DASENT of St. Vincent

DASENT Family

John Roche Dasent (abt. 1776 – 15 February 1832)

John Roche DASENT was born about 1776 on the Caribbean island of Nevis to the Chief Justice of Nevis, John DASENT and his wife, Eleanor ROCHE. It’s not known when he arrived in St. Vincent, where he became a sugar planter after purchasing the U-nion Estate. He held the post of Attorney-General for the island, 1803 until his death.
John Roche DASENT married twice in St. Vincent, first to Harriet Frances IRWIN on 22 February 1806. She was the daughter of Alexander Burrowes IRWIN and Lydia ALEXANDER (who had first married Thomas HACKSHAW). Harriet was born 04 July 1784 in St. Vincent and christened there on 30 March 1792. John Roche DASENT and Harriet IRWIN had one son in St. Vincent before Harriet’s death there at age 23 in 1808.
Their son was John Bury DASENT, who was born 22 December 1806 in St. Vincent. He entered Trinity College in England in 1825. He married in England to Jane Camden FRENCH in 1838. It’s not yet known if they had any children. According to biographical data found on his brother Alexander DASENT, John Bury DASENT was the county court judge for Southwark (England) in 1851. This John DASENT was recorded in the 1871 & 1881 British Census as follows:

1871 British Census, Paddington, Marylebone, London
Dwelling: 15 Warwick Road

DASENT, John B. – head, male, age 64, Judge of County Courts, born West Indies
DASENT, Jane C. – wife, female, age 61, born West Indies
CAUDLE, Ann – servant, female, age 32, Cook Domestic Servant, born Cheltenham
CLAPCOLT, Sarah – servant, female, age 29, Parlourmaid Domestic Servant, born Chiselborne Dorest
KING, Catherine – servant, female, age 28, Housemaid Domestic Servant, born Bledsoe, Leeds

1881 British Census, London, Middlesex, England, Page 50
Dwelling: 15 Warwick Road

DASENT, John B. Head W Male 74 St Vincent Eng L I, West Indies Judge Of County Court
THURBAR, Elizbeth Serv U Female 39 Cumberton, Cambridge, England Cook
JENNINGS Susan Serv U Female 28 Dorking, Norfolk, England Palourmaid
PARFITT Mary A. Serv U Female 21 Kingswood, Surrey, England Housemaid

John Bury DASENT died in England on 07 April 1888. His death was noted in the Times of London for Tuesday, April 10, 1888:”On the 7th April, at 15, Warwick-road, W., JOHN BURY DASENT, Esq., late Judge of the Bow and Shortditch County Courts, eldest son of the late John Roche DASENT, of the U-nion Estate, St. Vincent, West Indies, aged 81.”
John Roche DASENT married second to the sister of his first wife, namely Charlotte Martha IRWIN. Charlotte was born in St. Vincent on 12 January 1791, and christened there on 30 March 1792. Charlotte and DASENT were married before 1815 in St. Vincent, where they had six children (see list below). Charlotte DASENT apparently moved to England after her husband’s death. She is found in the 1851 British Census in the household of her daughter Harriet DAKYNS in Rugby, Warwickshire, England.
Bury Irwin DASENT was born 12 July 1815. He was christened on 17 October 1815 at Saint Mary-St Marylebone Road, Saint Marylebone, London, England. He was married on 04 February 1845 at St. Pancras church in London, England to Elizabeth CONINGHAM, daughter of William CONINGHAM.
Charles Underwood DASENT was born about 1827. He entered Trinity College in England in 1844. He was Rev. Charles Underwood DASENT, of Trinity College, Cambridge, and one of the Masters of King’s College school, when he married on 25 March 1856 to Sophia Margaret HASTINGS. The marriage was announced in the Times of London for 28 March 1856 as having taken place at the parish church in Martley, Worcestershire (England). The ceremony was performed by Rev. W. B. HASTINGS, curate of Ludford. The newspaper announcement stated that he was the youngest son of the late John Roche DASENT, Esq., Attorney-General of the Island of St. Vincent. Further information in the announcement for Sophia Margaret HASTINGS stated she was the eldest daughter of W. Warren HASTINGS, Esq. Charles Underwood DASENT died in 1894 in Louth, (England ?) at age 64.

1871 British Census, Lincolnshire, South Thoresby, Page 4
Dwelling: The Rectory

DASENT, Charles U. – head, married, age 45, Rector of South Thoresby, born St. Vincent’s
West Indies
DASENT, Edward H. – son, age 11, Scholar, born Middlesex, London

1881 British Census, Gainsborough, Lincoln, England, Page 21
Dwelling: Church Street (17 Little Church Lane)

DASENT, Charles U. – head, married, male, age 54, born West Indies, Curate of All Saints Church Gainsborough

Harriet DASENT was born about 1816 in St. Vincent. She married Thomas Henry DAKYNS on 20 November 1834 at Saint Dunstan In The West, London, England. Their family is profiled on the DAKYNS family page.
George Webbe DASENT was born 22 May 1817 in St. Vincent. He attended Westminster school in England 1830 to 1834. His brother Alexander DASENT attended the school with him in 1832 (see Smith’s at Westminster School). He went on to King’s College, and then Magdalen Hall, Oxford, where he graduated in 1836. He received his B. A. in 1840, his M. A. in 1843 and his D. C. L. (Doctorate of Classical Literature) in 1850. He became a noted scholar on Scandinavian and Icelandic literature, and also served as assistant editor of the Times (London). Many biographies for him can be found on the internet. He died in 1896.

