Elizabeth Molton (1766 - 1838)

52 Ancestor Challenge - Challenge 9

Blake, King, Coleman, Pearce, Farmer, unknown, Lambden, Sarah (unknown), Knight, Ellis, Knight, Vincent, Butt, Durnford, Arnold, Molton, Cotterel, Bartlett, Alderman, Ann (unknown), Sherwood, unknown, Habberfield, Collings, Rawlings, Tanner, Dove, Morgan, Lywood, Canham, unknown, Peck, Pincombe, Charley, Rowcliffe, Pearse, Rew, Moggridge, Siderfin, Kent, Gray, Hilton, Cobb, Sproxton, Routledge, Tweddle, Routledge, Routledge, (unknown) Buller, unknown, Beard, Hemsley, Welch, Brockhouse, Cheatle, Woodcock, unknown Taylor, unknown, Harborne, Lewis, Roberts, Croxall, Lawley, unknown

Elizabeth Molton, another of my 64 3x great grandparents, married William Arnold 30 Aug 1793 at Milton Abbas, Dorset. For a few years I had Elizabeth's surname as Malton from a trancription of their marriage lines but a cousin of mine checked the original documents in the Dorset Record Office and found the surname was Molton. That set us off on an interesting journey. We both had found the baptism of an Elizabeth Molton 20 Apr 1766 at Winterborne Whitchurch daughter of William and Sarah Molton (and it was known that her husband William Arnold had been baptized at Milton Abbas). We could now claim Elizabeth as our own which was a rather comfortable addition as Elizabeth had been quite brickwalled for ages for my cousin and for me from the beginning of my research time in 2004.

However, we could not find a marriage for William Molton and Sarah although did find the baptism of William 2 Aug 1743 at Winterborne Whitchurch and the burial of Sarah 13 Jan 1799 at Winterborne Whitchurch. They baptized six children at Winterborne Whitchurch namely:

Thomas baptized 11 Jun 1764 and buried 10 Feb 1765 at Winterborne Whitchurch
Elizabeth baptized 20 Apr 1766
Jane baptized 24 Jun 1769 and buried 20 Apr 1771 at Winterborne Whitchurch
Stephen baptized 12 Jan 1772
Jane baptized 1 May 1774
William baptized 7 Apr 1782

Searching through Find My Past for William Molton I came across an interesting marriage at Winterborne Clenston: William Malton married Sarah Seafear 5 Jan 1764 with witnesses James Masterman and Thomas Clerk. The witnesses were often to be found on marriages at this parish (I am the online parish clerk for Winterborne Clenston but had not noticed this marriage before).

There is also a baptism at Winterborne Whitechurch 2 Aug 1743 of William Molton son of John and Elizabeth Molton. This I had found earlier.

Other children baptized by John and Elizabeth Molton at Winterborne Whitechurch

Jane baptized 2 Jun 1749
Robert baptized 29 Nov 1753
John baptized 18 Jan 1756

Again a new marriage on Find My Past and it is at Turnworth with John Molton marrying Elizabeth Durden 12 Aug 1740. John is of Winterborn Kingston (at the time of his marriage) and Elizabeth of Winterborne Whitechurch. Turnworth is close to Winterborne Clenstone and Winterborne Whitechurch.  We visited all of these sites in 2008.I had found earlier the baptism of a John Molton 20 Jul 1714 at Winterborne Whitechurch son of John and Elizabeth Molton. There was a John Molton buried at Winterborne Whitechurch 24 Jul 1784 and an Elizabeth Molton buried 18 Jun 1781 at Winterborne Whitechurch wife of John aged 67 years.

There was also a John Molton (senior) buried 29 Apr 1747 at Winterborne Whitechurch aged 64 years and an Elizabeth Molton (widow of John) buried 14 Dec 1768 at Winterborne Whitechurch. The following children are baptized at Winterborne Whitechurch children of John and Elizabeth Molton (John Molton said to be of Milton, generally thought to refer to Milton Abbas but a website on abandoned communities is giving me second thought as there was a town of Milton midway between Dorchester and Blandford).

Mary baptized 2 Jan 1710
Thomas baptized 24 Aug 1712
John baptized 20 Jul 1714
Mary bpatized 24 Jul 1721
Betty baptized 30 Jan 1723

Although in terms of generations I have not added to the Molton family I have fleshed out a few more details which was the intent of my 52 ancestor challenge!

Ancestry of Elizabeth Molton

1. Elizabeth BLAKE
2. Ernest Edward George BLAKE (b 20 Aug 1904) - Eastleigh Hampshire England
3. Samuel George Blake (b 10 Feb 1875) - Upper Clatford Hampshire England
4. Maria Jane KNIGHT (b 27 Jan 1849) - Turnworth Dorset England
5. Louisa BUTT (b 27 Jan 1827) - Winterborne Stickland Dorset England
6. Hannah ARNOLD (b 13 Dec 1797) - Winterborne Stickland Dorset England
7. Elizabeth MOLTON (b 20 Apr 1766) - Winterborne Whitchurch Dorset England
8. William MOLTON (b 2 Aug 1743) - Winterborne Whitchurch Dorset England
9. John MOLTON (b 20 Jul 1714) - Winterborne Whitchurch Dorset England
10. John MOLTON (bc 1683)

I do not know anything about Elizabeth other than her parents at baptism, her marriage to William Arnold and the children that they had and her death date. She lived in Winterborne Whitchurch all of her life it would appear although they married at Milton Abbas (the home of William Arnold). I know that her great grandparents John and Elizabeth Molton were buried at Winterborne Whitechurch and baptized all of their children there but do not have a marriage for them nor do I know their parents or where they were baptized. These furtherest back in her line on the Molton side were my 7x great grandparents. I have learned her mother's maiden name of Seafear but nothing more about her mother.

William Arnold and Elizabeth Molton would have ten children although some list the youngest Mark born 19 years after the youngest as the son of Sarah (daughter of this couple). Her daughter Hannah was my 3x great grandmother and she married Charles Butt and my last challenge was John Butt the father of Charles.