I would love to see the actual book, as it contains illustrations of the early coat of arms dated 1189 and others that are not described as well.
Source: Deane, Edna Hartshorne Amos Kingsley 1768-1847 New York 1961:9-18. Daisy digital conversion from Print.
She quotes a Charles Kingsley who apparently did considerable genealogical research on the Kingsley line as saying the following.
"From boyhood I have fought the temptation to the proudest worship of family as a descendant of men who were gentlemen and landlords before a Norman set foot in England." This statement is quoted in a biography of said Charles Kingsley written by Margaret Thorpe.
She quotes Charles again as saying as he was being installed as a canon in Chester, "I come here with the feeling that I am coming home, for my ancestors lived here a few centuries ago. Although I am now landless, my forefathers were landlords. I acknowledge with pride my connection with Chester. I feel honored by the mention of my name in the 'Tarporley Hunting Song.'" (Same as called 'Old Brown Forest.') (Charles then quoted the lines that mentions Ranulph/Ralph Kingsley's role as master forester.) This quote is also found written in third person in Kingsley, Charles. Charles Kingsley: His letters and memories of his life Vol. II. 1894: New York. Web. p. 241.
She retells the Goat legend using herself as a reference. She then gives an explanation of the Earl of Chester. I'll cut and paste this section in. Note that the footnotes appear at the bottom of the individual pages as scanned and digitized.
The Goat Legend
Time 1087-1100 **King William II third son of
William the conqueror who was sometimes called Rufus went hunting one day. He
strayed from his men in the wilds of the forest and wandered at night till he
came to a light Then he knocked at the door of a forester's cabin and asked for
a night's lodging but told not his name. The Yeoman in haste killed a goat for
their dinner. His wife quickly cooked a
most savory meal. The king was refreshed by the feast and night's lodging and
thanking his host, he departed next morn. In the bright light of day, he
emerged from the forest to find with surprise he was in his own lea. He quickly
decided to give these vast meadows to the Yeoman for his kind hospitality — a
fine fee. The king also made this kind Yeoman a baron Who took a new name Sir Ranulphus de
Kingsleigh necause he had land that was once the King's lea."
From
''Kingsley Saga" by Edna Deane
Legend of the
Bugle
**Hugh Lupus
the nephew of William the Conqueror Was
chosen to serve as second Earl of Chester. Years later Hugh Lupus likewise had
a nephew Sir Randall the first who was Chester's third Earl. Sir Randall gave
the office of Bailiwick and Keeper Of Delamere Forest to Ranulph Kingsley the
first (1123) And gave him a bugle and made him a baron with the office of Chief
Forester, a hereditary right. Sir Richard de Kingsley, the grandson of Ranulph
(Page 13)
(Illustration of the Bugle Horn)
Bugle
hom :
The horn dates from 12th century. It is the symbol of the hereditary
Master Forestership of Delamere. It was given to Ranulph {Ralph) Kingsley by Sir Randall, Earl of
Chester, in 1123 A. V.
(Page 14)
Had two sleek white greyhounds to aid in
the hunt: So when the great Earl came to hunt in Vale Royal, Sir Richard rode
forth proudly followed by hounds. He blew on his bugle a clear silvery
welcome Whose echoes resounded to
far distant bounds."From “Kingsley
Saga"
The Kingsleys
were prosperous Saxon Yeomen living east of the River Dee when 'William the
Conqueror came from Normandy and conquered England in 1066. The Normans claimed
all lands of the Saxons. Many Normans resided in Chester, a good sea-port, with
productive farm lands and good hunting grounds nearby.
William the
Conqueror appointed Gherbod a valiant Fleming as the first Earl of Chester but
he soon returned to Flanders, then William appointed his nephew Hugh Lupus as
second Earl, and Hugh Lupus appointed his nephew Randall as the third Earl.
