Map of Fontmell Magna district
THE PARISH OF FONTMELL MAGNA includes the village of Fontmell Magna and the hamlets of Bedchester and Hartgrove. It is bordered to the north by the parish of Compton Abbas; to the east by Ashmore, to the south by Sutton Waldron; and to the west by East Orchard and Margaret Marsh. Beyond Compton Abbas lies the parish of Melbury Abbas and then Cann. Further south from Sutton Waldron is Iwerne Minster. Beyond East Orchard lies West Orchard. Until the late 19th century most marriages of Fontmell people involved either partners from within Fontmell itself, or with one partner coming from one of these nearby parishes. To some extent, matrimonial opportunities were determined by how far you were prepared to walk. All these villages were within 3 miles of Fontmell church.
We can usually trace Fontmell marriages by consulting the
St Andrew's Church, Fontmell Magna
Fontmell registers of marriages or banns of marriages. We can also, from 1841, often trace the birthplaces via the censuses. But the registers, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries are not always totally informative, and the census returns are not always complete. So we often need to look in the records of other parishes for further information. The examples which follow are limited to periods of about 100 years, mostly from the 18th century. They cannot be read, therefore, as definitive lists of out-of-parish marriages.
St Mary's Church, Compton Abbas
COMPTON ABBAS
Marriages (1726-1833) between Fontmell residents (named first) and Compton residents (named second).
1726 Christopher DAVIE married Hannah LUSH
1734 Henry STILL married Martha GARRET
1740 John BURDEN married Elizabeth LATTY
1744 Henry STREET married Philadelphia LUSH
1749 John HORDER married Rebecca SNOOK
1757 John PENNY married Elizabeth SEAMOUR
1760 Betty HUNT married John GRAY
1777 Joseph DENNIS married Christian FARLEY
1785 Elizabeth YOUNG married Edward SHARP
1785 William DENNIS married Sarah SCAMELL
1788 Henry LUSH married Mary GOULD
1806 John MONKTON married Elizabeth BRICKLEY
1808 Henry LAWRENCE married Amy ROBERTS
1811 James EDWARDS married Abigail SPINNEY
1815 Charles LAWRENCE married Betsy COLLINS
1818 George DIBBEN married Phillis MULLINS
1820 Thomas SPICER married Hannah SPINNEY
1820 Stephen BOLWELL married Elizabeth BAKER
1821 John SPICER married Ann SHARP
1831 George BOWN married Harriet READ
1833 Charles STILL married Hannah MAIDMENT
In the 1851 census members of the following Fontmell families were living in Compton: Burridge, Burt, Coombs, Gourd, Gray, Horder, Merefireld, Miles, Mullins, Tinney, Toomer and Young.
IWERNE MINSTER
St Mary's Church, Iwerne Minster
Marriages (1736-1809) between Fontmell residents (named first) and Iwerne residents (named second).
1756 Jeremiah COLE married Ann CHEAP
1761 Samuel MOGRIDGE married Judith BROOKMAN
1765 William MONCKTON married Hannah YOUNG
1771 William STOKES married Jean CLEMENTS
1774 James EASTON married Grace GREEN
1778 Ann BLACKFORD married William BALL
1781 James TOOP married Ann MATCHAM
1789 Isaac BELLWELL married Ann PITMAN
1802 Joseph WYATT married Elizabeth DINNES [Dennis]
1805 Joseph HARMAN married Rebecca MERCHANT
1809 Richard SEIVER married Elizabeth BURT
In the 1851 census members of the following Fontmell families were living in Iwerne: Miles, Roberts, Smith, Wareham.
St Bartholomew's Church, Sutton Waldron
SUTTON WALDRON
Marriages (1708-1835) between Fontmell residents (named first) and Sutton residents (named second). Where both persons
came from Fontmell the second entry is marked thus: (FM).
1708 Stephen WAREHAM married Edith SPRAGUE (FM)
1708 William BROWN married Sasa BROWN
1732 John EASTON married Mary STILL (FM)
1735 William COLLINS married Alice IVIE
1736 George VINCENT married Sarah LUSH (FM)
1775 James WAREHAM married Betty TUFFIN
1787 Hannah LAWRENCE married James TUFFIN
1794 Edith DAVIS married Charles KYTE
1796 Mary SPICER married Joseph BROWN
1803 Thomas PLOWMAN married Elizabeth HITCHCOCK
1807 James STILL married Elizabeth BRADLEY
1813 Stephen SPICER married Maria TUFFIN
1821 George SHEPARD married Elizabeth STEVENS
1822 Isabella GILLINGHAM married James TUFFIN
1834 Mary LANKEY married Thomas MULLINS
1835 Susannah MOCKRIDGE married James TUFFIN
1835 Mary LAWRENCE married Charles MULLINS
In the 1851 census members of the following Fontmell families were living in Sutton: Cookman, Dennis, Easton, Kingsbury, Monkton, Mullins, Tuffen, Tuffin.
