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William Nash Dench and Frances Hills © Parish records show William Nash Dench, the son of William Dench and Anne (nee Nash), was born in Arundel, Sussex. He was baptized in the Parish Church on the 23rd April, 17841. His sister Maria was baptised the same day, although it is not known if she was his twin or had been born a year or two earlier. It is thought Arundel began as a Saxon village2, and it has been suggested the name is derived from the Norman-French ‘Arondel’ meaning ‘Swallow’. A more likely explanation has been put forward, that it is a corruption of the Saxon words ‘harhune dell’ meaning horehound (a type of plant) valley. By the time of the 1086 Domesday Book, Arundel had become a flouring market town and busy port with a population of a few hundred. Arundel Castle was built about 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel. First constructed of wood, the castle was later rebuilt in stone. In 1285 Arundel was granted an annual fair. In the Middle Ages fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year and the Arundel fair attracted buyers and sellers from a wide area. In the mid-13th Century the Dominican friars arrived giving Arundel its first religious building, locally referred to as Blackfriars. The parish church of St Nicholas in Arundel was built in 1380 and by the end of the 14th Century Arundel Castle was the heart of a thriving hub of activity in the growing village. The Castle changed hands several times over the next couple of decades and at the end of the Civil War was severely damaged and reduced to a partial ruin. It remained in this state until the end of the 18th Century and consequently the village deteriorated significantly. However, the Castle was rebuilt 1890-1903, after which Arundel grew considerably, with the population increasing from a little under 1900 to over 3000 by 1904. Today Arundel is a popular tourist destination famous for its Castle, Farmers Market, Parish Church, Cathedral, and Blackfriars Historic buildings. In 2001 Arundel held its first Farmers Market in over 80years, and today this market is a popular monthly event. After Banns, which were published in the Arundel Parish Church on the 14th, 21st & 28th May, 18083, William married Frances Hills on the 8th June, 18082. Both are recorded as being from the Parish of Arundel. William was 22 and Frances was 18, William signed his name and Frances made her mark. The witnesses were James Slater, Thos Till and Martha Dutton. Baptised in Climping on the 24th May, 1789, Frances was the daughter of Henry Hills and Jane (nee Oliver) 1. Climping, sometimes spelt Clymping, is in the West region of the River Arun in West Sussex, 5km north-west of Littlehampton4. Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, Climping had 100 very large households and a value to the Lord of £15. There are several key landmarks in the village including: St Marys Church, Grade 1 listed and dating from 1080; the Bailiffscourt Chapel, originally constructed in the 11th Century, now a deconsecrated chapel in the grounds of Bailiffscourt Hotel; the Clymping Mill, which dates back to 1799, and the Black Horse Inn, the history of this inn connects it to smugglers in the 17th and 18th Century. Ancestry Public Family Trees and FamilySearch records indicate William and Frances had at least eight children: Frances 1813; Jane 1815; James 1818-1882; Thomas 1820; Hannah Eleanor 1822; Ellinor 1824, she married Henry Cook 1871; Alfred 1827; and Charles 1830, all were baptised in Littlehampton, Sussex. It is possible William and Frances had children before 1813, but to-date none have been identified. It is also possible an Ann Dench, born 1818, was the twin of James also baptised 1818. The 1841 Census5 show the family of William, aged 55, a Boatman; his wife Fanny 50; daughter Eleanor 15, a Dressmaker; and sons Alfred 13; and Charles 10. They were living in Church Lane, Littlehampton, Sussex. This Census indicates both William and Fanny were born in Sussex. Littlehampton6, situated on the coastal plain below the South Downs along the eastern bank of the River Arun, has been inhabited for a long period. Archaeological research has shown that the surrounding countryside was quite heavily settled in prehistoric and Roman times by people who, on the whole, would have made their living from fishing and farming. Appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086, as the tiny hamlet of Hantone, it only had a few inhabitants and very little value to the Lord. Belonging to the Countess Goda, it