Volume 1

The history and antiquities of the county of Dorset / Compiled from the best and most ancient historians, inquisitions post mortem, and other valuable records and mss. in the public offices, and libraries, and in private hands. With a copy of Domesday book and the Inquisitio Gheldi for the county: interspersed with some remarkable particulars of natural history; and adorned with a correct map of the county, and views of antiquities, seats of the nobility and gentry, &c. By John Hutchins, M.A.

  • John Hutchins
Date:
1774
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history and antiquities of the county of Dorset / Compiled from the best and most ancient historians, inquisitions post mortem, and other valuable records and mss. in the public offices, and libraries, and in private hands. With a copy of Domesday book and the Inquisitio Gheldi for the county: interspersed with some remarkable particulars of natural history; and adorned with a correct map of the county, and views of antiquities, seats of the nobility and gentry, &c. By John Hutchins, M.A. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    212/804 (page 36)
    the premifes or parcel thereof, or alter the ufes for which it was fold, they fhall forfeit their title to the other purchafers who did not confent. Or if all con- fent to alienate, Sec. or in default of divine fervice for two years fucceflively, then the right to return to the grantors : the truft to be renewed when four of the purchafers be living, left the intent of it be defeated. In 2 Car. I. Feb. 5, this church and church-vard, a toft called the Storehoufe, a piece of vacant fond, in a place called the third Pane of St. Mary’s belonging to the fame, viz. the priory ; lands in the parifhes of St. Mary, H. Trinity, St. Peter, St. Michael, and St. Martin, the chapel of All Hal¬ lows, Lamp Light Clofe in Worgret, were granted to Sir ‘Thomas Freke, knight, Sec. The church-yard lies on the N. fide of the church, and is common to the other parifhes of the town and the chapelry of Arne. The ground belonging to each parifh is divided by feveral furrows, that run N. and S. Llere arc fame ftone coffins, in which the priors might have been interred; for Mr. Wood fays, that at Durham cathedral, mod of the priors were buried in coffins of ftone or marble, covered with another large ftone which lay level with the pavement; it being an ancient cuftom to bury perfons of note no deeper. Not long ago was dug up in the church-yard a flat ftone, which covered a ftone cof¬ fin : on it is- carved a long narrow fhield, which takes up the whole length, and is divided in the middle, by an emboffed line, as efcutcheons are ufually parted per fefs ; on the upper part is a lion rampant, and on the lower fix fieurs de lis : it is thought to be two coats impaled, this being a very ancient manner of impalement. This church-yard feems to have been anciently much larger, and to have extended quite to the S. Street, for over all the Saw Pits, or St. John’s or St. Jones’s Hill, on digging, bones are found ; and where the ground is worn away, to¬ wards S. Street, feveral fculls and entire fkeletons appear on hard rains : St. John’s chapel, indeed, flood near that place, but it cannot be imagined there was a chapel-yard belonging to it fo near the priory church : the monks, for ambitious and lucra¬ tive reafons, ingroffing the burials to themfelves; nor does it appear that there was any church-yard be¬ longing to any of the churches in this town ; and antiquaries give inftances of church-yards of great extent in very ancient times. In 1753, on digging a vault or cellar, thirty feet by fixteen, on the Saw Pits, on the N. of Gold Court, above thirty fculls were dug up, about four feet deep, but other bones fcarce proportionable, to three or four bodies. Thefe fculls, except three or four, were placed with the faee downwards, the top of the head to the eaft, and inclofed between flat ftones fet edgeways. The prone pofture feems to have been ufed to diftinguifh the Pagan Danes from the Chriftians; whofe faces being placed upward might denote their hopes of heaven, to which the others had little pretenfion. Keyfler, fays k, when St. Stephen’s church at Millan was built on the lpot where a battle with -the Arians was fought, St. Ambrofe being at a lofs to diftinguifh the bodies of the orthodox from the •heretics, ordered the latter to lie with their faces downwards to the earth, the former to look upwards, which was done: and, indeed, bones are frequently dug up in many other parts of this town, even in the middle of the W. fide of South Street. In 1749, on repairing the pitching near the door of the Bear Inn, was found a well filled up, before unknown, in which were feveral fculls, from five feet below the furface to the bottom, and one fkeleton, pretty entire, with the head downward. Nor is it to be wondered at that fo many bones fhould be found here, when we confider, that, in the Danifh invaflons, this town was generally a feene of war; and many cf the Danes perifhed every where in the general maf- facre of that nation, A. D. 1012. Many of thefe unhappy viftims might be often interred on the fpot where they fell. Holneft, Thrope, and Merfey in the parifh of Chrift-Church, Hants, claim to bury in this church¬ yard, in the parts belonging to St. Mary’s parifh. The Chapel of St. John was fituated on the E. of S. Street, where now ftands a tenement, between the church way and the way to the priory. There is not now the leaft remains of it. It gives name to a wafte piece of ground called St. John’s or Jo7ics’s Hill, or the Sazv Pits. It leems to have been a free chapel or chantry. We find little account of it, except that William Baker, chaplain, was prefented to it by the prior of Shene, on the refignation of John Levyng, the lalfc reftor, and inftituted 9 April, 1428 e. This is the only mention made of it in' the regifters. But it was in being long after the Reformation ; for May 4, 1631, James Crouch, B. A. was prefented by the king to this chapel m. The Registers, begun 1594. Marriages. Rich. Perkins and Judith Reynolls, I594 George Oliver and Mrs. Rachel Morton, 1649 Baptifms. Francis, fon of Chrift. Anketil, jurw 1605 Robert, fon of John Cheverel, 1612 Alice, daughter of John Chattock, 1 <5i 2 Roger, fon of Mr. Henry Clavel, 1617 Anne, daughter of George Hufley, gent. 1623 Dorothy, daughter of Rob. Frampton, gent. 1623 Margaret, daughter of John Clavell, 1624 Anne, daughter of Hen. Clavel, 1631 George, fon of George Loop, of Weftport, 1633 Burials. Juliana Perkins, 1602 George Parkins, ■- 1605 Elizabeth Parkins, — — 1605 Sufanna Clavel, - 1605 Mrs. Turbervile, - —_ 1601 Edward Thornhill, - 1617 John Thornel, -- 1619 Mr. Caldecot, - -• 1619 Edith Coker, 1623 Sufanna Coker, -- — h William Perkins — — 1628 William Morton, gent. 1633 John Burgefs, mayor, 1634 Anne Clavel, -^— - 1636 Mr. John Harding [of Beftwall,] 1638 Mr. John Collier, 1638 k Travels, vol, I. p. 346, 1 Regirt. Nevile. m Rymer, Feed. tom. xix. 333. Mrs.