John Bowditch
I have a John Bowditch in my family tree as 5th Great Grandfather. However, there is a possibility that this may not be the right answer. My tree may have an extra generation slipped in.
Currently the Ancestry trace from John Bowditch to me is;
John Bowditch 1757-1820
5th great-grandfather
Michael Bowditch 1781-1861
Son of John Bowditch
Mary Ann Bowditch 1809-1890
Daughter of Michael Bowditch
Daniel Pomeroy 1831-1869
Son of Mary Ann Bowditch
Dan Pomeroy 1870-1939
Son of Daniel Pomeroy
Bertram Harry Stephen Pomeroy 1902-1975
Son of Dan Pomeroy
Peggy Alice Mary Pomeroy 1928-2016
Daughter of Bertram Harry Stephen Pomeroy
Ivan Guy Hurst
You are the son of Peggy Alice Mary Pomeroy
AncestryDNA ThruLines™ suggest a link to John Bowditch via his son Michael Bowditch, and then on to his daughter Mary Ann Bowditch as my 3rd Great Grandmother. Mary Ann is the actual node for the DNA matches. The link to Michael and John is by reference to other peoples trees, following family lines. This is of course dependent on those lines being correct. Back to the node, there are three separate branches leading directly into the node with confirmed DNA matches along or at the end of the the branch. One of the three branches has three DNA matches. The DNA matches have also traced with traditional trees. This is also the apparent basis of ThruLines™.
I have reached out to another researcher on Ancestry who appears to have a similar ancestry.
She has told me that 'Thomas Hallett 1780-1852 who married Elizabeth Bowditch, comes up as my 3rd great grandfather.'
Elizabeth Bowditch is one of John Bowditch's daughters.
Elizabeth Bowditch 1780-1863
4th great-grandaunt
John Bowditch 1757-1820
Father of Elizabeth Bowditch
Michael Bowditch 1781-1861
Son of John Bowditch
Mary Ann Bowditch 1809-1890
Daughter of Michael Bowditch
Daniel Pomeroy 1831-1869
Son of Mary Ann Bowditch
Dan Pomeroy 1870-1939
Son of Daniel Pomeroy
Bertram Harry Stephen Pomeroy 1902-1975
Son of Dan Pomeroy
Peggy Alice Mary Pomeroy 1928-2016
Daughter of Bertram Harry Stephen Pomeroy
Ivan Guy Hurst
You are the son of Peggy Alice Mary Pomeroy
There are differences in our tree and who married whom.
In some places this would be considered a dispute with handbags at dawn.
However common and collaborative research may be able to resolve the differences.
Hopefully this article will record the process and the outcome. It is possible that I am not related to this John Bowditch at all. In any case, this research is about the John Bowditch the older of Beaminster whose will is Catalogue reference: PROB 11/1633/184 at the National Archives.
Will for John Bowditch d. 1820
I was told of a Will for John Bowditch.
Accordingly, I searched the National Archives and obtained a copy of the probate register.
Title: Will of John Bowditch, Yeoman of Beaminster , Dorset
Item number: 3651997
Catalogue reference: PROB 11/1633/184
At least it was not in Latin. It is English but still a difficult read, so the first task is to transcribe it.
My first pass of the transcription is shown below. It normally takes a few passes to get a reasonable accurate and full account, but in this case this is not necessary as the relevant names are identified in this pass. The beneficiaries are the children and one servant.
I John Bowditch the older of Beaminster in the County of Dorset Yeoman, being of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding do this twenty fourth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand xxx hundred and twenty make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say I give and bequeath unto my son Michael Bowditch the xx sum of one hundred fifty pounds and to my servant Mary Bailey the sum of twenty pounds ….
