Historical names: Wotton Abbas; Wotton Abbots; Woddeton; Abbots Wootton; Wideton
Location: Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset
Places / associated places: Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset
Listed in Domesday Book: Yes
Location & Extent
GPS Location & Recorded Land Areas
Representative GPS point: 50.76278, -2.88029
Identity: confirmed — The supplied record is corroborated by Dorset Historic Environment data and Historic England research: Abbots Wootton/Wotton Abbas was the medieval manorial centre recorded as Wideton in Domesday, with the former principal manor-house site at Lower Abbots Wootton Farm and the associated medieval abbey grange at Higher Abbots Wootton Farm, all in Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset.
Representative point: 50.76278, -2.88029
Basis: documented_manor_house — Approximate WGS84 conversion of OS grid reference SY 38011 96283, the Dorset Historic Environment record for earthworks potentially associated with the former medieval and Elizabethan manor house at Lower Abbots Wootton Farm. Historic England identifies Lower Abbots Wootton Farm as the site of the Elizabethan manor house demolished in 1858.
Point confidence: medium
Boundary status: representative_point_only
Boundary period: Not established; the 1769 estate survey provides an important lead but a sufficiently clear, source-verifiable perimeter for the manor itself was not recovered.
Boundary confidence: none
Boundary basis: The historical estate was extensive and included or was associated with land beyond the settlement, including parts of Whitchurch Canonicorum, Hawkchurch, Symondsbury, Wootton Fitzpaine, Berne and Morecombelake. The 1769 map and survey of the Abbots Wootton estate survive as archive references, but the available evidence does not permit a reliable polygon distinguishing the Abbots Wootton manor proper from associated manors, freehold estates and later estate acquisitions. The 1768 sale notice describes a combined group of manors and additional freehold properties, so its stated seven-mile by four-mile extent cannot safely be used as the boundary of this exact manor.
Sources:
- TNA/MDR record F245510: Abbots Wootton Manor: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F245510 — Registry record and authority context for the exact manor identification.
- MDO38953 - Medieval settlement earthworks, Lower Abbott's Wooton Farm, Whitchurch Canonicorum: https://heritage.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/Monument/MDO38953 — Identifies the Lower Abbots Wootton site, gives OS grid reference SY 38011 96283, and records earthworks possibly associated with the medieval manor house.
- NMP Mapping of the Marshwood Vale, Dorset AONB: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/6864/NMPMappingoftheMarshwoodValeDorsetAONB — States that Lower Abbots Wootton Farm occupies the site of the Elizabethan manor house demolished in 1858 and that the two Abbots Wootton farmsteads formed the medieval manorial centre of Wotton Abbas, recorded as Wideton in 1086.
- MDO44873 - Higher Abbotts Wootton Farm, Whitchurch Canonicorum: https://heritage.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/Monument/MDO44873 — Distinguishes the surviving medieval or post-medieval abbey grange at Higher Abbots Wootton from the nearby manor-house site and records the connection with Abbotsbury Abbey.
- Dorset History Centre catalogue: 1769 map of Abbots Wootton Manor: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/N14332311 — Archive reference D.1/11,704 for the 1769 manor map, demonstrating that a historical estate map exists but is recorded as missing from the archive in 2008.
- Dorset Council documentary evidence concerning the 1769 Abbots Wootton estate map and survey: https://gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/static/countryside/dmmomedia/T616/T616%20App.pdf — Confirms that William Woodward mapped and surveyed Lord Milton's Abbots Wootton estate in 1769 and explains that the estate map and survey contain historically relevant boundary and waste-of-manor information.
Warnings / uncertainty:
- The representative point is based on the documented Lower Abbots Wootton manor-house site and its associated earthworks, not the surviving Higher Abbots Wootton abbey grange.
- The exact historical manorial perimeter remains unresolved. Do not substitute the modern parish, civil parish, estate-sale area or the combined Abbots Wootton/Berne/Morecombelake estate for the manor boundary.
