Herbert KYNASTON 1835-1910

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Herbert was David’s great great grandfather- his daughter Marna [Margaret] married Howard Pease and they lived in Otterburn. Herbert is an interesting chap, and wrote a book called “55 years of my life”, which basically recalls each year event by event. We also know a lot about his ancestry, some of which is shown in the main KYNASTON page.

His life was a mix of both easy and difficult times. He was born as Herbert SNOW, and was one of six children born to Georgina Kynaston and Robert SNOW. On the KYNASTON page there is the following details to show the births of Herbert and his siblings:

Georgina KYNASTON (1813- 1889) on 10 Jan 1832 at St James Westminster married Robert SNOW (1805- 1854) Six children: Robert George Herbert (1832- 1833), William Roger (1834-1907), Herbert (1835-1910), Margaret (1836- 1841), Georgina (1838- 1841) and Frederick (1840- 1841). Georgina later had by Louis Eugene RENEE a further three daughters: Georgina Eugenie Antonia Justine (1849-1889), Marie Louise Lucie (1851-1883) and Marie Laure Eugenie (b 1855). Georgina died in France.

In 1841 Georgina and Robert had a spate of problems: three children out of the five surviving died within just a few days of each other: Margaret on the 2nd June, Georgina on 6th June and Frederick on 12th June- all from scarlet fever. Whilst Georgina was probably not really hands-on in terms of rearing the children - there would have been maids, a nanny and probably a governness as well- nevertheless this must have been devastating for her. Georgina seems to have launched herself into a a bit of a spending spree- buying Sevres porcelain, clothers, jewellery etc. Then Robert and she go onto a grand tour- to Turkey and Malta; when they return to Paris, there are letters for Robert- one from his mother saying she found letters to Georgina from an admirer, and a letter from Robert’s brother William pointing out that all this spending by Georgina was causing a problem to the Bank, where Robert was a partner.

So after a huge row Robert finds a place for Georgina to live in Paris, leaves her with a small income, a servant and a piano, and expects Georgina to budget for herself- which she does. Robert returns to London with the chap whom they had met on holiday. From Paris, in November and December 1841 Georgina wrote to her mother in law and brother in law as well as to her brother and father. She also wrote to her husband. The purpose of all this was to explain herself and she wanted to be considered as a ‘injured woman’ in relation to her husbands admitted physical cruelty. Later, her brother Roger went to Paris to bring her home and she lived with her father until he moved to Leeds. After that, she moved to France and remarried [technically bigamously as Robert died after this marriage]

By 1841 Georgina had started proceedings and she is trying to keep within the family because if she doesnt then she will lose the children- hence the ‘injured woman’. This was never going to be a divorce because in those days before 1857 you needed an act pof parliament and most of the divorces were obtained by men. So Georgina’s case was unusual but also destined to fail- there was cruelty for sure, way beyond what was appropriate in Victorian times when it was accepted that a husband could hit his wife. However a wife wanting a divorce would also have to prove adultery, and there was no evidence of Robert being adulterous.

TBC

  Herbert KYNASTON aka SNOW (1835- 1910) married twice: firstly 8 Aug 1860 to Mary Louisa Ann BROS (ca 1840- 1864) and they had three children:  William Herbert, Robert Kynaston and Mary. Secondly on 8 Aug 1865 to Charlotte CORDEAUX (1840- 1915) and they had five children: Margaret [Marna], Edith (d young) Herbert, Rev Philip Edmond, Eleanor Charlotte.