The Dennis / Hicks family

William Gentry Dennis

Born. 1813 Weeley. Essex.
Married. Sarah Susannah Hicks. 25 March 1837.
Died. 11 June 1890. Albert Place, Great Coggeshall, Essex. Present at death, Louisa Dennis, daughter. (Death certificate).
1841 Census aged 25yrs. Farmer. Living at Mile End Hall, Colchester.
1851 Census aged 38 yrs. Farmer of 650 acres, living with wife Elizabeth & family, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1861 Census aged 49 yrs. Farmer of 400 acres, living with wife Elizabeth & family, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1881 Census aged 68 yrs. Farmer of 200 acres, living with wife Elizabeth & family, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.

1st Wife
Sarah Susannah Hicks, daughter of Henry Hicks & Mary Susannah Porter.
Born. 1817. Stratford St. Mary, Suffolk.
Christened. 11 Oct. 1817.
Died. 20 May 1841. Parish of Mile End. Cause of death Decline. (Death certificate).
Buried. 24 May 1841. St. Michael, Colchester.

Children
William Gentry Dennis
Born. 15 Aug. 1838. Parish of Mile End, Colchester, Essex, mother formerly Sarah Susannah Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1841 Census aged 2 yrs. Living Mile End Hall, Colchester.
1851 Census aged 12 yrs. Living with parents (William & Elizabeth (step mother)) Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
Married. Emma Elizabeth Pavitt. Dec. Qrt. 1862.
1881 Census aged 42 yrs. Farmer 237 acres, living with wife Emma & 3 children. Myland Hall, Mile End, Essex.
1901 Census aged aged 62 yrs. Living with wife Emma, Parish of Ardleigh. Living on own means.

It appears that after the death of Sarah in 1841, William Gentry Dennis then took Sarah’s sister Elizabeth as his wife.
No record could be found in the indexes of births, marriages and deaths of a marriage between the years 1841 and 1862 of William & Elizabeth.
Under the Church of England list of Banned Marriages was found reference, that no man can marry his wife’s sister. Item 17.

2nd Wife
Elizabeth Hicks, daughter of Henry Hicks & Mary Susannah Porter.
Born. 1818. Stratford St. Mary, Suffolk.
Christened. 12 Jan. 1819.
1841 Census aged 20 yrs. Housekeeper. Living at Mile End Hall, Colchester.
1851 Census aged 32 yrs. Living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall, with William Gentry Dennis & children.
1861 Census aged 42 yrs. Living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall, with William Gentry Dennis & children.
1881 Census aged 62 yrs. Living at Houells Farm, Pattiswick Rd., Great Coggeshall, with William G. Dennis & daughter Hannah aged 20 yrs.
1891 Census aged 73 yrs. Living at Church Street, Great Coggeshall, with son Henry aged 48 yrs & daughter Hannah aged 30 yrs.
Died. 14 May 1892. Albert Place, Great Coggeshall. Present at death, Louisa Dennis, daughter. (Death certificate).

Children of William Gentry Dennis & Elizabeth (Hicks) Dennis

1. William Henry Dennis
Born. 26 Sep.1842, Parish of Mile End, Essex, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
No other information can be found on William Henry Dennis. However one can only assume that William Henry Dennis and Henry W. Dennis are the same.
Reference is made to:
1861 Census, Henry W. Dennis as being the son of William G. Dennis and Elizabeth Dennis aged 18 yrs., farmers son, born Essex, Colchester.
1881 Census, Henry Dennis, aged 38 yrs. (Invalid) born Myland, Essex, living with brother Alfred Dennis (farmer), Tey Road, Great Coggeshall.
1891 Census, Henry Dennis (son), aged 48 yrs., living with mother Elizabeth Dennis, Church St., Great Coggeshall.
1901 Census, Henry Dennis, aged 58 yrs., born Myland, Essex, living on own means, Great Coggeshall, Essex.
No Birth certificate could be found for a Henry William Dennis.
The ages shown in the census fit perfectly with the birth of William Henry Dennis.

