Kit Harington's family tree of thrones
1-2 minute read
By Niall Cullen | September 22, 2022
Kit Harington's family has connections with royals, traitors, philanthropists and military greats.
Much like his Game of Thrones character Jon Snow, Kit Harington's ancestry is littered with noteworthy figures. The actor has even played his own ancestor by appearing as Robert Catesby in BBC's Gunpowder. Keep reading for more on that.
Let's take a closer look at Kit Harington's fascinating family tree.
Royal roots
Kit's connections to royalty start on his paternal line. His great-grandfather, Sir Richard Harington was 12th Baronet and High Sheriff of Herefordshire, while his great-uncle Kenneth Harington married the Queen's cousin, Cecilia Bowes-Lyon. We've taken a closer look at the Bowes-Lyon lineage in the Queen's family tree.
Can you see any family resemblance? Birmingham Daily Gazette, 2 April 1937.
Harington's royal family tree doesn't stop there. His four times great-grandfather, George Legge was appointed Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the Royal Household, from 1804 to 1810.
George Legge's marriage to Frances Finch in 1782 is recorded in our Westminster Parish Registers.
Frances' great grandfather, Heneage Finch not only has a name like a character from Game of Thrones, but he also lived like one. He was a key player in the Popish Plot, an alleged conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II in the 1670s. Ultimately, Harington can trace his blue blood back to the same monarch. Charles II is Kit's eighth-great-grandfather on his father's side.
Harington family heroes
Like most British families, the Haringtons also have deep-rooted military connections. The 1921 Census of England and Wales, exclusively available online at Findmypast, lists Kit's paternal great-grandfather Ernest Denny as a Major Reserve of Officers in the 19th Hussars.
Ernest Wriostheley Denny in the 1921 Census of England and Wales.
Ernest's father, Thomas Denny shared his son's strong sense of duty but for a different cause. He was a keen supporter of the Salvation Army and even paid the first year's rent on the organisation's headquarters in London.
The Catesby connection
Through his maternal line, Kit Harington is directly descended from Robert Catesby, the mastermind behind the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In a quirky coincidence, the actor played Catesby in a TV show about the famous conspiracy.
Catesby's legacy lives on in Harington's family today. It is Kit's mother's maiden name and his middle name.
What will you discover in your family tree?
As well as being the home of the most extensive collection of British Army records online and the only place you'll find the 1921 Census online, Findmypast has billions of detail-rich resources for tracing your family story. There's never been a better time to see how your past can shape your future. Get started on your family tree today.
