Dear Sir
I recently called in at Kingshott Cottage, something I have meant to do for many years. I am a great grandson of John Kingshott and Ann Amelia Canning; my grandfather was William Alfred Henry Kingshott, one of the sons. John was a woodman or forester to Lord Midleton. He had been kicked in the head by a horse and had a metal plate fitted and he had had something wrong with his throat, possibly cancer, causing him to have a silver tube fitted, but there was no mention of it altering his voice.
I make the total of John’s children to be 23. The last one I believe was Bessie, who died recently aged 103. Her daughter lives in Shalford.
As far as the body in the well story goes it is said that Ann fell out with the local vicar because she had neglected the have a baby christened. When it died the vicar refused to bury it on consecrated ground. Considering the year and the number of children involved being those that lived (23), how many more were stillborn or died shortly after birth. My theory is that there are several in the woods around there, but that is only a theory. If you want more information please let me know.
I have been compiling a family tree for many years and I am back to 1575.
Regards
Roger Kingshott April 2001