Justinian Hingston

Note that this is a work in progress and there are several doubtful elements - use it with care!

It has recently come to our attention that the relatively unusual name Justinian may have been passed from father to son, or grandfather to grandson, through several generations. The significance of this is that there is a Justinian in Tree HN, which consists of the descendants of Major James Hingston who went to Ireland as part of Cromwell's army. We have never been able to track down where James came from or even when he was born but we know that one of his grandsons was called Justinian.

We also know that there was a Justinian Hingston who was married in Dorset in 1591, and the name seems to have been passed down through several generations in Weymouth/Melcombe Regis area. We also know that there was a Justinian Hingston of Rotherhithe who was a mariner and owner of a ship Josepha in 1761.

This document lists what we know; it assumes that these three Justinian's are linked but is highly speculative. It is hoped that it will serve as a framework for further research. It should not be regarded as definitive. If we find for certain that we can link in to other trees I will amend them in due course.

I have had considerable help from Ray Perrault, David Cotcher and Jane Oakley Sweet for which I am very grateful. Any mistakes in the compilation are mine. The discussion is listed on the Hingston Genealogy groups.io page.

Melcombe Regis

Melcombe Regis (50.6078N, 2.4554W), now forms part of the modern town of Weymouth, together with the nearby settlement of Radipole. Melcombe Regis is on the north bank of the River Wey while Weymouth is on the south bank. Radipole is on the river but slightly further inland. Portland Bill, a large headland jutting into the English Channel, provides shelter to the harbour, and Portland Naval Base was built within extensive breakwaters in the 19th century. There has been a port here for many Centuries with evidence showing that Roman Galleys sailed up the River Wey as far as Radipole where they would beach and unload cargo for transport overland to the Roman Town of Durnovaria (Dorchester). Weymouth supplied 15 ships and 263 mariners in 1347 for the siege of Calais which had begun in 1346. The Black Death (or Bubonic Plague) entered the British Isles through the port of Melcombe Regis in 1348. It is likely to have been brought ashore by fleas on the rats infesting the ships that had sailed around the continent, but by fleeing the local towns and moving inland, the people of Dorset spread the plague across the country. In 1588 six ships sailed from Weymouth for the fight against the Spanish Armada. A battle off Portland followed and the Spanish ship ‘San Salvador’ was captured and brought into the harbour. Weymouth was heavily involved in the Civil War between Charles I and Parliament. In 1645, several royalist plotters within the twin towns of Weymouth and Melcombe conspired to deliver the ports back into the control of the King. From 1848 until 1967 paddle steamers took passengers on trips along the coasts of Dorset, Devon and Hampshire, and sometimes even over to Cherbourg and the Channel Islands. It is now largely a base for yachts and has little or no commercial traffic.

We have long known that there were a small number of Hingstons in Dorset, but I have never tried to follow the line.

Stoate's listing of the Dorset Tudor Subsidy 1523-1593, which is the closest thing we have to a census, contains no references to Hingstons, but there are some Kingeston entries. Most are inland, but in 1545, at Preston, which is on the coast a couple of miles from Weymouth, the list includes a John Kyngeston, valued at £4 in goods, and William Kyngeston, valued at £2 in goods. These may be mistranscriptions and related to the family listed below, but they could also be a completely different family.

Generation 1

A. THOMAS HINGSTON, married JOAN. His will was administered 1 Jul 1592 by his son Justinian with the consent of his widow Joan. Question. Can we get hold of this will? He is presumed also to be the father of Margaret, Edith, Alice, John and William who married about this time but they could have been nephews or nieces. He would have been born in the 1530s or 1540s. Thomas and Joan seem to have had the following who would have been born in the 1560s:-

MARGARET HINGSTON, married at Melcombe Regis PETER CHUNE 25 Apr 1585
EDITH HINGSTON, married at Melcombe Regis ELLIS WHITE, 10 Oct 1588
ALICE HINGSTON, married at Melcombe Regis GILBERT THORPE, 10 Jan 1590
B. JOHN HINGSTON
C. JUSTINIAN HINGSTON
G. WILLIAM HINGSTON

Generation 2

It is notable that the three families listed here all had a big gap between the marriages and the birth of the first known child. This could mean that they had other children elsewhere and those records are missing or have not been found, or it could be because the Anglo-Spanish war (of which the Spanish Armada was a part) was underway at the time and men from a port such as Melcombe might have been away.

