Longies wrote:also saw that Charles DENTON was a young lad when he married - born 1777 in Sheffield, it made him approx 16 years of age when he married Elizabeth SEYNOR on 11/8/1793 in Sheffield.
I note that Charles Denton's
baptism date is 29 May 1777 (according to the 1820 Settlers website). It should be remembered that a baptism date is not the same as a birth date. I've seen many instances where a child was baptised a year or so
after his/her birth, particularly during the 18th century and early 19th century.
In 1754, Hardwicke's Marriage Act, decreed that parties under the age of 21 (minors) required the consent of parents or guardians to marry. But it was not until 1763 that the minimum age at marriage was fixed at 16.
Speaking of Charles Denton, I haven't seen his
29 May 1777 baptism record online. I checked for FreeReg, Family Search, and FMP for suitable baptisms in Sheffield, as well as the county of Yorkshire. Currently I do not have an Ancestry sub, therefore cannot check for his baptism on their site.
Are people absolutely certain CD was born in Sheffield c1777 ??
The only 1777 baptism I see is for another Charles Denton, born in Darton, Yorkshire. It appears he remained in Yorkshire, according to census records. In any event, Darton is 20 miles north of Sheffield.
I've no idea if you are an descendant of the Denton family, or simply researching the 1820 Settlers. However, if one wants to delve deeper into CD's origins and confirm his baptism year, location, and parents' names, I suggest doing the following:
Contact
The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire and ask them to research their 18th century apprentice records. Their Archives include biographical details of apprentices and Freemen covering the period 1624-1814. As Charles Denton was a cutler by trade, hopefully they have an apprentice record for him.
Here is their website:
https://cutlers-hallamshire.org.uk/archives/Also, was Charles Denton's second wife Ann WOLSTENHOLME a widow when they married in 1808?
It appears Ann had a son named Joseph WOSTENHOLM who was an apprentice cutler. His father was a Benjamin WOSTENHOLM (deceased).
By 1810, Charles Denton is named as Joseph's father-in-law. I think the 19th century source I found may have meant "step-father".
Apparently JW was attempting to gain a parish settlement at Sheffield from Brightside Bierlow. Instead JW, his wife and child were removed to the township of Ecclesfield.
I note that William
Greaves, one of the witnesses at Charles Denton's 1808 marriage, was a fellow cutler.
Question: Was William Senyor Denton a victualler shortly before emigrating to South Africa?
During the 1820s, there was a John Senyor who kept the Old Barrack Tavern, Bowling Green in the village of Upperthorpe, Sheffield.
SOURCE: 1825 Sheffield Directory under 'Victuallers' - John Saynor 'Bowling Green, Barrack Tavern'.
Is this man the same John Senyor/Saynor who c1797 was trading with (brother) Samuel Saynor as "Cutlers from 4 and 5 Bank Street, Sheffield. Manufacturers of pen and pocket knives and razors". SOURCE: Sheffield Directory 1797
and 1817 (from Sheffield Archives)
And could this John Senyor/Saynor be the witness at Elizabeth Senyor's 1793 marriage to Charles Denton? If so, he's
not her father, as this JS (cutler at Bank Street) was born c1762, and he didn't marry until 1783. Perhaps he's a cousin of Elizabeth's?
Also, it's possible the JS witness at the 1793 marriage was her father.
There are two burials for men named John Sanyor, who could possibly be Elizabeth's father.
1821 death in Sheffield: John Saynor,
cutler (age 65)
1828 death in Sheffield: John Saynor (age 76)
Anyway, good luck with your Denton family research! If you reach "dead ends" with researching the Saynor/Senyor family, I suggest checking for wills (if any). They are a good source for working out who is who in a family. Also, check for any newspaper reports they may appear in. And property/deed records are helpful, as well. Not everything is online, so you may need to contact local and county archives for further assistance (e.g. Sheffield).
The National Archives (TNA) are a good source for wills. They had several wills for my 18th century family, which I downloaded for free. All you need to do is create a (free) account with the TNA. Ancestry also have wills, some with images.
British Newspaper Archive (BNA) is the go-to source for newspaper research. Unless one has a FMP subscription (the sub which provides access to their newspaper collection).