This page was set up by Robert Sewell in June 2006 to show the Denne Family since the earliest known times.  Robert Sewell graduated from McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) in 1967 with a B.Sc. degree in chemistry.  After a year of studies at the University of Toronto's College of Education, he taught high school science in Collingwood, Ontario for a year and then taught chemistry, physics and general science in Hamilton, Ontario for twenty-nine years.  Robert Sewell retired from teaching in June 1998.

Additional Information comes from:

• Norm Medland who shared the biographical account of {Major General} Daniel Gookin and others.
• Richard N. Gookins, An Historical and Genealogical Sketch of The Gookin Family of England, Ireland and America, Tacoma, Washington, 1952. (Available from Higginson Books of Salem, Ma.)
• The Gookin pedigree chart from E. E. Salisbury's Family Memorials, Privately Printed, 1885.
• E. E. Salisbury, Family Memorials, Privately Printed, 1885, pages 381 - 383
• Gregory Holyoake whose photographs of the Romney Marsh churches appeared in Secret England.
• Janet Denne of Australia who has kindly shared information from an unpublished manuscript on the history of the Denne Family written by Frederick Slater and dated 1880.  The four Denne Coats of Arms come from this manuscript.

Click for  PDF index

England in the 11th Century

    Edward the Confessor was born in 1002, son of King Æthelred the Unrede and Emma of Normandy, who was a sister of Richard (II) "the Good", 4th Duke of Normandy. Following the invasion of England and the victory in 1013 of the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard, it was natural that King Æthelred, his wife Emma and their family sought refuge in the court of Emma's brother, Richard "the Good". They certainly took retainers with them, and it is possible that a member of the Dene family was included.

    However, Sweyn Forkbeard was never actually crowned King of England; and when he died on February 3, 1014, the Witan recalled Æthelred who reigned until his death on April 23, 1016.  Emma, too, returned to England. Following the death of Æthelred, she married the Danish King Canute; who, incidently, proved to be a fair and honest king who provided a reign of peace with honour for Anglo Saxons and Scandanavians alike.  The young Edward the Confessor, however, remained in Normandy until he was invited to return to England in 1041 by his half brother and Canute's successor, the childless King Hardecanute.  Thus, St. Edward the Confessor had spent much of his childhood and received his education in Normandy.  When he was invited to return to England in 1041, he was in many respects a Norman, and he preferred to speak Norman French. Edward the Confessor was proclaimed King of England following Hardecanute's death in 1042.

   Saxon England was not a feudal state. The King was served by a national militia plus his own retainers.  The earls were as powerful as the king himself, and were rivals as often as allies. In order to strengthen his hold on the crown and to prevent the Saxon earls from becoming too influential, King Edward the Confessor gave fiefs to Norman lords.  One of these Norman lords was Robert de Dene; and although it cannot be proven, it is possible that he was a descendant, perhaps a son, of a Saxon retainer who had accompanied the family of King Æthelred of England and his queen, Emma of Normandy, into exile almost thirty years before.

Origins of the Denne Family

     In Saxon Britain, "dennes" were rough clearings which threaded through the woodlands of the Kentish Weald and gave free passage to livestock between areas of pasturage.  The dennes also provided a sort of woodland pasture, especially for swine. Thus, the Denne name may be of Saxon origin; i.e., one who lived near or made use of a denne.

    It has also been suggested that the name may come from the Norman French "Dene" meaning "the Dane"; thereby suggesting a Scandinavian or Viking origin for the Denne Family. Click here to read an account found on a Denne Family Tree dated 1832 that suggests the first of the Denne Family came to Normandy circa 911 with Rolf the Ganger who became Robert, 1st  Duke of Normandy.

    Regardless of his exact ancestry, it is with Robert de Dene that this genealogy begins.

Generation One
Robert de Dene a Norman, had large estates in Sussex and Kent as well as in The Duchy of Normandy.  He was “pincerna”, a household official in charge of wines and beverages, to King Edward the Confessor (1042 – 1066).
Robert de Dene had a son:

• Robert de Dene

The Arms of  de Dene or Denne circa 1050.       The shield and Coat of Arms was authenticated at  the Heralds College from the original manuscript by the personal inspection of, and copied by, Frederick Slater on December 8th 1880.

Generation Two
Robert de Dene
Robert de Dene had a son and heir:

• Ralph de Dene

Generation Three
Ralph de Dene, Lord of Buckhurst in Sussex, possessed large estates in Sussex and Kent.
Living: during the reign of William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087)
Married:  Sybella de Gatton, sister of Robert de Gatton.
Ralph de Dene and Sybella de Gatton had the following children:

• Robert de Dene

• Ella de Dene who married Sir Jordan Sackville, ancestor of the Dukes of Dorset. Ella inherited Buckhurst and other estates in Surrey.  In her widowhood, she endowed Bayham Abbey.

Generation Four
Robert de Dene
Born circa 1130
Robert inherited the Kentish Estates.  He married Sybylla and they had the following children:

• William de Denn
• Alice de Denn who endowed Bayham Abbey.
• Agnes who married De Icklisham.

Generation Five
William de Denn of Denn Hill, in the Parish of Kingston on Barham Downs, Kent, had a son:

• Sir Alured de Denn

Generation Six
Sir Alured de Denn of Denn Hill.
Living "19 Henry III", i.e., 1234

Sir Alured de Denn was known as a person of great learning.  He was Seneschal (the official who governed the overall operation of the household) of the Priory Christ Church of Canterbury and Escheater of Kent in 1234.  He was appointed by King Henry III (1216 – 1272), in conjunction with Sir Henry de Bath, to enforce the the Laws of Romney Marsh, on or near  the channel coast of Kent between Folkstone and Dungeness.  Sir Alured de Denn had three leopard heads caboshed (i.e., three leopard "faces") on his seal.

Sir Alured de Denn had the following sons:

• Walter Denne
• George Denne
• John Denne

Saint Mary-in-the-Marsh This 12th century church is visible for miles.	Saint Peter and Saint Paul The tower of this Norman church leans to the west.

Generation Seven
Walter Denne of Denne Hill, living in 1256, had a son:

• Walter Denne

Generation Eight
Walter Denne of Denne Hill, living in the 9th Edward I  (1281) had a son:

• John Denne

Generation Nine
John Denne of Denne Hill, living in 1308, had a son:

• Sir William (or Walter) Denne

Generation Ten
Sir William (or Walter) Denne Knight of Denne Hill, sat in Parliament for the City of Canterbury in 19 Edward II (1326) and for the County of Kent in 14 Edward III (1341).

Sir William married to Elizabeth de Gatton, daughter and co-heiress of Hamo de Gatton of Boughton, and they had a son:

• Richard Denne

Generation Eleven
Richard Denne of Denne Hill was living in 6 Richard II (1383).

Richard married to Agnes Apuldrefield, a daughter of  (?) Apuldrefield of Challock.  This ancient family is descended from Henry de Apuldrefield of Apuldrefield in Coudham who, with other Kentish gentlemen, fought with King Richard I at the Siege of Acre in Palestine.

Richard and Agnes had the following sons:

• Thomas Denne
• Michael Denne
• John Denne
• Robert (or Richard) Denne

Generation Twelve
Thomas Denne of Denne Hill married Isabel de Earde, daughter and heiress of Robert de Earde, and they had had 2 sons:

• John Denne
• Thomas Denne who died without issue in 1468.

Generation Thirteen
John Denne of Denne Hill married Alice Ardren, daughter of Richard Ardren (or Ardearne).
Please click for Ancestors of Alice Ardearne.
John and Alice had the following children:

• Michael (or Alured) Denne
• Thomas Denne who married Agnes Eshehurst, daughter of William Eshehurst, and had daughter:
• Avice Denne who married John Crispe, of Queux, in the Isle of Thanet.
• Parnell Denne who married William Keale.

Generation Fourteen
Michael (or Alured) Denne Esq. of Denne Hill, who was living during the reigns of Edward IV (1461 – 1483) and Henry VII (1485 – 1509)

Michael married to Christian Combe of Lympne, an heiress.  Her maiden name may have been Christian Fort who was born circa 1440 at Lympne, Kent.
    Michael Denne and Christian had the following children:

• Thomas Denne
• William Denne
• John Denne of Lympne, Kent who had four sons:
• Michael, Henry, John and Peter
• Michael Denne who had two sons, both of whom died without issue:
• Henry and Edmund
• Isabella who married Simon Quilter, of Staple.

Visitation of Kent, 1619 The Arms of Denne are from the Visitation of Kent, 1619:  "Argent, two flanches sable, each charged with a leopard's face or."  This coat of arms is said by Frederick Slater to have been been used by the younger branch of the Denne Family, including Denne of Littlebourne and Chislet who are descended from Michael Denne.

Generation Fifteen
Thomas Denne Esq. of Denne Hill married first to Alice Eshehurst (or Ashurst) and they had three sons:

• Thomas Denne, of Denne Hill, who married Alicia Mett, daughter of Thomas Mett
• William Denne
• James Denne, of Marley (died at Kingston in 1574) who married Agnes.

Thomas Denne married second to Margaret Naisshe and they had the following children:

• Christopher Denne
• Michael Denne
• David Denne
• Agnes A'Denne, born in 1520 at Barham Kent and died in 1588; buried on March 29, 1588 at Adisham Kent. Agnes married Richard Austin; their great X11 granddaughter is:
• June Bubb
  

Generation Sixteen
William Denne Esq. of Kingston, Kent, proprietor of extensive estates there.
Died on October 21, 1572.
William married  Agnes Tufton (died in 1588), daughter of Nicholas Tufton, Esq. of Northiam Place, Sussex who was the great grandfather to the first Earl of Thanet.
William Denne and Agnes Tufton had the following children:

• Vincent Denne of Kingston, LL.D. (died in 1591) who married Joan Kettell of London
• Thomas Denne of Adisham, a bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1590, who married Jane Swift and from whom is descended the families of Don PerryandNancy Thompson.  Please click on the names to visit their sites.
• Mary Denne who married first to John Coppin of Deal (or Deale), and second Thomas Boys of  Eythorne in Kent.
• Catherine Denne

Thomas Denne of Adisham      The Arms of Denne pictured here were granted to Thomas Denne of Adisham in 1589 and are taken from the unpublished manuscript by Frederick Slater.       Sir Bernard Burke describes these arms:  "Denne (Denne Hill, Kingston, Elbridge, Bishopsbourne, and Lydd, co. Kent, and Winchilsea, co. Sussex). Azure three bars ermine in chief as many fleur-de-lis or." (Sir Bernard Burke:  The General Armory, London 1884, page 278)       Slater describes the crest as being. "on a chapeau vert, turned up ermine a demi Peacock, wings expanded and elevated pp."      "This crest was also granted in 1589 but has not been used from time immemorial."   . . . . .Frederick Slater

Denne of Lydd    The Arms of Denne of Lydd pictured here taken from Frederick Slater's manuscript (1880) and are described by him as follows: "Quarterly 1st and 4th Three bars ermine in chief, as many fleur de lis, or. Coat granted to Thomas Denne Esq 1580.  2nd and 3rd Azure three leopards heads, couped, or."     The Denne of Lydd branch is descended from Thomas Denne of Addisham.

Generation Seventeen
Catherine Denne
Married:  John Gookin, Lord of the Manor of Ripple Court, Kent.  John Gookin was the son of Thomas Goolkyn (or Goolken) of Bekesbourne, Kent (died in 1599) and grandson of Arnold Gookin (or Gokin), probably of Canterbury, Kent who was born as early as the reign of King Henry VII (1485 - 1509).

Catherine Denne and John Gookin had the following children:

• Thomas Gookin, Lord of the Manor of Ripple Court who married Jane Thurston. They had seven children, among whom was:
• Catherine Gookin who married William Warren, a descendant of David, Earl of Huntington (1144 - 1219) See Gary Boyd Roberts: The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants, Baltimore, 2004, pg. 469 for this descent.
• John Gookin who married Anne Brett.
• Daniel Gookin who died an infant.
• Daniel Gookin, 2nd
• Sir Vincent Gookin who married 1st to Mary Wood and 2nd to Judith Crooke.
• Ann Gookin.
• Elizabeth Gookin who died an infant.
• Elizabeth Gookin, 2nd.
• Catharine Gookin who married Thomas Milton.
• Margaret Gookin who married Thomas Marshe.

The Arms of Gookin      The Arms of Gookin pictured here are based on Sir Bernard Burke:  The General Armory, London 1884, page 406 where it is stated: "Gokin, or Gookeine (Ickham, co. Kent; granted in 1609 by Segar; the family occurs in the Kent Visitation of 1619 and in that of 1663). Gules a chevron between three cocks or."       This family is almost certainly the same as our Gookin Family because Sir Vincent Gookin (see above) was granted arms that differ only in having a chevron ermine.

Generation Eighteen
Daniel Gookin of Carriagaline, Ireland.  Lived in Kent
Born at Ripple on October 28,  1582.
Died in February or March 1632/3 at the Red Abbey, parish of St. Finn Barr, Cork City, Ireland.
Daniel Gookin emigrated to Virginia in 1621, but he returned to England and then to Ireland in the spring of 1622 following a great Indian massacre on March 22, 1622.  There is no evidence to indicate that he ever returned to the New World.  For further details, please click on the biographical account of his son {Major General} Daniel Gookin written by Richard N. Gookins of Salem, Oregon and shared by Norman D. Denzler-Medland.

Daniel married on January 31, 1608/9 in Canterbury Cathedral, County Kent to Mary Byrd. Mary was a daughter of Richard Byrd, Canon at Canterbury Cathedral and Elizabeth Meye who was in turn a daughter of John Meye, Bishop of Carlisle.  Mary's birth and death dates are unknown, but she was buried at Bitton in Gloucestershire on July 27, 1635.