Remainder of my goods chattels household furniture xxx cattle implements of husbandry xxx xxx for money and personal Estate and effects whatsoever and wheresoever xxx xxx my be give and bequeath unto my two sons Richard xx Bowditch and John Bowditch xx xx xx upon trust that they and their survivors of them his executors and administrators do and as soon xxxx may be after my death by public sale or private contract sell and dispose of the said goods chattels household furniture xxx cattle implements of husbandry xxx xxx for money and personal Estate and effects for the most money that xxx reasonably gotten for the xxx and do in the first part pay and discharge my just debts xx funeral expenses the expense of proving this my Will and the xx above by me xxx then upon this further trust and xxx that they the said Richard Bowditch and John Bowditch the younger and the Survivors of them his (executors and administrators) do and shall xxx pay distribute and divide that xxx surplus xxx and xxx thereof unto and equally between my Six Children hereinafter mentioned that is to say the said Richard xx Bowditch the said Michael Bowditch the said John Bowditch the younger Robert Bowditch Elizabeth the wife of Thomas Hallett and Ann the wife of Isaac Morey share and share alike and to the xxx of any one or more of them as shall at the time of my death happen to be dead xxx xxx share and share alike ....
A much better job of transcription has been done and Posted on Ancestry, and reproduced below.
TRANSCRIPT by Madame Letty Nardou, provided by Ben Munford 21 March 2018
I John Bowditch the older of Beaminster in the County of Dorset yeoman being of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding to this twenty fourth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty make and publish this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say I give and bequeath unto my Son Michael Bowditch the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds and to my Servant Mary Bailey the sum of twenty pounds which I direct to be paid to them and each of them at the end of one year next after my decease by my Executors in trust hereinafter named and all the rest residue and remainder of my Goods Chattels Household Furniture Stock Cattle Implements of Husbandry monies Securities for money and Personal Estate and Effects whatsoever and wheresoever not hereinbefore by me given and bequeathed I give and bequeath unto my two Sons Richard Bowditch and John Bowditch the younger upon trust that they and the Survivor of them his Executors and administrators do and shall as soon as conveniently may be after my decease by Public Sale or Private Contract sell and dispose of the said Goods Chattels Household Furniture Stock Cattle Implements of Husbandry Personal Estate and Effects for the most money that can be reasonably gotten for the same and do in the first place pay and discharge my first debts funeral expenses the expense of proving this my Will and the legacies above by me bequeathed then upon this further trust and confidence that they the said Richard Bowditch and John Bowditch the younger and the Survivor of them his Executors and administrators do and shall retain pay distribute and divide the then surplus residue and remainder thereof unto and equally between my six children hereinafter mentioned that is to say the said Richard Bowditch the said Michael Bowditch the said John Bowditch the younger Robert Bowditch Elizabeth the wife of Thomas Hallett and Ann the wife of Isaac Morey share and share alike and to the issue of any one or more of them as shall at the time of my decease happen to be dead leaving issue share and share alike but the issue of any such deceased child or children shall be entitled to have or receive no larger or greater share or proportion than his her or their Father or Mother Fathers or Mothers would have been entitled to if living but in case any one or more of my said Sons or Daughters shall happen to die in my life time leaving no issue of his her or their body or Bodies lawfully begotten each upon trust to pay distribute and divide the part or share parts or shares of him her or them so dying unto and amongst the Survivors or Survivor of them at the same time and in the same manner in all respects as is hereinbefore directed with respect to their original parts or shares provided always and I do hereby direct and declare that the said Richard Bowditch and John Bowditch the younger and the Survivor of them his Executors and administrators shall and may retain deduct and reimburse themselves and himself out of any monies which shall come to their or either of their hands by virtue of this my Will all such costs charges damages and expenses as they shall or may severally sustain incur or be put unto in or about the execution of the trusts of this my Will and that one of them shall not be accountable for the other of them nor for the Receipts payments acts neglects or defaults of the other of them but each of them for and with his own Receipts payments acts neglects and defaults only and not otherwise nor shall either of them be obliged to make good any loss or losses which shall or may happen with respect to the monies which shall arise from such Sale or Sales unless the same shall happen through their own willful default or act nor shall they be obliged to make good any more monies than shall actually come to their hands respectively by virtue of this my Will and I make constitute and appoint the said Richard Bowditch and John Bowditch the younger joint Executors of this my last Will and Testament In trust for the purposes aforesaid hereby revoking all former Wills and bequests by me heretofore at any time made and declaring this and no other to be my last Will and Testament In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal the day and year first above written «John Bowditch» Signed Sealed published and declared by the above named Testator John Bowditch the older as and for this last Will and Testament the same being contained in two sheets of paper to each of which he hath set his hand and to this last affixed his Seal in the presence of us who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses «Samuel Godpin» «Robert Hiron»
Proved London 14 August 1820 before the judge by the oaths of Richard Bowditch and John Bowditch the sons and Executors.
