34 THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 
cavern, to the Flood. Several contemporary 
geologists (Farey, Fleming, Fitton, Smithson) 
immediately refuted this contention. 
'2 This seems to be confirmed by information on the Web 
associated item “Election Time: England 1820” on 
the ‘FREE postage mark’ used by MPs, which uses a 
letter from John Benett, dated 14 Feb. 1820, to the 
Highworth solicitor James Crowdy, concerning the 
election for the Parliament of 4 Aug. 1818 - 29 Feb. 
1820. This states that John Benett had been elected at 
a by-election in 1819, following the retirement of 
Paul Mellen on the grounds of ill-health. Apparently 
in 1820, Benett stood with John Dugdale Astley of 
Everleigh House, Wilts, who became the candidate 
for the other county seat at this election. William 
Pole Tylney Long Wellesley, who had contested and 
was elected in the campaign of 1818, did not offer 
himself in 1820. 
‘3 John Benett was subjected to another riot at Pythouse 
during the 1830 riots of agricultural labourers 
seeking an increase in wages and against the use of 
threshing machines — see the account Chapter 10, p. 
156 in The Village Labourer 1760-1832 . . ., by 
Hammond, J.L. & B. (1920). 
see H.B. Woodward History of geology (1911,126). 
'S Yucca filamentosa, the Silk Grass, named for the curly 
white threads which come from the leaf margin, and 
which produces a pyramid of creamy-white flowers. 
It was one of the many plants brought to England by 
John Tradescant the Younger (1608-1682) from N. 
America in 1675. This was a hardier species than 
Yucca . 
References 
BENETT, E. 1831a, A catalogue of Wiltshire fossils. In 
Sir R.C. Hoare, The Modern History of South Wiltshire, 
Vol. 2, Part 2 (The Hundred of Warminster, by H. 
Wansey & Sir R.C.Hoare). London: J. B. Nichols & J. 
G.Nichols, 117-126 
BENETT, E. 1831b, A Catalogue of the Organic Remains of 
the County of Wiltshire. J.L. Warminster: Vardy, iv, 9 
pp, 18 pls. 
CLEEVELY, R.J. 1998a. The first female palaeontologist. 
The Linnean, 14 (2), 4-9 
CLEEVELY, R.J. 1998b. [Etheldred Benett] Picture Quiz 
reply. The Linnean, 14 (2), 25-6 
CHARLESWORTH, E. 1840. Etheldred  Benett. 
Collection London Geological Journal, 1 (2): inside 
cover 
JACKSON, Rev. Canon J.E. 1881. The Eminent Ladies of 
Wiltshire History. WANHM, 20, 26-45 
MANTELL, G.A. 1846. Obituary of Etheldred Benett. 
London Geological Journal, 1 (1), 40 
MURCHISON, R.I. 1832. Presidential Address to the 
Geological Society, 17 February 1832. Proceedings of 
the Geological Society, 1832 (25), 362-386 
MURRAY, J. 1848. Memorial to Etheldred Benett. Mining 
Fournal, 18, 54 (29 January 1848) 
NASH, Sarah E. 1990. The Collections and life History of 
Etheldred Benett (1776-1845). WANHM, 83, 163-9 
SPAMER, E.E., BOGAN, A.E. & TORRENS, H.S. 1989. 
Recovery of the Etheldred Benett collection of fossils 
..Analysis of the taxonomic nomenclature. And Notes 
and Figures of Type specimens. Proceedings of the Acad- 
emy of natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 141, 115-189 
TORRENS, H.S., BENAMY, E., DAESCHLER, E.B., 
SPAMER, E.E. & BOGAN, A.E. 2000. Etheldred 
Benett of Wiltshire, England, the first lady geologist 
— Her fossil collection in the Academy of Natural 
Sciences of Philadelphia, and the rediscovery of ‘lost’ 
specimens of Jurassic ‘Trigoniidae (Mollusca: 
Bivalvia) with their soft anatomy preserved. 
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science of 
Philadelphia, 150, 59-123 
WATKIN, B. 1985. Norton Bavant. AS printed pamphlet: 
4pp 
WOODWARD, H.B. 1911, History of Geology. London: 
Watts & Co., vit 154 pp 
Correspondence Archives 
Benett — Mantell letters [ 1813 — 1843] in Alexander 
Turnbull Library, Wellington, National Library of 
New Zealand. MS Papers 83 Folders 10a, 100. 
Benett — Sowerbys letters [ 1814 — 1840] in the Eyles 
Collection, Special Collections Library, Bristol 
University. 
Benett — Samuel Woodward [1829-38] in Norwich Castle 
Museum, Samuel Woodward Volumes, 1832-35. 
