Horton Genealogical Records

Horton Birth & Baptism Records

England & Wales Birth Index (1837-2006)

An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.

Horton Baptism Records (1813-1906)

Baptism registers record the baptism of those born in and around Horton and were subsequently baptised in an Anglican place of worship. They are the primary source of birth details before 1837, though are useful to the present.

Horton Baptism Records (1560-1812)

Baptism registers record the baptism of those born in and around Horton and were subsequently baptised in an Anglican place of worship. They are the primary source of birth details before 1837, though are useful to the present. Records can include name of child, parents' names, residence, occupations and more.

Horton Baptism Registers (1774-1812)

Baptism records from people born in and around Horton between 1774 and 1812. Lists the name of people's parent's, their occupations and abode.

Horton Baptism (1843-1912)

Baptism registers are the primary source of birth details before 1837, though are useful to the present. They record a child's name, parents' names and date of birth and/or baptism.

Horton Marriage & Divorce Records

England & Wales Marriage Index (1837-2008)

An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.

Horton Marriage Records (1813-1929)

The Marriage registers of Horton, document marriages 1813 to 1929. Details given on the bride and groom may include their age, father's name, marital status and residence.

Horton Marriage Records (1560-1812)

Details on those who married at Horton between 1560 and 1812. Information given may include parents' names, ages, marital status, abode and more.

Horton Banns Registers (1772-1808)

Banns registers record details of those who wished to marry. They sometimes contain information not listed in marriage registers, notably the bride and groom's parish of residence. Banns also record marriages that were intended that did not go ahead and serve as a filler when a marriage register has been lost or damaged.

Horton Marriage Registers (1563-1840)

Details on those who married at Horton between 1563 and 1840. Information given usually includes abode and marital status. After April 1837 father's names and ages are recorded.

Horton Death & Burial Records

England & Wales Death Index (1837-2006)

An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.

Horton Burial Records (1813-1969)

Burial records for people buried at Horton, detail the deceased's name, residence and age from 1813 to 1969.

Horton Burial Records (1560-1812)

Name index linked to original images of the burial registers of Horton. Records document an individual's date of death and/or burial, age and residence. Some records may contain the names of relations, cause of death and more.

Horton Burial Registers (1813-1837)

Records of burial for people buried at Horton between 1813 and 1837. Details include the deceased's name, residence and age. Some records may contain the names of relations, cause of death and more.

Horton Monumental Inscriptions (1638-1983)

Details extracted from tombs, monuments and plaques.

Horton Census & Population Lists

1939 Register (1939)

An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.

England, Wales, IoM & Channel Islands 1911 Census (1911)

The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.

Dorset Electoral Registers (1839-1922)

A full name index, connected to original images of the registers. These records list those who were eligible to vote and may give a description of an individual's property.

Dorset Poll Book (1807)

A list of freeholders in the county, with their residence, the name of their tenants and the location of their freehold.

Dorset Hearth Tax Assessments (1662-1664)

Transcriptions of hearth tax records for the county of Dorset.

Newspapers Covering Horton

Western Morning News (1894-1950)

A politically independent newspaper, covering the affairs of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. It includes family notices.

Western Gazette (1863-1950)

A regional newspaper covering the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire Hampshire and Berkshire. It covers local and national news, family announcements, business news, legal proceedings and more.

Western Times (1827-1950)

A liberal newspaper covering the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It includes family notices.

Dorset County Chronicle (1824-1867)

A regional newspaper including news from the Dorset area, family announcements, business notices, advertisements, legal & governmental proceedings and more.

The Daily Herald (1926)

A London newspaper that later became The Sun.

Horton Wills & Probate Records

England & Wales National Probate Calendar (1858-1966)

Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.

Devon Wills Index (1163-1999)

An index to 295,609 wills of people who lived in or were connected to Devon. The wills they reference can contain a great deal of genealogical information.

Early Gloucestershire Probate Index (1540-1660)

An index to Gloucestershire wills from Bristol and Gloucester Diocese.