At this point all appears well. There is no provision for his wife in this will, but that is not necessarily unusual at this time. Further, his wife may have predeceased him.
The children match both our trees. My branch proceeds along the Michael Bowditch line. The other line is formed from Elizabeth nee Bowditch, wife of Thomas Hallett.
Parish Records - General
Let us explore the parish records. I have been collating the parish records for Broadwindsor, Dorset using information from Dorset Online Parish Clerks (OPCs) . I will share that work back to them once it is complete.
I know it looks like an interactive excel spreadsheet but unfortunately it is only a screenshot of surnames used in baptisms over the centuries. Unfortunately there is so much information on the x axis that it only shows a selection of the names. Less than one in ten names are shown.
Follow the link for another view
The spreadsheet above is interactive and the sliders do adjust the data shown on the graph and table.
Why is the number of instances of a surname of any significance I hear you ask?
| PAUL | 148 |
| STUDLEY | 133 |
| AKERMAN | 116 |
| PHELPS | 99 |
| HOLT | 98 |
| CASE | 91 |
| PAULL | 91 |
| APLIN | 89 |
| CADDY | 85 |
| CLEAL | 84 |
The adjacent table shows the top ten surnames for all baptisms included in my collated register, for the Parish of Broadwindsor, Dorset, across all dates included. This is not necessarily very helpful but may be of general interest.
However, by looking at a particular surname plus variances and focusing of particular decades of interest, taking into consideration the constraints of childbearing age, it can give an initial indication of how many families there are of that surname in one Parish at any one period of time. This is not precise as people can go outside the Parish for baptism, names can be misheard, misspelt, mis recorded, incorrectly transcribed, or alias used. Infants can be buried before they are baptised. Looking at the whole picture gives a different feel to focusing on a single record.
The focus can then proceed to an individual, say John Bowditch. Is there more than one John Bowditch in the area during a particular period? If not there seems to be a reasonable probability that all children baptised with John Bowditch, and perhaps variations of Bowditch, as father are of the same family. Once the mother is also recorded in the records, family groups can be more accurately ascertained.
However, if there are more than one John Bowditch named as potential fathers, further data has to be obtained to be able to make reliable correlations. Sometimes they can be cousins with just a few years between dates of birth, and very similar locations. Common names for both Father and Mother, such as John and Elizabeth further exacerbate the problem.
Bowditch is not in the top ten, but neither is it uncommon. Bowditch is number 46, with a total of 34, in the list of 1501 different surnames recorded in 8387 baptism records, in the Parish of Broadwindsor alone.
Once I have a feel for the environment as it were, I can then use the tables, such as the Baptisms below, together with marriages and burials, to build a better picture and understanding of the family unit being researched. Taking into account both physical and social mobility of the time, as well as their occupation, once it started to be recorded, and apparent wealth.
Another thought comes to mind, looking at some of the records, and recalling that Family Planning was not high in everybody's agenda, is that following a marriage, a child was popped out every year until the mother died in childbirth. Not all the children survived with a very high infant mortality. Some of the burial records just record the father's name as having buried a child, or sometimes, a son or a daughter. Times were very tough for a large proportion of the population, particularly in the agricultural community.
Time progresses and more information is recorded in the parish records. Better data equals greater certainty.
Baptism Dataset
Marriage Dataset
Burial Dataset
Parish Records - Specific
The following tables are an extract of my collated Marriage Parish records for Broadwindsor filtered by Groom Surname - BOWDITCH, and then Forename(s) - John. This filter produced four records listed here.
| UID | Mar UID | Register | Transcriber | PR or BT | County | Parish | Church or Chapel | Denomination | Page | No |
| 969 | BWMarriage0969 | VOLUME IV. | Stephen Spurle | PR | Dorset | Broadwindsor | Church | COE | ||
| 1211 | BWMarriage1211 | VOLUME V. | Stephen Spurle | PR | Dorset | Broadwindsor | Church | COE | ||
| 1411 | BWMarriage1411 | Mar 1813 - 1837 | Beverly Roth | PR | Dorset | Broadwindsor | Church | COE | 310 | |
| 1603 | BWMarriage1603 | Mar 1837 - 1901 | Beverly Roth | PR | Dorset | Broadwindsor | Church | COE | 177 |
As our focus of interest is recorded by his Will Proving as having died in 1820, only the 8 July 1777 marriage to Elizabeth GRAY appears to be relevant.
| Day | Month | Year | By | Consent of | Groom Family reference | Groom Person reference | Forename(s) | Groom Surname | Groom Gender |
| 8 | Jul | 1777 | BWMarriage0969 | BWMarriage0969/P001 | John | BOWDITCH | Male | ||
| 26 | Nov | 1811 | BWMarriage1211 | BWMarriage1211/P001 | John | BOWDITCH | Male | ||
| 19 | Apr | 1836 | 0 | BWMarriage1411 | BWMarriage1411/P001 | John | BOWDITCH | Male | |
| 29 | Aug | 1858 | 0 | BWMarriage1603 | BWMarriage1603/P001 | John | BOWDITCH | Male |
Information improves in later records.
| Groom Cond | Groom X | Groom Age | Groom Occupation | Groom Parish | Groom Father | Groom Father Occupation |
| OTP | ||||||
| Bach | X | Full | Labourer | OTP | John Bowditch | Labourer |
| Bride Family reference | Bride Person reference | Bride Forename(s) | Bride Surname | Bride Gender | Bride Cond | Bride X | Bride Age | Bride Occupation | Bride Parish |
| BWMarriage0969 | BWMarriage0969/P002 | Elizabeth | GRAY | Female | |||||
| BWMarriage1211 | BWMarriage1211/P002 | Maria | PYE | Female | |||||
| BWMarriage1411 | BWMarriage1411/P002 | Sarah | SAINT | Female | X | OTP | |||
| BWMarriage1603 | BWMarriage1603/P002 | Mary Ann | ROWE | Female | Spin | 20 | Thorncombe |
| Bride Father | Bride Father Occupation | Fullname Witness 1 | Fullname Witness 2 | Fullname Witness 3 |
| Henry HOLT | Margaret? HENRICH? | John BISHOP | ||
| Thomas ROWE | Labourer | Noel HUSSEY | Mary BOWDITCH |
The tables above represent the four rows in the filter.
Take to summary, John Bowditch marriage to Elizabeth Gray at St John the Baptist Church, Broadwindsor, Dorset on 8th July 1777.
Unfortunately there is very little additional information to be derived from this record.
So the next stage is to look for baptisms for the issue of John and Elizabeth form say 1778 to maybe 1808 initially. That is assuming an approximate age of marriage of 20 and another 30 years of child bearing age.
A short dive down the rabbit warren, Full Age.
The Marriage Act 1753, full title "An Act for the Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage", popularly known as Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act (citation 26 Geo. II. c. 33), was the first statutory legislation in England and Wales to require a formal ceremony of marriage. It came into force on 25 March 1754. The Act was precipitated by a dispute about the validity of a Scottish marriage, although pressure to address the problem of clandestine marriage had been growing for some time.
Before the Act, the legal requirements for a valid marriage in England and Wales had been governed by the canon law of the Church of England. This had stipulated that banns should be called or a marriage licence obtained before a marriage could take place and that the marriage should be celebrated in the parish where at least one of the parties was resident. However, these requirements were directory rather than mandatory and the absence of banns or a licence – or even the fact that the marriage was not celebrated in a church – did not render the marriage void. The only indispensable requirement was that the marriage be celebrated by an Anglican clergyman. The mistaken assumption that a simple exchange of consent would suffice is based on later conflations between the theological position that consent made a marriage and the actual practice of the church courts. Prior to the passage of the 1753 Act such an exchange only created a binding contract to marry rather than a legal marriage.
The Act tightened the existing ecclesiastical rules regarding marriage, providing that for a marriage to be valid it had to be performed in a church and after the publication of banns or the obtaining of a licence. Those under the age of 21 had to have parental consent if they married by licence; marriages by banns, by contrast, were valid as long as the parent of the minor did not actually forbid the banns. Jews and Quakers were exempted from its provisions, although the Act did not go so far as to declare such marriages valid and it was many years before their legal standing was assured. Nor did the Act apply to members of the British Royal Family. Indeed, members of the Royal Family have been consistently exempted from all general legislation relating to marriage since this date, which is why doubts were expressed in 2005 about the ability of Prince Charles to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles in a civil ceremony, civil marriage being the creation of statute law. It was also provided that the 1753 Act had no application to marriages celebrated overseas or in Scotland.
The Act was highly successful in its stated aim of putting a stop to clandestine marriages, i.e., valid marriages performed by an Anglican clergyman but not in accordance with the canons. Thus the notorious practice of clandestine Fleet Marriages associated with London's Fleet Prison was ended, although there were various short-lived and abortive attempts to claim exemption for the Savoy Chapel in the Strand and the parish of Temple in Cornwall. The early death of the Savoy's minister on board ship while waiting to be transported for his flouting of the Act may have discouraged others from making similar claims, even if his demise was due to gout rather than to the conditions of his imprisonment.
However, some couples evaded the Act by travelling to Scotland. Various Scottish "Border Villages" (Coldstream Bridge, Lamberton, Mordington and Paxton Toll) became known as places to marry. And in the 1770s the construction of a toll road passing through the hitherto obscure village of Graitney led to Gretna Green becoming synonymous with romantic elopements.
The above does however contribute to the idea that a general assumption of marriages being at or around the age of 21.
Back to the task in hand.
From the will, the following children survived until after 1820 when the will was written. Richard Bowditch, Michael Bowditch, John Bowditch, Robert Bowditch, Elizabeth Bowditch, and Ann Bowditch.
First port of call, the Baptism record of Broadwindsor.
The only record fulfilling the filters for father and mother in the appropriate period is;-
Elizabeth Bowditch daughter born to 
John Bowditch and Elizabeth Bowditch on 28 June 1780 of the Gregorian calendar and Baptised on 16 July 1780 at St John the Baptist Church, Broadwindsor, Dorset
A pleasant surprise in the register of this period is the column for the date of birth.
There is nothing to definitively link this record to the John Bowditch in question, however, the probability is that it is correct.
The next thing to look at is for more baptisms in nearby parishes including non-conformist registers.