William II
called Rufus succeeded his father in 1087. He was the king who went
hunting in Vale Royal, was lost, was hospitably entertained overnight by
a forester and in gratitude gave nearby lands to his host who chose a new name
Ranulph cle Kingsleigh because he was given land that was once the king's lea
or meadow. William II ruled 1087 to 1100 and Avas killed by an arrow when
hunting in New Forest.
In 1123 Sir
Randall, 3rd Earl of Chester, appointed Sir Ranulph Kingsley as Bailiwick and
Keeper of the Forests of Mara and Mondrem, a hereditary right and gave him a
bugle to wear at his side like a saber. Later this title was changed to
Master-Forester of Delamere. Early foresters exercised jurisdiction over fifty
townships so were little less than barons in power. This bugle mentioned in the
“Tarporley Hunting Song" is still in existence in Tarporley, Cheshire and
has been seen by Kingsley descendants.
In 1812 what
remained of the forests of Cheshire were given one-half to the Crown and the
rest to adjacent landowners. Those given to the crown were planted to forests
of oak and birch. Heirs-apparent of the English throne take as their second title
the "Earl of Chester".
Cheshire
Cheshire in
western England lies east of the River Dee. It's called the Vale Royal of
England on account of its fertility. It is an agricultural region and also has
salt mines. Chester the seaport on the Dee was originally a Roman City. It was
rebuilt by the Saxons and Normans and still retains the architectural features
U
(page 15)
of a city of
the Middle Ages. Its streets are arelied over by colonades of the
houses. St. John's Chapel built in (598 has a vault where King Harold the last
of the Saxon Kings lies entombed. Its Gothic Cathedral built in 1094 In' Hugh
Lupus is a noble pile. Here Charles
Kingsley was Canon.
The
hereditary right of Master-Forester- was held by the Kingsleys for about a century
{H23-]2!2o) then, because Sir Richard Kingsley left no male heir, the right was
given to the son of his daughter Jane who had married Henry Done. The Dones
continued to be Master-Foresters for several centuries and lived near Tarporley.
In the days of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) the Dones built Utkinton Manor House
about one-and one-half miles north of Tarporley. The exterior is of timber but
the interior is built of stone with a court. In one room is an octagonal pillar
of oak which extends through all stories and supports the roof. Part of the
original hall has been torn down and a stairway has been removed to the
Tarporley rectory. The old manor house is now occupied by tenants.
As late as
1882 Richard Henry Done owned Utkinton Manor but it was sold later to the
Ardens avIio have built a new manor house called Ardene
Hall. They were familiar with the legend of the bugle which had been given by
the Norman Earl to Ralph Kingsley, so they proudly moved the bugle from Utkinton
Manor and hung it in the new Ardene Hall.
A study of
the history of Frodsham parish shows that Kingsleys lived there in manor houses
which were sometimes built with turrets and dungeons. Starting in the time of
Henry III the Dones, Davenports and Stanleys were foresters in Cheshire.
A quaintly
worded statement about early Kingsleys is found in Cheshire Sheaf published in
November, 1878.
"143-4
An Arbitration Case. 1st order. Ye said party be friends and for trespasses and
offences done to John Kingsley and John Sargent 100 mares to be paid at the
Feast of Nativity of St. John and 111 mares to be paid at feast of Nativity of
St. Martin."
In 1426 John
de Kyngesley, County of Chester had a rent roll. This proves that he had a
large estate.
Interesting
facts about the Kingsleys are found in Ormerods "History of
Cheshire", Vol. 2, page 55. Kingsley Chapel in Frodsham formerly belonged
to Kingsleys and afterwards to their co-heirs the Roters or Rutters.
(Page 16)
The church of
Vale Royal in the township of Frodsham near the village of Overton contains a
Kingsley Chapel which has painted glass with armorial bearings of Kingsleys,
Halcrofts and Rutters. Inscribed on brass is :
'*Hic jacet
Randulph Helsby cle Kingsley Gent. Ob. 25 Sept. Anno Dei 169(). Aet. 78 (Here
lies Randulph Plelsby de Kingsley gentleman. Died September 25, 1696. Age 78.)
