Category Archives: family history

Wool Stealers of Milton Abbas

The following are a huge cast of interrelated characters named by Clive Barnes in his research on the Wool stealers gang of 1836.  Why not find out more about these people and what life, poverty and justice was like in the … Continue reading

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The Wool Stealers of Milton Abbas

Our member Clive Barnes recently gave a presentation on the wool stealers gang. From Milton Abbas James Drake, James Cox, Philip Arnold, James Vatcher and Thomas Cox were charged in 1838 with stealing and receiving wool, wool sacks and sheepskins. … Continue reading

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Justice and Milton Abbas

Following a recent talk on Dorset Justice of the 17th century a number of questions were raised. The Dorset Record Society book volume 14 ‘Dorset Quarter Session 1625 – 1638’ is a transcription of the earliest surviving Order Book for … Continue reading

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Six Little Girls Dressed in Blue: Lady Caroline’s “Spinning School”

Clive Barnes writes: On September 7 1789, six village girls walked up to Milton Abbey mansion house to meet King George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte. When the queen returned to Weymouth with “the K”, as she referred to … Continue reading

Posted in Damer, family history, local history, Milton Abbas, Overseers of the Poor, social history | 2 Comments

Nicholas Turbeville

One of our members with Milton Abbas ancestors going back the 16th century has discovered that his family were connected to the Turbeville, Horsey, Tregonwell and other high status families. Peter Arnold writes about Nicholas Turbeville: “.. lived at Winterborne … Continue reading

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The name of GERRARD

Whilst searching our transcriptions of Milton Abbas documents for GERRARD it is surprising just how many different spellings of this name there are. The Oxford Names Companion gives: GARRATT, GARRIT, GARRED, GARRAD, GERRETT, GERATT, GERRAD, JARRETT, JARRATT, JERRITT, JARRED, JARAD, … Continue reading

Posted in Churchwardens, family history, local history, Milton Abbas, social history | 2 Comments

Combination Acts 1799 and 1800

The Combination Act of 1799 was an extraordinarily oppressive piece of legislation. After the French revolution it is extraordinary that the Houses of Commons and Lords would risk such an unjust act. There had been acts before against workers in … Continue reading

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Vestry Minute Book

One of our amazing transcribers, Shirley Chick, has just completed the Milton Abbas Vestry Minute Book 1863 – 1924. The original book is in our possession. The resulting 65 page document is now available for our members to research. The … Continue reading

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John HAM – the Millionaire of Milton Abbas

John Ham was baptised on 21 May 1760, the youngest son of James Hobell and Charity Ham (neé Gould, later Hallett). His parents were married in 1747. They had a daughter, Elizabeth, born in 1749 but she only lived for … Continue reading

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You must be interested in history or you wouldn’t be looking at our website!

Researching history can be lonely, we know what it is like, we have been doing it a long time! But it is exciting too – the chase for that vital piece of information, that brick wall broken through, that old … Continue reading

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