A BRIEF HISTORY OF KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES
SAXON AND MEDIEVAL KINGSTON

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is the oldest of only four Royal Boroughs in England and Wales. It was awarded the title because it was the place where seven Anglo-Saxon kings were crowned and the name, derived from Cyningestun, means royal estate or palace.
After the Norman Conquest, the town became a Royal Manor. In 1086 records show that the town owned five mills and three salmon fisheries. Three fish on a blue background became Kingston's official emblem.

Kingston was built at the first crossing point of the river Thames upstream from London Bridge and a bridge still exists at the same site. Kingston was occupied by the Romans and later it was either a royal residence or a royal demesne.
Kingston was once the king's tun or estate. In Saxon times it had royal connections. In 838 King Egbert of Wessex called a church council there. Furthermore several Saxon kings were crowned in Kingston, including Edward the Elder (900), Athelstan (925), Edmund (940), Edred (946), Edwy (955) and Edward the Martyr (971). However after the Norman Conquest in 1066 Kingston lost some of its former importance. Kings were no longer crowned there.
At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) Kingston had 5 watermills, which ground grain to flour. By the standards of the time Kingston was probably quite a large village although it would seem tiny to us. It is not known how large it was in the Middle Ages but it probably had not more than 1,500 inhabitants. As well as raising crops the people of Kingston kept sheep for wool and fished for salmon in the Thames.
Kingston was also an inland port. In those days it was easier and cheaper to transport goods by water than by land. The Thames served as an 'artery', rather like a motorway to and from London.
Kingston had a weekly market. From the 13th century it also had a fair. In the Middle Ages fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year and they attracted buyers and sellers from a wide area. In 1351 the king granted Kingston a second fair.
Kingston was strategically important because it was the last place where the Thames could with a bridge before London. During a civil war in 1263-1265 Kingston was 'burned and robbed' several times. Kingston also suffered from floods. However despite these setbacks the little town flourished. Like all towns in the 16th and 17th centuries Kingston suffered outbreaks of plague. It struck in 1625 and in 1636. In this period malting and brewing flourished in Kingston. There was also a leather tanning industry in Kingston. People still fished in the Thames for salmon. Timber was exported from Kingston along the Thames to London. In 1555 Kingston was granted a third fair.
Kingston benefited when Cardinal Wolsey built Hampton Court in 1520. The huge staff at the palace were a ready market for the towns goods.
In 1642 civil war began between king and parliament. At first Kingston was held by parliamentary troops. However they withdrew in October 1642 after losing the battle of Edgehill. Royalists then sacked the town. After the royalists left Kingston returned to parliamentary hands. It stayed in them to the end of the war although many of the townspeople were hostile and supported the king.

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