There is good evidence for the existence of E. Thomas Hingston who would have been born in the 1590s. He has been included below in the children of C. Justinian but he could also be the son of his brother B. John.

B. JOHN HINGSTON was married at Melcombe on 28 Jul 1589 to ELIZABETH SAMWAIES. He would have been born in the 1560s. He may have been a butcher; an article in "The reliquary and illustrated archaeologist" Vol XII, Jan 1907 on bull rings and bull baiting refers to the idea that bulls killed during baiting were of better quality and says "at Weymouth a special detective seems to have been kept to spy upon the local butchers for according to The Encyclopaedia of Sport in 1618 one Edward Hardy, butcher, one of the searchers sworn and appointed for the viewing and searching of corrupt flesh killed within borough and towne, sayeth and presented upon his said oath that John Hingston, butcher there, upon Friday, being the fourteenth day of this instant monthe (August), did kill a bull unbaited, and did put the flesh thereof unto sale, and thereupon he is amerced by Mr. Mayor at iijs. iijd. In 1646 another member of the same family, Justinian Hingston, was fined for the same offence." Note that John is being fined for not subjecting his bulls to baiting. John may have had a son:-

J. JOHN HINGSTON bap 30 May 1611 at Melcombe

C. JUSTINIAN HINCKSON. Justinian seems to have been a butcher. The local court report on 27 Jun 1618, said "Maximilian Loader, one of the 'searchers of corrupte flesh' that Mr Justinian Hingston 'his boys' offered for sale 'oxe fleshe which died of itt sealfe'. It was ordered to be 'given unto doggs'."

The court minute book reports for 3 and 4 Feb 1618 also refer to Justinian. "W. Smith, Hellyer {=roofer}, on the shore towards Sutton 'against Tems Well' found a dead body. Turning 'towards the highwaye upon the hill,' he saw three men, who helped to draw the corpse to shore. J. {B. John?} and Justinian Hingston and Francis Warren the three men above-mentioned, say that they found in the dead man's pockets only a pair of gloves and 'certain ffossetts.' But at a little distance from the corpse they found a hat, 'a bonde to weare about the necke,' a staff, knife, and a double purse, containing a piece of gold of 11s., and about 6s. in silver. This money J. Hingston kept and they hid the purse 'in the Chessell {=shingle}'
Inquisitio (Inquest) about the death of W. Roberts. On evidence which does not appear, the verdict is that he 'feloniously immersed and murdered himself'. Tems Well is described as within the liberty and precincts of the Borough."

There appear to be two families in succession born to a Justinian but we only know of one man of that name at that time so it is assumed he married twice. He was probably born towards the end of the 1560s and this reading requires that he was having children until he was 70. He is probably the Justinian buried at Melcombe on 2 Jun 1640.

Justinian married firstly MARGARET CHUNE on 19 Jan 1591/2 at Radipole. Their had a number of children who would have been born between 1592 and the 1615, which seem to include:-

E. THOMAS HINGSTON. This is a tentative link as explained above. Thomas would probably have been born in the 1590s so before any of the other children listed.
HONER/HONOR HINGSTON, baptised 20 Jan 1602 at Melcombe Regis. She married FRANCIS WARREN at Melcombe on 14 Jan 1626 (or 12 Jun 1626).
JOHN HINGSTON, baptised 8 Sep 1605, buried 14 Feb 1606 at Melcombe
LANCELOT HINGSTON, baptised 12 June 1608 at Melcombe
OLIVER HINGSTON baptised 12 Jun 1608, buried 16 Jun 1608 at Melcombe
JANE HINGSTON, buried 8 Nov 1610 at Melcombe
MARGARET HINGSTON baptised 1 May 1616, buried 3 May 1616 at Melcombe

Justinian probably married secondly TEMPERANCE FALTIS on 31 Aug 1622 at Melcombe Regis. If this is the same man he would have been in his 50s at his second marriage and died in his 70s. If different, he would probably have been born in the 1590s, and could be a son of B. John. This is probably the Justinian who was buried 2 June 1640 at Melcombe. The following children of a Justinian could be children of this marriage:-

