Maiden Newton,1832.

The parish of Maiden Newton contained at one time no fewer than four manors. At two thousand eight hundred and fifty nine acres [according to the tithe commutation] it was a big parish about which I am light on information. The parish then was rather like a kidney bean with it’s concave border pointing west and the town was hard up against Frome Vauchurch in the northern part of the parish. The bulk of the parish lay below to the east, south and west of the town, which was about a quarter of it’s current size.

The tithe map has a few plots named East field and Middle field and the notice about the new roads, of which there were only two, refers to the road towards Cattistock passing through the West field. This is odd terminology given the proximity of the town to the northern boundary of the parish and it’s placement on the extreme western boundary of the parish itself.

The Maiden Newton bill was introduced towards the end of 1830 [I can find no reference to the first reading but the second reading was on 25^th November 1830, it was engrossed on 17^th December and enacted on 4^th March 1831. The first meeting was held on 19^th April at the house of Mr Symes called the Kings Arm Inn with John Baverstock Knight as the sole commissioner.

17^th February 1832	Scaling Maiden Newton
18^th February 1832	Went to Ransom in the Morning and Scaled a little of Maiden Newton
22^nd February 1832	Scaling a Little of Maiden Newton in the Morning and went to Stockwood common in the afternoon – and called on Mr Champion respg division
24^th February 1832	Scaling Maiden Newton
7^th – 8^th March 1832	Scaling Maiden Newton
9^th March 1832	Went to Maiden Newton Fair [sold my Alderney ]– to Mr Symmonds of Gorwell
14^th – 16^th March 1832	Scaling Maiden Newton
20^th March 1832	Making Sketch of Maiden Newton Down for valuing

The Mr Browne referred to was Francis John Browne, only son of George Browne, who had extensive land holdings in Dorset. It was he who donated Forston House to the county to come it’s ‘Lunatic Asylum’.

4^th April 1832	Doing Various Jobs and putting in measures into Maiden Newton Map from Mr Brownes Map [Old Inclosures]
10^th – 11^th April 1832	Examining claims with Map
21^st April 1832	Went to Maiden Newton and marked off the different qualities of land on the Down preparatory to Valuation

Only two roads were built. The first was named by Knight as The Cattistock Road. This extended from ‘Coomb’s Cottage’ in the village “and extending Northwards over the West Field in it’s present Course heading towards Cattistock and Evershot”. This is the modern C road, known even today as the Cattistock Road and it is probably this road that is referred to below.

The second road is called “The Dorchester and Yeovil Road, thirty feet wide commencing at the Boundary of Cattistock near Sydling Combe and extending Southwards over Maiden Newton Down in it’s present Course, leading from Yeovil towards Dorchester.”

This road is oddly more difficult to be certain of since the only road that fits this is that it would form a part of the road that is today the A37 and this had already been turnpiked.

23^rd April 1832	attendg Cmmnr at Maiden Newton when Public Roads were finally settled by Mr Churchill the Magistrate
24^th – 26^th April 1832	Valuing arable Lands
1^st May 1832	Putting in Values on Map and altering the same in Terrier preparatory to casting
8^th May 1832	Taking Levels of New Line of intended Road
9^th May 1832	making Section of said Road and Estimating Expenses of making the same
10^th May 1832	Making Sketch of Exchange between Ld Holland amd Mr Valder preparatory to putting it on the Margin of the Deed
16^th May 1832	Making Particulars calculations of Maiden Newton Road putting in Qualities in P Hinton East down and went to Woolcombe Rook Shooting
19^th May 1832	Went to Ransom in the Morning and working upon Maiden Newton Claims in afternoon
22^nd May	Went to Maiden Newton and let part of New Road to be excavated at 4 ½ d per yard – and packing up my Troop articles ½ day £1 1s 0d
1^st June 1832	Went to Maiden Newton in the morning respecting Road and doing Various Jobs in the afternoon charge 1 guinea
5^th June 1832	Went to Maiden Newton and Measured the Road Work and returned to Mr Wm Jennings to see his Fish Pond ####
7^th June 1832	Making out advertisement of Meeting to receive requests for exchanges and whether Proprietors choose to pay by Rater or Sale of Land and working upon Ransom in afternoon.
8^th June 1832	Scaling Maiden Newton Down
11^th June 1832	Finished Scaling Maiden Newton Down and went to Ransom in the afternoon
14^th June 1832	Went to Maiden Newton in the Morning and waiting on Dally in the afternoon respecting Road
20^th June 1832	Attending Commnr Valuing Downs 2 2 0
21^st June 1832	Making Valuation of Maiden Newton Down and casting the same and preparing Rough Scheme ½ day & went to Ransom drank Tea at Mrs Willmott’s
28^th June 1832	receiving requests for Exchanges and paying in Money
7^th July 1832	Haymaking in the morning and went to Maiden Newton in the afternoon respg road
11^th July 1832	Working upon Maiden Newton Castings and Haymaking in the afternoon
12^th July 1832	Went to Maiden Newton in the Morning respecting Road and preparing General Survey Book in afternoon for Allotting
14^th July 1832	Making general survey
16^th July 1832	Working on “Maiden Newton” General Survey and Haymaking
19^th July 1832	Making Section of the above and Estimate – went to Maiden Newton respg Road in the evening [In the previous entry he had been to Horn Hill to survey a road tunnel.]
24^th July 1832	Making reduced Sketch for Mr Bridge and went to Maiden Newton in the afternoon respecting Road
25^th July 1832	Maiden Newton Inclosure Finished General Survey hard days work
28^th July 1832	Preparing Allotting Book and taking up part of New Roads
30^th July 1832	At Maiden Newton all the day Measuring Excavations and Flints &c
31^st July 1832	Casting Excavations of Maiden Newton Roads &c &c
8^th August 1832	Went to Maiden Newton measuring stones & gravel and measured Dally’s work again Casting Stones in the afternoon and making muster Roll of Troop
14^th August 1832	Went to Maiden Newton and let Dally the Haulage of the New Gravel went to Oileywell for Tea

Next Owermoigne,1832.

Previous Kingsclere,1838.

John Martin of Evershot

The Life and Times of a 19th Century Land Surveyor.

Maiden Newton,1832.