Pontings of Berkeley & Kensington, London

I have been researching my Ponting Ancestry for over 20 years, starting in 2000. This website was originally based on the two paperback volumes of the family history that I had written predominantly for immediate family members, although copies were lodged with the Gloucestershire County Records Office and Kensington Public Library. Further background to my research can be found in the introduction. I have subsequently added further sections for my Barton and Veness ancestry, both of which I have been researching for much longer, starting in the early 1980's. 

Since this website was first published I have been in contact with a number of distant cousins, who have kindly allowed me to share their stories, which has added significantly to this site. Where information has come from others I have tried to give credit for this in the text. I am very happy for anyone to share information from this site, although an acknowledgement would be nice, and I would be very pleased to hear from anyone else interested in any aspect of this research, whether this is to share stories, correct errors or fill in gaps. Please contact me at caroline@ponting-family-history.org

When I first started writing up my family history, I included a reference to support every fact - birth, marriage, death, etc. - but this quickly became cumbersome, so I stopped doing this and have recently started deleting some of these early references. Today everyone is much more aware of the 'normal' sources of family history research, so, in future, I now only make reference to a source where a fact comes from somewhere unusual, or I think may be in dispute.  

To search the website, click here (opens on new page)

To save information or a whole page as a word document (printing or "save as PDF" does odd things to the photographs and page breaks), i  would suggest 

  • Left click at top of page and hold while scrolling down highlighting all page or the part that you want to copy
  • Right click and select copy from drop down menu 
  • Open word document and right click and select paste. 
  • Amend font and spacings as required. 
  • If photographs do not copy over correctly, they can be saved separately (right click on picture and select "save image as") and then insert in word document. 

What's New

July 2023 - 1921 census now included for free with Findmypast membership.

April 2023 - Further pictures and details added from books found at my parents house. See Dudley James Ponting (Chapter 13), Snell of Warborough & London (Appendix M), James Richard Barton & Gracie Joan Ponting (Vol III - Chapter 5) & James William Veness & Charlotte Edith Pocock (Vol IV - Chapter 12)

November 2022 - Further details of my grandfather James Richard Barton's service in World War I and my father's National Service added to Vol. III - Chapter 5 

November 2022 - Some interesting detail of Frank Love's 1st World War record added to Chapter 8 - Susanna Love nee Ponting.  

June 2022 - A lot of Sussex parish registers have now been scanned into Ancestry.co,uk, and so there have been some significant updates to the notes on my Sussex relations (and some errors corrected on more distant relations!!)  

February 2022 - As much done as reasonable on the 1921 census until it becomes free!! More illustrations added to Chapter 5 - Ponting Brothers Ltd.

January 2022 - 1921 census released!! and also started work on Appendix O covering "Annie Jane Swanson formerly Pyne formerly Stroud nee Scott"' and her family. Not really sure why I hadn't looked at this in detail before!! 

December 2021 - Lots of further information and loads of photographs added to Appendix D - The children of James Merrett and Martha Ponting. Also, a bit more information added to Vol. III - Appendix B - Keeley

June 2021 - Vol III - Appendix M - Wood has been expanded somewhat. Another interesting Barton/Wood connection uncovered.  

May 2021 - Further information added to Vol. IV - Appendix H - Stranack including some interesting Belgium connections.  Extracts from "Frant - a Parish History plus more added to Vol. III - Appendix I - Crowhurst. Plus, some additions to Appendix H - The children of George Ponting & Hester Cullimore

January 2021 - Further information added to Vol. IV - Chapter 11 - about James Veness and Margaret Cornford, particularly about their children. Plus, some updates to Chapter 12 - James William Veness and Charlotte Edith Pocock.

November 2020 - Volume III - Barton has gone through major re-organization. Hopefully all parts "make sense" and links now work correctly.   

October 2020 - Further information relating to Hester Ponting, daughter of George Ponting and Hester Cullimore (Appendix H

August 2020 - Google search bar added to homepage. 

March 2020 - Further information and photos added to Ann Ashton nee Ponting and her descendants in "The children of William Ponting and Fanny Jones" (Appendix C)

January 2020 - Chapter 14 - "The children of Dudley and Grace Ponting" expanded to include photographs from Arthur's descendants and some of my family's personal memories.

June 2019 - Further information and photos of John Jones Ponting's children (Chapter 9) including "Aunty Sissie's journal"

April 2019 - Further information added relating to Frederick Hewitt Ponting, son of John Jones Ponting (Chapter 9). 

June 2017 - Further information added relating to Hermina Ponting, Iris Ponting, grandchildren of John Jones Ponting (Chapter 9). Finished (for now) Volume III (Barton) & Volume IV (Veness)

May 2017 - Further information and photos posted relating to Mary Ponting Merrett and her children in "Children of James Merrett and Martha Ponting" (Appendix D). Further information and pictures of the Foxwell's in "Jones of New Park" (Appendix K)

April 2017 - Further information and photos received relating to William Ponting and Jane Evans and their family in "Children of George Ponting and Hester Cullimore" (Appendix H)

March 2017 - Further photos added to many pages, particularly John Jones Ponting (Chapter 9), William Ponting (Chapter 10). Further information and photos received relating to Marion Jones Daniell and family - "Children of William Ponting and Fanny Jones" (Appendix C).  Started work on Volume III (Barton) & Volume IV (Veness). Both still works in progress.

January 2017 - Website published. If you have read my earlier book, then you will find lots more information relating to John Jones Ponting's children (Chapter 9), Dudley James Ponting (Chapter 13) and Grace Florence Pyne (Appendix N) than previously known. If you are new to my research, then hopefully you will find it interesting and useful.