Denton (William Senior)

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Denton (William Senior)

Postby Longies » Wed Aug 25, 2021 8:54 am

Morning all

I will appreciate your valued opinions please.

Interested in William Senior DENTON.

I have it that Elizabeth SENYOR (*1774 Sheffield, Yorkshire) had a son who was baptised on 16/12/1792 in St Peter Cathedral, Sheffield, Yorkshire. It seems he was baptised as William SENYOR and it is not clear who the father was?

Elizabeth SENYOR a year later on 11/8/1793 married Charles DENTON - marriage was in Sheffield. Out of this marriage 3 children were born (names known but for purpose of this request, not mentioning the names not to confuse anyone).

It seems as if Elizabeth's first son born before her marriage (William SENYOR) then changed names to William Senior DENTON, as there is a record of William Senior DENTON in a marriage with Mary CHARLTON on 26/3/1817 in Sheffield.

Would you agree that William SENYOR became William Senior DENTON? Would such a name change be documented somewhere?

Opinions on this will be appreciated.

Kind regards.

Johan
Longies
 
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Re: Denton (William Senior)

Postby Hillhurst » Wed Aug 25, 2021 5:26 pm

Hi Johan,

Wm. son of Eliz. SENYOR, Spinster, was baptised 16 December 1792 in the parish of Sheffield.

Death Notice (Cape Archives) suggests he was born in Sheffield in November 1792.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1 ... cat=331262

It's very likely that WSD simply took his step-father's surname of "Denton" after his mother's 1793 marriage to Charles Denton. Illegitimate children taking the surname of a step-father was quite common back then.

Given that mother Elizabeth married Charles Denton less than a year after WSD's birth, it's anyone's guess if Charles was his biological father. However, I would presume not, due to the fact WSD chose to be known as William SENIOR DENTON, and gave SENIOR as a middle name to all his children. This suggests that Charles was his step-father.

Question: Do you have WSD's military service details? If not, please see below. He was at the Battle of Waterloo.

WO97/3/96

His Majesty's Second Regt. of Lifeguards, whereof Gen'l Earl Cathcart KT is Colonel

These are to certify that William DENTON in the Second Regiment aforesaid, born in the Parish of Sheffield in or near the Town of York in the County of York was enlisted at the age of twenty-one Years; and hath served in the said Regiment for the space of two Years and 58 Days, as well as in other Corps, after the Age of Eighteen, according to the following Statement, but in consequence of a shot in the thigh at the Battle of Waterloo and six sabre and lance wounds, having his leg lacerated by a horse trampling upon him, he has become deaf, and is rendered unfit for further service, and is hereby discharged; having first received all just Demands of Pay, Clothing &c, from his Entry into the said Regiment, to the date of this Discharge, as appears by the Receipt on the back hereof.

And to prevent any improper use being made of this Discharge, by its falling into other Hands, the following is a Description of the said Wm. DENTON.
He is about 23 Years of Age, is 5 Feet 10½ Inches in height, dark brown Hair, brown Eyes, dark Complexion, by Trade a Laborer.

[Written by hand down the side margin]
The scars of the wounds all remain and his right arm is much weakened.
James MOORE, Surgeon 2nd Regt. Life Guards
Document dated 23rd July 1816
Hillhurst
 
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Re: Denton (William Senior)

Postby Longies » Thu Aug 26, 2021 10:15 am

Hi Hillhurst,

Once again many thanks for all the feedback and extra info.

I did get a document written by Sue Mackay with much of the info you mentioned. But the whole issue wrt illegitimate children and the use of a new surname, was not that clear to me. You however clarified it excellently ("taking the surname of a step-father was quite common back then"), which I did not know. And off-course it also places the use of Senior of a middle name to all his children into perspective. I also follow and agree with you on your arguments that Charles was his stepfather.

For sake of interest, 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.

Kind regards.
Johan
Longies
 
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Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 7:56 am

Re: Denton (William Senior)

Postby Hillhurst » Thu Aug 26, 2021 9:00 pm

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).
Hillhurst
 
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Re: Denton (William Senior)

Postby Longies » Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:43 am

Morning Hillhurst,

Wow thanks for the mouthful of info - that is plenty to chew on :)

Thanks for the reminder of baptism date and birth of year. It is correct - no doubt or arguing about it - I am sometimes guilty (like in this case) of forgetting the important difference. But on this topic thanks for the interesting background info wrt to the minimum age at marriage. That is new to me and much appreciated.

I am actually not doing research on the DENTON family, but a friend who is new in genealogy, has started recently with the DENTON family. She asked me for assistance and as you know once you are into genealogy, one gets "hooked" and so easily drawn into other people's research (as your participation shows). I just thought that I am going to try and assist a bit (based on the little experience I have) and show what can be done on a forum where there are so many people willing to share and assist. One sometimes do run into a situation where you need someone else to look at things from a different angle. and also some people have more or better access to certain records.

Will pass all the info that you provided on to her - am sure it will help her a lot.

Kind regards.

Johan
Longies
 
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Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 7:56 am


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