1814 28 Feb., William Henry Giles Kingston born in Harley Street, London, to Lucy Henry Kingston and Frances Sophia Rooke
1817 Kingston makes his first voyage to Portugal at the age of 3. His father was a wine merchant and regularly traveled to Portugal, occasionally taking his family with him.
1832 Kingston travels to Italy with his great-aunt, Lady Grace Burrard-Neale.
1834 March to May: While in Portugal, Kingston makes a visit to a British sloop of war corvette H.M.S. Orestes. This was a major influence on his later naval adventure novels, especially The Three Midshipmen. Kingston describes his first night onboard in My Travels in Many Lands:
Though I had made many voyages, and had frequently been on board a man-of-war, I had never before slept in a hammock. One was provided for me, and it was slung abaft all the others, with the head close to the sentry stationed at the gun-room door. I lay awake listening to the snores in various keys, to the gentle creaking of the bulkheads, and the yards and blocks aloft, as the ship rolled her onward way. Imagination was let loose. I could fancy myself a midshipman, a marine, or a blue-jacket. A midshipman I did fancy myself, and with the pleasing idea that I had entered a profession, to which I had ever wished to belong, I fell asleep. [261]
1841 Kingston elected a member of the British Association at Oporto
1842 Kingston is made a Knight of the Military Order of Christ by Queen Maria II of Portugal for aiding Anglo-Portuguese relations, mainly through his publication of articles on Portugal.
1843 Kingston's first novel, The Circassian Chief, published
1845 The Prime Minister published
1845 Lusitanian Sketches of the Pen and Pencil published
1845 Joins the Royal Victoria Yacht Club
1848 Kingston publishes a treatise entitled, "A system of general emigration and for the disposal of Convicts in the Colonies."
1849 Helps establish the Colonization Society and becomes its honorary secretary
1849-1852 Editor of the Colonial Magazine
1850 Publishes How to Emigrate
1851 Kingston's first novel for boys, Peter the Whaler, is published. This was one of his most popular works, both at home and in America.
1853 Kingston marries Agnes Kinloch
August 1853-January 1854 Kingston and his wife take a wedding-tour of the United States and Canada
1854 Kingston and his wife meet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In his work, Western Wanderings, an account of his wedding-tour, Kingston writes:
I had taken with me an American edition of a book of mine called Mark Seaworth to give to his boys. On my presenting it my vanity as an author was not a little gratified by his exclaiming, "Oh, we already have Peter the Whaler; my boys prefer it to any of their other books." Then calling Mrs. Longfellow, he introduced me as "Peter the Whaler himself." [206]
1854 Kingston moves to 6 Waterford Terrace, Blackheath
1855 Western Wanderings published
1856 The Missions to Seamen (now known as the Missions to Seafarers) is founded, Kingston being a main organizer. His sister Harriet designs the flag, which, with slight modifications, is still in use today.
1859-1862 Kingston publishes Kingston's Magazine for Boys: An Illustrated Monthly Miscellany
1859 Moves to Middlehill, Wimborne, Dorset (now known as Park Homer)
1859 Kingston becomes one of the main organizers and members of the Rifle Volunteer Movement
1860 Kingston publishes an article in the Naval and Military Gazette calling for national participation in the Volunteer Movement
1863 The Three Midshipmen published
1868 Kingston experiences financial difficulties and becomes nearly bankrupt; receives a grant of £50 from the Royal Literary Fund, and £100 from the Queen's Civil List.
1875 The Three Lieutenants, a sequel to The Three Midshipmen, is published
1879 The Rival Crusoes published
1880 Kingston starts a new magazine, The Union Jack
1880 5 Aug., Kingston dies in Willesden, NW London (then Middlesex)
Bibliography
Kingsford, Maurice Rooke. The Life, Work, and Influence of William Henry Giles Kingston. Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1947.
Kingston, William Henry Giles. My Travels in Many Lands. London: Bosworth and Harrison, 1862.
Kingston, William Henry Giles. Western Wanderings. London: Chapman and Hall, 1856.
Created 5 August 2025