Profile Text
Birth Name: Willow Katherine Kayne
Place of Birth: Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, U.K.
Date of Birth: 24 August, 2001
Ethnicity: English, at least one quarter Jewish [Ashkenazi, Sephardi], Scottish, Northern Irish, Irish, Cornish, Welsh, distant French and European Royal
Willow Kayne is a British singer and songwriter. She won an Ivor Novello Rising Star Award in 2021. She is a member of Loud LDN, a collective of female and gender-expansive artists.
Willow’s paternal grandfather was Laurence M. Kayne (the son of Dennis Benjamin Kayne and Pamela Rosella Cohen). Laurence was born in London, to a Jewish family. His paternal grandparents were from Poland. His mother’s family had lived in England for generations, originally being from Algeria, Italy, and Spain. The Kayne surname was originally spelled Kyanski.
Willow’s paternal grandmother was named Catherine M. Croal.
Willow’s maternal grandfather was Timothy Francis Tothill Davis (the son of Francis Gregory Tothill Davis and Mary McNaught Lockie). Timothy was born in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Willow’s great-grandfather Francis was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, the son of Richard Davis and Alicia Ann Tothill, who was from Nailsworth, South Australia, Australia. Willow’s great-grandmother Mary was born in Cricklewood, Middlesex, England, the daughter of George McNaught Lockie, who was born in Akyab, Rakhine, Myanmar; and of Dorothy Lamb. Timothy’s great-great-grandmother was Mary Elizabeth Statham, from the Statham family of Saint Helena, which was descended from English and French colonists.
Willow’s maternal grandmother was Susan Mary Adams (the daughter of Alexander Francis Lucas Adams and Margaret Tibbits). Susan was born in Milton Keynes. Alexander was the son of Alexander Hector Adams and Hilaire Caroline Byng Lucas, who was born in Appin, Highland, Scotland. Alexander was of mostly English, with some Scottish, Northern Irish, and Irish, descent; and some roots in County Armagh. He also descended from European Royalty, from Wales, Luxembourg, and Italy. Hilaire’s maternal grandfather was Admiral Sir William Hutcheon Hall, and her maternal great-grandfather was Vice-Admiral George Byng, 6th Viscount Torrington.
Sources: Marriage record of Willow’s paternal grandparents, Laurence M. Kayne and Catherine M. Croal – https://www.myheritage.com
Genealogy of Willow’s paternal great-grandfather, Dennis Benjamin Kayne – https://www.myheritage.com
Genealogy of Willow Kayne (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://www.thepeerage.com