Ingpen : An Ancient Family

Stained Glass Window that commemorates Ancestor Roger de Ingpenne.
(Picture taken by Francis Lattaway, mentioned later in the post)

I was 12 years old (1979), when I asked Grandfather, Alan Howie to complete a pedigree chart for me.  I wanted to know who my ancestors were, especially after I learnt that they came here from England - on the other side of the world. Grandad returned it by post, lucky me - I got the completed pedigree chart and ten dollars, which was heaps back then!

 I was fascinated to read the names... "Beatrice ?", Maud Beatrice Ingpen, INGPEN? - I thought that my Great Grandmother had a very unusual name.

Extract from the Pedigree Chart completed by Grandad 1979

I only knew her as Great-Nana Howie.  My Grandfather and I had spent time with her during the Summer of 1973 at Whangarei.  She had passed away the following year.

The chart also had her Father's name, Ernest Ingpen.  My Grandfather had always signed his name A.E.Howie, and I knew it was short for Alan Ernest.  That was Grandad's namesake!   I knew about such things because I had been named after both of my Grandmothers, Pare and Ethel (Betty). 

#Ingpen  #Beatrice  #Ernest became etched in my memory - never ever to be forgotten, long after I had lost the piece of paper that the table was on.

Talks with Dad - 1987 

Years later, chatting with my Father, he talked about his Uncle Spen Ingpen, a frequent visitor at their home in Lower Hutt.  Dad also confirmed that Grandad was named Ernest after his Grandfather and that they were all from Waipawa.

Talks with Grand Uncle Doug - 1989

After my Grandfather's funeral, Uncle Doug showed me photos from his photo album, he asked me if I remembered Nana Howie.   Yes I answered, Maud Beatrice Ingpen.   He laughed and said she never liked the name Maud and preferred to be called *Trixie.  

Talks with Grand Aunty Joyce - 1994

I called into see Aunty Joyce when I was up North on a work trip.  I'd told her that I'd been looking to extend my knowledge about the Ingpen side.  She told me the Ingpen ancestry had all been done, and published in a book decades ago.  She said I could try to find it at the library. I told her I would look for it and if I found it did she want copies, she told me to hang on to it for us.  Lol.  She also mentioned that work was probably more needed on the Howie side. 

She was right, although I was already a confirmed Ingpen fan!

Message Boards on the Internet - 1995

It was my Good fortune to meet Edith Constance Ingpen (England) who was in the throes of putting together a more account of her side of the Ingpen family.    There was also Robert Prescott (South Africa), whose mother was an Ingpen and closer to home, Francis Lattaway nee Ingpen from Auckland.   Francis told me she was a descendant of Edward Lockyer Ingpen who was the elder brother of Ernest Henry Ingpen, my Great Great Grandfather.

Francis Lattaway

In 1996, again while on a work trip, I visited Francis' at her home in Glendene, Auckland. She explained to me that the Ingpens originated from Inkpen, County Berkshire and she made a reference to the book that my Aunty Joyce was obviously talking about.   It was by Arthur Robert Ingpen and was called  "An Ancient Family".  She had partial copies, and a family tree that had been constructed from details in that book. 

What's more, she had visited Inkpen, 10 years earlier. By the time I left her house, I had the family tree from Hunfridus de Ingpenne down to my Great Great Grandfather Ernest Henry Ingpen, a bunch of photographs of places in Inkpen (she had copies) and an encouragement that I needed to go there some day!

Francis Lattaway (nee Ingpen) standing next to the Village Sign

St Michael Church is in the Village of Inkpen, the stained glass window at the beginning of this post is in this church.

Effigy of Roger de Ingpenne in the Foyer of the Church

Needless to say, I was stoked!   This fascinated me even more with this side of my ancestry, my Great Grandmother's family. 

Most of this blog is dedicated to my Great Great Grandfather, Ernest Henry Ingpen and his life in New Zealand, nevertheless it is good to mention that Ernest had a very extensive family tree behind him and that this contributed to his sense of identity.  I definitely keep this in mind, when I am researching about his life. 

Not a royal family, but an ancient family, and Saxon at that, but more about that lately.