Contents [hide]

Dench History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dench History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient and distinguished name Dench comes from the Old English word "denich," which means "Danish"; the name was originally for an immigrant from Denmark. There were many Danes throughout England in the Middle Ages, especially the long-established settlers of the Danelaw region. Some bearers of "Dennis" come from these Danish roots, while others are of Norman stock. The more recent variation "Denmark" probably refers to a new Danish immigrant.

Early Origins of the Dench family

The surname Dench was first found in Worcestershire, where the family held a seat from ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was a Norman knight named Robert le Daneis, who was a charter witness in 1133. The Old English "Dench" was first recorded in 1327, when Thomas Dench was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

Early History of the Dench family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dench research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1133, 1327, 1767, 1793, 1808, 1809, 1849, 1851 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Dench History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dench Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dench, Dence, Denns, Dence, Dentch, Dennish, Dennys (Old French), Dane and many more.

Early Notables of the Dench family

Notables of the family at this time include

Charles Thomas Dench (1793-1849), a British naval captain: and Robert Denmark (1809-1852), a naval surgeon

Migration of the Dench family to Ireland

Some of the Dench family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dench migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dench Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eleanor Dench, who arrived in Virginia in 1759

Dench Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Maria Jane Dench, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812
J C Dench, aged 35, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 1
Maria Jane Dench, aged 8, who landed in South Carolina in 1812 1
Mariah E Dench, aged 32, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 1
Conrad Dench, who was naturalized in Michigan in 1878

Dench migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dench Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Dench, who was living in Ontario in 1871

Dench migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dench Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Dench, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 2
Mary Ann Dench, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 2
jane Dench, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 2
Mr. John Dench, British Convict who was convicted in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 3

Dench migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dench Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Dench, aged 38, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Elizabeth Dench, aged 37, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Mr. Robert Dench, (b. 1840), aged 24, British labourer travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 4
Mr. Thomas Dench, (b. 1844), aged 20, British labourer travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 4
Mr. Thomas Dench, (b. 1844), aged 24, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th January1869 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dench migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Dench Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Dench, who settled in Barbados in 1635
William Dench, aged 16, who landed in Barbados in 1635 1
Mr. William Dench, (b. 1619), aged 16, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Dench (post 1700) +

Dame Judi Dench CH, DBE, FRSA (b. 1934), Oscar, Golden Globe, Tony, three-time BAFTA, and six-time Laurence Olivier Award-winning English actress
Charles Edward Dench (1873-1958), English first-class cricketer and Test match umpire
Jeffery Danny Dench (1928-2014), English actor, best known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, older brother of actress Judi Dench
David Dench (b. 1951), former Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne (1969-1984)
Michelle Dench, Australian sportswoman who played women's Australian rules football and basketball in the Women's National Basketball League, daughter of David Dench
Ian Dench (b. 1964), British songwriter and musician for EMF, best known for their song "Unbelievable" in 1991
Chris Dench (b. 1953), London-born Australian composer

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOFFATT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Moffatt.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm