Great grandfather was a rolling stone and in his life he is said to have gone to Oz for gold mining; been the private jockey to Lord Methuen; fought in the 2nd Bechuanaland wars; been the ‘Chief of Police’ in Ghana – all supposed to have taken place been 1878-1898 (ish).
He was not allowed to marry the love of his life, and instead married my great grandmother, although I have no proof of this. She is my great brick Wall of China. The story goes that after she died he married the original love of his life, although, again I have no proof of this. She came from a family of secret alcholics!
As to backing any of this up with evidence – well you know what they say about rolling stones – just change the moss to records! However, I’d love to find some ‘hard’ evidence to prove some of the stories.
His eldest brother was the Chief Constable of Norfolk and the family story goes that he used to entertain Edward VII with dirty stories and go home very drunk. He frequently fell into a ditch on his way home and any constable who found/rescued him was promoted to sergeant the next day!
My Great Great Uncle Paynton Pigott, who was the Chief Constable of Norfolk, is the gentleman standing slightly apart to the left of the party in a bowler hat, hand in pocket, with a walking stick. The photograph was taken at a Royal Shooting Party at Sandringham estate in Norfolk, possibly in 1906. King Edward VII is standing 8th from the right, with his wife Queen Alexandra seated in front of him. Their son, the future George V is standing 5th from the right, with his wife Mary seated 3rd from the right. Their son, the future George VI is sitting at her feet, with their eldest son Edward VIII sitting by his grandmother. King Alfonso of Spain is standing with his brother to the left of the King. It is possible that the photo was taken during his honeymoon in England.
Bo the Bodger
© Bo the Bodger 2007