MELBURY ABBAS
St Thomas' Church, Melbury Abbas
Marriages (1723-1830) between Fontmell residents (named first) and Melbury residents (named second). Where both persons come from Fontmell the second entry is marked thus: (FM). Melbury was a small parish but with a disproportionate number of weddings. Couples came from as far as Gillinghan, Blandford, Sturminster Newton and Cranborne. What was the attraction? Were the rectors particularly charismatic? Or were the fees cheaper?
1723 John CHAMBERLAIN married Ann COLE (FM)
1725 James GATEHOUSE married Edith COLE (FM)
1726 Thomas WITHERBRIDGE married Mary COLE of Iwerne Minster
1726 Mary STILL married George MULLINS of Compton Abbas
1727 Ruth SHARP married Robert ALNER
1728 Thomas MONKTON married Mary THOMAS of Compton Abbas
1728 Joseph PLOWMAN married Elizabeth BENNET (FM)
1728 William ELLIOT married Mary LEAR
1731 Mary SWEATMAN married John RUSSEL of Hinton St Mary
1731 Thomas BENNET married Edith MONKTON (FM)
1732 John LAWRENCE married Martha RIDOUT (FM)
1733 William RIDEOUT married Martha STILL (FM)
1733 Sarah MERCER married Charles MERCER of Parley
1737 Joshua RAKES married Margaret BURT (FM)
1739 Charles LAWRENCE married Frances PITTRIDGE (FM)
1744 Charles YOUNG married Lucy SHARP
1746 Martha LEAT married William COLE of Iwerne Minster
1746 Philip HILL married Mary SPRAGUE (FM)
1746 Charles MAYO married Mary MONCKTON (FM)
1747 Edward LETE [LEAT] married Elizabeth PLOWMAN (FM)
1748 Abraham DIBBEN married Martha MONKTON of Iwerne Minster
1749 Elizabeth YOUNG married Samuel SEAMOUR of East Orchard
1750 Dinah SHARP married John SHARP
1753 John BENNET married Hester SMITH of Motcombe
1765 Thomas DENNIS married Ruth SHARP
1784 James WEST married Love COX
1792 John SPICER married Joanna LUSH
1804 James EDWARDS married Dinah HUNT
1830 George COSSER married Pheobe STILL
In the 1851 census members of the following Fontmell families were living in Melbury: Dibben, Hoare, Lush.
CANN
Marriages (1718-1837) between Fontmell residents (named first) and Cann residents (named second). Where both persons come from Fontmell the second entry is marked thus: (FM). Cann, like Melbury, had several weddings in which both parties came from Fontmell Magna.
1718 Joseph FELTHAM married Priscilla MONCKTON (FM)
1739 Phillip WAREHAM married Mary MAYO (FM)
1740 John HASKOLL married Ruth FELTHAM (FM)
1740 Thomas JEFFERY married Rebecca WAREHAM (FM)
1741 Magdalen MONCKTON married Thomas BLANCHARD
1743 John NEW married Mary MINSON of Hinton St Mary
1750 Henry LAWRENCE married Hannah STEEL (FM)
1750 Joseph HASKOLL married Hannah FELTHAM (FM)
1803 William BISHOP married Mary LUSH
In the 1851 census members of the following Fontmell families were living in Cann:
Blanchard, Burridge, Lodge, Sharp, Stacy.
St Nicholas' Church, Ashmore
ASHMORE
Marriages (1667-1838) between Fontmell residents (named first) and Ashmore residents:
1721 John ANDREWS married Dorothy ALNER
1765 Martha WEST married Thomas SUTTON of East Orchard
1778 James HILLIER marrieed Susannah FARLEY
In the 1851 census members of the following Fontmell families were living in Ashmore: Feltham, Gifford, Wheeler.
EAST AND WEST ORCHARD, MARGARET MARSH
Marriages (1718-1829) between Fontmell residents (named first) and residents of three small local connected parishes just west of Fontmell, (named second).
1718 Repentance BURT married Stephan BROOKMAN of Iwerne Minster
1721 Jane BARHAM married Richard RIDOUT of Compton Abbas
1723 Martha STILL married Robert SHARP of Margaret Marsh
1765 Thomas RUTTLY married Mary TAPPER of West Orchard
1784 Thomas PLOWMAN married Mary JEFFERY of West Orchard
1814 Mary Ann HULL married William LEMON of West Orchard
1814 John DENNIS married Hannah FUDGE of West Orchard
1815 Sophia DENNIS married George FUDGE of West Orchard
1815 Mary Ann LAWRENCE married Joseph DENNIS of East Orchard
1829 Morris James MAYO married Susan MOGGERIDGE of East Orchard
In the 1851 census members of the following Fontmell families were living in the above parishes: Arnold, Bennet, Butt, Hiscock, Hunt, Kerley, Lawrence, Lodge, Mayo, Mockridge, Roberts, Sweet, Tapper, Upshall (all in East Orchard); Barnes, Brockway, Fifett, Hunt, Lemon, Roberts, Stokes, Sutton (all in West Orchard); and Garrett, Lodge, Moore, and Pike (in Margaret Marsh).
Author: Durotriges
