I -Memoir of fleeming Jenkin

The Jenkin family, rooted in Kent, England since the reign of Henry VIII, show a complex genealogy intertwining with Welsh and York heritage, and traversing various social and financial landscapes through centuries. William Jenkin’s repeated tenures as Mayor of Folkestone, and the eventual acquisition of Stowting Court, a manor with a history of changing ownership, highlight the family’s established societal standing and wealth. Despite a vibrant past filled with civic duty and accumulation of land, the Jenkins experienced fluctuations in fortune, particularly emphasized through the life of Fleeming Jenkin’s father, who, nurtured by a wealthy but ill-fated inheritance scheme, grew in a bubble of false security and societal prestige that burst upon his aunt’s death.

This narrative unfolds a rich tapestry of familial lineage, displaying cycles of prosperity and adversity, and the shaping of individual destinies within the broader historical and social contexts. The detailed genealogies not only serve to underline the transitory nature of wealth and status but also to illuminate the characteristics inherited and nurtured within the Jenkin lineage, such as civic leadership, martial valor, and, notably, an inclination for imprudent albeit genuine marriages that defy socio-economic stratification, suggesting a familial ethos valuing personal connection above financial prudence or social mobility.

The pivot to the paternal legacy of Fleeming Jenkin, with the backdrop of failed inheritances and the burden of debts, encapsulate a period of transition, setting the stage for Fleeming’s narrative. It sketches a paternal figure, Captain Charles Jenkin, carved from the family’s longstanding virtues of loyalty, devotion, and simple piety but marred by financial ruin brought upon by misplaced trust and familial deceits. Similarly, it introduces his mother, Henrietta, as a woman of resilience, creativity, and a commanding presence, substrates that would define Fleeming’s upbringing and future pursuits.

This chapter serves as a foundation, portraying the intergenerational ebb and flow of the Jenkin family’s fortunes. It reflects on the broader human experiences of aspiration, resilience, and the perpetual quest for stability and recognition, setting a poignant commencement to Fleeming Jenkin’s journey, who, born into a family ensnared in debts and honor, would emerge to forge a distinct path reflective of his diverse heritage.