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

In other words, based on the foregoing evidence, I do not know who the "Mynister Denton" who was buried at St. Mary Magdalene in Great Burstead on 6 December 1658 could be other than Reverend Richard Denton.

Erica Howton, I revised the "Return to England and Death" section of Rev. Denton's Overview based on these new burial records for "Mynister Denton" and "Widow Denton." The revised version appears below.

The meat of the revisions start in the 10th paragraph beginning "Actually, it appears that Reverend Denton..." A few minor changes were required in earlier paragraphs to make them consistent. I also added the 4th paragraph re the 1662 Great Ejection.

If this revision is okay, you could simply copy and paste it from my own profile page as you did before. Copying from my profile page should bring over the numerous links.

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Return to England and Death

Reverend Denton likely returned to England with his wife about 1658. Two men who knew Rev. Denton in New Amsterdam (Reverends Johannes Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius) wrote in October 1657 that Rev. Denton intended to return to England with his “sickly wife” to collect an inheritance of 400 pounds from a “friend.” In addition, Reverend Heywood who succeeded Rev. Denton at Coley in about 1651 wrote that Rev. Denton "returned to Old England about 1659, and lived and died in Essex." Ecclesiastical Records, State of New York, Vol I, 1901, p. 407. Memoirs of the Rev. Oliver Heywood, B.A., Rev. Richard Slate (1827) , p. 20.

The 1657 Megapolensis and Drisius letter and Rev. Heywood's Memoirs are the only substantially contemporaneous sources concerning the timing of Rev. Denton's return to England. None of the very few available ship lists for returns to England during the late 1650's show any Dentons as passengers.

Rev. Heywood also stated that Rev. Denton went to Essex where he lived and died. But Rev. Heywood did not state the timing of Rev. Denton's death. Later histories and genealogies appear to simply repeat what Megapolensis, Drisius and Heywood wrote contemporaneously. Dates of death given by those later histories and genealogies appear only to be best guesses based on the meager evidence available.

Rev. Denton likely died before August, 1662 which was the deadline for complying with the Act of Uniformity which required the use of the new Book of Common Prayer. Nearly 2,500 priests were ejected from the Church of England for failing to comply with the Act, but Rev. Denton was not included in the list of those ejected, suggesting he may have died before The Great Ejection of 1662. See Freedom After Ejection, Gordon Alexander (1917).

A legend about a non-existent tomb in Essex arose in the 19th century from an epitaph for Rev. Denton. That epitaph first appeared in 1858 in The History of Connecticut: From the First Settlement of the Colony, Gideon Hollister, Vol. 1, (1858, 2nd ed.), p. 506. Hollister's lead-in to the epitaph said: "His epitaph is in Latin, of which the following is a free translation..."

That epitaph cited by Hollister in 1858 was then converted into a non-existent Essex tomb by J.A. Davis in his 1896 article The Beginning of the American Presbyterian Church, The Presbyterian and Reformed Review, Vol. 7, (1896) p. 66, 69. Davis's lead-in to the epitaph said: "On his tomb, in Essex, is a Latin inscription, of which the following is a free translation..."

Both of the above sources then went on to recite the same poem. Of course, the phrases "in Latin" (or "Latin inscription") ... "of which the following is a free translation" are verbatim the same in each lead-in statement.

The tomb legend created by Davis in 1896 was then repeated by Charles Werner in his 1918 revised third edition of Benjamin Thompson's The History of Long Island, (1918, 3rd Ed.), Vol II, pp. 496-498. The epitaph/purported inscription was not recited in Thompson's 1843 1st edition of "The History of Long Island," Vol II, p. 19.

