 |
Although he is barely remembered now, in the early 18th-century, Richard Bennett's name was a household word. He owned thousands of acres of land and built his own fleet of merchant vessels. His obituary in the Maryland Gazette in 1749 described him as the greatest trader in the Province and the richest man on the continent, while also praising his great generosity to widows and orphans.
Richard Bennett III, born in 1667 in Queen Anne's County MD, was the son of Richard Bennett II and Henrietta Maria Neale and the grandson of Richard Bennett, governor of Virginia. Richard's father drowned when he was about 4 months old and Henrietta married again to Philemon Lloyd of Wye House, with whom she had eight children. The beautiful Madam Lloyd was one of the most glamorous and powerful women of her day.
Richard and his sister Susanna were brought up Catholic and stuck to their faith even when Catholics were persecuted in Maryland.
After Madam Lloyd's death in 1697, Richard embarked on a land-buying spree all over the Eastern Shore of Maryland and began building a business empire the likes of which Maryland had not seen before. When the price of tobacco plunged and planters lost their plantations, Richard stepped in to purchase the properties, making himself one of the largest landowners in Maryland.
Although Richard married Elizabeth Rousby (daughter of John Rousby), she pre-deceased him and they had no children. So, when Richard lay dying in 1749, the big question on everyone's mind was who would be his heir? He drew up a new 16-page will shortly before his death and signed it on his deathbed, naming 275 actual or potential beneficiaries and disposing of an estate that was the equivalent of millions of dollars in modern terms.
However, the deathbed will led to a Dickensian court battle when one of the witnesses declared that Richard had not been competent to sign at the time of his death, and his Catholic relatives protested when his Protestant nephew Edward Lloyd was named as executor. In the end, the will was carried out as written and the fortunes of several prominent Eastern Shore families were made as a result. Nearly 25,000 acres of land were distributed and scores of debts forgiven when the will was probated.
Richard was buried at Bennett's Point, but for many years his grave and his wife's lay hidden under a tangle of vines. Only recently has it been restored so that this inscription can be read:
Here lieth the body of Richard Bennett Esq., who was born the 16th of September 1667, and died ye 11th of October 1749. His Father Died Young His Grandfather, who was also named Richard Bennett, was Governor of Virginia. No man was more Esteemed in Life In all Ranks of People than He, And this Esteem proceeded from his Benevolent & Charitable Disposition, Added to a Vast Depth of Understanding. To His Memory this Tombstone is dedicated by his Nephew, The Honourable Edward Lloyd Esq.