- The 1769 map is an archive lead but was reported missing in 2008; no sufficiently detailed, accessible copy was found to justify polygon reconstruction.
- The cited OS-grid-to-WGS84 conversion is approximate and should not be treated as a survey-grade coordinate.
About the Manor
Abbots Wootton Manor, also called Wotton Abbas, Wotton Abbots, Woddeton, or Abbots Wootton, was the manor centred on the Abbots Wootton settlement and manor-house site in Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset. The place is identified with 'Wideton' in the Domesday survey. Dorset Historic Environment records distinguish the former manor-house site at Lower Abbots Wootton Farm from the surviving medieval or post-medieval abbey grange at Higher Abbots Wootton Farm. The manor formed part of the lands of Abbotsbury Abbey before the Reformation. The Elizabethan manor-house associated with the Every family stood at Lower Abbots Wootton and was demolished in the nineteenth century, traditionally about 1858. The estate historically extended beyond the immediate settlement into parts of Whitchurch, Hawkchurch, Symondsbury, Wootton Fitzpaine, Berne, and Morecombelake, although the precise extent varied over time.
Ownership / Holder Account
The earliest securely identified ecclesiastical holder is Abbotsbury Abbey, which held the estate by the eleventh century and is associated with Wootton in a charter dated 1044; the manor appears as Wideton in Domesday. Following the Dissolution, the Crown granted the manor in the sixth year of Edward VI, 1553, to Sir William Cavendish, who in the same year obtained licence to alienate it to Sir Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville, his wife. The manor descended to their son Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, later Earl of Dorset. In 1583 licence was granted for its sale to William Every. The surviving antiquarian account records further Every-family transactions involving Alexander Every, William Every, and Thomas Every around 1589-1590, after which the manor remained in the Every family for several generations. John Every died without issue in 1679, after which the estate passed through the Every-Henley family connection to John Henley and subsequently to Robert Henley of Glanvilles Wootton. The Henley heirs sold it to Joseph Damer, Lord Milton, in 1768 or 1769. The estate was later held by Lady Caroline Damer and was sold to John Morse in 1814. After Morse's death in 1844 it passed to Edward Swan. A later local-history account states that Alfred Pass purchased the estate in 1895 and that it passed to his son Alfred Douglas Pass after Alfred's death in 1905. The estate was broken up and sold in lots in 1970; the identity of all purchasers and the precise legal descent after that sale have not been established from the sources reviewed.
Records & References
Sources and references mentioning this manor/title which are not necessarily conveyances or transfers.
6 records found.
1798-1806: court book
Held by: Dorset History Centre
1769-1769: map [missing 2008]
Held by: Dorset History Centre
1400-1408: demesne accounts, with other manors
Held by: Dorset History Centre
Further information: NRA 30194
1399-1401: court roll, with other manors
Held by: Dorset History Centre
Further information: NRA 30194
1348-1348: extent, with other manors
Held by: The National Archives
1343-1343: extent, with other manors
Held by: The National Archives
Further information: See SC12/7/10;SC12
Conveyance & Descent
First holder to present holder: blood proximity & distance travelled
First recorded holder: Abbotsbury Abbey
Present holder:
Recorded title journey: 17 holder entries in this manor's saved Conveyance & Descent history.
No recorded holder currently has a usable saved direct-blood or collateral-blood relationship path from which to calculate proximity percentages.
First recorded holder → present holder
A usable saved blood relationship path between the first recorded holder and the present holder has not yet been recorded, so that first-to-present genealogical distance cannot be calculated.
Transfer: Held as part of the lands of Abbotsbury Abbey until the Crown grant after the Reformation.
Shared holding: Abbotsbury Abbey
A charter of 1044 associates Wootton with Abbotsbury Abbey, and the manor is identified as Wideton in Domesday. Dorset sources state that the manor formed part of the lands of Abbotsbury Abbey. The end date is given as 1553 because Hutchins records a Crown grant in the sixth year of Edward VI; the exact date of the abbey's loss of the manor is not established here.