Starting with Beaminster, which identified three children baptised in the period 1775 - 1799, all to William and Peggy Bowditch. The next period of 1800-1812 provided 1 William & Margaret Bowditch and 4 William & Sarah Bowditch
1803 JUN 10th; Mary daughter of John & Elizabeth BOWDITCH; Beaminster
Henry John & Elizabeth BOWDITCH baptised 28th July 1805 born 21st June
James Oliver Richard & Sarah BOWDITCH baptised 25th December 1806 born 14th May
Giles John & Jane BOWDITCH baptised 31st July 1808 born 18th May 1808
John Oliver son of Richard & Sarah BOWDITCH baptised 20th Sep 1810 born 1809 Sep 20
Elizabeth daughter of John & Jane BOWDITCH baptised 20th Sep 1811 born 1811 14 July
More later
Tithe Apportionment and Maps
The Tithe Apportionment and associated Maps are a good source of additional information. They do not cover everyone, but they nearly cover everywhere, at a field by field, plot by plot level. The information recorded is stated as being Landowner and occupier, however it appears that, in some instances at least, occupier does not necessarily mean in residence, in the way that it might be interpreted today. On some of the records I have looked at a single person in occupying several properties at the same time. This is understandable for Landowner, but less so for occupier without a slight difference of interpretation, perhaps primary leaseholder. I do have some of the Tithe Maps on CD but not for this area, so these are all from The Genealogist. The OS Maps that might match the detail tend to be the 25 inch Maps, and I find those on the National Library of Scotland Maps.
The Tithe Maps are not, and were never intended to be way finder information. They are there to be read in conjunction with the Tithe Apportionment and appear to be relatively accurate, often with field shapes, for instance, still coinciding with the OS 25" maps and current maps and satellite images. Accordingly, it is sometimes difficult and very time consuming to find and cross reference, or co-locate the relevant position on a Tithe Map to the same place on a OS Map and therefore the definitive Latitude and Longitude. For another area of focus, the Parish of Millbrook, Hampshire, I spent the time to layer the Tithe Map onto Google Earth, and you can look at it here.
It is recognised that as John Bowditch died in 1820, he will not appear in any of the Tithe Maps which are generally prepared about 1840. However, we may be able to locate his children, especially following their inheritance.
If you have a 'The Genealogist' subscription you would be able to use a stated name to search for the relevant entry in the Tithe Apportionment and then onto the Map. It is less easy to do the other way around.
Each map is pertaining to a Parish, and the map is drawn to best fit the page, not with the North Orientation towards the top of the page. This adds to the difficulty of cross location on other mapping as well as searching for people who may be in a different parish.
There are over 350 entries found on a search of the Bowditch surname in the County of Dorset.
So we'll set about researching the Parishes adjacent to Broadwindsor, with Broadwindsor first. Initially focusing on Richard Bowditch, Michael Bowditch, John Bowditch, and Robert Bowditch
Parish of Broadwindsor
An extract from the National Archives
Tithes were originally a tax which required one tenth of all agricultural produce to be paid annually to support the local church and clergy. After the Reformation much land passed from the Church to lay owners who inherited entitlement to receive tithes, along with the land.
By the early 19th century tithe payment in kind seemed a very out-of-date practice, while payment of tithes per se became unpopular, against a background of industrialisation, religious dissent and agricultural depression. The 1836 Tithe Commutation Act required tithes in kind to be converted to more convenient monetary payments called tithe rentcharge. The Tithe Survey was established to find out which areas were subject to tithes, who owned them, how much was payable and to whom.
There are two parts to the Tithe apportionment records, one the Tithe Apportionment Agreement and the other the plan or map identifying the plot(s) of land covered by the agreement. The Apportionment above always has the same columns, probably as laid down by Law and as printed by a limited number of approved printers. The image above includes the column headers as;-
-
-
-
-
- Landowners;
- Occupiers;
- Numbers referring to the plan;
- Name and Description of Lands and Premises;
- State of Cultivation;
- Quantities in Statute Measure, - Acres Rods and Perches:
- Amount of Rent-Charge apportioned on the several Lands and to whom payable;
- Payable to Vicar, - £. s. d.;
- Payable to (hand written), - £. s. d.;
- Remarks
-
-
-
The Impropriator was the Lay person entitled to receive the Rent-Charge 
The maps with the grey background are hand draw by the surveyors engaged in the Tithe Apportionment. The above map is dated 1840 and the orientation is best fit to paper, in this case North approximately to the right of the image.
The other map is of the same location shown on an OS 25" map just over 60 years later. Click on the map to see it at source and the layered current mapping.