Dorset Wills and Probate Documents (1565-1858)

An index linked to original images of wills, administrations and inventories proved in Dorset courts. Documents contain much genealogical information.

Prerogative Court of Canterbury Admon Index (1559-1660)

An index to estate administrations performed by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The index covers the southern two thirds of England & Wales, but may also contain entries for northerners.

Horton Immigration & Travel Records

Dorset Vagrant Passes (1739-1791)

An index linked to original images of documents for vagrants. These records were draw up for poor people who moved to parishes where their presence was unwanted. They contain much genealogical information.

Dorset Convict Transportation Records (1724-1791)

Indentures and other records that recorded the transportation of Dorset men and women to the colonies.

Dorchester Company Emigrants (1623-1628)

Details of individuals who left Dorset for New England.

Passenger Lists Leaving UK (1890-1960)

A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.

UK Incoming Passenger Lists (1878-1960)

A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.

Horton Military Records

Dorset Militia Lists (1757-1860)

An index linked to original images of lists men eligible to serve in the militia. Records may include name, residence, occupation, age, height, marital status, disabilities and family details.

Dorset Absent Voters (1918-1919)

A list of Dorset-men who were in the military and registered to vote as absent.

Dorset WWI Memorials (1914-1918)

A list of names found on World War One monuments in Dorset, with some service details.

Dorset WWII Memorials (1914-1918)

A list of names found on World War Two monuments in Dorset, with some service details.

Prisoners of War of British Army (1939-1945)

A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.

Dorchester Prison Documents (1782-1901)

Over 60,000 documents relating to prisoners held at Dorchester Prison. The collection includes admission and discharge books and photographs of the latter prisoners.

Dorset Alehouse Licences & Recognizances (1754-1821)

Documents relating to the licensing of alehouses. Contains details on the proprietor, establishment and conditions of the licence.

Dorset Vestry, Poor and other Parish Records (1640-1932)

Original images of Dorset parish records. Including: poor rates, overseers, churchwardens, vestry, incumbents' and other records.

Dorset Quarter Sessions Records (1625-1905)

The records document Quarter Session judges’ decisions in matters that include settlement inquiries, highway rates, criminal trials, registers of settlement, orders of removal, bastardy examinations, apprenticeships, licensing, contracts, lists of justices, and other matters related to the business of running the county.

Dorset Vestry, Poor and other Parish Records (1511-1997)

Original images of Dorset parish records. Including: poor rates, overseers, churchwardens, vestry, incumbents' and other records.

Horton Taxation Records

Dorset Tithe Apportion & Maps (1835-1850)

Maps delineating fields in Dorset, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.

Dorset Land Tax (1780-1832)

Digital images of 18th and 19th century records that record landowners and their tenants. The taxable value of the land is given, and sometimes a description of the property. These records can be searched by names and place indices.

Dorset Hearth Tax Assessments (1662-1664)

Transcriptions of hearth tax records for the county of Dorset.

Tithe Apportionments (1836-1856)

An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.

Land Tax Redemption (1798-1811)

This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.

Horton Land & Property Records

Dorset Electoral Registers (1839-1922)

A full name index, connected to original images of the registers. These records list those who were eligible to vote and may give a description of an individual's property.

Dorset Tithe Apportion & Maps (1835-1850)

Maps delineating fields in Dorset, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.

Dorset Land Tax (1780-1832)

Digital images of 18th and 19th century records that record landowners and their tenants. The taxable value of the land is given, and sometimes a description of the property. These records can be searched by names and place indices.

Dorset Poll Book (1807)

A list of freeholders in the county, with their residence, the name of their tenants and the location of their freehold.

Dorset Absent Voters (1918-1919)

A list of Dorset-men who were in the military and registered to vote as absent.

Horton Directories & Gazetteers

Kelly's Directory of Dorset (1931)

A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.

Kelly's Directory of Dorset (1927)

A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.

Kelly's Directory of Dorset (1920)

A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.

