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Justinian Symes and Betty Mills © Baptised on the 29th March, 1737, in St Mary Parish Church, Powerstock, Dorset, Justinian was the son of Justinian Sym(e)s and his wife Betty1 (nee Everard). Powerstock, also known as Poorstock, a village and civil parish in south west Dorset, Powerstock is situated in a steep valley on the edge of the Dorset Downs, 8.0 km north-east of the market town of Bridport. The origins of the name Powerstock have not been fully determined; the second part derives from the Old English stoc, meaning an outlying farmstead, but the first part - similar to the nearby settlement of Poorton - is unresolved. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Povrestoch, and according to one source, the name was 'Poorstock' until the Bridport Railway was built through the village in 1857, when the change to Powerstock was made to avoid connotations of 'poor (rolling) stock'. However another source states the name existed in its current form as early as 1787. Poorstock Forest was one of the 80 royal forests created by the Normans in the 11th, 12th and early 13th Centuries. A 'forest' originally meant land where certain rights, usually hunting, were reserved for a monarch or the aristocracy. Eggardon Hill lies about 2.5km south-east of the village, on the summit of which is a 14 hectare Iron Age hill fort, from which can be viewed a wide panorama of the west Dorset countryside, and just over a mile to the east of the village lies the nature reserve of Powerstock Common. On the 4th, 11th & 18th September, 1763, Banns were read in the parish Church of St Mary in Netherbury, Dorset, for Justinian Symes and Betty Mills2. The couple were then married on the 14th October, 17633. The record states they were both from the parish and they both signed their names. The ceremony was conducted by Thos Rayne and the witnesses were Frances Mills and William Mills. It is thought Frances was her father and William possibly a brother. The picturesque village of Netherbury is situated 4km north-north-west of Powerstock and 5km north of Bridport. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village is recorded as ‘Niderberie’, belonging to the Bishopric of Sarum. With 87 very large households, there were 30 villagers, 46 smallholders and 11 slaves, the value to the Lord being £24.5s. Today this beautiful and secluded village, has a number of interesting and historic places close by as well as being surrounded by picturesque countryside. The church of St Mary is 480 years old, and contains an alabaster monument and several admirable stained glass windows. Betty was baptised in Netherbury Parish Church on the 13th January, 1740, she was the daughter of Francis Mills and his wife Mary (nee Everer)1. Various record suggest Justinian & Betty had upwards of eight children: Mary 1764; Elizabeth, 1766, Martha 1767; Ann 1769, she married John Guppy 1791; John 1772; Phyllis 1774; William 1776; and Jane 1779. It is believed Justinian’s father may have been a Tallow Chandler/Soap-boiler and that Justinian followed in this industry. In Country areas the occupations of Tallow Chandler & Soap-boiler were often combined. A Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices4, suggest that Justinian, a Tallowchandler of North Poorton, on Thursday the 16th November, 1780, paid duty of 42shillings for a 7year apprenticeship for one Joseph March. Justinian may also have carried on the trade of Soap-boiler as the same Register, shows that on Monday the 26th April, 1892, he paid £5.2.6 for a 7year apprenticeship for one George S Race. Tallow Chandlery involved the making of candles of suet or fat and selling them after manufacture. In the country the trade of tallow chandler and soap-boiler were frequently combined. Parish records of Netherbury indicate Justinian died in 1812, at the age of 75, and was buried in the Churchyard on the 5th February5. There are a couple of burials in Netherbury for Betty Symes, but the most likely is that she died about 7years after her husband, at the age of about 75, and was buried in the parish churchyard, coincidently, on the 5th February, 18195. It is not known if they were buried together, nor if there is, or ever was a marker for their final resting places. References: 1. Parish Baptism Record via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 2. Parish Marriage Banns Record via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 3. Parish Marriage Record via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 4. UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811 via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 5. Parish Burial Record via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Other Sources: Public Family Trees via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk Book of English Trades, and Library of the Useful Arts, The https://books.google.com.au/books?id=yv9EAQAAMAAJ British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk Old Occupations http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html Open Domesday Book http://opendomesday.org/ |