Source: Dorset Heritage Explorer, MDO44873 and MDO44874, citing Shipp and Hodson, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264; Langscape, charter reference S1004. — source link
Transfer: Granted by the Crown in the sixth year of Edward VI; in the same year he obtained licence to alienate the manor to Sir Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville.
Shared holding: Cavendish
Previous holder: Abbotsbury Abbey, Abbot and convent of Abbotsbury
Hutchins records the grant in the sixth year of Edward VI, corresponding to 1553. The source does not provide the exact day or month.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account. — source link
Sir Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville, Marchioness of Winchester
Transfer: Sir William Cavendish obtained licence to alienate the manor to Sir Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville, his wife.
Holding arrangement: Joint — Joint holding by husband and wife
Shared holding: Sackville
Co-holder: Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, later Earl of Dorset
Previous holder: Sir William Cavendish, courtier and administrator
The source expressly records the 1553 alienation to Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville. The exact date on which the manor passed to their son is not stated; Hutchins says that it descended to Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account. — source link
Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, later Earl of Dorset, 1st Earl of Dorset, Lord High Treasurer, 1st Baron Buckhurst, later 1st Earl of Dorset, Lord Treasurer of England, poet and dramatist, Poet and statesman, Baron Buckhurst, 9th Earl De La Warr, Labour politician, Minister of Agriculture, Lord Privy Seal, Postmaster General, Mayor of Bexhill-on-Sea
Transfer: Inherited or otherwise received the manor from his parents, Sir Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville; sold or conveyed it under licence in 1583.
Shared holding: Sackville
Co-holder: Sir Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville
Previous holder: Sir Richard Sackville and Winifred Sackville, Marchioness of Winchester
Hutchins states that the manor descended from Richard and Winifred Sackville to their son Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, later Earl of Dorset. In 1583 licence was granted for its sale to William Every.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account. — source link
William Every, Esquire, member of the Every family of Dorset and Somerset
Transfer: Acquired the manor from the Sackville family under a licence to alienate granted in 1583.
Shared holding: Every
Co-holders: Alexander Every, Thomas Every, John Every
The manor was conveyed to William Every in 1583. The property included the ancient mansion house and extensive appurtenances in Woddeton or Abbots Wootton, Hawkchurch, Whitchurch, Symondsbury, and Wootton Fitzpaine.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account; Dorset Heritage Explorer MDO44874. — source link
Transfer: The 31st year of Elizabeth I, 1589, licence was granted for Alexander Every to alienate the manor to William Every; in the 32nd year, 1590, Thomas Every, described as Alexander's brother and heir, held the manor. The precise legal sequence is unclear from the available summary.
Shared holding: Every
Co-holders: William Every, Thomas Every, John Every
Previous holder: William Every, Esquire, member of the Every family of Dorset and Somerset
Hutchins records Alexander Every in connection with the 1589 licence and states that Thomas Every, his brother and heir, held the manor in 1590. Because the summary creates an unclear sequence between William, Alexander, and Thomas Every, no unrecorded conveyance has been supplied.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account. — source link
Transfer: Held the manor in 1590 as brother and heir of Alexander Every.
Shared holding: Every
Co-holders: William Every, Alexander Every, John Every
Previous holder: Alexander Every, Esquire
The source states that in the 32nd year of Elizabeth I, 1590, Thomas Every, brother and heir of Alexander Every, held the manor, valued at £44. The later Every-family descent is stated generally, but the intermediate holders and dates are not fully documented in the available material.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account. — source link
Transfer: Died without issue in 1679; the manor passed to his sister Barbara Every.