1871 British Census, St. George Hanover Square, London, Page 35
Dwelling: 19 Merkham (?) Place

DASENT, George Webb – head, married, male, age 50, D. C. L. Civil Service Commissioner, born West Indies St. Vincent
DASENT, Frances L. – wife, married, female, age 44, born Bracknell, Berks
DASENT, John R. – son, unmarried, male, age 24, B. A. of Christchurch Oxford, born Middlesex St. Bride’s London
DASENT, George W. M. – son, unmarried, male, age 21, student, born Middlesex St. George Han. Sq.
DASENT, Frances E. H. (?) – daughter, unmarried, female, age 15, scholar, born Middlesex St. George Han. Sq.
DASENT, Arthur Irwin – son, age 11, scholar, born Middlesex Westminster
5 servants

1881 British Census, St. James, London, Page 19
Dwelling: Piccadilly Club Chambers

DASENT, George Webbe – lodger, married, male, age 58, Knight Civil Service Commission,
born West Indies, St. Vincent

1881 British Census, Berkshire, Winkfield, Page 3, Dwelling: 24 Tower Hill

DASENT, Frances L. – wife, married, female, age 57, Knight Wife, born Berks Warfield
DASENT, Frances E. – daughter, unmarried, female, age 25, born Middlesex Hanover Square
DASENT, Arthur I. – son, unmarried, male, age 24, Clerk in Government Service, born Middlesex Westminster
5 Servants

1891 British Census, St. James, Westminster, London, Page 12
Dwelling: 207 Piccadilly

DASENT, George W. – lodger, married, age 68, K. G., H. M. Civil Service Commission,
Barrister at Law, D. C. L., born St. Vincent, West Indies

George Webbe DASENT married before 1846 to Frances Louisa “Fanny” DELANE, daughter of William Frederick Augustus DELANE. They had at least four children: Frances Emily DASENT, George William Manuel DASENT (who drowned in England in 1872), Arthur Irwin DASENT, and John Roche DASENT (see 1901 census record below).

1901 British Census, Kensington, Queensgate, London
Dwelling: 26 Elveston Place

DASENT, John Roche (C. B.) – head, male, age 54, Associate (? & Secretary Board of Education (?), born London
DASENT, Ellen – wife, female, age 48, born Pimlico
MEIBOHN, Johanna – servant, female, age 70, Cook Domestic, born Hanover (German subject)
SCHOLZ, Jusnina (?) – servant, widowed, female, age 32, Housemaid Domestic, born Glatz
SCHOLZ, Anna – servant, female, age 22, Parlourmaid Domestic, born Glatz

Alexander DASENT was born 30 April 1819 in Kingstown, St. Vincent. He was the third son of John Roche DASENT and his second wife, Charlotte Martha IRWIN. According to biographical data (http://www.kinderlibrary.ac.nz/resources/bishop/D.htm), he was educated at Westminster school (at least 1830 to 1832) and King’s College in England. This webpage also outlines his further education and career, showing that he graduated 12 June 1843 at Codrington College in Barbados. He became deacon for Barbados on 06 August 1843 (at Holy Trinity church in Kingstown, St. Vincent), and on 09 August 1843, he was named assistant curate for St. George’s in St. Vincent, within the diocese of Barbados. On 04 November 1843, he was named to the curacy of the parochial chapel of St. Paul’s in Calliaqua, St. Vincent. He became a priest in Barbados on 14 August 1844. He was rector of St. George’s and St. Andrew’s in Tobago, 09 January 1844 until 1851. On 23 April 1851, he became the curate-in-charge of St. John’s and
St. Mark’s in Grenada. On 18 December 1851, he was named rector of Bequia and Grenadines. He married Caroline Mayer GRANT (born about 1826) on 13 October 1847 at St. Paul’s Chapel in Calliaqua, St. Vincent. She was the daughter of the Honourable George Colquhoun GRANT (Colonial Secretary and Treasurer in St. Vincent), and his wife Anne MORE-MOLYNEUX. In 1856 he suffered with yellow fever and returned ill to England. He was assistant to Frederick HEBERDEN, the curate of Wilmington, Dartford, Kent, England in the diocese of Canterbury, 1856 – 1862. On 10 August 1863, he arrived in Lyttelton (New Zealand) with seven children on board the EPSOM. Scarlet fever killed three of the children, and another priest, J. C. BAGSHAW, was appointed to Holy Trinity Avonside, in his place. In October 1863 he arrived on The Spit at Waikouaiti in North Otago. He was cure of Waikouaiti, in the diocese of Christchurch, 18 August 1863 to 1875. This cure included the coast between Warrington and Blueskin Bay, inland to Upper Taieri, Hyde, Naseby, Kyeburn, Macgraes, Hampton and Palmerston. He held various positions in the diocese of Wellington 1875 to 1897, when he received a pension. He died 22 September 1905 at age 87 in Karori, Wellington, New Zealand, and is buried there in St. Mary’s churchyard. He had at least one son, Alexander Colquhoun GRANT, christened 22 May 1850 at St. Andrew, Rugby, Warwickshire, England.

Charlotte DASENT was born about 1823. She was christened 30 January 1823 at Ightham, Kent, England. No further information known.