Richard Denton, lll, Reverend - The Origins of Reverend Richard Denton

The CCEd showed Thomas Duerden as a Curate in Rochdale in 1592 but did not show any other assignments. In 1599, however, he was the Rector at Bury, Lancashire, which is mid-way between Bolton and Rochdale. This suggests to me he may have been moving around during this period. If you look at a map of the area (click the link below) you will see that Bury is only a couple of miles from Bolton and Turton (outlined in red). You will also note Halifax to the east along with nearby Sowerby bridge (think 1602 Richard Duerden). A couple of miles west of Halifax you will see Hebden Bridge which is at Heptonstall (think 1604 Maria Duerden).

I can imagine Rector Thomas Duerden, being familiar with the area, the churches and the other clerics, recommending his new son-in-law for a chapel of ease at Turton in 1626.

The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster, Volume 1
By Edward Baines, (1868) p. 517
https://books.google.com/books?id=1F2_BVwU7SUC&q=dearden#v=onep...

Map Link: https://www.google.com/maps/place/North+Turton,+UK/@53.6435295,-2.2...

I am still looking for the Denton-Duerden wedding video. :)

On the map, you will also notice the village of Heywood just a mile or so east of Bury. That is the ancestral home of Rev. Oliver Heywood who succeeded Rev. Denton at Coley.

I was trying to look up who preceded Denton at Coley Chapel (and who recommended). First hit returns John Kerry “breaking news” (from 2013)

“What connects Coley Church, near Halifax, which is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year, with John Kerry, the new US Secretary of State, who recently visited Britain?

Read more at: https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/coley-curate-s...

Fascinating. The local paper had Mary's 1638 baptism in 2013. I guess I need to add the Halifax Courier to my genealogy web sites.

You had previously identified the various ministers at Coley. They are listed in "Northowram: Its History and Antiquities, Mark Pearson (1898) p. 38 et seq.
https://books.google.com/books?id=dOYVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA41&lpg=...

Rev. Denton's predecessor was:

"11th. R. Hirst (or Hayhurst). Born at Ribchester. His brother, who was Vicar at Leigh in Lancashire, was turned out by the Act oi Uniformity, and afterwards lived at Macclesfield in Cheshire. Speaking of this curate Heywood says, "This choice young man was at Coley seven or eight years, but fell into a consumption, took his solemn leave in the chapel, and told the people he had spent his strength with them, and was able to preach no more: there were many tears shed at parting"

Heywood was such a gossip.

So building on your theory of curates who all knew / or of / each other, Hayhurst / Hirst (make up your mind) is another name to look for.

I think your favorite, Dr. John Favour, founder of Heath Grammar School, may have provided the vehicle for the various Yorkshire and Lancashire clergy to at least know of each other. That vehicle was the "Exercises," monthly sermons by special guest ministers. While I did not see the Duerden name as a lecturer (nor Hayhurst/Hirst), I suspect these exercises drew other clergy as well. The lectures may have had an academic bent to them given the support of the Exercises shown by Archbishop Matthew who was also a Vice-Chancellor of Oxford. (John Favour was the Archbishop's chaplain.)

In addition, you will note in the quotes below the apparently common reassignment of clergy around Yorkshire and Lancashire as well as the description of a "network" of clergy.

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"Puritanism in North-West England: A Regional Study of the Diocese of Chester," R. C. Richardson, (1972), p. 53. https://books.google.com/books?id=Vs5RAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA53&lpg=...

"The efforts of the puritan clergy of the diocese of Chester were sometimes reinforced by visiting preachers. For example, geographical proximity encouraged links between puritanism in Lancashire and Yorkshire. It was not unusual for a minister's career to be divided between the two counties. To take an instance, Roger Brearley, born at Rochdale in 1586, spent most of his ministry in Yorkshire and there was proceeded against as the founder of the Grindletonian sect. But his last years -- 1631-37 -- were spent in Lancashire ministering at Burnley. Earlier, Richard Midgley had returned to his native Halifax after the clse of his ministry in Rochdale... Oliver Heywood was equally at home as a minister in Lancashire or Yorkshire, as was Nathaniel Rathband, who was at Sowerby, Yorkshire, in the 1630's and 1640's and at Prestwich, Lancahsire, the following decade.

fn 127: Conversely, the divines of the diocese of Chester contributed to the development of puritanism in Yorkshire. The system of Exercises set up in West Riding in the 1580's was probably inspired by the Lancashire precedent. At least two of the Lancashire preachers -- Gosnell and Rathband -- preached at these Yorkshire meetings. (Newton, "Puritanism in the diocese of York," 220-2.)