Kelly's Directory of Dorset (1915)

A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.

Kelly's Directory of Dorset (1912)

An exhaustive gazetteer, containing details of settlement's history, governance, churches, postal services, public institutions and more. Also contains lists of residents with their occupation and address.

Horton Cemeteries

Horton Monumental Inscriptions (1638-1983)

Details extracted from tombs, monuments and plaques.

Dorset Monumental Inscriptions (1200-2000)

An index to vital details engraved on gravestones and other monuments across the county of Dorset.

Dorset Monumental Inscriptions Index (1020-2007)

An index to inscriptions found on 56,608 gravestones and monuments in Dorset. The index includes details of relationships.

Dorset Memorial Inscriptions Index (1421-1985)

An index to inscriptions found on over 11,500 gravestones in Dorset. The index includes details of relationships.

Dorset Church Monuments (1300-1900)

Photographs and descriptions of Dorset' most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.

Horton Obituaries

iAnnounce Obituaries (2006-Present)

The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.

United Kingdom and Ireland Obituary Collection (1882-Present)

A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.

Quakers Annual Monitor (1847-1848)

A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.

Musgrave's Obituaries (1421-1800)

This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.

British Medical Journal (1849-Present)

A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.

Horton Histories & Books

Notes and Queries for Somerset and Dorset (1888-1906)

Selected issues of a periodical which contains many historical and genealogical tracts relating to the counties of Somerset and Dorset.

Catholic History in South West England (1517-1856)

A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.

Victoria County History: Dorset (1086-1900)

A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.

Dorset Church Photographs (1890-Present)

Photographs and images of churches in Dorset.

Dorset Church Histories & Photos (1066-Present)

Short profiles of Dorsetshire churches, containing photographs and bibliographies.

Horton School & Education Records

National School Admission & Log Books (1870-1914)

A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.

Teacher's Registration Council Registers (1870-1948)

A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.

Oxford University Alumni (1500-1886)

A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.

Cambridge University Alumni (1261-1900)

A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.

Cambridge Alumni Database (1198-1910)

A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.

Horton Occupation & Business Records

Dorset Crew Lists (1863-1914)

A collection of nearly 60,000 documents including crew lists, ship agreements and log books for Dorset. Records may contain information of a sailors birth, life, duties and discipline.

Dorset Parish Apprentices Indentures (1605-1799)

Abstracts of apprenticeship indentures initiated by parishes in Dorset. These records provide details on parents' names and occupations.

Dorset Hemp & Flax Bounties (1782-1793)

Over 3,300 documents relating to bounties offered to farmers by the government to grow hemp & flax.

The Dorsetshire Labourer (1887)

An article describing the life of labourers in Dorset in the 19th century. Includes details on hiring practices and poverty.

Smuggling on the South Coast (1700-1867)

An introduction to smuggling in Dorset & Hampshire.

Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Horton

Victoria County History: Dorset (1086-1900)

A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.

British & Irish Royal & Noble Genealogies (491-1603)

Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.

FamilySearch Community Trees (6000 BC-Present)

A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.

Debrett's Peerage (1923)

A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.

Dod's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage of Britian (1902)

A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.

Horton Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records

Victoria County History: Dorset (1086-1900)

A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.

Dorset Church Monuments (1300-1900)

Photographs and descriptions of Dorset' most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.

British & Irish Royal & Noble Genealogies (491-1603)

Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.

FamilySearch Community Trees (6000 BC-Present)

A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.

Visitation of England and Wales (1700-1899)

Over 600 pedigrees for English and Welsh families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.

Horton Church Records

Horton Parish Registers (1560-1969)

The parish registers of Horton are a collection of books essentially documenting births, marriages and deaths. Their records can assist tracing a family back numerous generations.

Horton Parish Registers (1563-1840)

Documentation for those baptised, married and buried at Horton. Parish registers can assist tracing a family back numerous generations.

