Dent & Co. (also known as Dent's) was among the most affluent British merchant firms that operated in China. They were a fierce competitor of Jardine, Matheson & Co., and Russell & Co.
George Baring founded the company in 1809. Thomas Dent joined it in 1820 and also brought in Robert Hugh Inglis, who had connections with the East India Company. The company changed its name to "Dent & Co." in 1824, and a relation of Thomas, Lancelot Dent, joined the firm in 1827. One of the first triggers of the First Opium War began with Lin Zexu's order for the arrest of Lancelot Dent in 1839, as Dent refused to surrender his opium store.
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