With additional comments & entries from the Municipal records of Dorchester by CH Mayo
(Last updated Oct 2024)
Alfred Pope Mayor in 1878 and 1886
© Picture courtesy of Dorset Museum and Art Gallery
The Mayor Making Ceremony The bare bones of what happens at the Mayor Making ceremony (more properly called the Annual Meeting of the Council) are set out in law - particularly the requirement for the election of the Mayor to be the first item on the agenda. But every council does it differently. Some will just elect their Mayor (or Chairman) at the start of an ordinary meeting and then carry on with the normal business of the meeting. Others, like Dorchester, make more of it.
Dorchester has been the county town since at least 1305 and has elected a Mayor since 1629. We are very proud of our civic history and heritage and the Mayor of Dorchester is a significant figure within the social and cultural life of the town.
The Mayor Making ceremony is one of a relatively small number of occasions each year when the Council parades with full insignia. The maces are carried by two mace bearers with tricorn hats and gold trimmed capes, the Mayor, Councillors, Town Clerk and Mayor's Chaplain all wear their robes (the purple robes, which were worn by aldermen until 1974, are now worn by the six longest-serving councillors) and the Beadle brings up the rear.
When the Mayor has been elected the new Mayor receives the robe and chain of office from the previous Mayor who automatically becomes Deputy Mayor. The Mayoress or Mayor's Escort receive their insignia and the new Mayor's Chaplain takes over the Chaplain's gown.
The new Mayor makes a speech outlining what they think are the special things about Dorchester and the way in which they intend to carry out their mayoral duties. The outgoing Mayor also makes a speech reviewing the highlights of their year in office and the meeting always ends with a prayer.
No other business is done and the meeting is followed by a reception for county and district dignitaries, mayors from other towns within Dorset and the Mayor's guests. We come back on the following evening to do the Council's normal business.
Dorchester has a long tradition of wearing civic insignia. The photograph below was taken in the Corn Exchange and shows the Corporation (as the Borough Council was sometimes known) in 1935. The councillors and the Town Clerk are dressed more or less as they do today, but with other officers wearing a wide variety of ceremonial attire or none at all!
Source © Dorchester Town Council 2007 |
The above account by Dorchester Town Council is based on the Charters granted to Dorchester and the listing of Mayors given below is an updated listing from that provided by John Hutchins in his "The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset". There were however Mayors well before that. One such early Mayor was John HENNING a merchant of Poole who according to 'Burk's Family Records' was Mayor of Dorchester in 1570. In the middle ages Poxwell or Pokewell was a manor in the possession of Cerne Abbey situated just 6 miles south east of Dorchester not far from the the coast. Following the Abbey's dissolution it was granted by Queen Elizabeth I to Thomas Howard of Lulworth and Bindon. He sold it to John HENNING a merchant of Poole in 1575 and John built the house we know today about 1613. [Note:- Thomas Hardy based his 'Oxwell Hall' in his novel 'Trumpet Major' on Poxwell Manor.] See Picture left [© Copyright Nigel Mykura and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence]. His son, also called John HENNING (1532-1617), was Sheriff of Dorset in 1609/10. and with his wife Dorothy inherited the manor (See below) . From there it descended to their 2nd son Richard Henning (1582-1638) of Poxwell, to his 4th son Edmund Henning (1620-1646), then his son Henry Henning (1645-1699). Henry had 2 children, a son who died in infancy, and a daughter Elizabeth Henning (b1670) who inherited the manor. When she married Thomas TRENCHARD on 13th June 1695 the property passed into the Trenchard family. This powerful gentry family of Wolverton, which is just north of Dorchester, are listed in the visitation of Dorset taken in 1623 and have a pedigree that dates back to 1351. Inevitably they carried great weight in the ruling of the important market town of Dorchester over many generations. Sir Thomas Trenchard was High Steward in Henry VIII's reign; his son George Trenchard was MP for Dorchester in 1572 and Recorder for a year or two in James I's reign. Both the Hennings and Trenchards owned property in the town. John HENNYNGE [Henning] (1532-1617) Gentleman of Poxwell House and Nash Court is of particular interest to us in Dorchester. We can be sure of his pedigree as it is recorded in the Visitation of Dorset in 1623 which confirms that he married Dorothie the daughter of Edward WAREHAM of Warsmerton in Dorset. Hutchins in his History of Dorset also gives a brief pedigree of the family as does Burke's Family Records which both state Dorothy actually came from Osmington in Dorset where parish registers have not survived prior to the 1670's. John Henning left a Will dated 14th July 1616 which usefully gives his age as four score years and four, giving a birth date of c1532 (1531 in Burke's). The Will was proved the following year on 3rd July 1617.
