KLHS Webmaster is currently reading a novel set in 19th century Kingston. Though renamed as “Harberscombe”, the village is recognisable through the colourful description of its character and layout as well as the surrounding coast and countryside. Even the villagers’ surnames are familiar – Luggers and Triggs amongst them. Michael Weston was, we understand, a resident of Kingston. Grace Pensilva was published in 1985 and secondhand copies can be found online. A review will follow…

It’s interesting to see who’s looking…

Every year the Kingston village fair sees the appointment of our very own royal family. The tradition appears to go back at least to 1977 when, to mark the late Queen’s Silver Jubilee, a ‘queen’ and two ‘princesses’ were chosen from amongst the village’s children. From 1991 to 1998 the practice was revived along the same lines, then in 1999 the royal family was extended to include a king, queen as well as a prince and princess. The names of all the children who took on these roles in the past has never been properly recorded… until now. Dawn Neil has uncovered a photograph of the final missing royals from 2014.

If anyone knows of any other years before those listed above Karen Freeman would be most interested. 

While the recorded history of our village goes back to Saxon times, there appear to have been people living and farming here many hundreds of years earlier. KLHS Webmaster has recently looked at the archaeological report produced in 2017 following excavations by AC Archaeology Ltd. in the fields on the north east edge of the village known as Vicarage Park – a green space often used by dog walkers. Amongst other intriguing discoveries, trenches revealed a boundary ditch, a post hole and a pottery fragment that pointed to a settlement from the mid to late Iron age (approximately 300 BC to 43 AD). The full report is available as a pdf here on the South Hams District Council website

KLHS members were given a rare opportunity to visit historic Wonwell Court Farm. The White family, who have occupied and farmed from Wonwell since the 1980s, hosted an enthusiastic group of visitors who heard about the family’s time at the farm and their plans for the future. Eve White explained how the site appears in records as far back as the Saxon period, and pointed out visible clues to the grade 2 listed building’s medieval origins and later Georgian alterations. The sunny July day was capped off with tea and cakes in Guy and Vanessa Walker’s garden at West View with a chance to study a fascinating display of Wonwell-related research documents and photographs that had been assembled by the KLHS research team.

Now rescheduled for Saturday June 24th 6.30pm in the Reading Room

The Stanborough Chorus have kindly invited KLHS members to a talk on The History and Architecture of the Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain. The talk will be given by Professor Llewellyn who is the chairman of the National Heritage Science Forum, having been a lecturer in Art at the University of Sussex becoming Dean and Vice-Chancellor of the University. In 2007 he moved to the Tate where he established the research department of the gallery (think Mass Spectrometry etc.)  Prof. Llewellyn is a top academic and his talk will hopefully be very well-attended.

Admission is free, with wine and nibbles provided. On leaving, a modest discretionary donation to go to the choir, would be appreciated

KLHS researcher Carol Beard has been collecting artefacts, documents and memorabilia associated with the Coronations of British monarchs since the time of Edward 7th. The collection will be on display in Kingston Church on Sunday 7th May from 11.00 am to 5.30 pm.

On March 23rd 2023 the writer was stripping wallpaper at 1 Rock Cottages.. As the soggy wood-chip peeled away, there appeared a pencil inscription written at eye level on the old plaster. Spookily, it was written exactly 150 years before to the day – March 23rd 1873 ! That part of the cottage is thought to date from around 1872, when the two adjoining cottages, numbers 2 and 3 were added by owner George Pearce. The first name appears to be Leonard. Can anyone recognise the second name I wonder ?