Hingston Tree HM

Hingstons at St Ives, Cornwall

The information in this tree has been supplied by David Teague <dteague@primex.co.uk> based on work done John Higgans.  I have copied their work, with permission, and added one or two links.

There is a web site that deals with Penwith Genealogy which may be of interest to those related to this Tree.

Generation No 1

8. BALDWIN HINGSTON, gentleman, of Ludgvan, whose will was proved 23 May 1664.

Baldwin Hingstons's will is listed in MISC. CORNISH WILL AND ADMINISTRATION ABSTRACTS 1602 through 1816, from which we find:-

Written: 30 Apr 1661 proved: 23 May 1664

(the above will very torn and fragmented)   AP/H/1459

This is an important document since it gives a link between the Holbeton Hingstons and the first Hingstons I know of in Cornwall.  It shows that Baldwin had a brother William, living at Newton Ferris (Newton Ferrers) in Devon, who had a son Baldwin.  Baldwin also had a kinsman William, living at Plymouth (presumably not his brother).  This Baldwin had a son John, who was born after 1640.

Baldwin is probably related to, or may even be the same person as, the Baldwin listed at the start of the Allen and Dymond tree, as being registered at Holbeton, and doubtless belonging to the Family (i.e. the Tree we list as at this site as Tree HD), but their connection has not been traced.

Generation No 2

1. JOHN HINGSTON was the son of 8. Baldwin Hingston and Temperance. Born  ca 1647.  On 13 Oct 1668, when John was 21, he married HONOUR HAMON, in Towednack.

They had the following children:

There may have been another child who was not recorded in the records.  According to "Cornwall And Its People" by A.K.Hamilton-Jenkin (p.167):-  "In the year 1681, John Hingston of Towednack, gentleman, stated that a child of his, and children of other parishioners, had died unbaptized owing to the neglect and absence of the vicar (who also held the parish of Lelant, with St Ives), and that 'several persons dyeing within the said parish of Towednack, and having noe Priest to bury them according to the Church of England, one of them was left without buryall, which became noysome untill some other minister came to bury him'....".   As the name of John Hingston's child is not mentioned, nor the sex or age, it must be assumed that this child was not recorded in the PR's and should be included in his family.

Generation No. 3

2. BALDWIN HINGSTON. Baptised 21 Jan 1669 (OS) at Ludgvan, the son of 1. John Hingston and Honour (Hamon). Baldwin died in 1708, aged 39. Buried in Ludgvan. On 9 Oct 1700 when Baldwin was 31, he married, firstly, ELIZABETH ROBERTS, daughter of John Roberts and Emblem (Quick), in Towednack. Elizabeth was buried 29 Jan 1701/02 in Towednack.  There is a web site dedicated to the Roberts family, where Elizabeth is listed.

They had one child:

On 31 Dec 1702 when Baldwin was 33, he married, secondly, ANN FAVELL, in Ludgvan. Ann died in 1715.

They had the following children:

3. JAMES HINGSTON was the son of 1. John Hingston and Honour (Hamon). James died in 1723. On 28 Oct 1700 James married AVIS IVY, in Towednack. Avis died in 1746.

They had the following children:

4. THOMAS HINGSTON was the son of 1. John Hingston and Honour (Hamon). Buried in 1747 in Towednack.  In 1727 Thomas married GRACE THOMAS, in Gulval. Grace died in 1743 in Towednack.

They had the following children:

Generation No 4.

5. BALDWIN HINGSTON. Baldwin was baptized in St. Hilary on 3 Dec 1704 (IGI), the son of 2. Baldwin Hingston and Ann (Favell). Baldwin was buried in 1781 in Ludgvan, aged 77.  In 1731 when Baldwin was 27, he married MARGARET KITCHEN, in St. Hilary.  Margaret died in 1792.