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"Moderate Radical: Tobie Matthew and the English Reformation," Rosamund Oates (2018). https://books.google.com/books?id=QBFQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA215&lpg...

p. 213
The heart of the godly movement, however, lay with the preaching exercises that were scattered throughout Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. [Tobias] Matthew [Archbishop of York and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University] enthusiastically encouraged these exercises, even as they touched on the limits of what was acceptable in the English Church... From 1607, York held a preching exercise on the third Sunday of each month...

p. 215
John Favour, the vicar of Halifax was at the heart of this network. He was also Matthew's chaplain and his relationship with Matthew was crucial in maintaining and protecting nonconforming ministers...

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"The Story of Old Halifax," Hanson (1920) p. 139. https://archive.org/stream/storyofoldhalifa00hansrich/storyofoldhal...

"On the other side [from Laud], the Puritans developed the preaching part of the services and wished to abolish everything that reminded them of the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Favour and other Puritan vicars had made Halfax almost unanimously of their thought, and the Halifax Exercises (conferences where famous preachers drew immense crowds to listen to their sermons) were kept up for many years"

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From Malcolm Bull's Calderdale Companion. http://www.calderdalecompanion.co.uk/mmh55.html#1107

Halifax Exercises
Public religious meetings in the 16th-17th centuries, at which famous local and visiting people – including Dr John Favour, John Barlow, and Michael Briscoe - preached to the crowds. 2 sermons were preached on the last Wednesday in the month.

They were discontinued for a time and resumed about 1620.

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You might also see my notes above at:
--https://www.geni.com/discussions/167758?msg=1166182
--https://www.geni.com/discussions/167758?msg=1166248
--https://www.geni.com/discussions/167758?msg=1166249

“Earlier, Richard Midgley had returned to his native Halifax after the clse of his ministry in Rochdale. ...”

There’s a nice Midgley site, I’m not sure you had looked at. I mined it for Saltonstalls.

http://midgleywebpages.com

Richard, Junior and Naming Considerations

Of course, Rev. Denton was well steeped in the bible after years of religious education at Heath Grammar School and then Cambridge. I suspect John Favor was a tough taskmaster. Not only was Favour the chaplain to Tobias Matthew, the Oxford President and Chancellor and Archbishop of York, he was also assigned to debate Henry Walpole at his trial in York. Walpole was an English lawyer turned Jesuit priest who returned to England intending to convert the queen to Catholocism. During Walpole's trial in York, Favour was assigned to debate him in public. Favour also debated other Catholic priests who were captured, tortured and then later put to death. "The Story of Old Halifax," Hanson (1920), p. 105. https://archive.org/stream/storyofoldhalifa00hansrich#page/n3

In the course of his religious education, Rev. Denton would have learned about the seven deadly sins of which pride was the worst. And he would have learned about humility, the opposite of pride, which St. Augustine described by saying "Both learner and teacher need to be humble, because they learn and teach what ultimately belongs to God." Rev. Denton certainly studied St. Augustine.
Wikipedia re Pride: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride
Wikipedia re Humility: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humility

I can imagine Rev. Denton thinking that his own name was not sufficiently religious for his first sons. According to BehindTheName.com, Richard is a Germanic name introduced in England by the Normans and meaning "brave power." The name Richard does not appear in the Bible. And I can imagine Rev. Denton thinking that naming an early son after himself would reflect pride rather than humility. And, this was an era when Puritans liked to give their children Biblical names.

Naming his first son Tymothie, however, has a religious context that reflects Rev. Denton's Presbyterian theology. Presbyterianism derives its name from the form of church governance which is by representative assemblies of elders. Saint Tymothie accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys and Tymothie was ordained by the presbytery or local council of presbyters in Derbe and Lystra. Paul himself wrote to Tymothie:

"Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (1 Timothy 4:14).

Saint Paul himself took part in Tymothie's ordination.
BibleStudyTools.com: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/timothy/

I suspect Rev. Denton was well aware of this history of Saints Paul and Tymothie when he chose that name. I suspect he was also aware of the religious connotations of the other names he chose for his children as described below.

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From BehindtheName.com
https://www.behindthename.com/

Nathaniel
From the Hebrew name (Netan'el) meaning "God has given"... It is borne by several minor characters in the Old Testament, typically spelled Nethanel or Nethaneel. In the New Testament this is the name of an apostle, probably another name of the apostle called Bartholomew.

Samuel
From the Hebrew name (Shemu'el) which could mean either "name of God" or "God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor David.
As a Christian name, Samuel came into common use after the Protestant Reformation.