Reverends Megapolensis and Drisius's October 1657 letter described Rev. Denton as anxious to return to England. Therefore, it seems likely that he and his wife made that return by the spring of 1658. Epidemics of malaria and influenza were prevalent in England from 1657 to 1659, so much so that one author said "the country was 'one vast hospital'." In fact, malaria and/or influenza epidemics may have contributed to the death of Oliver Cromwell in September of 1658. Given the seeming total absence of any documentation of Rev. Denton's existence in England after his return, he and/or his wife (who was described as "sickly") may have been victims of an epidemic in 1658 or 1659. A History of Epidemics in Britain, Charles Creighton, Vol. II (1894), p.304. A Brief History of Epidemic and Pestilential Diseases, Noah Webster, (1799), pp. 191, 193. Historical thoughts on influenza viral ecosystems, Morens and Taubenberger (2010), PMC, National Institutes of Health.

Actually, it appears that Reverend Denton may have died in Great Burstead, Essex, about 25 miles east of London, on 6 December 1658, perhaps from the epidemics plaguing England at the time. The burial records for St. Mary Magdalene Church in Great Burstead include the following entry for December, 1658:

"Mr Denton the Mynister buried the 6 day"

(A copy of that original record appears on the Geni Sources tab.) His description as “the” Minister suggests this Mr. Denton was the minister at St. Mary Magdalene, as opposed to someone simply practicing the vocation of ministry.

The Clergy of the Church of England Database contains no other clergy member in England with the surname Denton who was alive in 1658 and who may have been "the Minister Denton" who was buried at Great Burstead in 1658. In addition, there were only two burials of people surnamed Denton in all of Essex between 1658 and 1668, the other being "The Widdow Denton" (see below).

Because the Church of England's records during the Interregnum (1649-1660) are incomplete, we must consider other possibilities such as Cambridge alumni, Oxford alumni and clergy listed in the British Dictionary of National Biography. In those sources only two other men might have been “the Mynister Denton.” One graduated from Oxford in 1617 and the other from Cambridge in 1647. But both are shown as being rectors in North Yorkshire. Given these facts, it appears likely that the Reverend Richard Denton was “the Mynister Denton” who was buried in Great Burstead in 1658.

The second and only other Denton burial in Essex between 1658 and 1668 was of “The Widdow Denton” on 6 November 1660 at St Margaret's Church in Barking, Essex. (A copy of that original record also appears on the Geni Sources tab.) Barking is about 15 miles west of Great Burstead and is now part of Greater London. St Margaret's Church was on land that was part of an abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries between 1536 and 1541 by Henry VIII. This 1660 burial of "The Widdow Denton" also in Essex may well have been Reverend Richard Denton's wife. See “The Ancient Parish of Barking: Abbeys and Churches Founded Before 1830” in “A History of the County of Essex,” Vol. 5 (1966).

Very good. I’ll advise when done.

Especially like “ His description as “the” Minister suggests this Mr. Denton was the minister at St. Mary Magdalene, as opposed to someone simply practicing the vocation of ministry.“

Still not sure however about epidemics at that time.

Are you able to update the death and burial fields in the profile?

Thanks! I have never updated the vital statistics fields before. I hope you won't mind doing it.

Yes, hard to create cause and effect between a death and an epidemic even today, let alone trying to do an autopsy 400 years later.

The History page of the St Mary Magdalene Church, Great Bursted web site says "The Churchyard contains some early 17th century headstones..." Doubtful, but who knows?
https://www.greatburstead-church.co.uk/history/

Erica Howton, I would also add the following to the "Complete Timeline" at the end of the Overview, when you have the chance. You could just copy and paste the lines below and insert them into the appropriate places in the timeline.

• 1658 December 6 - “Mr Denton the Mynister” buried at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Great Burstead, Essex

• 1660 November 6 - “The Widdow Denton” buried at St Margaret's Church in Barking, Essex

Thanks!!

Oops. One other date to add to the "Complete Timeline." One that you found back in 2017:

• 1658 March 4 - Last mention of Rev. Denton in Hempstead books, stating his salary

A Curiosity...

Rev. Denton's last daughter was Mary baptised at Hipperholme on 21 June 1638. That would make her 20 years old in 1658 when Rev. Denton and wife left for England. Because she was at that "awkward" age for marriage in the mid-17th century, I wondered if she traveled to England with her parents. There has seemed to be no trace of her in America.

