 He was the builder of Siston Court in Gloucestershire, which survives largely unaltered since his time.His excessive speculation and borrowing caused the ruination of the Siston branch of the Denys family.Denys was the second son of Sir William Denys (died 1533) of Dyrham, Gloucestershire, a courtier of King Henry VIII, by his second wife Anne Berkeley, daughter of Maurice Berkeley (1436–1506).