MARGARET HINGSTON, baptised 13 Sep 1623 at Melcombe
CATHERINE HINGSTON, baptised 16 Jan 1624, buried 2 Apr 1632 at Melcombe
H. JOHN HINGSTON, baptised 21 Oct 1627 at Melcombe. This is probably the John who had children after 1657.
CARDINAL (DINA) baptised 24 Jan 1629 at Melcombe. She married JOHN STAPLEN 14 Jan 1646 at Melcombe (at which time she would have been 17).
JOANE HINGSTON baptised 28 Feb 1631 at Melcombe
D. JUSTINIAN HINGSTON, baptised 16 Feb 1633 at Melcombe.
MARY HINGSTON, baptised 1 Nov 1639 at Melcombe

G. WILLIAM HINGSTON, married on 8 Aug 1601 at Melcombe CHRISTIAN ADAMS. They had at least one child:-

MARIE HINGSTON, baptised 27 March 1606 at Melcombe.

Question. This list is almost certainly not complete - are there any other children? We are looking for HN#4 JAMES HINGSTON who, as discussed below we believe was born in the late 1620s. (This is the event that we need to justify a link between Tree HN and Melcombe Regis).

Generation 3

This is the generation of men most likely to have sworn the 1642 Protestation Oath. In May 1641, reacting to anxiety that the Protestant reformation was in danger of being undone, a 10-man committee of the House of Commons, in the Long Parliament, was appointed to draft a national declaration. On 18 January 1642 (New Style), the speaker of the House of Commons ordered that all males above the age of 18 were asked to sign the declaration and to swear the oath to the Protestant religion. In each parish, their names were inscribed in a list and sent back to parliament. Typically a local official wrote out all the names. The idea was that those that refused to take the oath would be presumed to be Catholics and so unfit to hold office in Church or state. In fact it was not a particularly effective way of distinguishing Catholics from Protestants, as in some areas Catholics took the oath with reservations concerning their religion, and others that were known from recusancy lists, appeared on the returns. The oath precedes, by a few months, the outbreak of the Civil War. Copies of the original lists can be downloaded. The list for Melcombe Regis includes the names of John Hingston (probably J.John below), Thomas Hingston (probably E.Thomas below) and Justmen (sic - a misreading of Justinian?) Hingston; who is he? We believe C.Justinian was buried in 1640 and D.Justinian wasn't born until 1633. The document is dated 1641 and the pages are badly damaged at the edges so many names are missing. Note that if HN4. James was born in 1627, as we suspect, he would have been too young to have made the declaration. I could not find any other Hingstons in neighbouring Radipole, Weymouth or any of the other nearby parishes.

J. JOHN HINGSTON married Mary and they had (both parents named):-

ELIZABETH HINGSTON buried 14 Dec 1642 at Melcombe
CATHERINE HINGSTON, baptised 21 Nov, 1640 at Melcombe
MARY HINGSTON, buried 3 Jul 1643 at Melcombe
ELIZABETH HINGSTON, baptised 26 May 1646 at Melcombe

E. THOMAS HINGSTON There is a lot of uncertainty about Thomas. We don't know when he was born nor who his parents were, but there are a total of twelve children born between 1617 and 1658 to a Thomas Hingston. E. Thomas was married around 1615, so born ca 1590, which makes him too young to be a child of A. Thomas, but of the right age to be A. Thomas’s grandson. He could be the son of any of B. John or C. Justinian but too early to be a son of G. William. The children fall into two groups; seven 1617-1634 and five 1649-1658. They may be the product of two marriages for one man, but there is a Thomas in the first group who may be the father of the second group. There are two known burials of a Thomas, one on 27 Jan 1627 and one on 7 May 1652, both probably of an adult (they do not say "Thomas the son of ..."). It is assumed here that the first seven children are E. Thomas' while the second five are his grandchildren, but this may be incorrect.

