My Ancestral Line
This is how I go back to our patriarch, John Kingett. This starts with me, and goes back a generation each time. You can view this information in chart form here.
Jan Brian Kingshott
You know a bit about me already from the About Me page. I was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England. I have a younger brother called Matthew. We can be seen below, looking pleased with ourselves, after jointly winning what I presume was the 1975 World's Worst Shirt competition! I am the one on the right.
I studied Exploration and Mining Geology at the Royal School of Mines, part of Imperial College at the University of London. I obtained a BSc(Hons) degree there before going to Exeter University and obtaining an MA degree, graduating with my dad. This photo shows dad and I after receiving our Masters degrees at the same ceremony. I was much slimmer in those days!
Dr Brian Frederick Kingshott
Dad was born in London. He grew up in Devon though after being evacuated out of London during the second world war. He was actually born during a German air raid, and gran received pension as a result!
He spent time in the Merchant Navy as a Radio Officer before joining the Devon & Cornwall Police in 1970. A brief summary of his police career is here. He retired in 2001 after taking bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in various aspects of police studies. Since that time he has been teaching various courses relating to policing at Grand Valley State University, Michigan, USA. Interestingly, at least from a genealogical point of view, this area of the USA has one of the largest concentrations of Kingshotts in that country. More information on the Michigan Kingshotts can be found here.
Dad has a university-based web-page here and you can read his CV here.
Walter Ernest Kingshott
Grandad was born in Mytchett, Surrey in 1913. Walter was known by his family as either Joe or Ted. This seems to be a family trait designed just to confuse people. His brother Percy, was known as David, and sister Frances was known as Lena.
Walter was one of the "Dreadnought Boys" who went to Australia to be trained in agriculture. He travelled out there on the SS Bendigo.
I have a tape recording of him discussing this aspect of his life. As a result of this, Walter had a lifelong love of Australia, and all things Australian. This is why his ashes were taken back there and spread out on the banks of the Richmond River by his son, Brian Kingshott, and one of his two daughters, Barbara Joslin.
In Australia he lived at Woodburn, New South Wales, and worked for William Meston (whose family came from Victoria) and who was allegedly one of the posse who captured Ned Kelly.
During the second world war grandad worked with the Royal Engineers clearing mines. He was injured just before 1200 noon on 6th May 1943, when an anti-tank mine that he was clearing exploded. It killed his friend and severely injured him. He told my cousin David that an officer threw the mine at him as "a joke". He was triaged and put down as not likely to survive. He was moved to an American field army hosptal near Mejas-al-bab, Tunisia. He pulled through, but always carried pieces of shrapnel with him as a result.
These are grandad's medals. They are the 1939-45 Star, The Africa Star (with 1st Army Bar), The Defence Medal and the War Medal. He never wore them.
Grandad spent the rest of his years in Barnstaple, Devon, England. He was a bit of a miserable old sod towards me and he was never particulary close to his family. Perhaps this was just his way. I liked him though, and he felt that we had something in common after I came back from working in Australia and became much friendlier towards me.
He died at noon on 6th May 1994, 51 years to the hour after being blown up.
Walter's wife, Grace, my gran, sadly died on 21st March 2012, at the age of 94.
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William Alfred Henry Kingshott
William Alfred Henry Kingshott continued with the tradition of being called by a different name and was known as Harry. He lived in Mytchett, Surrey and was born in Hollywater, Hampshire, England in 1883
In common with many of his brothers he joined the Royal Horse Artillery during the First World War. These are his medals. They are the British War Medal, The Victory Medal and the Police Special Constabulary Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
Harry had a full sized bowling green behind his house at 16 Coleford Bridge Road, Mytchett, Surrey. He spent long evenings there with his brother Finisher Coronation Kingshott (known as Fin or Fred), simply looking at the grass, rather than actually playing bowls! He was also a keen bee-keeper and had a set of hives at the top of his garden.