A search for any Mary Denton event in London between 1658 and 1670 resulted in a marriage on 20 Nov 1658 of Mary Denton and Richard Ostler. (The record appears below.) Rev. Denton and his wife would have been close to London in November of 1658. (Rev. Denton died on 6 Dec. 1658.) Mary Denton and Richard Ostler were married at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate just north of the Tower of London.

A quick search for Richard Ostler revealed a 1619 Cambridge graduate who was ordained a deacon in York in 1622. A Francis Ostler graduated Cambridge in 1616 and was ordained a deacon in London in 1618, aged 25. Etc., etc. Might Mary Denton's Richard Ostler have been a child of one of them?

Might Rev. Denton have arranged a marriage for his daughter in London? Might she still have lived in London when her older brother visited around 1670?

County London (City)
Place: Bishopsgate
Church name: St Botolph
Marriage date 20 Nov 1658
Groom forename Richard
Groom surname OSTLER
Bride forename Mary
Bride surname DENTON
Notes Married by Mr. Stevens

When Did Denton Return to England?

We know he was still in America in October 1657 based on Reverends Megapolensis and Drisius's 25 October 1657 letter. And, we know that he had made a trip to Virginia prior to that date to look for a new position with better pay. But when, after October 1657, did he leave for England?

Some evidence is provided in the Hempstead town records. A record made on the "18 of March 1658" relates mostly to Rev. Denton's "wages." But astute readers will quickly note the Julian versus Gregorian calendar problem presented by a month of March date in 1658. A March 18, 1658 Julian date would be in 1659 under our Gregorian calendar.

That problem is solved and we know the date is a March 1658 Gregorian date by the wording used in the original town record which states the record was "mad this 18 of march 1658 stilo novo." "Stilo novo" means "new style" which was used to indicate that the date was stated using the "new" Gregorian calendar. (The Gregorian calendar was adopted on most of the continent of Europe around 1582 but was not officially adopted by England or the colonies until 1752.)

The Hempstead town record made on the 18th of March 1658 contains four paragraphs. The first two relate specifically to Rev. Denton and read in relevant part as follows:

"A quarters rate mad for Mr richard denton for his wages for the yere 1657 the summe being seaventen pounds tene shilinges..."

"Another Quarter rate mad the forth of march 1658 by the towensmen of Hempsted for the summe of seventeene pounds tene shillings for the payment of mr dentons last quarter to bee payd in wheat at five shillings per boshell..."

The fourth and last paragraph of this entry ends with the statement "mad this 18 of march 1658 stilo novo."

The above entries relate to payments to be made to Rev. Denton. Common sense suggests that Rev. Denton was still in Hempstead in mid-March waiting to receive these payments. In addition, the second entry says it is "the payment of mr dentons last quarter." In other words, Rev. Denton had apparently given his notice and this was a final quarterly payment of his "wages."

These town records suggest Rev. Denton was preparing to leave for England and indicate his earliest departure may have been late March or early April of 1658. It seems unlikely he waited until 1659. In fact, Rev. Heywood's mention of a 1659 return to England may have arisen from confusion about a March 1658 date.

Erica Howton, I will make some tweaks to the "Return to England and Death" section based on the foregoing. I will let you know when they are done.

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Records of the Towns of North and South Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y., Vol. 1, by The Town Board of North Hempstead (1896), p. 33
https://archive.org/details/cu31924092207764/page/n37/mode/2up

Erica Howton, I made only two changes to the "Return to England and Death" section. The first change is to the second paragraph which adds a third sentence and now reads as follows:

"The 1657 Megapolensis and Drisius letter and Rev. Heywood's Memoirs are the only substantially contemporaneous sources that specifically discuss the timing of Rev. Denton's return to England. None of the very few available ship lists for returns to England during the late 1650's show any Dentons as passengers. But some further evidence is found in the Hempstead town records dated the 18th of March 1658 which mention “the payment of mr dentons last quarter” on the 4th of March 1658. Records of the Towns of North and South Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y., Vol. 1, by The Town Board of North Hempstead (1896), pp. 5, 33."