There is a Robert Bowditch and a John Bowditch living on the edge of Broadwindsor Parish near Childhay. Literally, cross the road and you would be in the next parish. This is their Apportionment and Map, each with a small black arrow superimposed on the Apportionment. The map has a pop-up for Robert Bowditch and plot 724.
The source of this record, The Genealogist, has the following transcription;-
| Landowner | Robert Bowditch |
|---|---|
| Occupier | Robert Bowditch |
| Parish | Broadwindsor |
| County | Dorset |
| Original Date | 23rd January 1839 |
| Plot | 724 |
Robert and John owned and occupied adjacent plots described as cottage and gardens. Robert also owned plot 727, another cottage and garden.
The map zoomed in with the three plots showing.
Parish of Crewkerne
In the adjacent parish of Crewkerne, in a later reapportionment, there is mention of another Bowditch, with land straddling the Railway.
The Wood Farm shown on the OS map above is also shown on the 1842 Map. John Henry Henley is the landowner of the nearby Cold Harbour Farm.
| Relationship to Landowner | Executors of |
|---|---|
| Landowner | The Late F H Hooke & the Late R W Bowditch |
| Parish | Crewkerne |
| County | Somerset |
| Original Date | 3rd September 1842 |
Parish of Wayford
The next adjacent Parish is Wayford. In the vicinity of Robert and John Bowditch, Robert Pratt owns Great Greenham Farm. Which is shown as Higher Greenham Farm on the later OS 25" map.
| Landowner | Robert Pratt |
|---|---|
| Occupier | Robert Pratt |
| Parish | Wayford |
| County | Somerset |
| Original Date | 2nd September 1842 |
Parish of Thorncombe
Looking into the parish of Thorncombe we find another pair of Robert and John Bowditch. This time on the outskirts of the village of Thorncombe and a mere 1.7miles, 35 minutes walk away from the other pair at Kittwhistle near Childhay.
Not in the countryside, albeit on the edge of a small village, and not with any significant plot. Just a house and garden each. Being next door to one another, and sharing a Surname, it would not surprise me if they were related. However, they are common names, so as yet there is no evidence that they are the children of our John Bowditch.
This is a case of a Bowditch being a occupier but not the Landowner. Another John Bowditch, farming over 40 acres at Higher Hereditch Farm. The Landowner is William Barker. The Homestead is plot 423, which is the plot identified on the following Tithe Map. His other plots are given a blue wash.
The location of this farm is shown on the OS 25" map, and also shaded in blue. Here you easily see they are the same place by looking at the shape and size of the fields, as well as the position on the two comparative maps.
The farm is called Herridge Farm on the later OS map, and it is still there, on Google Maps at the beginning of 2021, under the same name.
The address is Herridge Farm, Headstock Road, South Chard, Chard TA20 4NJ, even though Chard is just over the county border into Somerset.
Herridge Farm is in the Parish of Thorncombe, Dorset.
Then we find another John Boditch as an occupier. This time with a landlord called Ruth Hallett. Thomas Hallett married Elizabeth Bowditch, one of the children of the John Bowditch, the subject of this article. Another farmer, living at Wakenslade Cottages, School House, Thorncombe, about 15mins walk outside the village of Thorncombe.
This OS map has four potentially different John Bowditch on. Red dots for the two Robert and John Bowditch locations, some blue for the Herridge Farm location, and light green for the latest John, together with some outlying plots. All within a few miles of Thorncombe.
Scooting on through the records of Tithe Apportionments for the County of Dorset, under the surname of Bowditch, without including variants, we find numerous other examples of Bowditch but not of the mentioned children. That is until we get to the parish of Beaminster.
Parish of Beaminster
Richard Bowditch has a house, shop orchard in the town of Beaminster and an allotment.
Of course, this is just a Richard Bowditch. Any link will have to be demonstrated by other information.
The three acre allotment plot is about 1 mile north on the Turnpike towards Crewkerne.