Harry died on the 16th June 1964, at Frimley Hospital, Surrey and was buried in an unmarked grave at Mytchett.
John Kingshott
John Kingshott was born at Lake House in Bramshott, Hampshire in 1858. He was initially an agricultural labourer but became the head woodman to Lord Middleton at Peper Harow estate. He lived in a cottage at a small hamlet called Gatwick, in the village of Shackleford, near Godalming in Surrey.
John married Amelia Ann Cannon (known as Ann) in 1879, and spent the next 20 years or so producing children! In all they produced 19 children (that I have found) although some estimates take the total up to 23!
John, who is still remembered by some of his surviving grandchildren (all of whom are now in their 80's), was said to be a big, strong man, but very quiet. He was a big softy. His wife, on the other hand, was an absolute ball of fire and struck fear into anyone who crossed her! This relationship dynamic sounds very familiar to both my dad and I, as we are both big, quiet blokes who married scary, fiery women!
John Kingshott, known as Big John Kingshott (as he was 6'3" and had massive shoulders from swinging an axe all day) died in 1932. He has his own page here.
Henry Kingshott
Henry Kingshott was born in the village of Bramshott in Hampshire. He was born before the advent of birth certificates, so I only have his baptism date. This occurred on 9th October 1814.
Henry married Amelia Baker, from nearby Kingsley, in 1842 and they had a total of eleven children.
Henry was a general labourer, as opposed to an agricultural labourer and worked his entire life. At the time of the 1891 census, when Henry was 77 years old, he was still recorded as a general labourer, though just how much use he would have been at that age is a matter of conjecture!
Sadly, Amelia died in the Sussex Lunatic Asylum in 1891 (which may explain a few things) but Henry lasted another four years, dying in Linchmere, Sussex.
James Kingshott
James Kingshott was baptised on 23rd July 1780, again in Bramshott. He married Ann Jackson, whose family came from Iping, Sussex, on 15th October 1803.
James was an agricultural labourer and travelled around the local area looking for work. At the time of the 1841 census he can be found back in his ancestral village of Fernhurst. By the 1851 census he was back in Bramshott.
James was buried at Bramshott on 30th January 1861 having died a couple of days before.
Roger Kingshott
I know very little about Roger Kingshott. I know that he was baptised in Fernhurst on 27th September 1741 and that he was buried at Bramshott on 1st January 1814.
Roger married a Mary Stillwell at Bramshott on 24th October 1763 and had 9 children.
Roger Kingeet
You will no doubt notice the subtle change in surname here. Roger Kingeet was recorded in the local parish registers with several different spellings of his surname. Kingeet is the most prevalent.
Roger was born in 1693 at Fernhurst and died around 1753. He was recorded as "shoemaker of Fernhurst" at the time of his marriage to Mary Young. They married at Amberley on the 30th July 1739. A couple of years later, at the Midhurst Sessions on 14th January 1745, a William Horris was ordered to pay Roger, then described as a "tithingman" of Fernhurst, 15 shillings.
Roger and Mary had 6 recorded children.
William Kingett
William married Barbary Heather on the 18th January 1685/86, at Fernhurst, Sussex. He was born in Fernhurst and was baptised on 28th May 1657.
William and Barbary Kingshott had 8 children and almost all surviving branches of the family share them as direct ancestors.
Due to the lack of available records during this period I know very little about his life. I have not yet found his burial record.
William Kingett
I know even less about this William Kingett! He was baptised at Fernhurst on 23rd January 1623/4. He married Jane Bettesworth on 25th August 1656 and I can only find one child at this time.
John Kingett
John Kingett would have been born sometime in the mid to late 1570's, altough he could have been older. I cannot find a baptism for him at the moment. He married Jone Fford at Fernhurst on 16th June 1600.
John Kingett is the patriarch of the worldwide Kingshott family, being the earliest ancestor that I have found. I have no idea where he comes from, or anything much about him at all.
John & Jone Kingett had 8 children in total.