15. George and Jenny Meaden of Dorset

The Meaden surname may have denoted a meadow dweller, although one theory has it that it comes from a clan in the west of Ireland, with an offshoot in Cornwall, with a name derived from the Gaelic for 'dog'. Our Meaden family comes from Dorset, with four generations traceable around Blandford and Dorchester.

For the record, and with the usual cautions, my oldest direct ancestors we know about in this part of the family are: George Meaden (1722), William New (1700), George Morris (1723), Mary Lock (1723) and David Bartlet (bef. 1772).

George Meadon (1783, Child Okeford nr Blandford) married Jenny (or Jane) Bartlett (1790 Stourpaine nr Blandford) in 1809. They had seven children in Shillingstone nr Blandford:

40.1.1 - Jane Eleanor Meaden (1810)
40.1.2 - George Meaden (1813)
40.1.3 - Harriet (1815, Stourpaine)
40.1.4 - David Meaden (1818)
40.1.5 - Charles Meaden (1820)
40.1.6 - William Meaden (1829)
40.1.7 - (Edward) James Meaden (1834)

More on these individuals in Chapter 40.

Shillingstone church (credit)

Shillingstone is an old agricultural settlement, close to the Iron Age hillfort of Hambledon Hill, now managed by the National Trust. The village used to specialise in gathering moss, which, slightly later in the C19, was transported to the Covent Garden flower market. (This is now the London Transport Museum: the flower market has moved to New Covent Garden). The station survives on the preserved North Dorset Railway. Around the same time, the village had the tallest maypole in Dorset, at a reputed 86 feet high - until it blew down in a gale. It was later to be known as the bravest village in Britain due to the number of volunteers early in WWI. It was also to have a role in the preparation of the D-Day Landings in WWII.

Blandford Forum is a market town, which was rebuilt by the Bastard brothers, after a major fire in 1731. The Georgian street plan and architecture, and a few older buildings, which would have been familiar to our family, survive. The town supported various industries around the time our family was there, including livestock trading, brewing, wool-spinning and button-making. My photos of the town are here.

These are my photos of the town centre, church, town hall and (recommended) Greyhound Inn (fuelled by the town's Badger brewery):

 


The family were living in the 'New Buildings' in Blandford in 1841 (although George's age is misreported); George was a labourer. William and Edward were still at home. David married two years earlier, his father is described as a 'farmer' on the wedding certificate - that may be job title inflation.

By 1851, the family had moved to Milton Abbas, with only Edward still at home. George died in 1855. In 1861 Jenny is recorded in Blandford with an annuity, a lodger, and her daughter Harriet. She died in Lytchett Matravers nr Poole, the village in which Edward was also living.

Next