Dorchester - Thorncombe 1680s baptisms - Caswell

[Paul Caswell]

Could anyone with a few spare minutes at Dorchester Records office please take a peek at Thorncombe Baptisms pre-1690 for the name Caswell.

The Thorncombe OPC has baptisms 1691 onwards and the second entry reads:

15-Apr-1691; Katheren BASWELL daughter of Elexander CASWELL

The Thorncombe OPC states:

Records held at the Dorset History Centre - Registers
Christenings 1551/2-1860. Marriages 1552/3-1989. Burials 1551/2-1952. Banns 1754-1966

I would love to get hold of all of these but for the time being I would be pleased with Christenings/Baptisms of Caswells in the late 1600s.

I am hoping Katheren was the youngest of several, one of whom I can connect up to my Thomas b ca1764 (place unknown). I can see Ketheren(Catherine?)'s marriage to George Hodder in 1713 in Hawkchurch.

My excitement here is that I have never found where my Thomas was born and here is a family with known pedigree (Alexander was born in Marlborough in 1641) with probably extra children recorded in Dorchester. This may be the first arrival of Caswells in Dorset.

Thanks in advance.

Paul

[ciderdrinker]

Good Morning
Sorry Paul but I've done the baptisms,marriages and burials from 1677 to 1691 for you and no Caswells.
There is another baptism for an Anne to Alexander Caswell 13.2.1695.And a burial for a John Caswell 26.4.1731.
I would do more but with no results so far it does seem a bit of a waste of time.
Once again sorry
Ciderdrinker
ps looking at an online index there are no others before or after that until the 1800s

[Sandymc47]

Hi Paul

Cannot find the Caswells you are looking for on the net at the moment.

Did you know that Thorncombe used to be in Devon until an act of Parliament
in 1842 that gave the village to Dorset?

I looked at Axminster and there are some Caswheels there in 1700.
Axminster is only 6 miles NE of Thorncombe and in Devon.
I then looked at  Axmouth Devon, and there are some Carswells in 1605.
Elizabeth Carswell was baptised on 7th June 1607 at Axmouth her Father was Robert.

You have to be slightly flexible with the spelling of names in those days as the scribe
normally wrote down what he heard and no one could correct him if it was wrong.
So looks like your family could have come from Devon and then Thorncombe became Dorset?

Looked on the IGI for Dorset and cant find any Carswell/Caswells so early.  So you might
find your family in Devon not Dorset for the 1600's.

regards Sandymc

[Paul Caswell]

Thank you so much both of you for all of your time and hard work.

I will add all this detail and see what it all means.

Remember that there not being any entries is also very useful.

Very grateful for all of your time so generously given. And so soon too!!!

Paul