Daniel
From the Hebrew name (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge"... Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.

Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation.

Phoebe
Latinized form of the Greek name Phoibe, which meant "bright, pure" from Greek phoibos. In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. The name appears in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.

Peter
Derived from the Greek Petros meaning "stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the New Testament of the name Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle Simon by Jesus (compare Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus' ministry and is often considered the first pope.

Due to the renown of the apostle, this name became common throughout the Christian world (in various spellings). In England the Normans introduced it in the Old French form Piers, which was gradually replaced by the spelling Peter starting in the 15th century.

Mary
Usual English form of Maria, the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Mariam and Maria..., a name borne by the sister of Moses in the Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from my "beloved" or my "love".

This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Jesus... Due to the Virgin Mary this name has been very popular in the Christian world, though at certain times in some cultures it has been considered too holy for everyday use. In England it has been used since the 12th century, and it has been among the most common feminine names since the 16th century. The Latinized form Maria is also used in English as well as in several other languages.

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Saving the name Richard for his last male child seems more in character with Rev. Denton's religious education and devotion.

It was also a naming pattern. I’ve seen many cases where the last born is for the father. But actually, naming patterns may have been for family members (Dissenters & Puritans of course may have been breaking conventions).

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/walker/29775/

And don’t forget about godparents.

https://books.google.com/books?id=UoFY4ahN0u8C&lpg=PA210&ot...

Search on Yorkshire in Names and Naming Patterns in England, 1538-1700
By Scott Smith-Bannister

Yes, my inability to match the children's names to traditional naming patterns suggested looking for a different explanation for those names. Using the name Tymothie, in particular, for the first son was baffling since it seemed an uncommon name in Yorkshire at the time and I did not see it anywhere else in the Denton families in that era.

But when I considered the Puritan use of biblical names and saw the biblical history of Tymothie's name, that history seemed very appropriate to Rev. Denton's religious beliefs. One of the earliest Presbyterians naming his first son after a saint who had been ordained by the presbytery makes sense.

Conversly, giving biblical names to all of the other children and postponing the use of the non-biblical name Richard makes sense as a nod to secular traditions.

I also liked the biblical story of Phoebe -- a female minister mentioned by St. Paul!

Look at the arguments on Page 155 and 181

https://books.google.com/books?id=UoFY4ahN0u8C&lpg=PA210&dq...

Very interesting! Thanks very much for that reference. Who would have thought to reduce historical names and naming patterns to statistics? It appears to me that the naming choices made by the Dentons fell within the statistical norms as well as the conventions of the time.

It appears there may have been tension in the 1620's and 30's between choosing a biblical name versus "name-sharing" with a parent or other ancestor -- obviously an easier choice if the ancestor had a biblical name. Still, it seems it was parents' choice and, consistent with his vocation, the Reverend went with a mixture of Old and New Testament names -- from my non-religious scholar's viewpoint.

I wonder if the Reverend spoke Greek. In Greek, Timothy means "honoring God," Nathaniel means "God has given," Samuel means "name of God," and Daniel means "God is my judge."

God parents?!?! Oh, my God. I would rather look for the wedding video! :)

Private User If you have any general advice about child naming patterns, Yorkshire, Dissenting family, Cambridge “pension” student born 1600, it will help us. Such as “is it likely he studied Greek & Hebrew?”

Rev Denton’s college was St. Catharine’s.

The poet W.S. Merwin is among his many descendants.

I previously noted that Peter Denton bp. 6 Jan 1636/7 did not appear on the 1644 Hempstead allotment list which led to the conclusion that he had died previously. Now I have the evidence. I have uploaded to the Sources tab a copy of the Bishop's Transcript including the burial of Peter Denton on 5 June 1637 at Hipperholme, just six months after his birth. The entry reads: "Piter Richard Denton Hiph".

I also checked the Halifax Bishop's Transcripts for any burial records for Phoebe Denton (bp 29 Sep 1634) from 1634 through 1639 but found none, suggesting she made it to New England.

I have also uploaded a copy of the Bishop's Transcript for the burial of Tymothy Denton on 28 July 1631.

And, I have uploaded a revised version of "The Origins of Richard Denton" which reflects the new evidence about Peter. The Bishop's Transcripts have also been uploaded to Tymothy's and Peter's individual profiles.

R Riegel You are getting very good with English records of the King James era. I doff my cap.

Thanks... it has become evident that sometimes the modern data records shown on the usual genealogy sites fail to give all of the available data. For example, they might say Halifax rather than Coley or Hipperholme. And they might not mention that the father was a "minister." Original records are the best.