The children of Thomas probably include:-

CATHERINE HINGSTON,baptised 18 Dec 1617 at Melcombe, buried 19 Dec 1617 at Melcombe
JOANE HINGSTON baptised 8 Jan 1620 in Melcombe
K. THOMAS HINGSTON baptised 5 Oct 1625 at Melcombe.
JUSTINIAN HINGSTON (a child of a Thomas) bur 31 Dec 1627 at Melcombe
DINAH HINGSTON baptised 2 August 1629 in Melcombe
CATHERINE HINGSTON, baptised 26 Dec 1631, buried 15 May 1632 in Melcombe
JUSTINIAN HINGSTON baptised 13 Apr 1634, child of Thomas. He may be the Justinian who died in 1674 at Melcombe.

H. JOHN HINGSTON, baptised 21 Oct 1627 at Melcombe. This is probably the John who had children after 1657. The Dorset records on Ancestry show no Hingston marriages after 1601. Possible children whose father is JOHN are:

JOHN HINGSTON, buried Aug 1657 at Melcombe
ANN HINGSTON, bap 18 Nov 1657 at Melcombe
JOHN HINGSTON, bap 14 Dec 1658
JOHN HINGSTON, bap 7 Feb 1659 (must be Old Style date or a second baptism)
MARGARET HINGSTON, bap 23 Aug 1660
JUSTINIAN HINGSTON, bur 15 Jul 1663
ELIZABETH HINGSTON bur 19 Aug 1663

D. JUSTINIAN HINGSTON was baptised 16 Feb 1633 at Melcombe, probably the son of C. Justinian and his second wife Temperance Faltis. His wife may be the ELINOR, wife of Justinian, who was buried at Melcombe on Christmas Day 1666. Justinian may have been buried on 17 Mar 1674 at Melcombe. They probably had at least one child:-

ELIZABETH HINGSTON, baptised 2 Oct 1652 at Melcombe

There seem to have been other Justinians in Melcombe. There was a Justinian Bagg who married Amy Bond in 1619 at Melcombe.

There was a Justinian Hingston who married Mary Brion 1712, Astley Abbots, Shropshire. Questions. Who could this be? I know of no other Hingstons in Shropshire.

HN#4. Major JAMES HINGSTON (copied from Tree HN). It is clear that there was a Major James Hingston, who fought in the English Civil War on the Parliamentary side, but I have seen no evidence of who his parents were. He is 202 in WEH who says that he was a Major in the Army under Cromwell, Charles II and William III and saw service in Ireland and Flanders. (Question. Is there any evidence James fought in William's army? If so, is it the same James?) His dates are critical to the discussion. Cromwell invaded Ireland in 1649. If James was an officer in that army he must have been at least 20, so he must have been born before 1629. But William did not became King of England until the "Glorious Revolution" in 1688 and the Nine Years War went on from then until 1697. If James was born in 1629 he would have been 59 in 1688, which is probably quite old to be on active service, so he cannot have been born much before the mid 1620s. He could fit in as the son of someone in Generation 2, or possibly E.Thomas in this generation.(NB No such link has been found!).

In Tree HN his children are shown to include:-

HN#6. JAMES HINGSTON

Generation 4

K. THOMAS HINGSTON, baptised 5 Oct 1625 at Melcombe, the son of F. Thomas. There is the possibility that the following children are from a second marriage of F. Thomas, which would make them half-siblings of K. Thomas, rather than his children. No relevant marriages or burials have been found that would be needed to resolve this. The children of Thomas and his second wife would include:-

THOMAS HINGSTON, bap 22 Feb 1649 at Melcombe
MARTHA HINGSTON, bap 7 May 1652 at Melcombe
CHRISTIAN HINGSTON, bur 23 Feb 1653 at Melcombe
JOHN HINGSTON, bur Jul 1657 at Melcombe
MARY HINGSON, bap 8 Mar 1658 at Melcombe

HN#6. JAMES HINGSTON (203 in WEH) (Copied from Tree HN) was born in County Cork, Ireland, the son of 4. Major James Hingston. James would presumably have been born in the second half of the 1650s. He was made a hereditary freeman in Cork 1714. He purchased the estate of Aglish, in the Barony of East Muskerry, from the Trustees of Forfeited Estates on 29 Apr 1703 for the sum of £829 3s 0d, being 353 acres. The estate had been forfeited by Teige McCorma mcCarthy of Muskerry in the Rebellion of 1642. The original title holder was, by Fiant of Queen Elizabeth in 1578, Sir Cormac McTeige McCarthy of Blarney, 14th Lord of Muskerry, who was described by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney as "the rarest man that ever was born among the Irishry".

