Portesham Parish Records, Dorset

Old postcards courtesy of Jacky Machin	The parish of Portesham, also called Portisham in earlier days, is situated in south-central Dorset, a mere two miles from the south coast of England. It is approximately 8 miles south-west of Dorchester, 7 miles north-west of Weymouth and 2 miles north-east of Abbotsbury. The Portesham church of St. Peter is an ancient Gothic structure with a square tower, with battlements and bells.
The parish of Portesham includes the whole of the village by that name, together with the hamlets of Waddon, Coryates, Shilvinghampton, as well as the homesteads of Bench, How, Corton, Friar Waddon, Friar Waddon Huish, Corton Huish, Clover and Brick Kiln. At the time of the 1851 census, the parish of Portesham could boast 146 houses and a population of 767, occupying an area of 4,540 acres. There was a Free School at Coryates.
Data is being slowly transcribed and will be placed on the Dorset OPC site, as available. Please note that I live across the Atlantic from Portesham and Dorchester. Contact Peter Ferreira
Census	Census are being transcribed 1841 Census 1851 Census 1861 Census 1871 Census 1881 Census 1891 Census
Parish Registers	(BT) - Frances Cortis Baptisms 1731-1800, 1801-1836, 1837-1880 Marriages 1731-1836 Burials 1731-1800, 1801-1880
Postal Directories	Extract from 1880 Kelly's Directory
Maps	The 1891 Ordnance Survey maps of the parish can be seen at the old-maps site, just enter 'Portesham or Portisham' under place search.
	For modern location maps visit: www.multimap.com For a 1920s map of the area click on the thumbnail on the left. [275kb]