Warlands in Wimborne Minster - 1490 to 1600

Wimborne in history

According to a page about Wimborne on the British History Online website, Wimborne was a Royal residence. Cuthburh/Cuthburga was the daughter of Cenred of Wessex and the sister of Ina/Ine, King of Wessex. Cuthurga founded a Benedictine Nunnery in Wimborne in around 705 AD, from where nuns were sent to Germany with St Boniface of Crediton (c 680 - 755) to help convert the pagan tribes (as a result of which the town retains a link with the Benedictine nunnery of Ochsenfuhrt). Cuthburga died on 31 August 1725 at Wimborne. Her tomb in Wimborne Minster Church was among the most venerated shrines of Saxon England. (Additional source the Wikipedia article on Cuthburh)

King Alfred's older brother Ethelred 1 (845/848 to 871), the fourth of five sons of King AEthelwulf of Wessex, was buried at Wimborne after a battle at Meretun near Cranbourne. Wimborne was the scene of the rising by the atheling Ethelwold (the son of Ethelred who died in 871) in 900.

The nunnery of Cuthburga is believed to have declined before 1013, and was destroyed by a Danish raid in 1016 during the reign of Ethelred the Unready. (Source: website of The British Monarchy)

1043 - Wimborne Minister church refounded

After being destroyed in a Danish raid in 1016, the church was refounded by Edward the Confessor by around 1043 as a secular foundation with a college of deans and canons. The greater part of the current church was built by the Normans from 1120 to 1180. It was flourishing in the 13th century, when a spire was built. The Minster was declared a 'royal peculiar' in 1318. (Source: Website of the Wimborne Minster church)

1086 - Domesday Book reference

The Domesday Book of 1086 noted that Wimborne was held by Queen Matilda as lands of the King, and fell within the 32-hide Hundred of Bradbury. (A 'hide', land held by a peasant and his family, was the amount of land necessary to support one household).

1350 - The Black Death

As with many other parts of Dorset, the Black Death resulted in the death of many people and stopped Wimborne from expanding any further. An area called The Leaze appears to have been abandoned around this time, possibly connected with this event.

1490 - John Warland, clerk of Canford

The first known recorded person with the surname Warland in Dorset was John Warland. According to the then 'Moon Fleet of Kinson' website (no longer accessible) describing St Andrew's Church in Kinson and its assocation with Canford Church, John Warland was appointed clerk of Canford and St Andrew's Church, Kinson, replacing William Mighel on 28 April 1490. John Warland remained in the role until 7 April 1511 when he was replaced by John Hassard. It is understood that John Warland was presented by the Prior of Bradenstoke near Swindon, Patron until the dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1541. The original source of this last sentence is not known.

The location of Black Lane is marked in red on this pre-1887 map of Wimborne Minster

1500 Title Deeds for Black Lane, Wimborne

The part of the East Borough of Wimborne leading to the Square was originally a narrow winding street crowded with buildings and known as 'Black Lane'. It is now known as Mill Lane.

The Dorset Research Centre holds a document from Wimborne Minster Parish dated 1500 under the subject 'Dorset Title Deeds and other early legal documents', under the title 'Title Deeds for Black Lane, Wimborne'. The document is a grant from William Pepyr of Ringwood to Master Hugh Oldom, clerk, John Warland, clerk, William Dracy and William Warland of a tenement and curtilage in Wimborne Minster in Blacklane in 1500. John Warland is presumed to be the same clerk mentioned in the previous reference.

1538 - Wimborne Minister in need of repair

According to an article in The Saturday Review dated 1 October 1881, in 1538 the central tower of Wimborne Minster church 'had foundered and was lyke to fall', and 'there was no money left yn the church boxe'. The silver reliquary that had 'in more religious days enshrined the head of their sainted foundress Cuthburh, King Ine's sister, presented itself to the minds of the parishioners as a hopeful means of raising the necessary funds'. The article notes that in 1538 ('the year of the demolition of shrines and confiscation of reliquaries for the King's use'), the guardians of the church wrote a leter to Thomas Cromwell in which they stated that they had no choice ('needs constraynth') but to sell the silver 'yt ys about the seyed hed of Seynt Cuthborow', and hoped that in doing so it would not offend 'their prince'. The article notes that it is not clear if they actually were able to sell the silver or it ended up in the King's coffers. Either way, not many years afterwards the spire fell in 1600.

1539 - Dorset Muster Rolls

The following text is from a transcription of part of the Dorset Muster Rolls for Fontmell Magna on the Dorset OPC website (https://opcdorset.org/), which provides context for the muster rolls generally:

There was an earlier muster in 1522, plus an attempt to survey the wealth of the kingdom. Although the detailed returns do not survive for Dorset, the number of ablemen returned for Dorset was 2,834. This compares with an estimated 4,315 ablemen in the 1539 Muster, 4,236 in 1542 and 3,747 in 1569.

With a French invasion threatened, the 1539 Muster Roll was intended to list all men aged between 16 and 60 available for home defence. Men were listed according to whether they were an archer (A), billman (B), or not able (no designation), and the weapons they had (if any). 'Poor subjects who have neither ability nor habiliments are omitted referring them to pray to Almighty God for your most royal estate long time prosperously and joyously to endure.' (J. J. Goring)

Often, ablemen (even archers) are recorded as having no equipment of their own. This is despite edicts from Henry VIII that all men under 40 should have bows and arrows (1511) and that all men over 17 should provide himself with a bow and four arrows (1514) – parents also had to provide boys aged between 7 and 17 with a bow and two arrows. A 'shefe of arrows' (sheaf) generally contained 24 arrows. A harness was a general term for armour and could mean the plate metal 'almain rivets' or the leather and metal 'brigandine' (both of which protected the chest), as well as a collar, helmet and/or splints (to protect the forearm).

The Dorset Muster Rolls of 1539 in a book published by T.L. Stoate in 1978), record the following Warlands:

For details of Warlands connected with Canford Magna, see this page.

1547 - Wimborne Minister church college dissolved

The college of Wimborne Minster church was dissolved in 1547 as part of the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII.

1600 - Wimborne Church spire collapes

The central spire of Wimborne Minister church collapsed in around 1600 and was not re-built.

From 1605 - William Warland of Wimborne

William Warland, probably born around 1605 - 1610, married Jane Weare in 1639 at Wimborne. Jane subsequently re-married Thomas CLARKE. It is not known if there were any children from this marriage.

Another William Warland, probably born around 1620 - 1625 (based on the dates below) had the following children from an unknown mother. It is not impossible, given the dates, that this William is the same as the one above, married for the second time probably around 1650/51 given the birth dates of the children shown below. The mother's name is not known.

Until the late 1600s

According to a page about the district on the British History Online website, the originally Saxon town of Wimborne Minster was originally confined to the area south west intersection of the Stour and Allen rivers. The town did not grow much until after the 17th century, prior to which it had possibly around 750 inhabitants.

Another source (Dorset Ancestors online) states that Wimborne had an unenviable reputation for uncleanliness before 1800.

Page created 1985, updated 12 June 2024. Copyright © Andrew Warland. (andrewwarland(at)gmail.com)