Background
The son of Sir Anthony Denny"s eldest son, Henry, he matriculated at Street John"s College, Cambridge in 1585.
The son of Sir Anthony Denny"s eldest son, Henry, he matriculated at Street John"s College, Cambridge in 1585.
Street John"s College.
He was knighted in 1587, and welcomed James I to England while high Sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1603. He was Member of Parliament for Essex in 1604, but on 27 October 1604 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Denny, of Waltham. Around 1590-1600 he built Abbey House on the site of Waltham Abbey, the lands of which had been in the family for several generations.
Most of the old abbey buildings had been demolished, but the church remained as a parish church.
The new Abbey House was directly north-east of the church. The whole building was demolished in 1770.
The appearance of Lady Mary Wroth"s The Countess of Montgomery"s Urania brought protests from Denny, objecting to portrayals of real people in the work. He particularly was stung by an incident from the work that to him seemed to allude to his own family life.
He was created Earl of Norwich on 17 October 1626.