The next find in the Parish of Beaminster is another John Bowditch. Again, not the landlord but the occupier of over 180 acres.
The farm was called Shatcombe Farm and is marked on the OS Map. Click on the map to be able to zoom out and see the extent of the farm in conjunction with the colour washed Tithe Map, and the proximity to the local town of Beaminster.
The same view as the OS map but with the image set to satellite shows the current farm buildings. The marker is in the same place on both.
There are several springs in the vicinity of the Farm House. They combine to form the River Brit. Perhaps the river helps explain the shape of the farm as it follows the river south.
This dip into the Tithe Apportionment records for Dorset does not cover all of the Bowditch surnames for all of the Parishes and may be revisited if necessary to review additional Parishes.
Effectively, although the survey would have taken time to prepare and agree, it was finalised and signed of on a single day, and being focused on money, there was a interest in keeping it up to date and accurate. It can therefore be considered a snapshot in time, in each Parish.
The next time this happened was the 1841 Census.
Census 1841
Census 1851
Poll and Voting records
Voting was considerably different at the time. Not only did women not get to vote, but nor did most of the population. There was a wealth requirement for men to be allowed to vote.
In this 1857 General Election, F denotes Freehold Qualification; L Leasehold; C Copyhold; Occupier.
Another deviation from today is the publication of who voted for whom. Transparency instead of secrecy.
The Votes given appear under the initials of the Candidates.
Se. = Mr Henry Ker Seymer, a Conservative
F. = Mr Floyer
St. = Mr Henry G. Sturt
P. = The Hon. William H. Berkeley Portman, a Liberal
Below, and extract from the same Poll Book with a quotation from the Illustrated London News about the three winning candidates for Dorset in the 1857 General Election.
The Poll Book is split into what I presume to have been the Parliamentary Divisions of the day. Strangely the Residence column indicated that some people had addresses as far away as London, but still had a vote in a Division of Dorset.
I am hoping that the children of John Bowditch who died in 1820, 37 years before this election, will still be in Dorset, and be eligible to vote.
The first potential find is;
Booth 1 - Richard Bowditch of Beaminster, C - - - P.
Manorial Documents
Newspapers
Stories
Other
Conclusion
I started with the will of John Bowditch the older of Beaminster in which he refers to himself as a Yeoman. He wrote it in February 1820 and died the same year, before it was proved on 14 August 1820.
At the time of writing he had six surviving children, who were mentioned and provided for in his will. He was quite progressive for 1820 as his will set aside the concept of male primogeniture, all to the oldest son. This had made sense for the landed gentry for decades if not centuries beforehand, thereby avoiding the breakup of Estates. It worked as long as the head of the family looked after the needs of the whole family, and provided the Stately Homes and Estates we still have today. The rule of primogeniture for intestate persons was only dropped in England in 1925.
His Will divided his estate equally among his six surviving children, including his married daughters. The exception being; 'I give and bequeath unto my Son Michael Bowditch the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds and to my Servant Mary Bailey the sum of twenty pounds.'
In 2019, the relative value of £150 0s 0d from 1820 ranges from £12,080.00 to £763,400.00. Even the gift to the servant, Mary Bailey could be considered quite generous, as in 2019, the relative value of £20 0s 0d from 1820 ranges from £1,610.00 to £101,800.00.
Unfortunately, unlike another Will I have reviewed, the Will of John Fifield, Gentleman of Standbridge otherwise Standbridge Erles in the parish of Romsey, John Bowditch does not identify his estate by name. It therefore remains conjecture as to size and location of his estate, and the wealth of the children following his death.
'... distribute and divide the then surplus residue and remainder thereof unto and equally between my six children hereinafter mentioned that is to say the said Richard Bowditch the said Michael Bowditch the said John Bowditch the younger Robert Bowditch Elizabeth the wife of Thomas Hallett and Ann the wife of Isaac Morey share and share alike ...'
The daughters get the same as most of the Sons, despite being married and cared for.