Anne Denman

Anne Denman (c. 1587 – 1661) was born at Olde Hall in West Retford, Nottinghamshire. She was the younger daughter of Francis Denman, who was rector of West Retford from 1578 until his death in 1599, and Anne (Blount) Denman. Francis Denman was the second son of Anne Hercy by her first husband, Nicholas Denman esq of East Retford. Anne Denman’s family included notable relatives; her nephew, Dr. John Darrell, was the youngest child of her sister Barbara Denman and her husband Edward Darell. Dr. Darrell inherited substantial properties from both the Denman and Darell families, including Olde Hall. In 1665, Dr. Darrell made a will that donated Olde Hall to form a hospital for elderly men, now known as Trinity Hospital, Retford.

At about 20 years of age, Anne Denman married William Darell, younger son of Sir Thomas Darell. William died approximately three years after their marriage, making Anne a widow at age 23. Subsequently, she moved from Retford to London, leaving behind any unspecified troubles or loss of fortune around 1610. There exists a record of a lawsuit between Anne and her sister Barbara in 1605.

In London, Anne stayed at a hostel called the 'Goat and Compasses,' where she was employed as a housekeeper. During her stay, she became acquainted with Thomas Aylesbury, a wealthy brewer of St Andrew’s, Holborn, who was then making an inspection of his properties. Thomas Aylesbury was a widower aged 34. In 1611, he married Anne Darell, with the marriage recorded in the Bishop of London's registry, indicating her as a widow from London. The entry notes that Thomas Aylesbury's father, William Aylesbury, Esquire, gave consent for the marriage.

Thomas Aylesbury was subsequently created a Baronet in 1627 by King Charles I and held positions such as Master of the Mint and Master of the Requests. Following the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I, the family went into exile in Antwerp. During this period, Anne’s daughter Barbara died in 1652 in Antwerp, unmarried.

Anne Denman and Thomas Aylesbury had several children, including:

- William (baptised 1612, died 1656 in Jamaica)

- Frances (b. 1617, d. 1667), who married Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, in 1634.

- Lady Anne (1637–1671), who married King James II of England

- Hon. Henry (b. 1638, d. 1709), later 2nd Earl of Clarendon

- Hon. Laurence (b. 1641, d. 1711), later 1st Earl of Rochester

- Hon. Edward (b. circa 1645, d. 1665), died at age 19

- Hon. James, drowned in HMS Gloucester in 1682

- Lady Frances, married Thomas Keightley in 1675

- Elizabeth and Jane, likely died young

- Barbara (baptised 1627, died 1652 in Antwerp), no issue

Through her daughter Frances, Anne Denman was the maternal grandmother of Anne Hyde, who married James II, and thus the great-grandmother of Queen Mary II and Queen Anne.

In 1657, Sir Thomas Aylesbury died in exile in Breda. Anne returned to London afterward. Sir Thomas’s will was contested, but her son-in-law Edward Hyde, married to her daughter Frances, provided legal support. Hyde was a prominent statesman who rose to become Earl and later Duke of York.

Anne Denman was interred in the Hyde family vault at Westminster Abbey. She was held in regard by her grandson-in-law, James, Duke of York, as noted in Samuel Pepys’s diary in 1661, shortly after her death.

Her childhood home, Olde Hall in Retford, was bequeathed by her nephew, John Darrell, to establish Trinity Hospital. A portrait of Queen Anne, attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller and dating from around 1699, was associated with her family through the connections to her nephew, John Darrell.