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1629 - John Parkyns [Perkins] (1571-1640) [Note:- Merchant of Dorchester. Father-in-Law of William Whiteway the diarist, Capital Burgess and Bailiff by 1610. MP 1621, Influential Magistrate.] 1630 - Richard Blatchford [1570-1652] 1631 - William Whiteway [1570-1640] Note:- Father of Wm Whiteway [1599-1635] the diarist. 1632 - Edmund Dashwood [1588-1642] (1 & 2) 1633 - William Joliffe 1634 - Barnard Toope [c1587-1635] 1635 - Dennis Bond [1588-1658] 1636 - John Hill [1589-1657] 1637 - James Gould [1593-1676] 1638 - William Derby [1588-1649] 1639 - Richard Savage [d1669] 1640 - Richard Bury [c1584 - 1661] 1641 - Henry Maber [1588-1667] 1642 - James [John?] Allanbridge (died)- Edward Dashwood (3) 1643 - Edward Dashwood (1) 1644 - John Bushrode [1612-1683/4] 1645 - John Whiteway [1614-1679] Note:- brother of Wm Whiteway [1599-1635] the diarist. 1646 - Richard Blatchford [1570-1676] (Mayo(4) says he was appointed Oct 6 1647) 1647 - Gilbert Loder [c1590-1656] (Mayo(4) says Mr Gilbert Loder chosen Mayor Oct 2 1648) 1648 - Josias Terry [1597-1667] (Mayo(4) says Mr Josias Terry chosen Mayor Oct 1 1649) 1649 - Richard Bury [c1584 - 1661] Mayo(4) says "Cor' [coram] Mr Maior Burie" Oct 4 1650) 1650 - Richard Savage [d1669] (Mayo(4) says Mr Richard Savage chosen Mayor Oct 6 1651) 1651 - George Cole (Mayo(4) says Mr George Cole chosen Mayor Oct 4 1652) 1652 - Henry Maber [1588-1667] (Mayo(4) says Mr Henry Maber chosen Mayor Oct 3 1653) 1653 - Edward Dashwood (1) 1654 - John Bushrode [1612-1683/4] (Mayo(4) says 'No minute of election for 1654 - Mr John Bushrod chosen Mayor Oct 1 1655) 1656 - Gilbert Loder [c1590-1656] (9) - Thomas Symonds (Mayo(4) says Mr Gilbert Loder chosen Oct 6 1656) 1657 - Philip Stansby 1658 - John Whiteway [1614-1679] Note:- brother of Wm Whiteway [1599-1635] the diarist. 1659 - John Daniel 1660 - Richard Savage [d1669] 1661 - Josias Terry [1597-1667] 1662 - Edward Dashwood (1) 1663 - Richard Churchill 1664 - Robert Napper 1665 - Arthur Gould 1666 - William Wade 1667 - William Pitt [Note elected again in 1684 - buried All Saints Dorchester 12 May 1687] 1668 - Joseph Seward 1669 - Alexander Haveland 1670 - Gilbert Whiffen 1671 - Hugh Baker 1672 - Benjamin Gould 1673 - Andrew Loder 1674 - Jasper Samways 1675 - William Twiss 1676 - John Craddock 1677 - James Gould [1624-1707] 1678 - Edward Jones 1679 - Richard Atkyns 1680 - Nicholas Gould [1635-1691] 1681 - John Gollop 1682 - Charles Stoodley 1683 - John Oldis 1684 - William Pitt [See also 1667] 1685 - Alexander Haviland 1686 - John Nelson 1687 - George Lester 1688 - Hugh Baker 1689 - Richard Cooper - Thomas Blandford stood in when Richard Cooper died. Buried HT 1690 - Maximilian Gollop [1638-1719] 1691 - Daniel Arden 1692 - Thomas Delacourt (Also Mayor 1707 see 1677 Visitation of Dorset) 1693 - Thomas Seward 1694 - Andrew Loder 1695 - John Gollop 1696 - James Gould [1624-1707] 1697 - John Yeat 1698 - Robert Weare 1699 - Henry Whiffen [Note:- Also Mayor 1710] 1700 - Richard Samways 