The Denhams

The Denhams were a family living in Langport, Somerset, England, for a number of generations. The name William seems to have been traditionally given to the eldest son.

John and William, the sons of John and Mary Dinham, were baptised on 26th March 1752. It is likely that this William was the one who married Millicent Meacham by banns on 25th March, 1779 (witnesses were Hester Wallis and Mary Walton). Their son, William, was baptised on 4th June 1780.

The wife of this William Denham was Mary. It is likely that she was Mary Davidge, baptised 16th May 1785, daughter of William and Elizabeth Davidge. William and Mary Denham were innkeepers. Their first son William was baptised on 21st January, 1816.

William Denham, baker, and Edna Grace Cooke were married on 20th November 1840 (witnesses being Benjamin Gillett and Sophia Denham, the groom's sister). Edna was the daughter of Richard and Jane Cooke (possibly nee Harle), who were also innkeepers. She was baptised in Bradford, Somerset on 8th October, 1817 - her father was at that time a butler. She had three older brothers - Edward, Henry Harle, and Francis Zarah.

Their first child, Henry Harle Davidge Denham, was born on 30th October 1841 and baptised on 20th November of that year. The parish register notes, "This child was christened on the first anniversary of its parents' wedding day."

The second child was Camilla, born in the September quarter of 1843. Camilla was a schoolmistress, who decided to devote her life to teaching the poor. According to an account written by her daughter Elsie, she was for a time headmistress of the Infants' School in Wellclose Square, Whitechapel in London, which was run under the auspices of St Paul's Church. However, she left her career to sail to Hong Kong to marry Thomas Hood Bentley in 1880. Her nickname appears to have been Minnie, and this name was given to her eldest granddaughter, the daughter of her son Harry Hood Bentley and Ethel Annie Bentley (nee Hall). The Bentleys migrated to Australia in the late 1890s. Camilla survived her husband by some years, dying at her home in Sydney (in Kurraba Road, Neutral Bay) on 22nd September, 1927, of cerebral thrombosis, at the age of 84 years.

Other children in this large family were Emma, Edna Jane, Fanny, Ellen, Edward and Digby. Emma married Inglis Goldie and lived in Bridgewater, Somerset and Fanny married Henry Chard and lived in Gateshead, Durham. Edna did not marry but spent the latter part of her life with Camilla and Thomas Bentley, living with them in Gateshead, then sailing the world with them, and migrating to Australia when they did. She died in Sydney in 1922.

The boys all migrated to Australia, apparently settling first in South Australia before moving to New South Wales and Queensland. Henry seems to have left England shortly after his marriage in 1869, Edward during the 1870s, and Digby in 1881. Edward died in Sydney in 1921. Digby had a distinguished career as a businessman and politician, being Premier of Queensland between 1911 and 1915. He died in Brisbane in 1944.

Camilla's parents, William and Edna, lived out their lives in Somerset. William was the High Bailiff of the County Court by the time he died in Langport in 1885. Edna died in Axbridge in 1886.