(1713 - 78) of Westerham and Blackmanstone, Kent, yr. s. of Rev. Jacob Denis, Huguenot minister; naval officer, lt.1739, capt. 1745, r.-adml. 1770, v.-adml. 1775; m. 1750 Elizabeth Heidegger, 'Miss Pappet' (d. 1765); MP 1754 - 68; cr. Bt. 1767.
1747 Florence
1771 - 3 Florence ( - 23 Nov. 1771), Pisa, Leghorn (29 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1771), Naples, Rome, Naples (23 Nov. 1773)
As Captain Denis in command of The Centurion, serving under Anson, he made a brief visit to Florence in May 1747.1 In his flagship The Trident, he visited Italy in 1771; he was in Florence by November and left for Pisa with Captains Goodall and Ellys on the 23rd.2 Horace Mann took the officers with other Englishmen in Pisa to dine at Court.3 The Duke of Gloucester engaged the Grand Duke and Duchess of Tuscany to dine on board Admiral Denis's ship at Leghorn on 1 December, the ship being 'splendidly and elegantly fitted up'.4 Denis made at least one excursion to Rome from Naples, returning to Naples on 23 November 1773, whence he intended sailing for Port Mahon.5 It was presumably on this visit that he sat to Pietro Labruzzi6 (the portrait, now untraced, was possibly the 'Naval Officer' by P. Labruzzi shown at the SA in 1776).
1. Wal.Corr., 19:402. 2. Gazz.Tosc. 3. Wal.Corr., 23:352 - 3. 4. Scots Charta Chest, 242 - 3. 5. SP 93/28 (Hamilton, 23 Nov. 1773). 6. Thorpe letters MSS (1 Jan. 1774).