DENNY, William. b. Dumbarton 25 May 1847; educ. Edinburgh high school; Apprentice to his father a shipbuilder at Dumbarton 1864 and partner 1868; partner in engineering firm of Denny & Co., Leven shipyard on the Clyde, increased size of works from 19 to 42 acres in 1881; made great improvements in the construction and building of steam ships 1869–82; founded an Award scheme for inventions and improvements made by his workmen 1880; read papers on ships, etc. before Lit. and Philos. Soc. of Dumbarton, Instit. of Civil engineers, Instit. of Naval Architects and other Societies 1869–82; served on the Load Line Committee 1884–5; M.I.C.E. 7 March 1876; his-residence Bellfield with a valuable library burnt down 1882. d. Buenos Ayres 17 March 1887. Min. of proc. of Instit. of C.E. lxxxix, 457–66 (1887).
DENT, Charles Calmady. b. 26 Sep. 1793; entered navy 9 Aug. 1810; captain 16 Feb. 1852; retired R.A. 1 April 1870. d. 37 Nelson road, Great Yarmouth 3 Jany. 1872.
DENT, Edward John. b. London 19 Aug. 1790; employed by Vulliamy and son, and Barrauds and son, chronometer makers 1815–29; partner with John Roger Arnold at 84 Strand 1830–40; kept a shop at 82 Strand 1840; opened branch depôts at 33 Cockspur st. and 34 Royal Exchange; began manufacture of turret clocks 1843; A.I.C.E. 1833; received order for great clock at Westminster 1852, lived only to see commencement of it; author of On the construction and management of chronometers, watches and clocks 1846, and other works. d. The Mall, Kensington Gravel Pits, London 8 March 1853. Min. of proc. of Instit. of C.E. xiii, 156–61 (1854); Sir E. Beckett’s Clocks, watches and bells (1883) pp. 181, 238, 266–68, 300, 310, 313.
DENT, John (eld. son of John Dent of Worcester, glover 1751–1811). b. 1777; glove manufacturer at Worcester with his brother Wm. Dent, who d. 11 Oct. 1854 aged 70; they purchased from Duke of Buckingham the ruined site of Sudeley castle and chapel, Gloucestershire which they restored; sheriff of Worcs. 1849. d. Sudeley Castle 8 Oct. 1855.
DENTON, Rev. William (eld. son of James Denton of Newport, Isle of Wight). Matric. from Worcester coll. Ox. 28 May 1841 aged 26, B.A. 1844, M.A. 1848; C. of Shoreditch, London 1847–50; V. of St. Bartholomew, Cripplegate, London 1850 to death; author of A commentary on Gospels for the Sundays and other Holy Days 3 vols. 1861–63, 3 ed. 1875; A commentary on the Epistles 1869; Servia and the Servians 1862; Records of St. Giles’ Cripplegate 1882 and many other books. d. 22 Westbourne sq. Paddington, London 2 Jany. 1888.
DENYS, Sir George William, 1 Baronet (only son of Peter Denys of Hans place, Chelsea, who d. 27 June 1816). b. Easton Neston, Northamptonshire 20 May 1788; ed. at Trin. coll. Cam., M.A. 1814; equerry to Duke of Sussex; M.P. for Hull 6 Oct. 1812 to 10 June 1818; created Bart. 23 Nov. 1813. d. 42 Onslow sq. Brompton, London 26 April 1857.
DE PORQUET, Louis Philippe R. Fenwick (son of Capt. Fenwick). b. Paris 1796; taught English in France; adopted his mother’s name; came to England about 1823; author of educational works in the English, French, Italian and Spanish languages, upwards of 40 in number 1823 to death. d. 17 Camden st. Camden Town, London 26 Aug. 1873.
DE QUINCEY, Thomas (4 child of Thomas Quincey of Manchester, merchant, who d. 18 July 1793 aged 38). b. Manchester 15 Aug. 1785; ed. at Bath and Manchester gr. schs.; matric. from Worcester coll. Ox. 17 Dec. 1803 where his name remained on the books till Dec. 1810; student of Middle Temple about 1808; edited Westmoreland Gazette 1819–20; wrote in the London Mag. 1821–24, Blackwood’s Mag. 1826–49 and Tait’s Mag. 1834–51; published Klosterheim, or the masque by the English opium eater 1832 which was dramatised for two of the London theatres; eat opium 1804–16, 1817–18, 1824–25 and 1841–44, in 1813 his dose had risen to 340 grains of opium or 8000 drops of laudanum per diem, about half what Coleridge was taking at that time; he is described in J. H. Burton’s The Book Hunter as Papaverius; author of Confessions of an English opium eater 1822 first published in the London Mag. 1821; The logic of political economy 1844; the first English edition of his collected works was published in 1853–60 as Selections grave and gay 14 vols., 4 ed. 16 vols. 1875–80, the most complete edition of his works is the American in 20 vols. 1852–55. d. 42 Lothian st. Edinburgh 8 Dec. 1859. T. De Quincey by H. A. Page 2 vols. (1877), portrait; D. Masson’s De Quincey (1881); S. Hodgson’s Outcast Essays (1881) 1–98; F. Espinasse’s Lancashire Worthies, second series (1877) 378–461; C. Mackay’s Forty years recollections (1877) i, 314–26; H. Martineau’s Biographical Sketches, 4 ed. (1876) 409–17; John Bull Mag. July 1824 pp. 21–24.
DE RAMSEY, Edward Fellowes, 1 Baron (2 son of Wm. Henry Fellowes of Ramsey abbey, Hunts. 1769–1837). b. 14 April 1809; ed. at the Charterhouse; M.P. for Hunts. 10 Aug. 1837 to 24 March 1880; chairman of the Middle Level commission; created Baron De Ramsey 5 July 1887. d. 3 Belgrave sq. London 9 Aug. 1887.
DERBY, Edward Smith Stanley, 13 Earl of (only son of 12 Earl of Derby 1752–1834). b. 21 April 1775; ed. at Eton and Trin. coll. Cam., M.A. 1795; M.P. for Preston 1796–1812 and for Lancashire 1812–32; colonel 2 Lancashire militia 1 March 1797; created Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe, co. palatine of Lancaster 22 Dec. 1832; succeeded his father 21 Oct. 1834; K.G. 2 April 1839; F.L.S. 1807, pres. 1828–34; pres. of Zoological Soc. 1831 to death; formed at Knowsley hall collections of living animals and birds, which far surpassed any menagerie or aviary previously attempted by a private person in this country, these collections were sold 6–11 Oct. 1851 for £7000; privately printed Gleanings from the menagerie and aviary at Knowsley hall 2 parts with 76 plates 1846–50. d. Knowsley hall 30 June 1851. P. Draper’s House of Stanley (1864) 275–82; Law Review xvi, 1–32 (1852); I.L.N. xix, 14, 405, 449 (1851).