The certificate shows that John was married, on the 26th December 1882, at the Stannary Congregational Church in Halifax. He married Ellen Smith and they were both aged 21 years. On the certificate, John's father is recorded as John Edward Kingshotte (deceased), also an engineer. Strangely, I can find no trace whatsoever of this man either! Very mysterious indeed.

 

I find him again, at the time of the 1891 census, living at 51 Egerton Street, Hulme, Lancashire. He is a Foreman Electrical Instrument Maker and is living there with his family. He then disappears from my radar and is not present with the rest of his family at the time of the 1901 and 1911 censuses.

 

Wherever he went, John & Ellen Kingshotte had at least 9 children between 1882 and 1898, all born in the north of England, most of them in Lancashire. In addition, it seems that John Richard Kingshotte also entered into an illegitimate "liaison" with a lady called Eliza Magee, the result of which was a boy, William Arthur Kingshotte, who was born on Erdington, Warwickshire on 13th June 1894. 

 

Descendants of John Richard Kingshotte can be seen here.

 

One of the descendants, George Kingshotte, also fell foul of the law in 1948. You can read about that case here. 

 

James Harvey Kingshotte

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James Harvey Kingshotte is also a bit of an enigma. Once again, there seems to be no trace of him in his early years. He first appears, as far as I can tell, in a newspaper article from 1901 which shows him in a less than flattering light.

 

 

BREACH OF PROMISE. Pretty Miss Laura Ganrett, who on Friday invited a Birmingham Jury' to punish a faithless lover with £500 damages, used to consume sandwiches and bottled beer at the New Street Station refreshment-room. There she met Mr. James Harvey Kingshott, an electricall engineer. For a while he was the most ardent suitor imaginable. He called four times a day at the refreshment-room,and stayed as long as he could. In the evening he would take the fascinating waitress to the theatre, and on Sunday they went for walks together. He proposed in a cab, while driving from Shirley to Birmingham, and was accepted. Then he chose six engagement rings, and took them to the refreshment-room for the lady to make a final selection. But after a time a rumour spread that Mr. Kingshotte was already a married man. His betrothed's father demanded an explanation,and the engineer admitted a previous entanglement. He promised amendment, with many tears, and the prospective father-in-law consented to forget his "past." All was well again. The date of the wedding had been fixed, when the bridegroom-elect suddenly mentioned that he had some business in America to transact, and vanished. He appears to have really got as far as Blackpool, where he was seen on excellent terms with another lady. Not only did he decline to go back to Miss Garrett, but he said he would not wed her if she had £1,000 a year! Mr. Justice Phillimore told the Jury that the damages should be liberal, as the defendant had induced Miss Garrett to give up her employment, and had broken off the engagement without any reason. The Jury awarded the lady £275.

Worcestershire Chronicle - Saturday 23 March 1901

 

It also seems that James also had another "liaison" with a lady called Ada Olive Farr, in Herefordshire, the result of which was a daughter named Kathleen Kingshotte, who was born at the same time that he was married.

 

I have sent off for a marriage certificate for the only marriage that I can find for James. This has now arrived and James has recorded his father as James Henry Kingshotte (deceased). In common with John Richard Kingshotte (discussed above) there is no trace of James' father whatsoever.

 

James married a lady called Bertha Annie Gillitt and is found with her at the time of the 1911 census. He seems to remain in London until his death in 1924. Interestingly, the 1911 census shows him as born c.1870 in St Pancras, but the death seems to show him as 10 years older.

 

I can only find one child born to James and Bertha, and this was a chap called Harvey Gillit Kingshotte, who went on to marry a lady called Doris Julia Malyon. They eventually moved to Cambridge and both died there. I have not found any children.

 

Were James Harvey Kingshotte and John Richard Kingshotte brothers? The recorded father's details on their marriage certificates would suggest not, but I am almost certain that they made these people up and that they were born illegitimately. If so, who was their mother? There must have been some reason to adopt the surname. Does anyone out there know what is going on?

 

There are a small number of Kingshottes around today, who all seem to be descended from John  Richard Kingshotte. I would love to hear from someone in this branch, and would be especially interested to link them into the wider family. I still have a lot of work to do on them and I am only just starting really. If you can help me please drop me a line.

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