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Heneage Dering was born on 7 February 1664/5 in London, the son of Christopher Dering of Wickens, Kent, who was secretary to Heneage Finch, Chancellor of England and Earl of Nottingham. He was called Heneage in honour of Finch, who became his godfather. Dering went to school at St Albans in 1674 where he spent the next four years. He entered the Inner Temple on 31 May 1678. In 1680 he was admitted a pensioner at Clare College, Cambridge, but returned home in October 1682 without having taken a degree.
His father bought him a set of chambers in Figtree Court in February 1682/3 and he was called to the Bar in 1690. In 1691 he became secretary to his father's old friend John Sharp, previously Finch's chaplain, on Sharp's promotion to Archbishop of York. In May 1692 Dering took up his residence with the archbishop at Bishopthorpe. He remained in this position for many years. Archbishop Sharp undoubtedly insured Dering's advancement in the church. On his father's death in 1693 Dering inherited the manor of Wickins, lands in Westwell, Kent, and the family estate of his branch of the Derings, and undoubtedly became `one of the wealthiest clergymen in England' (DNB, 1888, p.397).
In September 1699 Dering was rewarded for his services as Archbishop Sharp's secretary with the appointment of high steward of the manors of Wistow, Cawood, and Otley, which he held until February 1700/1. In January 1700/1 he resolved to take orders in the Church and was created LLD of Clare College. In February 1700/1 he was ordained deacon in Bishopthorpe chapel, and was appointed Archbishop Sharp's chaplain. In July 1701 he was admitted to priest's orders. Derring was Archdeacon of the East Riding of York from March 1702/3 until his death. He was also instituted to the rich rectory of Scrayingham on the presentation of Queen Anne in March 1703/4, made Prebendary of Grindall in York Minster, 1705/6-1708, and from May 1708 until his death kept the prebendal stall of Fridaythorpe. He became the Dean of Ripon in March 1711/12, and in June 1712 was appointed to the mastership of the hospitals of St Mary Magdalene and St John Baptist, near Ripon.
Heneage published a poem in Latin hexameters called Reliquiae Eboracenses. Per H.D. Ripensem (Eboraci, 1743). (Thomas Gent entitled his English translation of the work, `Historical Delights, or Ancient Glories of Yorkshire'.) It had been his intention to write a history of Yorkshire under Roman, Saxon, and Danish rule, but he failed to write more than three books in 95 pages of print. His other published work was the poem De Senectute. Per H.D. Ripensem (Eboraci, 1746). This was the lament of one of two oaks that stood side by side in Studley Park; with their felling imminent, one tree outpours its grief about their impending doom to the other.
Dering married Anne, eldest daughter of Archbishop Sharp, in 1712. They had two sons and five daughters. The elder son, John, became Sub-Dean of Ripon, whilst the younger one, Heneage, became Prebendary of Canterbury and Rector of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
Dering died on 8 April 1750, at the age of 85, and was buried at the east end of the north aisle of the choir in Ripon Minster where a monument was erected to his memory.
Publications:
Reliquiae Eboracenses. Per H.D. Ripensem (Eboraci, 1743). (`Historical Delights, or Ancient Glories of Yorkshire', Thomas Gent, translated into English)
De Senectute. Per H.D. Ripensem (Eboraci, 1746)