We now believe that James married twice, which disagrees with what has previously been shown on this site. It is likely that he is the James who married MARY BOWLES in 1679 (as shown in the Cork Marriage Licences), and subsequently married HELEN MORLEY, daughter of Alderman John Morley of Cork, who was Mayor of the City in 1718 and proprietor of Morley Lane and Fishamble Lane (now Liberty St) in the Parish of St Peter. WEH and other records only show him marrying Helen.

James children include:-

7. WILLIAM HINGSTON
JOHN HINGSTON born before 1709.
F. (JAMES) JUSTINIAN HINGSTON

Generation 5

F. (JAMES) JUSTINIAN HINGSTON may have been the son of HN6. James Hingston of Aglish. He is 205 in WEH. He was a minor in 1730 so was born after 1709, and supposedly died in Gloucestershire (which includes Bristol).

The Index of Exchequer Bills for 1730 (from Crossle's genealogical abstracts collection (FMP) File: Moore.
37a. James Justinian Hingston minor by John Morley ald {alderman?}, John Morley & Treseain ux{?} (Richard Moore) & Mary Eason widow {Eason widow is crossed out but "sic" written above which I take to mean that the original was correct} his uncle {?} and John Hingston (Thos Cromingham, James Leomn, Wm. Hurly, John Whitley, John Hare, Wm Sweet, Jane Mitchel and Edward Bridges) Roll 21 May 1730/ Mr{?} Hingston 17 Nov 1730/ Mr Jas Hemm, Wm Healy, John Whitty, John Hare, Wm Sweet, Jane Mitchel, Ed Brdiges 19 May 1731/ Roll amended 17 July 1730 by order of/Roll amended 3 Feb 1730 by order of.
Questions. There are several things I don't understand about this, apart from the fact that I can't read all the names clearly. If James Justinian was a minor in 1730 he was born after 1709, which is later than I suggested above. If so, is it the same man? F. James Justinian Hingstons maternal grandfather was Alderman John Morley, which fits, but who was John Hingston? There was HN#48 John Hingston, JJH's nephew, but we believe he was born ~1714 so would also have been a minor.

On 5 May 1740 James Justinian Hingston married Mary Shepherd at St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol. She was apparently the daughter of a Lawyer but was orphaned and was brought up by "a grandmother" (note, not "her grandmother"). A deed for James Justinian Hingston and his wife Mary 1741 (Vol. 103 pg. 545 no. 72458) says that James Justinian Hingston of the City of Bristol is a grandson of James Hingston late of the City of Corke, and a “devisee” in the will of said James Hingston. There are several more deeds for this James Justinian Hingston for land in Cork.

James Justinian and Mary had one son:-

JOHN JUSTINIAN HINGSTONE was baptised 17 Mar 1740 (probably OS) at St Michael the Archangel on the Mount without, Bristol
Question. What happened subsequently to John Justinian?

There were two pamphlets published about James Justinian Hingston, and his wife Mary. These are "An Act of an Inferior Parliament" in 1748 and "Liberty Invaded" in 1751. The pamphlets are written by John Baldwin and are pleas to the UK parliament for the release of Mary who was imprisoned on the Isle of Man for her husband’s debts. The gist is that JJH had been born in London and represented himself as a wealthy man in Bristol, with an income of £300 per year and considerable assets, but after the marriage she found that he was in debt. She used her assets to pay off his debts and they moved to Ireland to live more economically, apparently farming, but he also ran up debts there. He fled to the Isle of Man while she stayed in Ireland to work off his debts. She then moved to the island to join him, but he also had debts there, and had been imprisoned for a short time. He was also being chased for a further debt in Ireland and to avoid being jailed again on the IoM he fled to England. The Manx authorities held Mary responsible for the Irish debts and she was imprisoned on the island. The pamphlets say that she could not have been imprisoned in England for her husband's debts and should not be imprisoned on the Island. The pamphlets say that their child was being looked after in Hanham, near Bristol (51,4500N, 2.5190W).

