sherborne School, 1862-67, and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. An officer in the Royal Engineers (2nd Lt., 1871; Capt., 1883; Maj. 1889; Lt. Col., 1900 retired as Br. Col., 1901). He served as British Vice-Consul at Adana in Anatolia, 1880-82, and later in Egypt, 1882, 1884-85 and the Boer War, 1899-1901. In retirement he was much involved in public affairs in north Devon, serving as a JP for Devon (Chairman of Bideford Petty Sessions); Vice-Chairman of Northam Urban District Council, and as a poor law guardian and hospital trustee. After joining the army he had a brief but spectacular career as a cricketer, playing regularly for the Royal Engineers and also in four first class matches, and he was also a keen golfer. He married, 18 February 1896 at All Saints, Paddington (Middx), his cousin, Evelyn Mary (1865-1944), a nurse in Hong Kong, daughter of Maj-Gen. Henry Spencer Palmer RE (1838-93), and had issue:

(1) Maj. Leonard Wallis Bennet (1897-1957) (q.v.);

(2) twin, Charles Hosken Bennet (1898-1919), born in Belfast (Co. Down), 6 July 1898; educated at Marlborough and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; an officer in the Royal Artillery (2nd Lt., 1915; Lt. 1917); died of pneumonia, 25 February 1919;

(3) twin, Mary Kathleen Bennet (1898-1985), born in Belfast, 6 July 1898; married, 3 October 1928, Vice-Adm. John Guy Protheroe Vivian CB (1887-1963) of Northmoor (Oxon), son of Rev. Charles Henry Gerald Vivian of Grampound (Cornw.), but had no issue; died 10 July 1985; will proved 16 September 1985 (estate £67,209);

(4) Evelyn Marjorie Bennet (1902-96), born 17 June and baptised at Northam, 23 July 1902; married, 22 December 1923, Wing-Cdr. John Allan Ferguson OBE (1889-1953), who served in the Indian Army (Col.) and later in the RAF, and had issue one son; died 16 January 1996.

After retiring from the army, he settled at Fairlea, Northam (Devon). He inherited Tresillian House from his elder brother in 1927, but handed it on to his elder son in his lifetime.

He died 17 October 1929; his will was proved 15 February 1930 (estate £57,898). His wife died 25 October 1944; her will was proved 23 May 1945 (estate £4,310).

Bennet, Leonard Wallis (1897-1957). Elder son of Col. Ferdinando Wallis Bennet (1850-1929) and his wife Evelyn Mary, daughter of Maj-Gen. Palmer RE, born 3 January and baptised at St Philip, Kensington (Middx), 10 February 1897. Educated at Marlborough, 1910-14, and Royal Military Academy. An officer in the Royal Artillery (2nd Lt., 1915; Lt., 1916; Capt. 1917; A/Maj., 1918; retired 1928; returned to colours, 1939; Br. Maj., 1944; retired 1949), who served in the First World War from 1916 and throughout the Second World War. He was a freemason from 1920. He married, 4 September 1928, Armenell Betty (1897-1958), only daughter of Gerald Merritt Wynter of Luxstowe, Liskeard (Cornw.), and had issue:

(1) Armenell Mary Betty Bennet (1929-2000), born 10 August 1929; married, 23 May 1963 at Salisbury (Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe), as his third wife, Clifford Walter Dupont (1905-78)*, but had no issue; died at Harare (Zimbabwe), 10 April 2000;

(2) Evelyn Jennifer Bennet (b. 1931), born 2 November 1931; married, Jan-Mar 1954, Peter David Raymond (1926-93), stockbroker, son of Joseph Raymond of Kensington (Middx);

(3) Rosemary Ann Bennet (b. 1934), born 29 November 1934; married, 11 August 1954, Thomas Ian Fraser Sandeman (1931-95) of Kilkhampton (Cornw.), farmer, and had issue four children; emigrated to Southern Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe) with her husband, 1959;

(4) Jeanette Elizabeth Bennet (b. 1936), born 21 March 1936.

He was given Tresillian House by his father in about 1927 and undertook repairs to the house and grounds before letting the house in 1937 to Thomas Albert Victor Wood (1893-1978). He lived subsequently at Northam Lodge (Devon).

He died 5 February 1957; administration of his goods was granted 15 May 1957 (estate £18,712). His widow died 2 August 1958; her will was proved 9 October 1958 (estate £9,996).

* After the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Ian Smith's government in Southern Rhodesia in 1965, Dupont was appointed 'Acting Officer Administering the Government'; he served as President of Rhodesia, 1970-75.

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952, p. 156; E. Twycross, The mansions of England & Wales: County of Cornwall, 1846, pl. facing p. 83; R.G. Kerswell, The Bennets of Tresillian, 1994; D.E. Pett, The parks and gardens of Cornwall, 1998, pp. 180-81; P. Newberry, The country houses of Cornwall, 2023, pp. 165-67;

Location of archives

Bennet family of Tresillian: deeds and papers, 1565-1884 [Kresen Kernow/Cornwall Record Office WH1/5014-5085]

Coat of arms

Gules, three demi-lions rampant couped argent in the centre chief point a bezant.

Can you help?

• Can anyone demonstrate the connection between this family and another of the other Bennet families which used the same coat of arms?
• Can anyone provide portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 28 October 2023.