Our Old Town Project research group have all the documents relevant to the period in Milton Abbas history when Joseph Damer, Lord Milton, Earl of Dorchester owned the parish and moved the town to its current location. All these documents have been transcribed, are searchable and are available to the researchers who continue to write up the history of Milton Abbas.

We have been joined by new members who have wider interests and we have decided to form a ‘Research Group’ whose aims are –

‘To pursue in-depth all aspects of Milton Abbas history’

It is proposed that the members of the Research Group will meet every three months to share their research and compare their findings using ZOOM, and have an annual meeting in person. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 7 Feb at 14:00 using ZOOM. Please contact us if you are interested in joining us. Members are currently researching –

Lancelot Capability Brown

Joseph Damer and his family

Agricultural Labourers and the Poor

Medieval Milton Abbas Custumal and Court Rolls, the lives of the monks and the peasants

Metal Detecting finds and what they tell us about the history of Milton Abbas

The day the Town of Milton Abbas burned down 4 August 1658 and its aftermath

LiDAR and maps – boundary and barrows.

Photogrammetry

Local Inns

Population decline 1851 – 1881 Census – where did the ag labs go? What was the impact of the arrival of the railway in Blandford in 1863 on worker mobility?