Dorset Vestry, Poor and other Parish Records (1640-1932)

Original images of Dorset parish records. Including: poor rates, overseers, churchwardens, vestry, incumbents' and other records.

Dorset Parish Apprentices Indentures (1605-1799)

Abstracts of apprenticeship indentures initiated by parishes in Dorset. These records provide details on parents' names and occupations.

Dorset Parish Register Index with Images (1538-1812)

Original images of parish registers, searchable by a name index, covering almost all Dorset parishes.

Biographical Directories Covering Horton

Debrett's Peerage (1923)

A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.

Dod's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage of Britian (1902)

A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.

Dod's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage of Britian (1885)

A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.

Crockford's Clerical Directories (1868-1914)

Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.

The Concise Dictionary of National Biography (1654-1930)

A directory containing lengthy biographies of noted British figures. The work took over two decades to compile. Biographies can be searched by name and are linked to images of the original publication.

Horton Maps

Dorset Tithe Apportion & Maps (1835-1850)

Maps delineating fields in Dorset, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.

Maps of Dorset (1610-1900)

A collection of digitalised maps covering the county.

UK Popular Edition Maps (1919-1926)

Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.

Ordnance Survey 1:10 Maps (1840-1890)

Maps showing settlements, features and some buildings in mainland Britain.

Tithe Apportionments (1836-1856)

An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.

Horton Reference Works

England Research Guide (1538-Present)

A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.

Parish Register Abstract (1538-1812)

Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.

Building History Research Guide (1066-Present)

A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.

Surname Origins (1790-1911)

A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.

British Family Mottoes (1189-Present)

A dictionary of around 9,000 mottoes for British families who had right to bear arms.

Historical Description

Horton, three miles east of More Critchell, the seat of the late C. Sturt, Esq. At this place there was an Abbey, or Priory, called in the Saxon times, Hordunensis Cenobium, of the Benedictine order, founded in the reign of King Edgar, 961, by Orgar, Earl of Devon. It was first erected in a wood, but was in Malmsbury's time destroyed. Others say it was founded by his son Ordulph. This Orgar is said to have been a person of gigantic stature, and could extend his legs from one bank to another, across a river ten feet broad, which ran near the forest here, full of deer, whose heads he used to amuse himself with cutting off with a small knife, into the stream, as he straddled over. His son Adulf, or Edulph, inherited his father's strength, and, with the greatest ease imaginable, forced open the gates of Exeter, when barred and locked, tearing down part of the wall along with them; and not content with these marks of his prowess, with a single stroke of his foot made the doors fly off their hinges, and shivered the wood. He finished Tavistock Abbey, which his father had begun in 861; the foundation charter gives Adulf all the merit of it. But all his stoutness was not a match for death, which took him off in the prime of life, Anno Domini, 971. He had a daughter named Elfrida, famous for her beauty and marriage, first with Ethelwolde, Earl of the East Angles, and afterwards with King Edgar, whose son Edward fell a martyr to her ambition, as her first husband had done before. According to Mr. Prince, his sepulchre might have been seen not long since at Tavistoke. He ordered his body to be buried at Horton, which church being to receive some considerable marks of his bounty at the same time, the violence of the Abbot of Tavistock prevented it, transferring both the donor and the donation to his own house.

