Please contact us here if you would like to help us, or need more information.

We have a number of documents which would benefit from transcribing. This would make it possible to search for people and places and add to our research and history of Milton Abbas.

There are opportunities to help us. Some are easy, others require more skill and the most difficult but rewarding and very important are the early documents in Latin.

If you cannot help with transcribing perhaps you could visit The National Archives or the Dorset History Centre.and photograph some documents for us which we can then get transcribed.

For guidelines on how transcriptions should be done, please contact us.

Here is a selection of documents requiring transcription:

The Sales Catalogue of 1932.

Milton Abbas. Deed poll.#1322. This is a single page deed and will tell us something of the history and owners of Lyscombe, part of the parish of Milton Abbas not so long ago.

Milton Abbas Subscription Rate at 3d in the Pound. #1300, 1840. This is a name rich manuscript book and will tell us the wealth of the people.

Estate and household bills and receipts of Lady Caroline Damer. #2994 There are many bills which will give us the name of the tradesmen and a snapshot of workers life in Milton Abbas around 1820

More challenging

In the account of the monasteries, of the lands and possessions late of the monastery of Milton in the county of Dorset belonging or appertaining in the year of the reign of the late king Henry VIII 31, amongst other things is contained as followeth. Upton Manor and Estryngsteed. In the account of William Thornehull, farmer, there for the time aforesaid. Farm of Upton. The rent of the farm is 10 pounds. It is let to the said accountant for his life, and after his death for 31 years to his executors, by indenture dated under the seal of the late monastery of Milton 12 February 26 Henry VIII (1535), and under the seal of the Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations 27 June 31 Henry VIII (1539). The rent is to be paid at the feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady and the feast of St. Micheal the Archangel in equal portions. Sum’ is 10 pounds. Farm of Estringsteed 48 acres of meadow, 32 acres of pasture, 212 acres of arable, 258 acres of heath, 316 acres of pasture called the Downs, and 4 acres called the Wethebury, besides the pasture of 214 sheep and the common of the manor. To the aforesaid William Thornehull to be paid at the feasts of the B.V.M and St Micheal the Archangel by equal portions. Sum’ 18 pounds 13 shillings and 4 pence. In English. (Corner off) The above calendar was compiled by Miss G Scott- Thompson in 1959. The documents are in Latin unless otherwise stated. Christian names have been given in their modern form, but surnames and place-names have been reproduced in the form in which they appear in the text. #3969

Most challenging!

The Manor Court Rolls of Milton Abbey are a fantastic resource, however medieval Latin writing is certainly a challenge. It would help our research on the medieval town, abbey and its estates enormously to have these court rolls transccribed.