Arnold Family of Milton Abbas, Dorset

Recently a number of messages on a facebook website and later personal emails have left me with a few thoughts to ponder. Initially I had met the individual involved on the Dorset rootsweb mailing site (about ten years ago) and I had given to her my family tree as known to me for the Arnold family. In retrospect, I think she was just trying to get me to agree that a child born quite a bit later than the siblings of my Hannah Arnold was the illegitimate child of a younger sister of Hannah. I must admit that it crossed my mind but there really has never been any solid proof of that. Now with DNA it could certainly be proven or not as the case may be. My own line is as follows:

Myself, daughter of
Ernest Edward George Blake (b Eastleigh Hampshire England), son of
Samuel George Blake (b Upper Clatford Hampshire England), son of
Maria Jane Knight (b Turnworth Dorset England), daughter of
Louisa Butt (b Spetisbury Dorset England), daughter of
Hannah Arnold (b Winterborne Whitchurch Dorset England), daughter of
William Arnold (b Milton Abbas Dorset England), son of
John Arnold (b Milton Abbas Dorset England), son of
John Arnold (b Milton Abbas Dorset England), son of
James Arnold (b Milton Abbas Dorset England), son of
James Arnold

At that time the surname of William Arnold's wife was said to be Malton, Elizabeth Malton. Their marriage registration appears below:

It was this marriage registration that convinced me that the spelling of Elizabeth's surname was Molton. She has signed the marriage registration herself. Her husband William has also signed himself and he has managed to leave the d off of his surname. Nevertheless I believe that Elizabeth has given a hint to her ancestors with her signature.

Noting the "a" in Elizabeth and comparing it with the two vowels in the surname and I believe that these are both o's even though the priest has recorded the spelling of her name as Malton. I believe he is incorrect. I think we need to have our eyes open as we investigate our families. Her signature is clear and well formed like someone who writes often.

Because of her signature it was possible to find an Elizabeth Molton of Winterbourne Whitchurch (as mentioned in the registration). There isn't an Elizabeth Malton born in the correct time frame in this area. This was a brick wall for me before I found the marriage registration a few years ago.

Parents of Elizabeth appear to be William Molton (likely baptized 2nd August 1743 at Winterborne Whitchurch son of John Molton and Elizabeth Durden (married 12 Aug 1740 at Turnworth))  who married Sarah Seafear 5th January 1764 at Winterborne Clenstone. Sarah was buried 13th Jan 1799 at Winterborne Whitchurch. William Molton and Sarah (Seafear) Molton baptized five children all at Winterborne Whitchurch:

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

John Molton (likely baptized 20 Jul 1714 at Winterborne Whitchurch son of John and Elizabeth Molton) and Elizabeth Durden baptized the following children at Winterborne Whitchurch:

William Molton baptized 2 Aug 1743
Jane Molton baptized 2 Jun 1749
Robert Molton baptized 29 Nov 1753
John Molton baptized 18 Jan 1756

It is good to be helpful to each other in genealogy I think.

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.