The parish church of Horton was wholly reedificed about the year 1770. It was a very ancient structure, dedicated to St. Wolfrida, mother to St. Edith, Abbess of Wilton.-There was a monument in the aisle, in the belfry of the old church, to the memory of Henry Hastings, fourth son of George Earl of Huntingdon, whose curious character is commemorated by an inscription, under an original picture, at Lord Shaftesbury's, to the following effect: "In the year 1688 lived Mr. Hastings, by his quality, son, brother, and uncle, to the Earls of Huntingdon. He was, peradventure, an original in our age, or rather the copy of our ancient nobility, in hunting, not in warlike times. He was low, very strong, and very active; of a reddish flaxen hair; his clothes always green cloth, and never worth, when new, five pounds. His house was perfectly of the old fashion, in the midst of a large park, well stocked with deer; and near the house rabbits for his kitchen; many fishponds, great store of wood and timber; a bowling green in it, long but narrow, full of high ridges, it being never levelled since it was ploughed: they used round sand-bowls; and it had a banqueting house, like a stand, a large one built in a tree. He kept all manner of sport hounds that ran buck, fox, hare, otter, and badger; and hawks long and short-winged. He had all sorts of nets for fish. He had a walt in the New Forest, and the manor of Christ Church; this last supplied him with red deer, sea and river fish; and indeed, all his neighbours' grounds and royalties were free to him, who bestowed all his time on these sports, but what he borrowed to caress his neighbour's wives and daughters; there being not a woman in all his walks, of the pedigree of a yeoman's wife or under, and under the age of forty, but it was her own fault if he was not intimately acquainted with her. This made him very popular; always speaking himself to the husband, brother, or father, who was to boot very welcome in his house. Whenever he came there, he found beef, pudding, and small beer, in great plenty; the house not so neatly kept as to shame him or his dirty shoes; the great hall strewed with marrow-bones, full of hawks, perches, hounds, spaniels and terriers; the upper side of the hall hung with fox-skins of this or the last year's killing; here and there a polecat intermixed; game keepers' and hunters' poles in great abundance. The parlour was a large room as properly furnished. On a great hearth, paved with brick, lay some terriers, and the choicest hounds and spaniels. Seldom but two of the great chairs had litters of cats in them, which were not to be disturbed : he having always three or four attending him at dinner; and a little white stick, of fourteen inches long, lying by his trencher, that he might defend such meat as he had no mind to part with to them. The windows, which were very large, served for places to lay his arrows, crossbows, and stone-bows, and suchlike accoutrements; the corners of the room full of the best chosen hunting or hawking-poles; his oyster-table at the lower end, which was of constant use, for he never failed to eat oysters all seasons,both dinner and supper: the neighbouring town of Poole supplied him with them. The upper part of the room had two tables and a desk, on the one side of which was a church-bible, and on the other side the Book of Martyrs : on the table were hawks'-hoods, bells, and such like; two or three old hats, with their crowns thrust in, so as to hold ten or a dozen eggs, which were of the pheasant kind of poultry : these he took great care of, and fed himself. Tables, dice, cards, and boxes were not wanting. In the hole of the desk were store of tobacco-pipes that had been used. On one side of this end of the room was the door of a closet, wherein stood the strong beer and wine, which never came from thence but in single glasses, that being the rule of the house exactly observed; for he never exceeded in drink or permitted it. On the other side was the door of an old chapel, not used for devotion; the pulpit, as the safest place, was never wanting of a cold chine of beef, venison pasty, gammon of bacon, or a great apple-pie with thick crust, extremely baked. His table cost him not much, though it was good to eat at. His sports supplied all but beef or mutton, except Fridays, when he had the best of salt-fish, as well as other fish he could get; and this was the day his neighbours of best quality visited him. He never wanted a London pudding, and always sung in eating it 'with my pert eyes there in a,' ('my part lies there in a,' it should be.) He drank a glass or two of wine at meals, very often put syrup of gilly-flowers in his sack, and had always a tun glass without feet, stood by him holding a pint of small beer, which he often stirred with rosemary. He was well natured, but soon angry, calling his servants bastards and cuckolding knaves, in one of which he often spoke truth to his own knowledge, and sometimes in both, though of the same man. He lived to be an hundred, never lost his eyesight, but always wrote and read without spectacles, and got on horseback without help. Untill past fourscore, he rode to the death of the stag as well as any." In this parish, surrounding the site and ruins of an ancient chapel and chapel-yard, is a large and deep circular entrenchment, without any entrance; the area contains about an acre : it is quite distinct from the chapel-yard, which is easily distinguished from it, and is of an oblong figure, nearly approaching to a long square: the ditch is within : the turnpike road crosses it; and it is boldest in the semicircle on the west. On the south side four barrows surround it; one levelled, had four men: two remain in Barrow Field, in Wimborne St. Giles's Churchyard is another planted. In Hollon Field another, planted by Lord Shaftesbury; and one almost levelled: a raised one from the outer camp to the river points south. Badbury lies southwest. In levelling the south vallum, great quantities of human bones, with spear heads, and pieces of iron, were found within it." The space between the chapel-yard and the entrenchment is very unequal, and contains several tumuli, and their respective hollows, from whence perhaps they were dug. In some parts the vallum is high, and the ditch broad, but in others the rampart decreases till it becomes level with the plane of the hill, and seems intended to enclose fifteen acres. There is only one entrance at the west; on every side, near two miles round, are many tumuli, several of which have been opened but no coins, armour, or bones, found. In the adjoining fields are many works of this nature." In the midst of a heath, called Shag's Heath, lying between the roads leading to Ringwood and Fording Bridge, is an enclosure of several fields, in one of which, in a ditch under an ashen tree, inscribed with several names, and visited by the curious, was taken the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, after his flight from the battle of Sedgcmoor, in Somersetshire. Several of our historians will have him to be taken at Ringwood, Holt, &c. but that it really happened here is proved by the testimony of several persons lately living, who remembered the fact." The tradition of the neighbourhood is, that after the defeat of Sedgemoor, the Duke and Lord Lumley quitted their horses at Woodyates, whence the former, disguised as a peasant, wandered hither. He dropped his gold snuffbox in a pea-field, where it was afterwards found full of gold pieces, and brought to Mrs. Uvedale, of Horton: one of the finders had 151. for half the contents or value of it. The Duke went on to the Island, as it is called, a cluster of small farms in the middle of the heath, and there concealed himself in a deep ditch, under the ash. When the pursuers came up, a woman who lived in a neighbouring cot, gave information of his being somewhere in the island, which was immediately surrounded by soldiers, who passed the night there, and threatened to fire the neighbouring cots. As they were going away next morning, one of them espied the brown skirt of the Duke's coat and seized him. The soldier no sooner knew him, than he burst into tears, and reproached himself for the unhappy discovery. The family of the woman who first gave the information, are said to have fallen into decay, and never thrived afterwards. The Duke was carried before Anthony Ettricke, Esq. of Holt, a justice of the peace, who ordered him to London. Being asked what he would do, if set at liberty, he answered, if his horse and arms were restored, he only desired to ride through the army, and he defied them all to take him again. Farmer Kerly's grandmother, lately dead, saw him,and described him as a black, genteel, tall man, with a dejected countenance. The close where he concealed himself is called Monmouth Close, and is the extremest northeast field of the Island."—Hutchins.