2. Edward Dennis
Born. 18 Jul. 1845, Parish of Mile End, Essex, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1851 Census aged 5 yrs. Farmers son, living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
Died. 15 Jun. 1857, Houells Farm (Cerebral disease 9 days) (Death certificate).

3. Elizabeth Clay Dennis
Born. 26 Aug. 1846, Parish of Mile End, Colchester, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1851 Census aged 4 yrs. Farmers daughter, living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1861 Census aged 14 yrs. Farmers daughter, living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1881 Census aged 34 yrs. Unmarried, living with brother Alfred, farmer, Tey Road, Great Coggeshall.
Married, 2nd November 1882, to Edward Fincham of Marks Tey, Essex , as Elizabeth Clay Hicks otherwise Dennis. (Marriage certificate, 1882 Dec. Qrt. Camberwell Vol. 1d. page 1367).

4. Samuel Dennis
Born. 11 Aug. 1847, Great Coggeshall (Witham) Essex, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1851 Census aged 3 yrs. Farmers son, living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.

5. Alfred Dennis
Born. 28 Sep. 1848, Great Coggeshall (Witham) Essex, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1851 Census aged 2 yrs. Farmers son, living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1881 Census aged 32 yrs. Farmer, Tey Road, Great Coggeshall. Unmarried, living with brother Henry and sister Elizabeth.
1901 Census aged 52 yrs. Retired Farmer, living Gt. Tey, Essex.

6. Sarah Dennis
Born. 19 Nov. 1849, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall (Braintree, Witham), Essex, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. Note: Birth Certificate is for an unnamed female. (Birth certificate).
1851 Census aged 1 yr. Living with parents at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1881 Census aged 31 yrs. Living 6 Silchester Rd., Hastings St Mary Magdalen, Sussex. Unmarried. Private Governess.

7. Frederick Dennis
Born. 22 Jan.1851, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall (Braintree, Witham), Essex, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1851 Census aged 2 months. Farmers son, living at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
Died. 1856 Sep. Qrt. Witham. Vol. 4A page 173.

8. Walter George Dennis
Born. 18 Mar.1852, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall (Witham), Essex, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1861 Census aged 9 yrs. Living with parents at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1881 Census aged 29 yrs. Married, wife Alice and 3 children. Farmer, living Malt Beggars, Feering. Essex.
1901 Census aged 49 yrs. Farmer, living with wife Alice aged 56 yrs., Ardleigh Essex. (Possibly Married 1876 Dec. Qrt. Witham. Vol. 4A page 649)

9. Louisa Dennis
Born. 5 Apr. 1855, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1861 Census aged 6 yrs. Living with parents at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1901 Census aged 45 yrs. Born Coggeshall Essex. General Domestic Servant, living Hornsey Middlesex.

10. Catherine Dennis.
Born. 18 May. 1856, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall. (Birth certificate).
1861 Census aged 4 yrs. Living with parents at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
(Possibly Died, 1873 Sep. Qrt. Witham, Vol 4a. page 221. aged 17yrs.)

11. Edward Simpson Dennis
Born. 25 Dec. 1859, Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall. (Birth certificate).
1861 Census aged 1 yr. Living with parents at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.

12. Hannah Bretton Dennis
Born. 24 Mar. 1861, Great Coggeshall, mother formerly Elizabeth Hicks. (Birth certificate).
1861 Census Infant daughter, unnamed 2 weeks old. Living with parents at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1881 Census aged 20 yrs. Unmarried. Living with parents at Houells Farm, Great Coggeshall.
1891 Census aged 30 yrs. Unmarried. Living with mother Elizabeth Dennis, Church St., Great Coggeshall.
1901 Census aged 40 yrs. Born Coggeshall, Essex. Living with brother Henry, Great Coggeshall. Living on own means.

References
Birth Certificates.
Marriage Certificates.
Death Certificates.
Census 1841. June 6th.
Census 1851. March 31st.
Census 1861. April 8th.
Census 1881. April 3rd.
Census 1891. April 5th.
Census 1901. March 31st.

John O. Hicks. JP.

5th December. 2003