The other change is to the 9th paragraph to which I added a second sentence so that it now reads in relevant part as follows:

"Reverends Megapolensis and Drisius's October 1657 letter described Rev. Denton as anxious to return to England. But Rev. Denton's last wages were set on the Hempstead town books in an entry on 18 March 1658. Therefore, it seems likely that he and his wife made that return in the late spring or early summer of 1658..."

Again, the easiest way to make these changes would be to copy and paste the entire "Return to England and Death" section from my own profile page.

If only I had known then what I know now... Or, teach your family genealogy to your children. You never know who they may meet.

For some reason the other day while searching, I clicked on a Wikipedia article about St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. I noticed a section listing famous graduates and was curious to see if Rev. Denton was there. Instead, I found the name of a man that I knew personally.

That man was Donald Davie, best known for his poetry but also a literary critic and astute observer of society, history and religion. He was one of my English literature professors who had been born in Barnsley, Yorkshire (about 20 miles southeast of Halifax) to a working class family, received his early education at Barnsley Holgate Grammar School and then attended St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge where he received B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. (Does that progression of events sound familiar?) As he himself described it, he voraciously read 17th century pulpit oratory at the English faculty library. He also loved to study church architecture. I can imagine him traveling around Yorkshire visiting churches as well as finding old sermons from the Halifax Exercises (c.1615) in the St. Catharine's and Cambridge libraries. One of his publications was "A Gathered Church: The Literature of the English Dissenting Interest, 1700-1930," (1978).
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-gathered-church

Once or twice a week, he and I would sit at a French sidewalk cafe and talk about poetry. Had I known then what I know now, I would have grilled him about Halifax and Rev. Denton, grammar school education, St. Catharine's College and asked him if he had ever come across the "Solilaquia Sacra."

Talk about missed opportunities...

There is more about Donald Davie (1922-1995) here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/donald-davie

I recently wrote to the current Vicar of St. Mary Magdalene in Great Burstead to ask if they had any records that would indicate the given name of the Mynister Denton buried there on 6 December 1658. Unfortunately, he looked but found nothing. He did say that all of the church's historical records are held by the Essex Records Office which are online. A search for any Denton only resulted in a collection action by a John Denton in 1661. https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/

He said he did look at the "board of Vicars" in the church which showed Samuel Bridge as the Vicar in 1658.

The CCEd has only one entry for Samuel Bridge which is for his death in February 1662/3. (CCEd Person ID: 161400) But that entry does note him as "perpetual Vicar" at Great Burstead.

Another Vicar of Great Burstead who was "Presented" in 1639 is perhaps more interesting. His name was John "Rayment." (CCEd Person ID: 171948) Might this 1639 vicar at Great Burstead, Essex have migrated to America? Might he have somehow introduced Rev. Denton to Great Burstead?

A John "Raymont" received his B.A. from Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1636-7. A note to that Cambridge entry mentions "Essex Pedigrees." Alumni Cantabrigienses, Part 1, Vol III, Venn (1924), p.428

Geni has a John "Raymond" (1616-1703) who was born in Somerset, England, died in Essex County, Massachusetts and had a brother named William. Captain John Rayment

A brother, named William, of a John "Raymond" testified in 1697 in a Salem court that he had migrated to New England about 1652, as had his brother John. Genealogy of Raymond Families of New England, Samuel Raymond (1886), p.121 https://archive.org/stream/genealogiesofray00raym#page/120/mode/2up

The Alumni Cantabrigienses lists a William Raymond who received his B.A. in 1618–9 and mentions that he was "Perhaps ejected from Blyford and Benacre, Suffolk, 1644." Alumni Cantabrigienses, supra. Could this ejected William Raymond be part of the same family?

The CCEd also shows William Shelton as Vicar of Great Bursted, Essex, 1661-70. (CCEd Person ID: 23091.) And the CCEd shows John Joyce as "Schoolmaster" at Great Burstead 1662-64. (CCEd Person ID: 164264.)

It appears that Great Burstead may have had number of clergy moving in and out during the Interregnum (1649-1660). And, they had a schoolmaster.

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101073398487&view=...