They had the following children:

6. JOHN HINGSTON. John was baptized in St. Ives on 10 Dec 1704, the son of 3. John Hingston and Avis Ivey.  On 14 Feb 1733 when John was 29, he married CECILIA TREMEARN, in St. Ives. Cecilia died in 1765.

They had the following children:

7. MALACHI HINGSTON. Baptized in Towednack on 8 Aug 1731, the son of 4. Thomas Hingston and Grace (Thomas).  On 16 Jun 1755 when Malachi was 24, he married MARY ROSE (a widow), in St. Ives. Born ca 1728. Mary died in 1789, she was 61.

They had the following children:

Generation No 5.

9. JAMES HINGSTON. James was baptized in St. Ives on 11 Sep 1735, the son of 6. John Hingston and Cecilia (Tremearn).  James married CATHERINE. Born  ca 1732. Catherine died in St. Ives in 1814 where she was buried 28 Mar; she was 82.

They had the following children:

10. JOHN HINGSTON. John was baptized in St. Ives on 18 Feb 1759, the son of 7. Malachi Hingston and Mary (Rose). Buried on 15 Mar 1812 in St. Ives, aged 53.  On 17 Aug 1784 when John was 25 (and described as a merchant), he married MARGARET JENNINGS, in St. Ives by LIcence.  John was a Clerk in the Custom House of St. Ives  Margaret was buried at St Ives on 24 Mar 1823, when she was 66, which would imply she was born in about 1757.  See the entry for his son 16. Francis below for details.

They had the following children:

11. MALACHI HINGSTON. Malachi was baptized in St. Ives on 17 Nov 1765, the son of 7. Malachi Hingston and Mary (Rose). Buried on 23 Mar 1849 in St. Ives, aged 84.  On 14 Mar 1790 when Malachi was 25 (and described as Capt. Malachy), he married, firstly, SARAH STEVENS, in St. Ives. Born  ca 1762. Sarah died in 1821 and was buried on 26 Dec; she was 59.  In the 1841 census he is described as age 75, a shoemaker, living at Court Cocking, St Ives, and surrounded by his second family.

They had the following children:

On 30 May 1829 when Malachi was 64, he married, secondly, SUSAN CARTER, in St. Ives. Born  ca 1807 in Germoe. Susan died on 16 Feb 1882, she was 75.

They had the following children:

Generation No. 6.

13. JOHN HINGSTON. John was baptized in St. Ives on 3 Mar 1765, the on of 9. James Hingston and Catherine. John was buried on 8 Nov 1791 in St. Ives, age 26.  On 8 Jan 1788 when John was 23 (and described as a mariner), he married ELIZABETH HARVEY, daughter of Thomas HARVEY & Elizabeth HARRY, in St. Ives. Born in 1765. Elizabeth died in 1824, she was 59.  Elizabeth came from the Harvey family that subsequently became wine dealers in Bristol and produced Bristol Cream Sherry, she remarried in 1801 in Somerset.

They had the following children:

16.  FRANCIS HINGSTON was baptised 17 Jan 1797 at St Ives, the son of 10. John Hingston and his wife Margaret (Jennings).  This baptism does not normally appear in lists of St Ives baptisms, but is quoted on the web.  A detailed source is being sought by Diana Pullinger.

Francis Hingston (1796-1841) was controller of customs at Truro and reputedly belonged to a family long settled in St. Ives.  According to his son's entry in the DNB, Francis married JANE MATILDA WILSON KIRKNESS, daughter of Captain William Kirkness on 5 Aug 1828.  According to Boase she was born in London in 1804 the daughter of Capt W. Kirkness who married Jane Sanders at Falmouth 3 November 1803.  In the register he is described as 'of London'. He was the son of John Kirkness of Orkney Island who settled in London. William was in command of a ship captured by the French but which he recovered and brought into Falmouth.

