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Benjamin Atkins and Rachel Antil © Possibly the son of Benjamin Atkins and his wife Mary (nee Swatridge), a probable baptism for Benjamin has been located in Cheselbourne, Dorsetshire, on the 13th December, 17391. It is a mystery why Benjamin was baptised in Cheslebourne, as it appears his parents were married in St Martin, Winterbourne, and three of his siblings were also baptised in Winterbourne2. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Cheselbourne is an ancient village that lies 20km north-north-east of Portisham. Scattered for nearly a kilometre along the banks of the stream from which it takes its name, Cheselbourne has a 16th Century Manor, the 17th Century Northfield Farm, and it is surrounded by open fields4. So, maybe like many rural workers his parents regularly moved around for work. It is believed that the Benjamin Atkins, of St Martin Winterbourne, Labourer, found on the 1762 Dorset Militia List2, is our Benjamin. This record indicates Benjamin was 21years old at the time and was sworn into the Militia for 3 Years. The 1765 Militia List shows his Service expired in 17652. Records indicate Benjamin first married Joan Hood, on the 11th February, 17652, in Winterbourne. Records also indicate Benjamin and Joan has one daughter, Jenny, baptised in Winterbourne, St Martin December 17651. It appears that Jenny died in July 1768, followed by her mother Joan in December the same year1. The name Winterbourne is derived from the winter stream that runs through the village. There is an Iron Age hill-fort known as Maiden Castle, and archaeological excavations have revealed an Iron Age cemetery fort featuring burials of people who had died violently, including one with a catapult bolt still lodged in his spine. This led some people to believe the fort was the scene of a last stand battle by the Ancient Britons in 44, but there is little evidence to support this belief. The next record we have of Benjamin is when he marries Rachel Antill, in St Peter Parish Church, Portisham, on the 27th September, 17712. Benjamin was a Widower from nearby Winterbourne and Rachel a Spinster from Portesham. Both Benjamin and Rachel made their mark. The Vicar was John R Shudde and the witnesses William Waers and Jeffery Ruffell. Winterbourne is 5km south-south-east of Portesham. Rachel, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Antill, was baptised on the 21st August, 17471, in St Peter Parish Church, Portesham. Benjamin and Rachel had six children, but records1 indicate the children were baptised in several different areas: Jane 1772, in Winterbourne; William 1774 and Elizabeth 1776, in Portesham; John 1778, in Bradford-Peverell; with Thomas 1780; and James 1782, in Melcombe Regis. A quaint little village of limestone thatched cottages and a medieval church, Portesham is spoken in the Dorset dialect as ‘Possum’, and was originally granted as a manor by King Canute in 10246. The lands had been given to Orc his servant, and his wife subsequently gave it to the Monastery of Abbotsbury, which is less than 2km south-west of the village. Also called Portisham in earlier days, the village is approximately 7km south-south-west of Winterbourne. Appearing in the Domesday Book4 with a total population of 34 households, the village was under the Lordship of Abbotsbury Abbey. Running through the parish is an outcrop of Purbeck limestone, which was quarried in Portesham in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, producing stone that was used in domestic and ecclesiastical buildings within the local area. The quarry also contained a lime kiln. Bradford Peverell is one of the oldest villages in Dorset6, and is more or less 10km north-east of Portisham. The village pre-dates the Roman occupation of Dorchester and means a ‘broad ford’. Straddling the chalk hills and grassy meadows, the ford was on the site of a Roman bridge which carried the road northwards, and still visible today is an aqueduct, from nearly 2000 years ago, which took water from the River Frome to other villages. Situated on the north shore of Weymouth Harbour, Melcome Regis seems only to have developed as a significant settlement and seaport in the 13th Century6. This ancient and bustling seaside town was originally called after an ancient mill, which has long since disappeared, with 'Regis' added to indicate that it formed part of a royal domain. Melcombe is also known as one of the first points of entry of the Black Death into England in the summer of 1348. It is thought the disease was possibly carried there by infected soldiers and sailors returning from the Hundred Years' War, or from a visiting spice ship. It is not known what occupation Benjamin or his family may have been involved in, but there is strong evidence, in the baptismal records of his children, to suggest that the family regularly moved around Dorset, possibly in search of work. Looking at the history of the places where Benjamin and Rachel lived, there is evidence which could indicate that Benjamin was most likely an Agricultural Labourer. However, this is not proven and he could also have been involved in other occupations such as building, or even lime burning. Flax was also grown in these areas, so maybe Benjamin was possibly a Flax Thresher. We know that in 1783 the family was in Portesham, as this is where Rachel died. Age 36, Rachel was buried in the St Martin Parish Churchyard on the 14th August, 17835. It is possible she died in childbirth. As Benjamin was left with several young children, it is likely he remarried at least once after Rachel’s death, and a couple of references to a Benjamin Atkins marrying in the district have been located. However, none of these records indicate whether or not Benjamin was a widower, nor have they been confirmed as our Benjamin. At the age of 84, Benjamin died in Burton Bradstock, Dorset and he was buried in the St Mary Parish Churchyard on the 29th July, 18225.
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