Henry F. Waters (1833-1913), _Genealogical gleanings in England_, 2 vols (1901); digital images, _Hathi Trust_ (v1 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101073398479?urlappend=%3Bseq=11 ; v2 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101073398487?urlappend=%3Bseq=9 : accessed 2013), 2: 984, for entry George Rayment. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101073398487?urlappend=%3Bseq=152 Note: Among others mentioned, "I give and bequeath to William Rayment my son that is in New England six pounds, to be paid if ever he doth come to Glaston to demand it ... I give and bequeath to Elizabeth Rayment my daughter that is in New England twenty shillings, to be paid if ever she doth come to Glaston to demand it ... I give to John Rayment my son that is in New England one shilling." Waters adds a memorial of sorts to the entry.

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Doesn’t seem “right.”

Thanks for finding that George Rayment will. You are right -- that does not seem to be the right family to be connected to Great Burstead, Essex. Plus, I have not seen any of the New England Rayments noted as ministers.

The Interregnum was not kind to genealogists and historians. It seems as though they ran out of parchment and ink. While I thought trying to get some further evidence from Great Burstead was worth the effort, I was not holding my breath.

Nevertheless, I do think the available evidence supports the argument that Rev. Denton was the Mynister Denton buried at St. Mary Magdalene in December 1658:

(1) Rev. Oliver Heywood's substantially contemporaneous memoirs placed Rev. Denton in Essex "about 1659" where he died. Rev. Heywood had reasons to be aware of Rev. Denton: Heywood was born in 1630 in Bolton, Lancashire where Rev. Denton was then preaching, he also attended Cambridge (albeit at Trinity) and later (about 1651) became the Curate at Coley where Rev. Denton had spent 7 years.

(2) Rev. Denton and his wife left Hempstead for England sometime after March 18, 1658 when he was given his "last" wages.

(3) The only people with the surname Denton who died in Essex from 1658 to 1668 were the "Mynister Denton" in December 1658 and the "Widdow Denton" in November 1660.

(4) The only other ministers in England who shared the surname Denton were both in Yorkshire with no suggestion either had ever been appointed in Essex. But the one Denton minister who was specifically identified (by Rev. Heywood) as being in Essex "about 1659" and having died there was Rev. Richard Denton. December 1658 seems close enough to be "about 1659."

(5) Rev. Richard Denton's absence from the list of priests ejected from the Church of England on 24 August 1662 suggests he had already died by that date.

(6) Record keeping and accuracy of records during the Interregnum were less than ideal. The brevity of Rev. Denton's presence in Great Burstead coupled with the chaos of the influenza epidemic and the uncertainty created by Oliver Cromwell's death in September, 1658 may have made record keeping seem even less important.

I can’t imagine who else it could have been than “our” Rev Denton.

Death of Rev. Denton's Wife -- A Better Choice?

We have "Mr Denton the Mynister buried the 6 day" of December 1658 at St. Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead in Essex.

As another choice for his wife's death, how about "Mrs Denton an aged Widdow was [buried?] the 19th day" of March 1668 (1669 Gregorian) at St. Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead in Essex? The original record for this "Mrs Denton an aged Widdow" appears on the Geni Sources tab. The digital record for her appears on FamilySearch at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDHK-MWY

Would this 1668/9 burial more likely be the Reverend's wife than "The Widdow Denton" buried at St Margaret's Church in Barking, Essex on 6 November 1660? (The original of this record also appears on the Geni Sources tab.)

What facts distinguish them?

"Mrs Denton an aged Widdow" in 1668/9 and Rev. Denton were both buried at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Great Burstead. The 1660 "Widdow Denton" was buried at St Margaret's Church in Barking, Essex about 15 miles away. But also buried at St Margaret's Church in Barking was a William Denton on 7 August 1657, perhaps her husband. A William Denton did marry an Annas Baker in Barking on 5 October 1623.
William Denton Burial (1657): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XKZV-4XL
William Denton Marriage (1623): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDW-P2NZ

In contrast to most other entries for widows in these Essex burial records, the 1668/9 Denton widow is noted as "Mrs Denton an aged Widdow." All other widow entries are noted simply as "Widdow" followed by the surname. Other entries did not receive the honorific title "Mrs." The "Mrs" honorific for the 1668/9 St Mary Magdalene Denton widow is similar to the "Mr" honorific given to "Mynister" Denton in 1658, also at St Mary Magdalene.

