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England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
West Knighton St Peter

 

The Parish

The parish of West Knighton lies in southern Dorset not too far from its English Channel coast. West Knighton is located about 4 miles southeast of the county town of Dorchester. West Knighton is a mid-sized village which lies just under a mile north of the A352 road which connects Dorchester through to Wareham. West Knighton sits midway between the broad valley of the River Frome and the higher chalk downland fringing the Dorset coastline but sits on poor soils rich in chalk and gravel, despite these disadvantages it was largely an arable farming community. In recent times it has grown with a few modern developments given its proximity to Dorchester. West Knighton is drained westwards by a tributary of the Frome which is joined to the west of Wool, the latter reaching the English Channel through Poole Harbour. West Knighton is sited at around 60 metres above the sea but land rises steadily onto the chalk hills to the south reaching close to 160 metres on White Horse Hill. West Knighton parish was fairly typically sized for its area, if somewhat unusually shaped being formed into an inverted "Y" shape with two southern-ward extensions from the main body, it covered close to 2,200 acres and would have supported a population of just over 250 parishioners. In Domesday Book West Knighton was a small place held directly by the King and offering just 3 ploughs as well as the usual meadows and pastures.


The Church

St Peter's church sits at the heart of the village just to the east of the loop of lanes that runs to and from the village from the A352.The church has its origins at the turn of 12th into 13th century when Norman Romanesque style was being replaced by the Early English Gothic. The chancel arch, often the earliest part of the main build, dates from the late 12th century and shows the former style whilst much else, albeit subject to later changes, shows the Early English Gothic and was built in the 13th century. Lancet windows characteristic of that period occur throughout the building in the western tower and in the transepts in particular. That western tower received a major rebuild in the 14th century with a Perpendicular style top added or replacing the original. A further restoration, by the Victorians, occurred in 1894 to result in today's church. The street is narrow but there is a small parking area to the east of the site, the church is an elevated position relative to the road, the churchyard banked by a local stone wall is entered through an archway over a flight of steps. Whilst the churchyard is relatively tight to the church the better views are often from outwith the churchyard.


The Records

Register No Covering Dates Deposited With Register Style Quality Standard Comments
1
24th May 1755 - 10th February 1812
Dorset History Centre - Reference - PE-WKT/RE/3/1
Standard preprinted and self-numbered combined Banns & Marriage register with 4 entries per page
Grade 3 Register - there are sufficient quality issues with this register to indicate that some misreads will occur albeit few in number
A combination of fading and bleed-through makes for a challenging read at times and could result in a few misreads
2 20th December 1813 - 2nd March 1837  Dorset History Centre - Reference - PE-WKT/RE/3/2 Standard Rose style preprinted and prenumbered Marriage register Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads None


Puddletown St Mary
Puddletown St Mary
Puddletown St Mary
West Stafford St Andrew
Whitcombe
Woodsford St John the Evangelist
Warmwell Holy Trinity
Whitcombe
Broadmayne St Martin
Warmwell Holy Trinity

