In the Overseers of the Poor books, once again we find the term “Paid the Gail money” £7 5s 0d, this time on 20 Jun 1779. Sometimes it is spelled “Gale”.
Since one entry said “Paid the Gale money to the Constable” we assume that this is for the gaol or jail somewhere.
Thanks to one of our correspondents we have found the Prison Admission Register which shows that Robert Fiander was committed for 3 months at the age of 15 from April to July 1819, for poaching. He was jailed the following year for the same offence.
At this time Caroline Damer was the owner of the Milton Abbas estate.
There may be more information in a newspaper report.
This entry is mystifying us. It seems to say “Paid the Expences of Crovining and Buring Burgundeys Child she had by John Hobbes £0 16s 7d”
There is no such word as “Crovining” in the full Oxford English Dictionary.
If the author meant “Crowning” why did he put a distinct dot over the “w”?
If he meant “Crowning” – what does that mean? “Crowning and burying an illegitimate child”?
The Milton Abbas Local History Group were extremely fortunate in being able to view the excavations. These will shortly be covered over again probably for another one hundred years. We await the full archaeological report with interest.
This gravestone is important. The crispness of the carving shows that it cannot have been exposed to the weather for long. It bears the date 1754, and we guess that it was broken up in the 1770’s and used as infill for the restoration of the Abbey by Wyatt shortly after.
The decoration at the head of the stone is beautifully carved.
The inscription reads “Here… of …R… died the 19th of Ap.. Aged 73 years… of Elizabeth his Wife …d of Septembr 1754 … years”.
There is sufficient information to figure out who this memorial is dedicated to. I leave to our readers to use opcdorset to discover more.
This excellent book by Ronald Hutton is a great background to the events in Milton Abbas in the 16th and 17th centuries. It explains a lot of the information in our Churchwardens Books for the 17th century.
For example there are clear changes in the expenses on Communion wine during the Interregnum and Restoration. There is no income from Church ales from the start of the existing records in 1638, since these had been declining since Elizabethan times.
Bertie, David, ‘Portarlington Arms‘, & farmer
Cadie, Thomas, carpenter & wheelwrgt
Calnes Christopher, farmer
Eaton, Henry, tailor
Frizle, Thomas, carrier
Formidge John, farmer
Guy, James, blacksmith
Ham, John, farmer
Hawkins, Mill Maria, shopkeeper
|Hopkins Samuel, tailor
Ingram Robert, farmer
Jacob John, carpenter & wheelwright
Jeffery Wm. beer retailer & shopkeeper
Jerrard Samuel, farmer
Keynes John, farmer
Keynes Thomas, butcher
Kiddle John, shopkeeper
Longman, Thomas plumber
Miller Michae1, farmer
Morey Mrs. Frances, shopkeeper. & beer retailer
Mitchell James, blacksmith
Morey James? mason
Morey, Jonathan, shopkeeper
Rogers John, farmer
Rogers Joseph. Shoemaker & shopkeeper
Sanders Thomas, blacksmith
Smith, Mrs Harriet, shopkeeper
Tett John, farmer
Tuffln Jolm,shoemaker. & post office
Warne Charles, brewer
Webber Jacob, millet
POST OFFICE.-John Puffin, receiver. Letters are received (through the Blandford office, delivered at ½ past 8 a.m. Box closes at 4p.m.
CARRIER.-Thomas Frizle, every tues. &. thurs to Blandford, & wed. & sat. to Dorchester.
This is a small part of this document which is the first in Quarter Sessions Order Book in the Dorset History Centre to show Lord Milton closing some of the roads.
Some of the places named are well known to us today but some, e.g. New Lodge, Old Lodge, White Hill, are not. They may be shown on the old maps we have, but they will take some finding!
This is a real long-shot: in an article by Alan J Miller in Dorset Life, Apr 2003 “Heartless Landlord and Devoted Husband”, there is an image of a young Joseph Damer, by permission of LG Stopford Sackville.
I understand that Drayton House is now owned by Charles Lionel Stopford Sackville. Does anyone know how we could contact them for more information – such as where is the painting, is there any other information on Joseph Damer, Lord Milton?
Our first meeting of the new season was well attended and 34 of us enjoyed a talk by Chris Fookes on the old roads and tracks of Milton Abbas, illustrated with maps from 1652 to today.
We had two visitors from Australia who were researching their ancestors, the Vine family. Samuel Vine occurs in the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 census as living in, and being the proprietor or inn keeper of the Hambro Arms.
Next meeting on 1 Nov will feature a presentation on how the roads were moved by Joseph, Lord Milton in the late 18th century for his privacy, and destroyed the town.
Carol Sastradipradja has just transcribed page 104 and come across this interesting piece of information.
It reads:
“Memorandum. Sunday Jan 13 Several Labouring People having complained to the Officers of the Parish that They Wanted Houses. In consequence of their Complaint the Following Inhabitants met in the Vestry after Divine Service and Unanimously agreed not to pay the House Rent for them.”
This is the first evidence of a lack of new houses in the new village. Clearly not enough had yet been built to house the labourers.
Milton Abbas Local History Group, Dorset, UK 