Dorothy was one of Ari’s 7x great-grandmothers, born on 19 April 1744 at Bloxworth (near Wareham) in Dorset, and baptised on 31 May at St Andrew’s church.
Dorset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.co.uk
According to the Bloxworth OPC page, “this is one of the very few churches where the original hour glass and stand, by which, after the Reformation, the length of the sermon was regulated, still exists.”
Dorothy was the sixth child and fifth daughter of a yeoman farmer, Matthew Abbott, and Jane Clench.
Matthew died intestate in January 1767, and his widow (second wife) Mary, administered his estate, giving us a very detailed inventory of his possessions.
In November 1768 Matthew’s brother David Abbott died and his will shows that Dorothy inherited £20 (worth about £1745 now), plus “one Bell mettal pott, Three pewter Dishes, and one pair of Holland sheets”.
Wiltshire, England, Wills and Probate, 1530-1858, Ancestry.co.uk
According to Sleep in Modern England by Sasha Handley, “Holland sheets were made from a fine linen cloth that originated in the Low Countries. They were used sparingly in many households due to their cost, and owning such sheets was a sign of luxury and status”. She also says that “the provenance, decoration and use of linen sheets … ensured that they were regularly bequeathed” (p. 129).
Dorothy married Henry Redway on 18 October 1770, at St Mary’s church in Winterborne Stickland.
Dorset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.co.uk
Dorset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.co.uk
Dorothy and Henry had six children betwen 1771 and 1782. I have been unable to find a death or burial for Dorothy.
Ari, this is how you are related to Dorothy:
