10th Great Grandparents; Thomas Dent and Magdeliain Haull

Thomas Dent (1599 - 1651)

When Thomas Dent was born in 1599 in Ravenstonedale, Westmorland, England, his father, Stephen, was 29 and his mother, Mrs, was 24. He married Magdeliain Haull on July 5, 1627, in his hometown. They had six children in 15 years. He died in 1651 in Ravenstonedale, Westmorland, England, at the age of 52.

Magdeliain Haull (1607-1675)

Magdeliain Haull was born in 1607 in Ravenstonedale, Westmorland, England. She married Thomas Dent on July 5, 1627, in her hometown. They had six children in 15 years. She died in 1675 in Ravenstonedale, Westmorland, England, at the age of 68.

Ravenstonedale

This is a picturesque village in Westmorland, Cumbria. There are records in this village of the Dent family for generations.

Nearby, across the local fells, is Pendragon Castle, built, according to legend, by the father of King Arthur, Uther Pendragon. There is also the Gamelands Stone Circle 

Google has a digitized book, The Ravenstonedale Parish Registers, 1571-[1812] , which has much of Ravenstonedale history recorded since early times.  Here are some interesting exerpts;

Regarding the antiquity of the Dent family in the village; "Of the old sixteenth century names few are left. The.' Adam - thwaites, Bovells, Cawtleys, Chamberlaines, Dents, Greens, Halls, Murthwaites, Peares, Pinders, and Rogersons have all disap peared : the Bousfields, Fawcetts and Shaws, once so numerous, have now only one or two representatives ; the Fothergills alone remain unaffected by the lapse of three centuries".p.vii

Regarding the impact of the usurpation and Cromwellian era; "During the religious anarchy of the Cromwellian usurpation the disturbed state of the parish as regards matters ecclesiastical may be deduced from the .variations in. the. jvritijpg of the Marriage entries, — seeming to point to a frequent change of minister. The "Bare Bones" Parliament 1653 enacted a law to secularize the marriage rite by making it a civil contract. This accounts for there having been no weddings in the parish from 1653 to 1657, parties being obliged to journey.-to "Applebye " or "Kendall" to be married by "ye maire" or some other "Justiss" of the Peace".p.xvi

Regarding the impact of the plague in Ravenstonedale; "Yet it is very evident that our parish did not escape its ravages. In 1579, 1588, and again in 1597 — during the whole of which period the pestilence was more or less prevalent throughout the northern counties — the mortality in Ravenstonedale was abnormally high. But it was not until the spring of 1623 that the storm burst in its full fury. The entries for that year, though obviously incomplete, three months being omitted, give a death-roll of 48, or 33 above the average for that period. The scribe himself appears to have fallen a victim to the epidemic, for, after the gap following the entry of February 22nd the handwriting is changed. The great London outbreak of 1665 does not appear to have reached Ravenstonedale."  This would have been shortly before the births of Thomas and Magdeliain.  Perhaps this catastrophe is why we cannot find records for generations before this, although there are a few entries in the parish registry for some births etc before this date, including some Dents. As the book explains "These ar all the xpestneyngs that Cowld be fownd in the Church of Rayvinstondall before the Xllth of maye An°/i577 whare the booke begineth heare in the next leaff."

There is a baptism recorded in September 2, 1599;  "Thomas sonn to Steven Dent and myghell sonn to Steven Busfeld"

I found an indenture concerning the woods and underwoods for Ravenstonedale which gives reference to a Steven Dent.  This may have been the father of Thomas Dent (who was Steven). This indenture is linked to the button below. It is interesting because it is authorised by Queen Elisabeth 1 who was reigning monarch! 

Another interesting book is on the history of Ravenstonedale; Rev. W Nicholls' 'History and Traditions of Ravenstonedale Westmorland', the original version of volume 1 is available online.