When Stephen
and John Kingsley emigrated to Boston, this Randulph was 17 years old. He may
have been a younger brother who was the ancestor of Charles Kingsley. If so,
the older brothers were given money to establish new homes in the new world
while the younger brother remained at home and inherited the estate. This
custom was followed by Rev. Amos Kingsley the subject of this narrative.
There were
other contemporaries of Stephen and John: Richard Kingsley lived in Frodsom
parish and had a daughter named Marie Breerwood, born May 18, 1637. A William
Kingsley lived in Chorley, Lancaster in 1550 and had a son William who was
Professor of Divinity and Arch-deacon of Canterbury. He died in 1647. This
trend toward higher education and religious leadership among Kingsleys was
continued in later generations.
In September
1938 Miss Maretta Hartshorn of Washington, D.C. made a tour of the British
Isles and spent several days in Cheshire the former home of the Kingsleys. In
Chester she visited the historic Gothic Cathedral where Charles Kingsley was
Canon from 1869 to 1875. She saw the memorial plate that has been placed on a
seat that he once occupied. The older part of the Cathedral and the Abbey were
built in 1094 by Hugh Lupus, nephew of William the Conqueror. On one of the
beautiful stained glass windows is the figure of the builder Hugh Lupus, Earl
of Chester, who spent his last years in the Abbey and is buried beneath the
chapel.
In the parish
of Frodsham, Miss Hartshorn visited Tarporley, Frodsham, and Kingsley village.
She had tea at the vicarage in Frodsham. Miss Mary Gleaves invited her to
return for dinner and to spend the night at Peel Hall. This old manor house was
built in the days of Henry III (1216 to 1264). Here Miss Hartshorn spent the
night sleeping on a feather-bed in a high old-fashioned bedstead surrounded by
draperies. The Peel Farm is fortified by a moat built seven-hundred years ago
to keep out Welch invaders. Within the moat was a place for cattle. The moat
was made narrower one hundred years ago and an addition was made to the old
manor house. Perhaps the draw-bridge was replaced by a
(Page 17)
permanent
bridge. In this ancient castle Miss Hartshorn may have spent sleepless nights
thinking of invaders in the thirteenth century.
Peel Farm, an
ancient inheritance of Sir John Done, is still a productive farm. Miss
Hartshorn in her manuscript writes: ''Laborers from Ireland and girls from the
village were harvesting ; the men were busy digging and sorting potatoes and
the girls picking corn."
Peel Farm was
an ancient inheritance of Sir John Done of Utkinton. By consulting early
real-estate records, we find that John Kingsley Esq. bought land in 1580 and
sold it to John Done of Utkinton. This John Kingsley may have been a
grand-father of Stephen and John who migrated to Boston in 1635. At least it
proves that Kingsleys lived in Cheshire near the Dones and had business deals
with them.
Miss
Hartshorn called at the home of Lady Grizzel-Bailie Hamilton at Ardene Hall in
Tarporley. She was not at home but a male servant was very courteous and showed
her the bugle given by the Earl of Chester to Ranulph (Ralph) Kingsley more
than eight-hundred years ago.
Chester's
People in 1616
A treatise
written in the early seventeenth century says ''The people of the county are of
a nature very gentle and courteous, ready to help and further anyone". In
1616 a native of the county wrote "It not only produces the best cheese in
all Europe but is blessed with women very friendly and loving and expert in
housewifery".
This is true
of Kingsleys in the 20th century. We find that they are courteous, friendly and
capable.
The Kingsleys
lived for many centuries east of the River Dee. There are real-estate records,
town records and inscriptions in chapels that prove that they lived in the
parish of Frodsham where we now find the villages of Tarporley, Frodsham and
Kingsley on the road to Northwich.
(Page 18)
Thank you so much for your research! I am an ancestor of the Kingsleys, and it has been an amazing journey following our history. I never would have imagined that my ancestry would lead me here!
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