Erica Howton, you asked whether Rev. Denton may have studied Greek or Hebrew. There is a very good history of English education online called "Education in England, the History of Our Schools" at http://www.educationengland.org.uk/history/chapter02.html. It describes the evolution of grammar schools and universities during the reigns of Henry VII, Elizabeth and James I, etc. The following quotes from Chapter 2 indicate it is likely Rev. Denton learned Greek and perhaps Hebrew.

"The grammar schools
A new official grammar was printed in London, but otherwise most of the books available to schools during Elizabeth's reign came from the European centres of reform. Prominent among these were the 'colloquies' (dialogues) of Castellion and Cordier, from Geneva, which replaced those of Erasmus and Vives in many schools. Greek - and later Hebrew - began to be taught, first in leading schools and then more widely; and the introduction of annual examinations, 'presided over by scholars of note, contributed considerably to raising standards.'"
...
"University studies
The undergraduate course consisted of Latin and Greek classical studies, which was the sort of training lay gentlemen required for public service.

From the 1590s, however, 'scholasticism revived and Aristotelian logic and philosophy shared the curriculum with classical humanism' (Lawson and Silver 1973:129). This probably held little appeal for some of the young gentlemen, who preferred to spend their time vaulting or fencing, playing the viol or flageolet, or simply behaving badly. However, most students still trained for the church: they obtained their BAs and went off to become rural parish priests."

I would also note that there were only a couple of English translations of the Bible before the 1611 King James version. And, there were debates about the quality of those earlier translations. I suspect that a true religious scholar in the early 17th century almost invariably needed to read copies of the original texts which were written in Greek and Hebrew. In addition, as noted above, John Favour, who founded Heath Grammar School, was close to Archbishop Tobias Matthew who was an Oxford President and Chancellor. Rev. Denton's grammar school education was likely seriously influenced by real religious scholars.

(My reference to King Henry VII above was a typo. I meant Henry VIII.)

And, Rev. Denton was noted as a scholar by Cotton Mather, if I remember correctly, although his works are lost.

So certainly Greek and Latin and likely Hebrew. Gives weight to your naming theories.

His wife though was probably Mary. :)

Your memory is spot on. “Soliloquia Sacra” was the title of his lost work.

"Probably Mary" ... well ... That comment in this naming context triggered a synapse. An English "Mary" baptized as "Maria" who was the daughter of a preacher (Thomas Duerden) might well have been baptized with that name since Maria is the Latin and Greek form of Mary. Yet another argument for Maria Duerden being the daughter of the preacher Thomas Duerden.

From BehindTheName.com:
https://www.behindthename.com/name/mary

"Given Name MARY
USAGE: English, Biblical
Usual English form of Maria, the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam) and Μαρια (Maria) - the spellings are interchangeable - which were from Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of Moses in the Old Testament."

On the other hand... you are probably right that the Rev's wife was probably Mary.

I looked at the originals of all of the baptisms for Heptonstall in 1604, all of the entries were in Latin and each Mary was named Maria.

Then again, perhaps Heptonstall was a Spanish enclave. :)

R Riegel

I just ran across a charming description of the grammar schools in Yorkshire (with illustrations), thought you might enjoy.

Do a “find” in https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52367/52367-h/52367-h.htm to

XXX. EAST RIDING SCHOOLS.

Erica Howton

Thanks for that reference; and, I did enjoy it. The details help to build a better picture of what the schools were like. I noticed a Howden Grammar School that still exists. Must be in your family tree somewhere.

Heh. Howton’s supposedly from Lancashire so maybe!

The illustrations are so cute.

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What a lively time the schoolboy had in those ‘good old days’! Hours of study, from early morning till bedtime; subjects taught, Latin grammar and Latin authors—these being plentifully varied with such pleasant interludes as that pictured in the seal of Louth Grammar School. Little 327wonder that Shakespeare, himself an ‘old boy’ of the Stratford-on-Avon Grammar School, had memories of
... the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
Little wonder, also, that in the churchwardens’ accounts for Howden there occur numerous payments for ‘glasse for repairing the schollehouse windows.’ Boys will, of course, be boys, as long as the world lasts, and even in the seventeenth century they had to work off their excess of high spirits somehow or other.

—-

My Ancestry is probably wrong. Shows that Richard Denton III is my 10th Great-Grandfather.

He's my grandpa's 8th great-grandfather.

I think both my grandparents are related to him. My grandpa is related to the Plumlees and my grandmother is related to the Browns. John Pleasant Brown married Sarah Ann (Plumlee) Brown. Sarah Ann Father is Kendell Plumlee his brother is Archibald Plumlee he's my 4th great-grandfather.