Monument record MDO19468 - Abbotsbury; Medieval town

The abbot granted a weekly market at Abbotsbury in 1274, which was confirmed in 1280-1. The market flourished, for in 1308-9 it was said to be damaging the market at Bridport. Fairs were present. The town never attained the status of a borough.

The abbot was granted a weekly market at Abbotsbury in 1274, confirmed in 1280-1. The market apparently flourished, for in 1308-9 it was said to be damaging the market at Bridport and thus led to a dispute between the abbot and the Bridport burgesses over the tolls.

The lay subsidy of 1332 records 61 taxpayers, but the sums paid (in total 78sh 6d) suggest a uniformly poor, probably agricultural town. Two fairs, one of which had been withdrawn, are recorded in an Inquisition of 1401. Abbotsbury was never a borough, and had only the status of a manor, held by the abbot and subsequently his secular successors. <1>

<1> Penn, K J, 1980, Historic Towns in Dorset (Monograph). SWX1202.

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 897322 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 2:42PM