Dencher-Whitehead marriage in Middlesex, England 1833
In 1833 Diana Whitehead, who may be related to me, married a William Dencher or Deucher in Holy Trinity Church, Brompton Road, Middlesex (borough of Kensington and Chelsea). I have a copy of the parish register entry and the way the groom’s name is written looks to me like Dencher. The transcriber has opted for Deucher and the man’s signature in the register does not help me choose.
Both surnames seem quite rare in England. Free BMD shows only one Dencher birth in the first decade of civil registration (1837-47) -- in Burnley, a district spanning the boundaries of Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. There are no Deucher births in this decade and very few after. Thereafter the Denchers seem concentrated in Leicestershire. In one case I noticed in Leicester a Deucher and a Dencher with the same first name and the exact same references, suggesting that an indexer could not determine the correct spelling and put both in.
I did not find a death for Diana of either surname in Free BMD. There was one William Deucher death in the whole index but he was too young to be the right man. Again I noticed an identical entry for William Dencher, suggesting confusion with the written name.
Perhaps Diana and William both died in the 4 years between their marriage and the start of civil registration or maybe they emigrated. Any leads appreciated.