DENNETT

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One of my maternal great-grandmothers was Emily Louise Dennett (1870-1942). She was born at Brighton, Sussex, the third child of John Dennett (1836-95) and Elizabeth KENNARD alias COMBER (1838-99).

Emily Louise Dennett (1870-1942) married Albert Edmund VALDER (1877-1937) at St Martins, Brighton in 1899. They had eight children at Brighton.

John Dennett (1836-95) and Elizabeth COMBER married at Brighton in 1861. I had been unable to find this marriage because I knew Elizabeth from the censuses as KENNARD. It was only after meeting another Dennett descendant, Norma Weir of Eastbourne, who knew Elizabeth as COMBER that we were both able to progress with Elizabeth's ancestry. John and Elizabeth had four children, the oldest, John Richard (1863-1932), is Norma's ancestor. John Richard Dennett married Charlotte Mary CORNFORD in 1887 at Brighton, they had 11 children.
John Richard Dennett (1863-1932) ran a café at Devil's Dyke.
It was near the Dyke Station of the Brighton-Dyke railway which was demolished in 1938.
This picture from an old postcard.
Dennett sisters The three daughters of John and Elizabeth Dennett. Annie Lyle (1866-1960), Julia Hannah (1873-?) and Emily Louise (1870-1942). Annie married George DOWNER (1880-1974) in 1900 and had four children, Julia married Arthur DUBBIN in 1904 and had one son.

John Dennett (1836-95) was the fifth child (second son) of Charles Dennett (1793-1866) and Ann Ward BATCHELOR (1806-88). John was born at Woodmancote, West Sussex but was baptised at Brighton, East Sussex together with one of his cousins who was born in Surrey. Charles and Ann Ward BATCHELOR married at Brighton in 1824 and had six children at Woodmancote and Albourne. Charles had probably been previously been married to Sarah PICKNELL but she was buried at Cuckfield in 1818 shortly after their marriage, she was only 17. Charles and Ann Ward [BATCHELOR] were made to leave their farm at Albourne because of a dispute over a legacy from a friend and moved to Horsham where their other son Charles (1830-?) married Emily HOBDEN in about 1854. Charles and Emily moved to Surrey and then London, they had seven children: Charles Henry, Emily Agnes, Maria, Horace James, William Edward, Albert John and Edith. Charles and Ann had four daughters (Margaret, Ann, Mary and Ellen Agnes) as well as their two sons. Charles and Ann Ward [BATCHELOR] had moved to Brighton by 1861 where Ellen Agnes married Samuel BUDD in 1862 but they did not have any children. The fate of the other three daughters is not known.

Charles Dennett (1793-1866) was baptised at Poynings, the third child of Charles Dennett (1763-1828) and Lucy WICKENS (1766-1836). Charles and Lucy married at Hove in 1789 and had eight children at Woodmancote, Poynings and Cuckfield. Both Charles and Lucy were buried at Cuckfield, their address at the baptisms of their later children was given as Biggses (various spellings), the farmer living there in 1851 was farming 180 acres but it may have been a different size earlier. Their grandson, Charles Dennett (1830-?) should have inherited Woodmancote Place after his cousin, John Leighton Wade Dennett the younger, died without issue. However, the SMITH family (see below) of solicitors gained Woodmancote Place, probably illegally. The other seven children of Charles and Lucy were Mary Ann, Susannah, Charlotte, Ann, John, Mary and Frances. Mary Ann died as a baby, it is not known what happened to any of the others.

Charles Dennett senior (1763-1828) was born at Woodmancote, the second child (second son) of Charles Dennett (1734-74) and Ann OSBORNE (1737-1815). Charles and Ann OSBORNE married at Woodmancote in 1759 and had five children there. Their oldest son, John, made a will entailing Woodmancote Place which was ignored by his grandson, John Leighton Wade Dennett the younger and led to a will challenge in 1901. John (1761-1840) married twice and had one child from each marriage. His first wife was Sarah Ann WOOD who he married in 1792 at Twineham, she died the year after giving birth to their daughter, also Sarah Ann. Sarah Ann Dennett (1793-1860) married Thomas Friend BULL in 1823 at Woodmancote, they had three children but no grandchildren. John's second wife was Anne BORRER (née HAMLYN), they married in 1799. Their only child was John Leighton Wade Dennett the elder (JLWD1 for short). JLWD1 (1802-76) married Susan WHITEMAN in 1833 and they had JLWD2 in 1841. JLWD2 (1841-88) married Emma WOOD at Upper Beeding in 1878. They did not have any children and had separated well before JLWD2 died. JLWD2 was rumoured to be an alcoholic and "impotent". Emma received maintenance of £300pa after they separated. In his will JLWD2 ignored the wishes of his grandfather to entail the Woodmancote estate (which would have ensured it remained in the Dennett name) and left it to distant cousins named SMITH - see below.
Charles and Ann [OSBORNE]'s other three children were Ann, Charlotte and Henry. Ann (1766-87) and Charlotte (1768-81) did not have any children, Henry (1771-1841) had one son, also Henry (c1800-70).

