Charles King was born in Watlington, Oxfordshire, England in 1680 to parents Edward King (b 1640) and Mary Bennett (1643-1709).
St Leonards Watlington
Charles was baptised at Watlington, Oxfordshire on 17 June 1680. He was one of seven children born to the couple.
Charles’ parents Edward King and Mary Bennett were married at Watlington on 26 October 1666 and had seven children – William b 1666, Edward b 1669, Mary b 1672, Joane b 1675, Elizabeth b 1678, Charles b 1680 and Edward b 1683.
Charles married twice – firstly to Rachel Croxford on 9 February 1706 at Lewknor by banns.
Rachel Croxford was born in 1679 and baptised at Lewknor on 24 January 1679. She was the daughter of Robert Croxford (1642-1724) and Mabel Filbee (1646-1687).
Charles and Rachel King had only one child, and its possible that Rachel died in childbirth with their second.
- Ann King b 1709 Lewknor d 1790 Aston Rowant, married John Croxford in Aston Rowant on 3 November 1734. They had six children.
Charles and Rachel lived at Lewknor where Charles was a farmer.
Lewknor village
Lewknor, is a village and a parish in Oxfordshire. The village is 2¼ miles north east of Watlington, and 1 mile west of Aston Rowant. In 1871 the population was 2667.
At the centre of the village is the remnant of Town Pond which at one time was used for watercress growing. The cress was sent to London by train.
Some scenes from the popular TV series Midsomer Murders have been filmed in the village of Lewknor.
http://midsomermurders.org/lewknorloc.htm
Rachel King died in December 1713 at Lewknor, aged just 34 years old, and was buried at Lewknor on 4 December 1714. As was the law at the time, she was buried in a pure woollen shroud, an an affidavit was sworn to say that the law had been complied with.
Lewknor burials 1713
Charles, now aged 43, remarried on 4 September 1723 at St Peter and St Paul, Aston Rowant, to Joanna Skillman (wrongly indexed under Susannah Skillman). I haven’t been able to find a baptism or a trace of any other Skillman families nearby.
St Marys, Lewknor
Charles and Joanna had one child – Joanna King who was baptised one mile away from Lewknor at Weston South, Oxfordshire on 29 June 1724. Joanna married John Russell on 13 November 1743 at nearby Thame.
Charles’ wife Joanna King died in October 1763 at Lewknor and was buried at St Marys, Lewknor on 30 October 1763 aged 61.
Charles died just a year later in January 1764, and was buried on 7 January at Lewknor aged 84 .