soon passed to Lord Roger de Montgomery who held Arundel Castle. It was later given by him to the Abbey of St Martin de Seez in Normandy, which continued to own Hampton until the 1400’s. It was also around this time that the prefix ‘Little’ was added to Hampton to distinguish it from its much larger neighbour Southampton which was also called Hampton at the time. It is thought that mariners coined this new name as a way of distinguishing between the two settlements. By 18515, it seems William and his family had moved to the Customs House in Maltravers Street, Arundel. On this Census, William included ‘N’ in his name, recorded his age as 67, his occupation as Boatman in H. M. Customs, and his birthplace is as Arundel, Sussex. Frances (Fanny) is age 63, and her birthplace is recorded as Climping, Sussex. With William & Fanny are: daughter Hannah 29; and son Charles 21, a Brick Maker. Customs Records7 give some details of William’s service as a Boatman / Customs Officer, and these records indicate he possibly joined the service as early as 1807. However, surviving records are sparse and William has so far only been located in 1834 at Littlehampton, and in 1850-51 at Arundel. On the 3rd June, 1856, William was awarded an annual pension of £62.11s.6p. He was 7years old and had served in the Customs service for over 48years. The reason for the pension being paid was given as ’due to infirmities of age'. In 18615, William, age 77, a Superannuated Tidewaiter, his wife Fanny, age 73, along with son Alfred, age 36, a Superannuated Tidewaiter Cripple, are still living in Arundel, but now they are at Pannels or Dukes Slip. Living with them is Lodger Robert M Lachlan, Married, age 48, a Stone Cutter, born in Scotland. Tidewaiters, or Customs Officers8, literally waited for the tides to enable them to join a vessel off shore. They then accompanied it to its berth, staying on-board until unloading was completed and the correct amount of excise duty paid. Ensuring that a coal cargo tallied with the receipt and coal meters, the officers measured the cargoes of coal. Unsurprisingly Customs Officers were expected to be ‘good men of education and respectability. Boatman were generally the labourers who assisted in unloading cargo or rowing the Tidewaiters or Officers out to the ships. Boatmen were not expected to have any particular qualification educationally but to be a ‘regular bred seafaring man’. William died in Arundel on the 28th August, 18689. He was 86years old, the cause of death is given as Mortification of the Foot, and his occupation is recorded as Late Customs House Officer. The Informant was Harriett Dallaway who was present at the death. Mortification, more commonly known as Gangrene, is when a part of a limb starts to die. This can be caused by injury or frost-bite, but it can occur in older people due to poor circulation or an arterial blockage. Gangrene can also be a result of Diabetes, so maybe William was a diabetic. William was buried at Arundel, it is presumed in the Churchyard of St Nicholas, on the 5th September10. Frances, recorded as Ann Danch, birthplace Tortington, has been located on the 1871 Census5, aged 83, living in Tarrant Street, Arundel, with her daughter Jane and son-in-law Henry, who was a Mariner. Tortington is about 4km north of Climping and about 3km south-west of Arundel On the 23rd April, 1871, just a few days after the Census was taken, Fanny died9. She was 83years old and the cause of death was given as Paralysis, her occupation was recorded as Widow of William Dench, Customs House Officer, and the Informant was a Martha Caiger who was present at the death. Fanny was buried in Arundel, again presumably, in the Parish Churchyard of St Nicholas, on the 27th September10. It is not known if there is (or ever was) a marker or headstone on either Fanny's or William’s grave.
References:
3. Parish Marriage Record via Sussex Record Office 4. Climping http://www.british-history.ac.uk 5. UK Censuses via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 6. A Brief History of Littlehampton http://www.localhistories.org/littlehampton.html 7. Boards of Customs and Excise and HM Revenue and Customs: Establishment Staff via PRO Kew England 8. British Coastguard Records http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/ 9. Death Certificate 10. Parish Burial Record via Sussex Record Office
Other Sources: FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/search/ Open Domesday Book http://opendomesday.org/ Sussex Local Magazine http://www.sussexlocal.net/climping.htm WebMD https://www.webmd.com/ |
