Cerne Abbas

Cerne Abbas is a parish and small town situated on the River Cerne about 8 miles north of Dorchester. The parish church is the church of St Mary, this comprises nave, aisles, south porch and embattled western tower with pinnacles. It has 500 sittings, the registers date from 1653. The burial ground was enlarged in 1881 and now consists of two acres  under the control of a burial board of 9 members. Here are Congregational, Wesleyan and Methodist chapels. Cerne is chiefly entitled to notice for its giant, a figure cut in outline, 180 feet 

long, on the side of a hill to the north east of the town. This little town has the remains of an abbey said to have been founded by St Augustine, the gateway of this once extensive monastery still remains in a tolerable state of preservation. The soil is light gravel with the subsoil chalk and the chief crops are barley and roots. The area is 3068 acres. The population in 1891 was 834 including 33 officers and inmates of the workhouse.
Above details extracted from Kelly's Directory for 1895

A quiet street scene in Cerne Abbas
 Photographs © C Smith-Burns

The Online Parish Clerk (OPC) for Cerne Abbas is Claire Smith-Burns

Resources with links are available on-line, other resources have not yet been transcribed and are available by contacting Claire. 

Census

1841, 1851, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 available for look-up

Parish Registers

Baptisms 1663-1762, 1763-1772,1773 - 1792, 1793 - 1812, 1813-1822, 1823-1832 , 1833-1842, 1843-1852, 1853-1862

Marriages 1654-1752, 1753-1762, 1763-1772, 1773-1792, 1793-1812, 1813-1822, 1823-1832 , 1833-1842, 1843-1852

Burials  1653-1762, 1763-1772,1773 - 1792, 1793-1812, 1813-1822, 1823-1832, 1833-1842 , 1843-1852,1853-1862

Surveys

1617 Survey for Cerne Abbas 
1780 Dorset Land Tax Assessment with Index of Names
1782 Dorset Land Tax Assessment with Index of Names
1798 Cerne Abbas Admeasurement Map
1798 Great Britain Land Tax Assessment with Index of Names

Protestation Returns

Protestation Returns of 1641/42 also includes Nether Cerne

Wills

List of Wills, Administrations and Inventories for Cerne Abbas People (on-going project, currently spanning years 1405-1862) 

Strays

Database of Cerne Abbas Strays:  Marriages of Cerne Abbas People outside of Cerne Abbas 

Surnames

Database of Cerne Abbas Surname occurrences compiled from records from 1525 up to the mid-1800’s 

Genealogical Database for COOMBS, NUTT, WHITE and related families of Cerne Abbas

Churchwarden's Accounts

Cerne Abbas Churchwarden’s Accounts 1628-1820; transcribed and name indexed from 1628-1645
Rates 1654

Directories

Universal British Directory of Trade 1793-1798

Overseer's Accounts

Cerne Abbas Overseer’s Accounts 1632-1718

Militia Returns

Militia Returns for Cerne Abbas:  1796, 1798, 1799 

Monumental Inscriptions

Please contact me regarding data available.

Photographs

See below

Web Sites

List of web-sites with Cerne Abbas information available or visit the Cerne Abbas Village web site

Cerne Abbas Historical Society

Maps

The 1891 ordinance survey maps of the parish can be seen at the old-maps site, just enter 'Cerne Abbas' under place search.For modern location maps visit:-  www.multimap.com

Books

See below

Abbey Street with Abbey Manor at the end. Circa 1900

A modern day street scene

The famous Cerne Abbas giant

The village stocks

Above. Cerne Abbas Workhouse. At the time this postcard was produced it was being used as Cerne Abbas Youth Hostel

Right. Cerne Abbey Gates