Thomas Kington III (18 May 1794 – 1 July 1874) was the leader of the United Brethren in England who converted to the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The chu ...

and after emigrating to Utah Territory became a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). He was charged by

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

to build Kington Fort in

Weber County, Utah Weber County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,223, making it Utah's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Ogden, the home of Weber State University. The county ...

. Thomas Kington III was born 18 May 1794 in

Bodenham Bodenham is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, and on a bend in the River Lugg, about seven miles south of Leominster. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,024, reducing to 998 at the 2011 census. The vill ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

, England, to Eleanor Bowen and Thomas Kington II. He was christened in Bodenham on 7 June 1795 in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. Kington joined the Wesleyan Methodist Church, but was expelled from that organisation when he disagreed with changes that veered away from some of Wesley's principles. Kington then joined the

Primitive Methodists The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

, but disagreements in principles caused him to be expelled from the group sometime before 1830. After his expulsion, Kington and others of the same persuasion formed an organization called the United Brethren. Although the new organization had a different name, its structure and meeting format appears to have mirrored that of the Primitive Methodists, with both male and female officers. In March 1840, Latter Day Saint

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

and apostle Wilford Woodruff visited the United Brethren and converted the congregation to

Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...

. By 1853, Kington was living in Weber County, Utah. A dispute arose about the placement of a fort which had already been moved several times. Kington traveled to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, Utah, to ask Brigham Young to resolve the dispute. Brigham Young sent Wilford Woodruff back to Weber County with Kington. Woodruff selected a site on the south side of the Weber River. The selected site became known as Kington Fort. On 11 November 1853, a ward of the LDS Church was organized and Kington was elected bishop. Kington died in Wellsville, Cache, Utah, on 1 July 1874.Date of death is recorded by Margaret Pisel Myers Kington in the "Mrs. T. Kington Notebook."

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kington, Thomas 1794 births 1874 deaths Clergy from Herefordshire Converts to Methodism from Anglicanism Converts to Mormonism from Methodism English leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints English emigrants to the United States Mormon pioneers People from Weber County, Utah