Finally, Walter Krumm described a trip to England by Rev. Denton's fourth son Daniel Denton (1632-1696) "at the end of the decade [the 1660's]" on "unspecified business." Krumm speculated the trip may have been to settle his parents' estate. The death of his mother in March 1668/9 in Great Burstead could have been the reason for that trip. Krumm said that Daniel had returned to Long Island by late 1670.
"Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton," NYGBR, 1989 at p. 94.

It seems strange that Daniel Denton would “not” have taken care of any outstanding Denton business whilst in England selling the beauties of the New Jersey settlements ...

Exactly.

With a death in March 1668/9 not far from London, I imagine it would have taken a couple of months for word to reach Long Island. Then it would have taken another couple of months for Daniel to travel to England. He would likely not have arrived until mid-fall 1669.

I checked for Denton wills between 1658 and 1670 at Essex Archives Online but found nothing (except a Sarah Denton will in 1669 in Billericay near Great Burstead). Perhaps there were no wills. https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/

The Sarah Denton will indicates it was created on 18 May 1669 and mentions sons James and Samuel and daughters Sarah and Elizabeth. Essex Archives Online, Ref. D/ABW 65/246. https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/

Billericay Chapel of Ease

Perhaps Rev. Denton briefly held a position at a nearby "chapel of ease" in Billericay which was only a mile or so from Great Burstead. The Billericay chapel was also called St Mary Magdalene, was dependent on St Mary Magdalene in Great Burstead and was needed at times of flooding.

Billericay had a history of dissent. It was the home of Thomas Watts who was burned at the the stake for heresy in 1555 and was thought to be a meeting place for some of the pilgrim fathers who sailed on the Mayflower.

Brief History of Billericay
http://www.billericaychurches.org/history.html

Historic England: Church of St Mary Magdalen [Billericay]
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1170075

Foxe's Book of Martyrs, John Foxe (1563), p.692
https://archive.org/details/foxesbookofmarty00fo/page/692/mode/2up

Erica Howton, I revised the "Return to England and Death" section of Rev. Denton's Overview to include information from the above discussion. You can read it on the About tab on my own profile page here R Riegel. I also added a couple of 1669 events to the "Complete Timeline" at the bottom.

If this revision is okay, you could simply copy and paste it from the About tab as you did before. Copying from my profile page should bring over the numerous links.

I posted a note regarding the Bishop's Transcript of the marriage of Richard Denton to Maria Duerden but apparently it didn't "take" as I don't see my comment from yesterday.

The Bishop's Transcript of the marriage that is commonly cited as 1626 is actually for 1633 and thus that couple, or at least the wife, is not the mother of Rev. Denton's children. I attach the original record from the parish registers in this forum, from which the Bishop's transcripts were taken. It is clearly evident that the four marriages from 1633 were transcribed on the Bishop's record exactly as written in the original.

Good work!

Kevin, welcome to the discussion. I am glad you are double checking the work.

I think you may have discovered the second record (dated as you say on 21 Jan. 1633/4) of a marriage involving a Richard Denton and a "Mary Duerden" in Halifax. Erica and I encountered that surprising record before. Unless you have encountered a record I missed, a copy of the original of that 1633/4 marriage appears on the Geni Sources tab under the title "1634 Richard Denton Marriage and 1638 Denton Baptism." (I combined a couple of documents in the same posting.)

The original of the 1625/6 Richus Denton/Maria Duerden marriage appears on the Geni Sources tab under the title "Richard Denton & Maria Duerden Marriage 1625 Jan 21, Halifax."

Erica and I had a discussion about this above on 9/7/2018 at 2:23 PM et seq. You may want to review that. If you still have issues, then please let me know. We want to correct any mistakes that may exist.