1701 - John Haviland 1702 - John Oldis 1703 - Maximilian Gollop [1638-1719] 1704 - John Nelson 1705 - George Lester 1706 - Daniel Arden 1707 - Thomas Delacourt (First Mayor in 1692) Mayo (4) says 24th Sept 1708 Thomas Delacourt Mayor died this day & Thomas Seward chosen in his place till the new election) 1708 - Thomas Steward 1709 - Robert Weare 1710 - Henry Whiffen (died) - Andrew Purchase (Mayo (4) says Dec 26th 1710 Henry Whiffen gent Mayor died this day and Andrew Purchase chosen to succeed him until the Monday after Michaelmas next - see 1699 - buried All Saints Church Dorchester 29 Dec 1710 ) 1711 - Richard Samways 1712 - Robert Colson 1713 - Thomas Knapton 1714 - Josiah Cooper 1715 - Thomas Seward 1716 - John Kellaway 1717 - Zachary Nelson [Note :- also mayor 1729] 1718 - Daniel Arden 1719 - Thomas Pitman [Note:-Thomas Pitman (1696-1725) son on Thomas (d.1717)] 1720 - Samuel Stanning 1721 - Andrew Purchase 1722 - Robert Colson 1723 - Josiah Cooper 1724 - Daniel Arden 1725 - Robert Weare 1726 - John Woomington 1727 - Walter Crowe 1728 - Reynald Knapton 1729 - Zachary Nelson (Mayo (4) says Dec 12th 1729 Zachary Nelson gent elected Mayor in room of Laurence Snooke Mayor deceased.)[ Also note:- Zachary was buried in Holy Trinity Church 4th Feb 1735 leaving a Will] 1730 - Robert Loder 1731 - Robert Fildew 1732 - Richard Cooper 1733 - Robert Gundry 1734 - Samuel Stanning 1735 - Daniel Arden 1736 - Walter Crowe 1737 - George Cooper 1738 - Thomas Loder 1739 - Reynaldo Knapton 1740 - Robert Loder 1741 - Richard Cooper 1742 - Thomas Cooper 1743 - William Bryer 1744 - Daniel Arden 1745 - John Channing (1689-1758) [Note:- Younger brother of the murdered Thomas Channing (1679-1705) See GN 18.6] 1746 - John Pitman [Note:- John Pitman (1706 - 1782) ] 1747 - George Cooper 1748 - Reynald Knapton 1749 - Samuel Stanning 1750 - George Arden 1751 - George Arden 1752 - Richard Cooper (Mayo (4) says Sept 30th 1751 Richard Cooper and William Bryer received five votes each for the office of Mayor, and Samuel Stanning and John Pitman five votes each each for office of senior Bailiff; hence no election took place and George Arden the existing Mayor served two years) 1753 - Thomas Cooper 1754 - Francis Purchase(10) (died) - William Bryer (Mayo (4) says March 17th 1755 William Bryer elected Mayor in room of Francis Purchase deceased) 1755 - James Chaffey 1756 - William Templeman 1757 - William Davis 1758 - John Pitman [Note:- John Pitman (1706 - 1782) ] 1759 - George Cooper 1760 - George Arden 1761 - Richard Cooper 1762 - William Bryer 1763 - Robert Lambert 1764 - Richard Cozens 1765 - James Chaffey 1766 - William Templeman 1767 - William Davis 1768 - John Pitman (died June 12 1782) [Note:- John Pitman (1706 - 1782) ] 1769 - Walter Nicholls (died 1780) 1770 - Morgan Yeatman 1771 - Robert Lumley Kingston (died 1774) Note:- Commissioned the famous map used by John Hutchins of Dorchester in 1771 1772 - George Cooper Note:- Alderman from 23rd Jun 1755 - buried Holy Trinity 21st April 1777 1773 - Robert