Daniel Gookin and Mary Byrd had the following sons:

• Richard Gookin, of St. Finn Barr, County Cork, Ireland was born about 1609 and died before 1655.  He was evidently the father of:
• John Gookin of St. Dunstan's in the East, London.  John was a mariner.  He married Mrs. Francis Pitt of Stepney, Middlesex, a widow age about 23, on November 21, 1665.  John was about 28 at that time.

• Edward (or Edwine) Gookin, born at Ripple on June 23, 1611 and died young.

• {Major General} Daniel Gookin

• John Gookin who was perhaps a twin of Daniel.

• Edward Gookin who was born probably in 1615 and died unmarried before 1655.  This could be the same Edward,  a "son of Daniel and Mary Gookin" who was christened on September 24, 1628 at London, St. Botolph, Bishopgate.

Generation Nineteen
{Major General} Daniel Gookin who was granted a license to marry his 2nd wife Mary Dolling in 1639 when he was in London.  In 1641 he went with his wife and infant son to Nanse Plantation, Virginia. On May 20, 1644 he arrived in Boston.  Click on {Major General} Daniel Gookin for a detailed biographical account of his life written by Richard N. Gookins of Salem, Oregon and shared by Norman D. Denzler-Medland.
In his "Remonstrance of 1680", Daniel Gookin defined citizens rights which were so fundamental that they were later included in the Bill of Rights of the United States. Click to see his Remonstrance of 1680 which was kindly shared by his descendant Eugene Hubbard.

Born:  1612.

Died:  March 19 or 30, 1686/87.

{Major General} Daniel Gookin had three marriages:

• First Marriage:  Details unknown. Daniel was referred to as "a widower" at the time of his second marriage in 1639.

• Second Marriage in 1639 to Mary Dolling, of the parish of St. Dunstan in the West, London.  Mary was a spinster, aged about 21, whose parents were dead. Mary died in 1683.

• Third Marriage: to Hannah (Tyng) Savage about 1684.

• Samuel Gookin, born probably in England by 1640 and died in Virginia before 1644
• Mary Gookin, (1642 - 1702) who married Edmund Batter.
• Elizabeth Gookin (see Generation Twenty below)
• Hannah Gookin, born at Roxbury, Massachusetts on May 9, 1647 and died an infant on August 2, 1647.
• Daniel Gookin, born at Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 8, 1649 and died an infant on September 3, 1649.
• {Rev} Daniel Gookin, (1650 - 1717) who married 1st in 1681 to Elizabeth Quincy (1656 - 1691), a daughter of {Colonel} Edmund Quincy (1627 - 1697/98) and his first wife Joanna Hoar.  {Rev} Daniel's sister Elizabeth had married in 1680 to {Colonel} Edmund Quincy, thus {Rev} Daniel's first wife was his sister's step daughter.  {Rev} Daniel married 2nd to Bethia Collicut.
• {Sheriff} Samuel Gookin, (1652 - 1730) who married 1st to Mary and 2nd to Hannah Sterns.
• Solomon Gookin, born at Cambridge, Massachusetts on 20 June 20, 1654 and died an infant on July 16, 1654.
• {Rev} Nathaniel Gookin (see Generation Twenty below)

Generation Twenty
Elizabeth Gookin was baptized on March 30, 1645 in Roxbury, County Suffolk, Massachusetts
Born on March 14, 1645 at Boston, County Suffolk, Massachusetts
Died in 1700
Married 1st to {Rev} John Elliot, Jr.
Married 2nd to 1680 {Col} Edmund Quincy (1627 - 1697/98) who had a previous marriage to Joanna Hoar.
Elizabeth Gookin and {Col} Edmund Quincy had a son:

• {Judge} Edmund Quincy. For the continuation of this line, click on {Judge} Edmund Quincy.

{Reverend} Nathaniel Gookin of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Born at Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 22, 1656
Died in 1692, probably at Cambridge.

Nathaniel married in 1685 to Hannah Savage, a daughter of the widow Hannah (Tyng) Savage who had married about a year earlier to Nathaniel's father. Thus, Nathaniel married his father's step daughter.
Nathaniel and Hannah had the following children:

• {Reverend} Nathaniel Gookin II, born on April 15, 1687 at Cambridge, Massachusetts; and died of a slow fever on August 25, 1734 at Hampton, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.  Nathaniel married on December 21, 1710 to Dorothy Cotton and was settled at Hampton from November 14,  1710 until the time of his death.

• Habajah Gookin, born on January 23, 1689; and died on August 1, 1689.

• Hannah Gookin, born in 1692.

Click to contact Robert Sewell