Questions. What happened subsequently; how was Mary's case resolved? Did she die on the Isle of Man? If not, where did she go? Did she ever get reunited with her son? I have written this document on the assumption that the James Justinian Hingston referred to here is the same person as the Justinian Hingston, son of HN#6 James Hingston, and that he was known by his second name to distinguish him from his father. Is that reasonable?

Subsequent references to Justinian Hingston

It is not clear how, or even whether, the Justinian's below link in with the family above.

1755

There is a Justinian Hingston mentioned in a deed from 1755 registered in 1759 Vol. 196 pg. 521 no. 130942. The deed refers to the intended marriage of “Justinian Hingston of the city of Corke marriner …… and Susanna Gordon eldest daughter of Anne Gordon of said city widow.” It seems to refer to an earlier agreement for Justinian and Susanna to receive 300 pounds upon marriage. There is no mention of relationship to other Hingstons. The National Archives of Ireland Genealogy records online of the Marriage License Bonds Index show marriage of Justinian Hingston to Susanna Gordon in 1753. However, under the name Gordon it shows marriage of Susanna Gordon to Justinian Hingston in 1755.

(Full scanned copies of the Ireland Registry of Deeds 1708 to 1929 can be viewed at https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/185720). Question. Can anyone access these deeds? They seem to contain a lot of relevant information.

1758

National Archives HCA 26/10/93. Ship Josepha; 240 tons, crew 40. Commander and owner: Justinian Hingston. This entry, and the next, are amongst the letters of marque issued to English ships during the Seven Years War against France. Justinian is listed as owner not captain. The Josepha had 22 guns so packed quite a punch.

1760

On 23 Sep 1760 The General Evening Post of London reported that "The Josepha, Hingston, from Guadalupe, is arrived in The Downs."

1761

There is a National Archives record (HCA/26/12/65) relating to a Justinian Hingston of Rotherhithe, mariner and owner of the ship Josepha. 1761.

1765

James Justinian H, m Elizabeth Cookey 1765 Bristol, d 1772 Bristol. (Is this James who died in 1772 or Elizabeth?)

1766-68

The Slave voyages database lists a voyage from 1766 to 1768 of the vessel Neptune, 260 tonnes, owned by a Mr Wadham and John Strahan, with Captains listed as Justin Hingston and Joseph Stranks from London to Bonny (now in Nigeria) where she embarked 352 slaves of whom 287 arrived in Dominica in the Leeward Isles. She left there in January 1767 and returned to London in July 1768. The Neptune had been built in 1759 and taken as a prize from the French and had a crew of 20. (The web site lists references to the voyage.)

c. 1770

Maria Helena Hingston, born 1745, daughter of HN8. Rev. James Hingston of Aglish. She is 213 in WEH who said that she married her second cousin Justinian Hingston and died without issue. I had hitherto assumed that this referred to Justinian (205 in WEH) son of HN#6 James because I knew of no other Justinian, but on closer reading of WEH, Helena's husband Justinian is listed as 362 by WEH and supposedly born in 1740 in Cork, without any details about his parentage. Question. Could this be John Justinian Hingston listed above? The dates match.

1778

A NOTICE from Saunders's News-Letter (24,26,27 August 1778 )

"If the widow of the late Mr. JUSTINIAN HINGSTON, who lived in Bristol about four or five years since, and is now supposed to reside in the Isle of Man or Dublin, will direct a Letter to Mr. Joseph Bennett, Attorney, Daunt's Bridge, Corke, informing her of her Place of residence, she will hear of Something to her Advantage. Corke, August 12, 1778."

Questions. There seem to be Justinians in Cork, Bristol and Rotherhithe but as a mariner they could be the same man. Is that correct? There are several marriages here, spread over several years; was Justinian unlucky in his choice of wives or did he have a wife in every port? Considering how James Justinian treated Mary I would not put it past him.

Return to Hingston One-Name Study

Updated 2nd April 2023, C J Burgoyne