Daniel was a native of Uxbridge and a son of Mr. George Henry Heron. He married Juliana Elizabeth Stacy (1836-1914) in October 1861. After residing in Hastings for some time the Heron family came to Wokingham. They had six daughters of whom five survived: Amy, Kate, Ellen Julia (b 1867), May (b 1872) and Annie (b 1874).
In the early 1870s Daniel purchased a wine and spirits business located at 22, Market Place, from Robert Tricky Dunning. He renamed the business Heron’s Wine Vaults and turned it into a public House. It was later renamed Ferguson’s Wine Vaults and was closed in the late 1970s shortly after it had been acquired by Morlands.
Daniel took a keen interest in his adopted town and was very active in St. Paul’s Parish. For a number of years he was manager of St. Paul’s Schools, account auditor, attendant, and sidesman.
In addition to his civic duties he was a trustee of Wokingham Savings Bank; treasurer of the Wokingham Men’s Club; member of the Wokingham Urban Sub-Committee and, always a staunch Conservative, a member of the Wellington Club in Reading.
In his earlier years Daniel’s fame as a singer always proved to be a draw at local concerts at which he was accompanied on the piano by his wife. Later in life he was occasionally requested to sing ballads at private functions.
A prominent Freemason, he was Worshipful Master of Greyfriars Lodge No. 1101 which he joined in 1888; Master in 1899 and served a second year in 1900. He was also a founder and Past Master of the Downshire Lodge; a founder of the Leopold Mark Lodge; a member of the Berkshire Masters’ Lodge, and Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden for the Province of Berks.
Daniel passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, 1st. September 1918 at the age of 82 and was buried in St. Paul’s churchyard beside Juliana. Heron’s Way, off Patten Ash Drive, was named in his memory.
Wokingham Town Museum Unique Identifier: WTH0133