Topography of Great Britain (1829) by George Alexander Cooke

HORTON is a small parish and village,3 ½ miles southwest from Verwood station on the Salisbury and Dorset section of the London and South Western railway, 6 north from Wimborne and 4 ½ south-west from Cranborne, in the Eastern division of the county, petty sessional division and county court district of Wimborne, hundred of Bradbury, Wimborne and Cranborne union, rural deanery of Pimperne (Wimborne portion), archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese of Salisbury. The church of St. Wulfrid (or St. Wolfrida) is a curiously formed structure, composed of brick and stone; it comprises a chancel and nave, north doorway, with a square tower, together with a spire containing one bell, and has some old tombs, one being to a knight crusader and his wife, supposed to be of the 12th century: in the vestry there is a monument to the Hon. Henry Hastings, second son of George, 4th Earl of Huntingdon, d. October 5, 1650, and Dorothy, his wife, d. Dec. 4, 1658: the organ and choir stalls were added in 1891: the chalice and paten date from 1610: there are 200 sittings. The ragister dates from the year 1563. The living is a vicarage, with the chapelry of Woodlands annexed, net yearly value £150, with residence, in the gift of the Earl of Shaftesbury, and held since 1892 by the Rev. George Wellington. The Wesleyan chapel at Horton Heath was built in 1877, and the Primitive Methodist chapel at Haythorn in 1888. Mrs. Charlotte (Rickett) Carter’s charity, dated October 23rd, 1894, consists of £100 invested in Government Stocks, the interest to be given at Christmas to such poor inhabitants of Horton as the vicar and churchwardens shall select. In this parish is a building designed for an observatory, nearly 200 feet high; it was formerly surmounted by a spire, but this was many years since blown down. Here was once a Benedictine abbey, founded in 970, by an Earl of Devon, and which, in 1139, became a cell to Sherborne. The Earl of Shaftesbury is lord of the manor and principal landowner. The soil is clay and sand; subsoil, chalk and sand with good pottery clay. Chief crops, wheat, barley and oats. The area is 2,761 acres; rateable value, £1,086; the population in 1891 was 397.

