Dent family connections
Born 22 February 1836, Kew, Surrey, England
Died 21 October 1923, Thames, New Zealand
Buried 22 October 1923, Thames, New Zealand
Sarah's father, William Caulkett, was a gardener at Queen Victoria's residence at Kew and as a result of her father's occupation Sarah spent much of her childhood within the Royal grounds.
Sarah was an expert lace maker and was never seen in public without a starched white lace collar as part of her attire. She was taught the art of lace making by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting and in her latter years she could be seen sitting in a chair, wearing a lace hat, in the image of Queen Victoria.
Unfortunately the seeming idyllic life amongst the royal household ended when Sarah was 12. Her father died 8 April 1848 leaving Sarah, her siblings and mother to fend for themselves. In 1849 Sarah, her mother and most of the family were residents of the Richmond Workhouse.
In the latter part of 1849 Sarah (age 13) was discharged from the workhouse and in the March 1851 census she was recorded as a house servant, Petersham, Surrey. A little over a year later in July 1852 (age 16) she was re-admitted to the workhouse.
Sarah emigrated to Australia as an assisted immigrant (age 20), with her own cabin, on the "Mount Stuart Elphinstone" which sailed from Plymouth, arriving in Victoria, April 1857. On her arrival, in Melbourne, Sarah went to the front door of her intended employer to be met by the butler, a gruff man with a scar on his face. He told her she should have gone to the back door but she was eventually let in through the front entrance and employed. The butler was Mark Dent, her future husband. It is believed that his scar was from an injury received while serving in the Crimean War.
Mark died 9 October 1887 and 2 years later Sarah re-married to John Seale. In her latter years Sarah suffered from gangrene and lived with her daughter Jane in Thames. She died of a heart attack, 21 October 1923.