1760 1770 1780 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830

Register Reference Date Groom Forename Groom Surname Groom Status Groom Abode Bride Forename Bride Surname Bride Status Bride Abode
1 24/04/1755 Robert HOLDEN Mary TALBOT
2 05/01/1756 James KNIGHT Stinsford Jane FROOM
3 01/10/1758 William DAVIS Poxwell Elizabeth WOOD
4 17/04/1759 William FEVER Owermoigne Mary GRANT
5 26/08/1759 John WARREN Mary BOUND
5 26/08/1759 Samuel VOSS Mary BROWN
6 15/09/1759 John WARREN Mary BOUND
7 04/09/1761 Charles WILLIS Whitcombe Susannah LOCKIER
08/07/1762 William WOLFEY Bere Regis Elizabeth COWARD
17/01/1763 George SOUTH Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire Mary SPRATT
06/08/1764 John SAMWAYS Mary FEVER
22/05/1766 James HONY Broadmayne Ann BURT
26/05/1766 Thomas BATH Charminster Jane SUMMERS
09/07/1770 John BRUSHET Elizabeth SMITH
10/06/1771 Thomas SKERMY Brtty GRANT
30/11/1771 John HALE Woodsford Mary ANGEL
22/12/1771 Edward NIPROD Sarah GAPE
17/08/1772 George PATIENCE Warmwell Susannah POUNT
21/09/1772 John HELLYAR Sherborne Mary SAMWAYS
13/04/1773 Jonathan JOYNER Mary FRY
08/07/1773 John FRYOR Ann CLARK
10/08/1773 William JAMES Wool Elizabeth VOSS
12/01/1774 Thomas VOSS Jane SAMWAYS
08/08/1774 John SAMWAYS Ann POUNT
06/05/1775 John WHITEN Mary GILL
27/08/1776 Richard BURT Elizabeth CORKER
25/05/1777 Thomas ADMAS Dewlish Martha GIBBONS
12/02/1778 Thomas MULLINE All Saints, Dorchester Ann WELSTED
10/11/1778 William BISHOP Fordington Mary ASH
17/05/1779 John BILLET Sarah PRIM
26/05/1779 John WOODS Mary WELSTED
26/09/1779 John SPICER Puddletown Christian HOUSE
30/05/1780 Thomas MARTIN Mary PRYOR
04/06/1781 Robert WELLS Sarah FRAMPTON
29/05/1782 William ALNER Bridport Jane WELSTEAD
20/05/1784 William FRAMPTON Single Mary HARDEY Single
24/04/1786 Thomas WILTSHIRE Osmington Anne SALISBURY
15/05/1787 Christopher PRIOR Single Ann RANDALL Single
02/12/1788 George PASHAM Elizabeth POUNT
19/01/1790 John ASH Ann HARRIS
18/04/1790 John BISHOP Sarah HOOKEY
15/12/1790 William TALBOT Broadmayne Elizabeth NOAK
24/02/1791 Robert AMEY Susannah SALISBURY
14/01/1792 John FUDGE Fordington Mary HARRIS
07/06/1792 John GIFFARD Sarah LEG
29/05/1794 Thomas WILLIS Preston Elizabeth SHERREN
12/11/1796 William SMITH Sarah HARRIS
27/12/1796 Charles JUPE Broadmayne Sarah SANSOME
03/07/1799 William COLBURN Sturminster Newton Barbara SHERREN
06/11/1800 John BISHOP Warmwell Elizabeth NORTHOVER
04/08/1801 John KIRWOOD Radipole Esther BESANT
24/03/1802 James ANNING Burton Bradstock Catharine BUSSELL
07/12/1802 George VOSS Ruth ROGERS
01/05/1804 Richard SANSOME Patience SHEPHERD
26/02/1805 James PANTON Wareham Jane SHERREN
27/12/1805 Robert BUSSEL Single Maria KEECH Single
31/12/1805 John VOSS Widower Fordington Elizabeth GIFFORD Single
10/02/1807 John SANSOME Single Frances BURT Single
07/07/1808 George KAY Single Melcombe Regis Mary GARLAND Single
15/07/1809 William LUNT Single Elizabeth FRAMPTON Single Broadmayne
06/04/1811 Matthew PRIOR Single Elizabeth PALMER Single
09/05/1811 Charles SUMMERS Single Woodsford Elizabeth NEALE Single
10/02/1812 James LUCAS Single Woodsford Ann NEALE Single
1 20/12/1813 James CROSS Single Eleanor PRYER Single
2 02/05/1814 John WILLS Single Hannah HUTCHINGS Single
3 12/05/1814 William WILLS Single Mary GIFFERD Single
4 15/05/1815 Thomas HUNT Single Elizabeth BURT Single
5 05/09/1815 William CURTIS Single Mary Glead STEVENSON Single
6 27/06/1816 Henry BURT Sarah SHORT
7 18/11/1816 George PRIER Single Ann FRAMPTON Single
8 05/03/1817 Daniel BEASANT Single Lucy GIFFERD Single
9 25/03/1817 James TOOP Sarah BILLETT Single
10 28/04/1818 John STEPHENS Single Sarah ELLIOTT Single
11 22/12/1818 Jonathan LOVELESS Single Whitcombe Elizabeth VINCENT Single
12 29/03/1819 Stephen CLARK Mary NEW
13 26/04/1819 Charles BURDEN Puddletown Elizabeth HORLICK
14 05/03/1820 William SMITH Elizabeth ROGERS
15 09/05/1821 James TREVET Single Honor DAW Single
16 14/05/1821 William AMEY Single Harriet ASH Single
17 02/12/1821 William ORCHARD Single Elizabeth SMITH Single
18 02/12/1821 John ORCHARD Single Jane Dewland FRAMPTON Single
19 14/04/1823 Thomas GIBBONS Single Harriet TRENT Single
20 14/05/1823 William BEZELEY Widower Mary MAINE Single
21 25/12/1824 Isaac SMITH Single Charlotte ROGERS Single
22 29/12/1824 Joelah BOYT Single Sophia LUCAS Single
23 10/09/1826 Charles PADDICK Single Owermoigne Charlotte TRENT Single
25 01/05/1827 George OLIVER Single Sarah TREVETT Single
26 19/08/1827 William GIFFORD Single Charlotte ASH Single
27 25/12/1827 John WILLIAMS Single Sarah SANSOME Single
28 03/03/1828 William SANSOM Mary ALLINGHAM
29 26/01/1829 John ORCHARD Widower Mary SAMWAYS Single
30 07/04/1831 John HARIS West Stafford Charlotte CROSS
31 19/01/1832 Robert BOWRING Broadmayne Jane BARGE
32 07/06/1832 George WHITE Poxwell Rebecca BARGE
33 22/07/1832 William RAWLS West Stafford Susan WELLSPRING
34 26/09/1832 John LOCK Alice Purchase ATKINS
35 22/11/1832 John TREVETT Elizabeth DIFFEY Broadmayne
36 05/12/1832 John HARDEN Melcombe Regis Mary LUCAS
37 15/07/1833 Robert ROGERS Single Ann PRYER Single
38 27/10/1833 Richard RICHARDS Eliza CROSS
39 15/04/1834 Simon TIZARD Mary WELLSPRING
40 07/10/1834 William GUY Owermoigne Anne VOSS
41 10/08/1835 Robert WOODLAND Single Broadmayne Jane DIFFEY Single
42 02/08/1836 William VOSS Single Lucy DRAKE Single Wool
43 02/03/1837 Joseph BARTLETT Fordington Hannah COSSENS

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