Lambert 1774 - Richard Cozens 1775 - James Chaffey (died Aug 10 1782) 1776 - John Floyer (resigned Oct 1 1782) 1777 - Robert Willis [1699-1781] (died Dec 29 1781 buried St Peters 6th Jan 1782) 1778 - William Gundrey 1779 - Edward Cozens 1780 - William Templeman 1781 - William Davis 1782 - Robert Lambert 1783 - Richard Cozens 1784 - Robert Stickland 1785 - John Gollop 1786 - William Gundry 1787 - Edward Cozens 1788 - William Templeman 1789 - Robert Lambert 1790 - Richard Cozens 1791 - Robert Stickland 1792 - John Gollop 1793 - John Templeman 1794 - Christopher Arden 1795 - Charles White (21) 1796 - James Chaffey 1797 - Edward Cozens 1798 - Robert Lambert 1799 - Robert Stickland 1800 - John Templeman 1801 - George Churchill 1802 - Thomas Gould Read Esq(19) [Note:- Announced in Morning Post & Gazetteer (London),16th Oct 1802] 1803 - Nathaniel Stickland 1804 - John Callard Mansfield 1805 - Christopher Cooper M.D. 1806 - William Bower [Note:- William BOWER (1746-1829) ] 1807 - Robert Pattison 1808 - Thomas Gould Read (19) 1809 - Charles White (21) 1810 - Nathaniel Stickland [Note:- Announced in Taunton Courier 11th October] 1811 - Christopher Cooper M.D. [Note:- Announced Taunton Courier 10th Oct] 1812 - William Bower [Note:- William BOWER (1746-1829) ] 1813 - Robert Pattison 1814 - George Stickland 1815 - Charles Stickland 1816 - Christopher Arden 1817 - Morgan Yeatman 1818 - Thomas Bower [Note Thomas BOWER (1778-1842) 4th son of James BOWER (1740-1795) born at Lothwihiel Cornwall by his wife Elizabeth ELIOT and nephew of William BOWER (1746-1829) of Dorchester] 1819 - Thomas Gould Read (19) 1820 - Nathaniel Stickland 1821 - Christopher Cooper M.D. 1822 - William Bower [Note:- William BOWER (1746-1829) ] 1823 - Charles Stickland 1824 - Christopher Arden 1825 - Morgan Yeatman 1826 - Thomas Bower [Note Thomas BOWER (1778-1842) 4th son of James BOWER (1740-1795) born at Lothwihiel Cornwall by his wife Elizabeth ELIOT and nephew of William BOWER (1746-1829) of Dorchester] 1827 - John Burnet 1828 - Joseph Clapcott 1829 - Thomas Gould Read (19) |
1830 - Christopher Cooper M.D. [Note:- Announced in Hampshire Advertiser 09 Oct 1830] |
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Genealogical Notes:- (2). 'Fire from Heaven' page 154 refers to Edmund Dashwood as Mayor in 1633 & page 221 refers to his death in 1643 (3). In his book 'Fire from Heaven' by David Underdown; page 44; it refers to John Allambridge being mayor of Dorchester in 1642. A will of a 'John Allambridge, Clothier of Dorchester' was proved 13 June 1645 and is available at the National Arcives ref PROB 11/193 (4). Source: The Municipal Records of the Borough of Dorchester by Charles Herbert Mayo MA published by William Pollard & Co Exeter 1908. Arthur Henry LOCK (b. 15th Apr 1845 d. 6 Nov 1900) : Announced in Times as Edward Barnett 14 Nov 1874. There is a stained glass window dedicated to him in Holy Trinity Church. (5). See article Dorset Echo Monday 24th November 2008 with picture (6). See article Dorset Echo Thursday 27th May 