National School, enlarged in 1893, for 60 children; average attendance, 45.

Kelly's Directory of Dorset (1895)

Most Common Surnames in Horton

RankSurnameIncidenceFrequencyPercent of ParentRank in Badbury Hundred
1Wilcox371:1330.08%331
2Loader251:198.90%133
3Morgan241:1911.01%186
4Bailey221:215.66%73
5Rose211:223.34%27
6Wareham151:313.63%66
7Hayward141:334.47%114
8Sims131:364.64%134
8Brewer131:368.13%260
10Steel111:428.80%324
10Thorne111:422.51%57
12Tubbs101:4612.35%511
12Dewland101:4618.52%716
14Stringer91:5175.00%1,933
14Light91:516.12%279
14Sherring91:519.00%422
17White81:580.41%1
17Young81:581.39%31
19Smith71:660.45%2
19Hart71:662.09%102
19Atkins71:664.32%257
19Colman71:6677.78%2,313
19Osman71:6610.45%598
19Horsford71:66100.00%2,754
25King61:770.77%11
25Guy61:771.75%99
25Froud61:778.57%581
25Haskell61:774.72%321
25Crumpler61:776.25%444
30Hopkins51:931.75%129
30Lucas51:931.60%114
30Kendall51:934.31%361
30Kerley51:932.73%230
30Henning51:939.09%707
30Standfield51:937.35%591
36Andrews41:1160.60%23
36Ricketts41:1161.89%194
36Bowring41:1161.78%179
36Dornner41:116100.00%3,917
36Sawnnars41:116100.00%3,917
36Seemons41:116100.00%3,917
36Sherreot41:116100.00%3,917
43Anthony31:1546.00%770
43Lockyer31:1541.70%236
43Chappel31:15430.00%2,156
43Combes31:15421.43%1,745
43Mayner31:154100.00%4,444
48Price21:2327.69%1,203
48Gilbert21:2321.56%319
48Harwood21:2322.56%533
48Frampton21:2320.38%42
48Chapple21:2325.56%959
48Maidment21:2320.70%130
48Wooldridge21:23211.11%1,491
48Lush21:2321.00%203
48Troke21:2325.71%981
48Knowlton21:23216.67%1,933
48Poor21:2329.09%1,328
48Munckton21:2328.00%1,229
48Coomb21:23222.22%2,313
48Karl21:23218.18%2,038
62Edwards11:4630.26%77
62Davis11:4630.12%9
62James11:4630.19%39
62Bennett11:4630.22%55
62Barrett11:4630.25%68
62Long11:4630.36%135
62Bartlett11:4630.08%4
62Ingram11:4631.02%432
62Pike11:4630.28%91
62Leech11:46350.00%5,091
62Cobb11:4630.34%123
62Cutler11:4630.36%136
62Gifford11:4631.01%427
62Whitlock11:4634.17%1,256
62Riggs11:4630.26%76
62Barfoot11:4631.54%612
62Keeping11:4631.35%555
62Davidge11:4631.04%444
62Colborne11:4632.00%770
62Clench11:4632.33%850
62Husher11:46311.11%2,313