Shared holding: Every
Co-holders: William Every, Alexander Every, Thomas Every
Previous holder: Every family
Hutchins states that John Every died without issue in 1679 and that the manor then came to his sister Barbara. The intervening descent from Thomas Every is not itemised in the available summary.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account. — source link
Transfer: Inherited from her brother John Every; she was the second wife of Sir Robert Henley of the Grange, Hampshire.
Shared holding: Every-Henley
Previous holder: John Every, Esquire
Hutchins states that the manor came to Barbara Every after the death without issue of her brother John Every in 1679. Her marriage to Sir Robert Henley is not treated as a conveyance to him because the available source does not state that he held the manor in his own right.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account. — source link
Transfer: Received the estate through his mother Barbara Every Henley; the precise date and instrument are not stated.
Shared holding: Henley
Co-holder: Robert Henley of Glanvilles Wootton
Previous holder: Barbara Every Henley, wife of Sir Robert Henley
The available descent account states that the estate came from Barbara Every to her son John Henley. A separate biographical note reports that John Henley died on 25 April 1732 and had previously held Wootton Abbots, but the exact date of his acquisition is not established here.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account; Freshford, Wootton Fitzpaine historical notes. — source link
Transfer: Received the estate from his brother John Henley under John Henley's testamentary arrangements; the source describes Robert as John Henley's brother and the person to whom John entrusted the care of his children.
Shared holding: Henley
Co-holder: John Henley
Previous holder: John Henley, Esquire
The available account says that John Henley left Wootton Abbots to his brother Robert Henley of Glanvilles Wootton, and the Hutchins descent states that the heirs of Robert Henley sold the manor to Joseph, Lord Milton. The exact legal instrument and date of Robert's acquisition are not supplied.
Source: John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264, reproduced in the Abbots Wootton descent account; Freshford, Wootton Fitzpaine historical notes. — source link
Joseph Damer, Lord Milton, later Earl of Dorchester, 1st Earl of Dorchester from 1792
Transfer: Purchased the Abbots Wootton estate from the Henley heirs in 1768 or 1769. A 1769 estate survey describes Abbots Wootton as Lord Milton's newly purchased estate.
Shared holding: Damer
Previous holder: Heirs of Robert Henley
The date is variously given as 1768 and 1769. A Dorset Council document states that the previous owner was Mr Henley, who died in 1768, and that Lord Milton commissioned William Woodward to map and survey his newly purchased estate in 1769. The estate survey is identified as Dorset History Centre map D.1/11704 and related survey material.
Source: Dorset Council, Form A application T616, citing William Woodward's 1769 map and survey of Lord Milton's Abbots Wootton estate; John Hutchins, History and Antiquities of Dorset, 3rd ed., vol. 2, p. 264. — source link
Transfer: The estate passed to Lady Caroline Damer after Joseph Damer's death and was sold to John Morse in 1814.
Previous holder: Joseph Damer, Lord Milton, later Earl of Dorchester
Later holder of Abbots Wootton following the death of Joseph Damer; the estate was sold to John Morse in 1814.
Transfer: Purchased the estate from Lady Caroline Damer in 1814; after his death in 1844 it passed to Edward Swan.
Previous holder: Lady Caroline Damer
Held Abbots Wootton from the 1814 purchase until his death in 1844.
Transfer: Received the estate after John Morse's death in 1844; the estate was later purchased by Alfred Pass in 1895.
Previous holder: John Morse
Held the estate between the death of John Morse and its purchase by Alfred Pass in 1895.
Transfer: Purchased the estate in 1895; after his death in 1905 it passed to his son Alfred Douglas Pass.
Previous holder: Edward Swan
Purchased Abbots Wootton in 1895 and held it until his death in 1905.
Transfer: Inherited the estate from his father Alfred Pass after 1905; the estate was broken up and sold in lots in 1970.
Previous holder: Alfred Pass
Held the estate after his father's death until its breakup and sale in lots in 1970.
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JSON API
Machine-readable published manor data, including public images, mapped land areas, notes, rights, conveyances, relationships, records, source/document-library entries and public file links.
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