Gervase Bennet (born 1612) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England ...

between 1653 and 1659. Bennet coined the term "Quakers" to refer to the

Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

. Bennet was

Mayor of Derby Names of the Mayors for the Borough of Derby from the first that was chosen on 3 July 1638 by the king's charter then granted to the town. The two last bailiffs were the two first mayors, Mr Mellor being proclaimed 3 July 1638 to be the mayor u ...

in 1645 when there was a plague in Derby.
The history and gazetteer of the county of Derby
' by Stephen Glover, 1831, accessed 31 October 2010 He was also a magistrate and in 1650, he and Nathaniel Barton conducted the trial of

George Fox George Fox (July 1624 – 13 January 1691) was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and ...

, founder of the Religious Society of Friends. Fox told the bench "Tremble at the word of the Lord", to which Bennett replied that the only "quaker" in court was him, after which the nickname

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

to refer to members of the Society entered common parlance. In 1653, Bennet was nominated for the

Barebones Parliament Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the ins ...

as representative for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

. In 1654, he was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

in the

First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the ...

and was returned in the

Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons. In its first session, the House of Commons was its only chamber; in ...

in 1656 and the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a powe ...

of 1659. Bennet owned estates of Littleover and

Snelston Snelston is a village and civil parish three miles south-west of Ashbourne in Derbyshire, England. It includes Anacrehill. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 202. A tributary of the River Dove flows through its centre. ...

. He married a coheiress of the Rowe family, and had a son, Robert. He was aged 50 in 1662 and the estate was sold in 1682.'General history: Gentry families of uncertain survival', Magna Britannia: volume 5: Derbyshire (1817), pp. CLIII-CLXVII Date accessed: 24 October 2010
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennet, Gervase 1612 births Year of death unknown Mayors of Derby English MPs 1653 (Barebones) English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1659 Members of the Parliament of England for Derby Members of the Parliament of England for Derbyshire