George King was a long time game and riverkeeper for the Chenies Estate. Born in 1860 in Ridgmont, Bedfordshire he married Mary Simpson in 1880, and their marriage was recorded in the Basford Registration District. George and Mary had seven children all of whom were born in Chenies, including Edward Lancelot 1885, Arthur 1887, William 1890, Florence 1892, Winifred 1894, Herbert 1897 and Ernest 1900.
In the 1911 census George is living at 1 Chenies along with his wife and four of his children. William at that time had become a footman, Winifred a servant, Herbert was assisting his father and Ernest at only 11 was a scholar. By this time Edward was married and living at Lower Farm, Longstowe, in Cambridgeshire and working as a gamekeeper like his father.
All of George’s sons served during World War I in some capcity or another, and his daughter served in the Red Cross. His son Edward Lancelot King died of pneumonia whilst in service on the Ist January 1919 and was buried in the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery.
Newspaper records report that:
Mr. King had six sons and two daughters. All the sons served in the Great War, and one daughter saw service with the Red Cross. One son was badly wounded in the retreat from Mons; another son is buried in Cairo, Egypt, and the other four were all wounded and gassed’. Buckinghamshire Examiner 3 February 1939
The history of the King family with the Chenies Estate extends over 200 years. On George’s death in 1939 the newspaper writes:
“The death of Mr. G. King, of Chenies, severs a connection of 200 years of service with the Dukes of Bedford. He himself served under three Dukes, and his father, who lived to be.90, served all his life on the estate as a ” warrenor.” 3 February 1939