rabbetts lane, shaftesbury

[bowes]

hi there,

I am looking for any information on the origin of the lane called Rabbetts lane in Shaftesbury.  I know that it existed as in 1891 census, Joseph Miles Strange and Eliza Markey lived there.
I want to know if it was named after the Rabbetts family of the time.

Kind regards
Jackie

[Shaftesbury]

Hello Jackie,

Did you ever get to the bottom of this one? I have a Sarah Rabbetts daughter of George and Dinah who was baptised in Shaftesbury in 1695 in my line.

Do you know where Rabbetts Lane was? I think the Rabbetts of Shaftesbury in the 17th/18th centuries seem to have been predominantly in the Holy Trinity parish.

Mark

[bowes]

Hi Mark,

I did not get a reply back from the Historical society in Dorset, and nor did i get a reply on this site.  Maybe you have some ideas?  When was your George born?  Do you think there might be a link here?

I know that one of my George Rabbetts born 1774 died 1843 owned a large farm called Barton Hills farm, in which his son Isaac inherited.  Isaac had it in 1871 census, but by the time the 1881 census came around it had Joseph and Eliza Markey living there.  In 1891 they (Markey's) had moved to Rabbetts Lane.

Regards
Jackie

[Shaftesbury]

Hello Jackie,

My George would have been born about 1660-1670. Unfortunately the Shaftesbury Holy Trinity parish registers only go back to 1695 and there is no indication of any previous wills to refer to which might put a bit of colour to the name. I don't know anything about him I'm afraid - occupation or anything.

Barton Hill might be in the old Holy Trinity parish or it might have been St Peters.

There was a Rabbets in Shaftesbury in the 1641 Protestation Returns in the Holy Trinity Parish - Edward.

I think it is very very likely that the Lane was indeed named after this family. Particularly if it is the the Holy Trinity parish where the family seem to have been based in the 17th century. I have an ancestor called John Haime who had a mill on what used to be Mill Lane but which later, and currently, is called Haimes Lane. I expect that it is similar for Rabbetts Lane - a home, farm or some form of professional/trade building connected to the Rabbets family.

I will try and have a look into this.

Mark

[Shaftesbury]

Jackie,

The lane seems to be in the description of District 2 of the Holy Trinity parish in the 1841 census returns. It is written as Rabbitts Lane rather than Rabbetts, but it's probably the same, and is listed on the enumerators description as between Wincombe Lane and East Leaze. This suggests it is up the top end of Wincombe Lane. But Wincombe Lane and Rabbitts Lane do not appear in the actual schedule of the District which lists Littledown and Barton Hill.

In 1891 it is listed between Jubilee Cottage, Wincombe Lane and Barton Hill. Probably meaning it's nearer the town end of Wincombe Lane?

I have an old map of Shaftesbury dated 1796 but whilst Barton Hill is listed and there is a farm building along what is now Christy's Lane (but unnamed on the map) where Barton Hill farm is later listed. The bottom of Wincombe Lane is shown. But no sign of Rabbetts or Rabbitts Lane being listed. It's probably further out of town along Wincombe Lane and has probably now vanished with the developed of that area with the industrial estate and ten acres/nettlecombe.

There is no indication on any maps that I can see yet of any land or building being associated with the Rabbetts family and I am not sure whether it exists in some historical documents. But most old maps I've seen of Shaftesbury seem to stop at the end of Barton Hill so probably the only chance to see where the Rabbetts name starts is through an estate record of some kind.

Mark