Charles Dennett the eldest (1734-74) was the second child (second son) of John Dennett (1712-61) and Mary PILFOLD (1708-85) who married at Henfield in 1731. John Dennett (1712-61) was High Sheriff of Sussex in 1742. John and Mary had seven sons at Woodmancote followed by one daughter, Anne Dennett (1750-1832), who married Lawrence SMITH in 1771.
Arthur SMITH (1814-92), a grandson of Lawrence and Ann Smith, eventually lived at Woodmancote Place. Arthur's parents were Lawrence Dennett SMITH and Ann BORRER. Ann Borrer was the daughter of Anne HAMLYN (c1765-1847) from her first marriage to John BORRER. Anne HAMLYN was the second wife of JLWD1 above. Yes, these landed families did produce some complicated relationships by continually marrying within a limited circle!
The other six sons of John and Mary were Thomas (1732-?), Roger (1737-1803), Daniel (1739-1804), Ralph (1741-1826), John (1743-85) and Robert (1745-71). The death dates are from their MIs at Woodmancote.
Roger married Elizabeth and had six children at Wivelsfield and Lindfield: Ann, Robert, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, John.
Daniel married Elizabeth MELLERSH at Heyshott in 1766. They had at least three children baptised at Treyford with Didling: William, Elizabeth and Mary. Daniel may have been the rector there and was known as Daniel of Didling.
Ralph, John and Robert are not known to have married.
Woodmancote Church front Woodmancote Church was used by the Dennetts for centuries and their gravestones extend in a long line from the back of the church. Woodmancote Church back

John Dennett (1712-61) was the only son of Thomas Dennett (1675-1723) and his second wife Jane HOLE (1684?-1736). Thomas and Jane married at Woodmancote in 1707, five years after Thomas's first wife Mary ELLIS died, they had married at Steyning in 1696. Thomas and Jane had four children, their daughters were Ann, Mary and Jane but what became of them is not known. Thomas and Mary had three children: Thomas (b&d1697), Christian (girl) and Susannah. Susannah married Thomas HILL in 1721. Christian married Edward BURT in 1719 at Albourne and had one son Ned (1722-86). This Thomas Dennett was Sheriff of Sussex in 1719/20.

Thomas Dennett (1675-1723) was the only son of Thomas Dennett (1649-1704) and Susan GATES (1651-1705). Thomas and Susan married at Woodmancote in 1671 and also had two daughters: Mary and Susan (1679-95). Mary married twice but does not seem to have had any children. This Thomas Dennett (1649-1704) was the first to own Woodmancote Place which he bought in 1691 from Walter West. The West family were known to have been at Woodmancote from the early 1600s but were originally from Berkshire.

Thomas Dennett (1649-1704) (1649-1704) was the second child (first son) of Thomas Dennett (1622-73) and Anne BEXHILL (died 1656). Thomas and Anne married at Woodmancote in 1645 and had six known children, the other five were Susan, Jane, John, William (b&d 1656) and Richard (b&d 1663). Susan (1647-1714) married John HILL in 1667 and had at least five children. John (1654-1727), married Mary GATES (1654-1720), sister of Susan who married John's older brother Thomas Dennett (1649-1704). John and Mary lived at Bolney Place where they had three children: John, Mary (1680-3) and Susanna. John junior married Susanna HILLS in 1714 and had four children: Mary, John, Susanna and Thomas. John and Mary's daughter Susannah married John LINTOTT in 1741 at Lewes and had at least two children. John LINTOTT was probably the son of John Lintott and Mary DENNETT (see below) and therefore Susannah's second cousin.

Thomas Dennett (1622-73) (1622-73) was the fifth son of John Dennett (1588-1657) and Eleanor GOFFE (died 1650). John and Eleanor married at Woodmancote in 1611. Their other children were John (b&d 1612), Richard (1614-7), John (1616-86) and William (1619-33). John and Eleanor's second John (1616-86) married twice, his first to Ann GRATWICKE in 1637 produced one daughter Susanna (1649-?). In his second, with Elizabeth, he had John (1653-5), Elizabeth, Mary, Thomas and John. Mary married John LINTOTT in 1688 and had at least one son, John (see above). It's not known what happened to the other children.

John Dennett (1588-1657) was the only son of John (died 1592) and Alice (died 1588) recorded in the Woodmancote parish register. The parish register does not go back far enough to reveal anything more about John and Alice and whether they had any earlier children.

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