Bennett Maxwell Banks
Bennett Maxwell Banks was my maternal grandfather, as he was to 14 grandchildren - my brothers and my cousins. Born in Plymouth in 1882 he described his life as three phases - his early years, his business career and finally his career as a Church of England priest. He hand-wrote his short autobiography on 53 right-hand pages of a foolscap Memoranda and Minute Book, starting to write his reminiscences in 1938 when Vicar of Barnham Broom in Norfolk, then adding notes of varying length on the left hand pages, seemingly at various times later in his life.
I transcribed this book some 30 years ago and have recently revisited it and so, rather than attempt to precis his life in my words, it can be viewed or downloaded from the links below.
The wedding of William Townsend and Nellie Banks Westcott, 12th September 1906. The wedding itself was in Holy Trinity Church, Plymouth. Many of the Banks, Westcott, Townsend and Parkhouse families are present. Bennett and his brothers are all in the back row, Bennett in the centre with a young lady on his right (understood to be Beatrice Parkhouse, a cousin). See key below - information for which came first from my mother's cousin Gwen Durham .
This photo was updated with a clearer version in February2026, and the identification of the people in it much improved with the help of Roger To*** ,
Jill Tr*** , both descendents of people in the picture, and so cousins of mine, and Miriam Sm***, another relative and highly knowledgeable genealogist. JCC
1 Alfred Parkhouse 2 Herbert Westcott
3 Jack Westcott 4 Leslie Banks
5 Beatrice Parkhouse
6 Bennett Banks 7 Reginald Banks
8 Unknown (A Parkhouse?)
9 Albert Westcott
10 Charles Victor Townsend
11 Horace Banks
12 Robert Branwell 13 Ellen (Nell) Branwell (nee Banks) 14 David Banks (father of Leslie, Bennett, Horace and Reginald) 15 Hilda Hellawell (nee Parkhouse) 16 Unknown (although suggested by Gwen Durham as Simeon's Wife (but who was Simeon?) 17 John Westcott - Father of the Bride and Husband of Bessie) 18 The Bride, Nell Townsend, nee Westcott 19 The Groom, Will Townsend 20 Mary Westcott (daughter of John and bride's sister) 21 Harry Townsend - Father of the Groom 22 Maud Townsend (who would marry Albert Westcott (9 above)) 23 Arthur Shakerley 24 Gertrude Townsend 25 Gwendoline Westcott (who would marry Alan Black) 26 Clara Parkhouse ("Birdie") sister of Hilda (15) and Muriel (27) 27 Muriel Parkhouse 28 Annie Parkhouse, nee Banks (wife of Alfred Parkhouse (1 above) 29 Jane Tonkin Banks (mother of David Banks and Bessie) 30 Bessie Westcott, nee Banks 31 Caroline Esther Townsend - Mother of the Groom 32 Blanche Shakerley nee Westcott (wife of Arthur and mother of Jim (in front) 33 Edith Westcott (sister of Gwendoline) 34 Ellen Banks (nee Parkhouse, wife of David (14) 35 Jim Shakerley
The photographs and images below are of people and events described in Bennett's autobiography, or are of him at times he mentions.