Francis and Jane had at least two children:-

According to Polwhele's "Biographical Sketches in Cornwall":- "Francis Hingston's Father was a clerk in the Custom House of St Ives.  I was well acquainted with him; and knew him to be a very respectable character in good circumstances.  His eldest son John was sent to Truro School in 1800 & remained there above a year.  Afterwards at sea, he was killed in Lord Nelson's action off Trafalgar.  He wrote a remarkably fine hand - his brother - the Poet - now an officer in the Customs at Truro - thus modestly speaks.  "Of myself one word is enough.  I was born in St Ives in Nov 1796 (my brother Thos. Hingeston in 1799) and educated at Truro Grammar School.  As to my literary productions, they consist simply of the few little pieces already in your hands (which have been preserved wholly by accident) and some other trifles in prose and verse, which were not worth preserving.  They were only written to amuse an idle hour, or to beguile a weary one.  I have never made poetry a regular pursuit.  For some years I have laid it aside even as a pastime."  It was said of Shenstone, that in his lyric efforts, he was scarcely ever satisfied with himself.  And, indeed, after some few exceptions, he had no cause, I think, for rejoicing in his lute of love.  Not so, Mr Francis Hingston, who "breathes melodious sighs" from unaffected feeling - who has tenderness without the inaccuracies of Collins.  Hitchins was called "the smartest trifler of his tribe".  But here we have "strength with sweetness"."

Deborah Hyland, of St Louis University, is doing a PhD disseration on Tristan legends in the nineteenth century and has found a book-length poem by Thomas Hogg, Master of the Grammar School in Truro, called "The Fabulous History of the Ancient Kingdom of Cornwall" (1827).  Hogg includes a song about the Tristan legend and in his notes, he writes that "The song is the composition of FRANCIS HINGSTON, ESQ. ST.. IVES.  The following is the original:--" and then he gives 12 lines in French. She assumes that Hingston wrote the song in French and Hogg translated it in his own poem, crediting Hingston.  The song is only a small part of the whole poem - it appears on p. 353 - with the note about it on p. 501.

The Tristan and Isolde Legend is described at the University of Rochester Camelot project web site.

Pigot's directory of 1830 for St Ives lists Mr Francis Hingston, Custom House Clerk and a Francis Hingston, fish curer and seine owner; presumably they were  two different persons unless the latter was a fish curer on the side! This is not impossible since he may have had a controlling interest in a fishing business.  There is the problem that Customs Officers rarely served in their own towns, for fear of collusion so there is the possibility that there were in fact two Francis Hingstons.  A study of Customs records may be beneficial.  It may be that he had a fairly menial job initially in St Ives but was then promoted into the Truro post.

There is one marriage which I know of which can't be fitted in here.  On 23 Aug 1844 by banns, FRANCIS COOK HINGSTON, aged 27, bachelor mariner of St Ives married JANE COLEMAN aged 18 spinster of St Ives (father: John Coleman, mariner) witnesses: Richard Cogar Bryant, Thomas Williams

15. MALACHY HINGSTON. Malachy was baptized in St. Ives on 11 Feb 1806, the son of 11. Malachi Hingston and Sarah (Stevens).  On 12 Nov 1826 when Malachy was 20, he married JUDITH SHUGG, in St. Ives.  Judith was buried on 25 Apr 1837 at St. Ives (Cornwall FHS burial index 1813-37), aged 34 (so born c. 1803) possibly in childbirth.  Malachi subsequently married SARAH THOMAS, of full age, father Thomas Thomas (sic), Tailor.  Malchi was descibed as a widower and a shipwright.  His wife is shown as Sarah in the 1841 census and Sally in the 1851 census; these are probably the same person since Sally can be a pet form of Sarah.  In the 1841 census they were living at living at Chy an Dour, and in 1851 they were living at St. Andrews (both in St Ives).  In both censuses, Malachy is decribed as a shipwright.  In the 1861 Census Malachi and his wife Sarah were living at separate addresses; Sarah (aged 60) with her daughter Elizabeth (aged 19), a dressmaker.  There appears to be no child named to carry on the Malachi tradition.

