Dent Family of Romaldkirk

[Geordie Mag]

Yes- well I'm just sorry that my comments seem to have come out in my teacher mode. I sound as if I am giving a talk to Year 10. Once a teacher.....
But this thing about mobility is something that really interests me. There is a myth that people stayed in the same place for generations, but the minute you start going back in your family tree, you find people moving about all the time. It does make tracing them more difficult, especially pre 1851 census. I suspect that this mobility is greater among poor people in the north of England than in the south and it would be intriguing to work out in what period this mobility begins. Perhaps one day all the family historians could join together to pool data in some grand project!

[lazytee]

Hi again Geordie!

I chuckled when you said you sounded like a teacher, as it didn't come across to me like that at all.  I thought it sounded more like someone who is knowledgeable about family history!

I agree that we often have the wrong idea about our 18th and 19th century ancestors, thinking that they were pretty well stuck in one place, because transport and communications were so different from nowadays.  I have found that this wasn't always the case at all.  My coal-mining ancestors, especially the colliery sinkers, seem to have moved around on a regular basis when they were young, only being more settled in later life.

And from what I can see of my lead-mining forbears in Allendale, each child was born in a different house.  They always seemed to be on the move, even if they did not go very far.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Regards, Hazel.

[verezzi]

Hi,

I have a Hannah Dent born 1798 in Kirton and baptised in Romaldkirk in January 1798, the daughter of a Thomas and Mary Dent. Her grand-daughter inherited a tea set that had belonged to the Bowes family. I know that a Ralph Dent worked for John Bowes as a land agent and was one of the few present when John's wife laid the foundation stone for the Bowes Museum, does anyone have either of these Dents in their family trees who might be able to shed some light into how this all fits together? I don't know much about Hannah other than that she married George Stabler and that the Stablers seemed very proud of their Dent name. They lived in the Mickleton area before moving to Middleton in Teesdale.

Regards,

Dan

[Fraser Welsh]

I have a Henry Dent, Baptised May 18th 1812 in Arkengathdale, North Yorkshire.  His younger brother Thomas was baptised there on November 15th the following year.

There parents were Charles Dent and Mary Garthwaite.  I can trace Mary's family back several generations as they seemed to be settled in the village of Marrick.

I know nothing of Charles, however.  The trail is completely cold.  I know there were a lot of Dents in Romaldkirk, so I've often wondered if that's where he came from.

Although I know what became of Henry and his family I have no idea what became of Charles and Mary following their children's baptisms.

[verezzi]

I remember spotting loads of Dents in the Marrick registers and Garthwaites too, the Dents went back a long way, the Garthwaites not so, so it is possible the Dents came from Marrick? I mentioned Hannah Dent in my last post from Romaldkirk, her daughter Mary married John Petty whose mother Elizabeth was born Betty Garthwaite in Marrick, strange coincidences.

Dan

[Fraser Welsh]

I think when we found Mary's family we looked for Charles too, without success.  That said, I don't remember finding any Dents, in the Marrick registers.  Given your recollections in perfectly possible we may have missed the Dents due to looking for them at the end of a tiring day at the records office, or some other distraction... 

[verezzi]

There were definitely quite a few Dents in Marrick, I remember noticing them because of my later Dent connection, these Marrick Dents were all about mid to late 1700s as I recall. I didn't take a great deal of note however. Sorry. The Northallerton Archives has an indexed transcript of Marrick so a trip there would make short work of it.

Dan

[Neil Todd]

Hi, not sure if I connected with this post previously but if I haven't I should have.
We have a few Dents in our family tree, some bumps and scrapes as well   ;DI think, but the Dents are:
John b c1600; father to John 1628; father to John/Talbot 1655; Father to Isabel c1680. Married Anthony Todd in 1709 Durham Cathedral. The IGI has another Hannah Dent marrying another Anthony Todd abt 1720, but to my knowledge he is at this stage not on the f Tree.
Anybody got a connection to these Dents??? All had abode in Durham, not sure where border was at that time with Yorkshire.
Neil

[Javelin]

Hello,

A Canadian Dent descendant here.

I have Hannah Dent, christened 7 Jan. 1798, Romaldkirk, dau. of Thomas Dent and Mary Hall (I think this is the same as yours, Dan?), married James Ireland. I also descend from Mary Dent, daughter of James Dent and ?, christened 05 Jan 1707 in Middleton-in-Teesdale -- who married another Ireland.

A lot of interrelated families from this general area (Bowes/Romaldkirk) but with links as far west as Carlisle, Penrith, etc. (names include Dent, Gastell, Ireland, Feddon, Best,  Raine) moved to Ontario, Canada, between 1819 and 1835.

This is Joseph Ireland's house:

http://www.museumsofburlington.com/ireland-house/information/general-information

His paternal grandmother was Mary Dent.

Best,

A.J.