We have been contacted by Dot & Roy as they felt members may be interested in a book that they have written about the history of a local family.
They are genealogists, and wrote the book principally for their family, so that they could understand their origins. It is a storybook about Dot’s earliest Baigent ancestors (Crondall in Hampshire in the 1600’s), though they found some dating back a century earlier. They described their migration eventually to Windlesham and beyond. The Introduction to the book focuses on the high probability that the ‘Baigent’ name is of Huguenot origin, with the prospect that it originated in the Low Countries of Europe. Their research covered how the spelling of the surname, originally either Bagen or Bagin in the 1500’s, changed subtly over the centuries and how their numbers increased concomitantly. They also explored how centrally significant Windlesham was with respect to the Baigent name and the focus for the family in general.
Dot, who is the granddaughter of Sarah Jane Baigent, featured in the penultimate chapter, shares with many Baigents, a link to Edward Baigent who migrated to New Zealand in 1841, and who is the subject of the final chapter.
The book comprises 234 pages, with hundreds of illustrations. It is A4 in size and is hard bound in high quality bottle green buckram cloth with a gold leaf family tree motive on the front. Because initially it was intended for family use, they had a short print run produced and have a few copies left: they are willing to pass them on at cost price to any interested party. The cost would be £42.50 + pp.
A copy of the preface is attached and if you would like to order a copy please contact royanddotsmither@gmail.com to arrange payment.