2010 with picture (7). Alfred Pope was still Mayor of Dorchester at the Royal Visit to Dorchester of the Prince of Wales which took place on 2nd June 1887 (8). Tess James See article Dorset Echo 26th May 2011 with picture; 14th July 2011 & Saturday 16th July 2011 (9). Gilbert Loader (Loader) was a prominent puritan lawyer in Dorchester (See fire from heaven pages 139; 219; 228 & 240). He was an Investor in the Dorchester Company and was buried at St Peters Church Dorchester 1st December 1656. (10). Francis Purchase married at St Peters church Dorchester on 21 Nov 1754 to Eleanor Hole of Holy Trinity. See Wills Index 'Will of Francis Purchase, Gentleman of Dorchester , Dorset' proved 2nd April 1755 (11). Picture held of G J G GREGORY c 1930's at the DHC Ref D1440/3/1/4 nd (12). Picture held of W P GENGE c 1930's at the DHC Ref D1140/3/1/3 nd (13). Picture held of J W FUDGE c 1930's at the DHC D1140/3/1/2 nd (14). Picture held of S D and Mrs ALLEN c 1930's at the DHC D1440/3/1/1 nd (15). Picture held od E W KERR c 1930's DHC D1440/3/1/5 nd (16). Picture held of E A POPE c 1930's at DHC Ref D1140/3/1/6 nd (17). Picture held at DHC of E W YOUNG c 1930's D1440/3/1/7 nd (18). William Denning TAPP was bap St Peters 12th April 1796, he married 27 Aug 1835 to Marian Rachel FOOT at Sherborne see strays - Beneficiary under his fathers will dated 2nd June 1829 proved 9th Nov 1832 (19). [Note:- Link to more information about Thomas Gould READ (1759-1835) 4 times Mayor of Dorchester. Entry Salisbury & Winchester Journal Monday 10th Oct 1808 Thomas Gould READ Esq is elected Mayor of Dorchester for the year ensuing.] (20). Morgan Yateman Mayor was chairman of a meeting at the Guildhall held on 17th July 1834 to consider the cpability and desirability of constructing a Railway from Dorchester to Weymouth. (21) Charles WHITE (1752-1813) Bapt 16th May 1752 son of Robert and Elizabeth WHITE . Appointed Capital Burgess of Dorchester and Freeman on 11th Sep 1793 - Gentleman - Appointed Alderman of Dorchester 1st Oct 1804 - Mayor 1795 and 1809 - Of East Street All Saints Parish buried St Peters Church Dorchester 21st June 1813 aged 61 years. (22) Francis INGRAM, Esq : was duly elected Mayor for the Borough of Dorchester, at the annual meeting of the Town Council for that purpose, in room of Herbert WILLIAMS, Esq whose year of office had expired. The bells rang merrily on the occasion. The ex-mayor of Dorchester Herbert WILLIAMS Esq. entertained the members of the Corporation and a select party at dinner at Oliver's Hotel yesterday." Extract from Dorset County Chronicle - Thirsday 10th Nov 1842. (23) John Henning: Oxford University Alumni 1500-1886 Page 693 - Henninge, John of Dorset gent. Magdalen Hall matric. 10th Oct 1589 aged 18 BA from St Alban Hall 31st May 1592 a student of Middle Temple 1592, as son and heir of John Nash Court Dorset gent. (24) Elizabeth Henning: Parish Registers Marnhull Ancestry.com image 13 of 484 - Elizabeth Henninge the daughter of John Henninge was baptised the xjth of March |
