In the Quarter Sessions order books for the county of Somerset covering the seventeenth century are a handful of cases relating to Dorset people and their removal to or from the two counties. The order books for the period from 1677 remain unpublished and are held at the Somerset record Office under reference Q/SO. The records prior to 1676 were published by the Somerset Record Society in four volumes as:
Quarter Sessions Records for the County of Somerset Vol. I 1607-1625 edited by The Rev. E.H. Bates Harbin, M.A., 1907, SRS Vol. 23.
Quarter Sessions Records for the County of Somerset Vol. II 1625-1639 edited by The Rev. E.H. Bates Harbin, M.A., 1908, SRS Vol. 24.
Quarter Sessions Records for the County of Somerset Vol. III Commonwealth 1646-1660 edited by The Rev. E.H. Bates Harbin, MA, 1912, SRS Vol. 28.
Quarter Sessions Records for the County of Somerset Vol. IV 1666-1677 edited by M.C.B. Dawes, 1919, SRS Vol. 34.1
The list printed here gives brief details of the people and places involved in the cases, along with the years, or years, of the cases, followed by the reference number. Although this was routine business for the court to deal with their occasionally appears cases of note. In the 1690s it appears that the parish of Monksilver were very keen to remove the widow Ann Leave and her family, which involved two Dorset parishes, i.e. Bere Regis and Milborne St Andrew.
William Ambrose and family
Milborne Port, Somerset; Shaftesbury, Dorset; 1676; ref. Q/SO 7 f.21.
Jane wife of Richard Astyn
Kingsdon, Somerset; Dorset; Ireland; 1630; ref. SRS 24 p.129.
William Backer, wife and children
West Buckland, Somerset; Burstock, Dorset; 1679/80; Q/SO 7 f.205.
Joan Balch, widow of Thomas, and children
Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset; Chardstock, Dorset; 1672; ref. SRS 34 p.122.
Ann Bartlett
Preston Plucknett, Somerset; Woolcombe, Dorset; 1695; Q/SO 8 f.288.
William Battson
Mudford, Somerset; Thorneford, Dorset; 1698; Q/SO 8 f.384.
James Browne, wife Mary and four children
Somerton, Somerset; Sherborne, Dorset; 1694; Q/SO 8 f.256.
Joane wife of Matthew Cheeke and child
Seavington St. Mary, Somerset; Broadwinsor, Dorset; 1694; Q/SO 8 f.266.
John Chester
East Coker, Somerset; Halstock, Dorset; 1695; Q/SO 8 f.290.
Elizabeth wife of John Dennys and her three small children
Broadwinsor, Dorset; Compton Dundon, Somerset; 1670; ref. SRS 34 p.87.
James Edwards
Stoke St. Michael, Somerset; Hinton St. Mary, Dorset; 1618/9; ref. SRS 23 p.248.
James Forehead, and wife Mary
Stoke Trister, Somerset; Gillingham, Dorset; Cloford; 1668; ref. SRS 34 p.49.
Elizabeth Gilbert
West Camel, Somerset; Sherborne, Dorset; 1618; ref. SRS 23 p.230.
Edith Gillingham otherwise Farr
Holwell, Somerset; Folke, Dorset; 1697; Q/SO 8 f.338.
Base born child of Elizabeth Haynes
Yeovil, Somerset; Dorset; 1616; ref. SRS 23 p.176.
Elizabeth, widow of John Herridge and children
Lyng, Somerset; Cann, Dorset; 1681; Q/SO 7 f.276.
Dorothy wife of John Hunt and her child
Broadwinsor, Dorset; Chilthorne Domer, Somerset; 1654/55; ref. SRS 28 p.253.
John James, wife and two children
Chillington, Somerset; Stockland, Dorset; 1696; Q/SO 8 f.322.
John Kidle
Holnest, Dorset; Holwell, Somerset; 1690; Q/SO 8 f.87.
Hannah Knight
Haselbury Plucknett, Somerset; Maperton, Dorset; 1698/9; Q/SO 8 f.391.
Ann Leave, widow of Edward (blacksmith), Edward, Henry and John her three sons
Monksilver, Somerset; Bere Regis, Dorset; 1698 and 1699; Q/SO 8 f.379 and f.395.
Ann Leave, widow and relict of Edward and her five children
Monksilver, Somerset; Milborne St. Andrews, Dorset; 1696/7; Q/SO 8 f.334.
John Marcham
Witham Friary, Somerset; Child Okeford, Dorset ; 1692; Q/SO 8 f.176.
George Meade
Ilminster, Somerset; Yetminster, Dorset; 1697; Q/SO 8 f.347.
Susanna Morris and child Elizabeth
Castle Cary, Somerset; Sherborne, Dorset; 1696; Q/SO 8 f.321.
Charity Newberrey, widow
Chard Borough, Somerset; Stockland, Dorset; 1697; Q/SO 8 f.349.
John Rayndall, Margaret his wife, Samuel and Judith his son and daughter
North Perrott, Somerset; Cheddington, Dorset; 1699; Q/SO 8 f.408.
Katherine Roberts and her base child
Crewkerne, Somerset; Broadwinsor, Dorset; 1629/30; ref. SRS 24 p.118.
Richard Rock
Closworth, Somerset; Chettle, Dorset; ND [1656?]; ref. SRS 28 p.319.
John Shilket and wife
Yeovil, Somerset; Cumpton (sic), Dorset; 1694; Q/SO 8 f.257.
Giles son of Richard Skinner
Queen Camel, Somerset; Sherborne, Dorset; 1696; Q/SO 8 f.319.
Robert Stevens
Limington, Somerset; Corscombe, Dorset; 1669; ref. SRS 34 p.63.
William Weare and wife
Horsington, Somerset; Marnhull, Dorset; 1665/6; ref. SRS 34 p.2.
Elizabeth Webb, singlewoman
Henstridge, Somerset; Marnhull, Dorset; 1697; Q/SO 8 f.338.
Robert Woodland
Charlton Horethorne, Somerset; Piddletrenthide, Dorset; 1671; ref. SRS 34 p.110.
1. Volumes 23 and 24 are available on-line at www.archive.org
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