George Bennet (c. 1750 – 20 October 1835), originally from Scotland, served as a presbyterian minister at the Annetwell Street Protestant meeting house at Carlisle in the far north-west of England between 1791 and 1807.
[3] In 1800, Bennet established a school at Fisher Street in Carlisle, advertising a wide curriculum that incorporated English (grammar and composition), Arithmetic, Book-keeping, Geography, Greek and Latin.
[1] Less sympathetic was the commentator who opined that "had his spirituality of character borne any proportion to his literary attainments, his ministry might have been extensively successful; but the chapel became almost deserted, and the things which remained were indeed ready to die".
An insight into Bennet's political stance comes from the lengthy but expressive title of a book he wrote and had published in 1796: "A Display of the Spirit and Designs of those who, under pretence of a Reform, aim at the Subversion of the Constitution and Government of this Kingdom.
[5] Another substantial book, published at Carlisle in 1800, was entitled, "Olam Hanashamoth, or a View of the Intermediate State as it appears in the Records of the Old and New Testaments".
[3] Living in England at a time of heightened nationalism, Bennet came under pressure from friends to switch his ecclesiastical allegiance to Anglicanism, but he preferred to spend his final decades back in Scotland.