Ian Salmon <ansonfish@aol.com> is investigating the following report:-
Royal Cornwall Gazette, Oct 11th 1861  "An inquest was held before W Hichens, jun. Esq...deputy coroner, on Tuesday 8th inst..at St Ives, on the body of Malachi Hinston aged 69, Shipwright. Deceased had been suffering for some time from a disease of the heart and on Tuesday morning he arose early to go to his work, but feeling unwell he went to lie on his bed, desiring his daughter, with whom he lived to get him some tea which he drank, he then asked to some more, and she went downstairs to get it, but on her return he seemd worse, and on lifting him up in bed he died in her arms. Verdict..died from natural causes."  This would imply a birth round about 1792, but the death certificate says that he died on 8 Aug 1861, aged 59.  If the baptism quoted above is correct he would actually have been 55.

The 1841 census returns are available at:- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kayhin/ukocp.html

The children of Malachi and Judith were:

Malachi and Sarah/Sally seem to have had at least one child: It seems slightly odd that Malachi had two daughters, both called Elizabeth, from his two marriages.  There was another burial on 16 Dec 1846 of JANE COLMAN HINGSTON aged 2 who could be another child of this couple and in the 1851 census there was a JAMES C HINKSTON, aged 3, described as son-in-law (which obviously had a different meaning then) of Daniel Mitchell (a butcher aged 22) and his wife Jane (age 24) living in Chapel St, St Ives

Generation No. 7.

17.  FRANCIS CHARLES HINGSTON, later (HINGESTON-RANDOLPH) was born in Truro on 31 Mar 1833, the son of 16. Francis Hingston and Jane (Kirkness) and died on Aug. 27, 1910.  His father was Controller of Customs in Truro "a member of a family long settled in St. Ives".

He was educated at Truro Grammar School and later at Exeter College Oxford, graduating BA in 1855 and MA in 1859. He was ordained in 1856 and served as Curate of Holywell in Oxfordshire until 1858 when he moved to Hampton Gay in the same county and succeeded to the incumbency the next year.  In 1860 he became rector of Ringmore near Kingsbridge, Devonshire, where he remained for the rest of his life. He died there and was buried in the local graveyard.

In 1885 he was appointed Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral and was Rural Dean of Woodleigh 1879-1890.

In 1860 he married MARTHA RANDOLPH, only daughter of Herbert Randolph, the incumbent of Melrose, Roxburghshire, and at the wish of his father-in-law, he added the name Randolph to his own and adopted Hingeston, the supposed earlier form of the spelling of his family surname. Francis and Martha had four sons and six daughters.

He published historical dissertations on many subjects but his scholarship was called into question.  He was especially interested in church architecture and was often consulted about the restoration of West Country churches.

Francis Charles was described as quite an old curmudgeon and ruled his parisioners with a firm hand, including doling out medical advice and medicine.

Francis and Martha had many children:-

18.  SARAH HINGSTON was baptized in St. Ives on 13 Apr 1832, the daughter of 15. Malachy Hingston and Judith Shugg.  Sarah does not seem to have married, being shown as living alone in St  Ives aged 49.  She died 2 Jun 1900 in Devonport, aged 68.

Sarah is probably the mother of

Generation No. 8

19.  THOMAS HINGSTON was born in St Ives 28 Ap 1859 the son of 18. Sarah Hingston.  No father is listed.  The family story is that Thomas was illegitimate.  He lived for some time until his death in 1930 in Ford Workhouse Plymouth.  He married, on 1 Aug 1881 at Stoke Damerel, CAROLINE WOODLEY, born 1858.  At the time of the wedding he showed his father as Malachi Hingston, which caused confusion for some time, but it was common for illegitimate children to show the name of a grandfather when asked for their father's name.

Thomas Hingston and Caroline Woodley had two children

Go to the Hingston One-Name Study Page

Updated 29th June 2011, C J Burgoyne