Moses Parsons of Kington Magna (1678 to 1737)

Moses Parsons the elder, who lived in Kington Magna in Dorset from 1678 to 1736, was a son of Richard Parsons. One of his grandsons, William Parsons, was a great-grandfather of John Parsons, a Southampton publican who was a great-grandfather of the current author.

Moses lived in Kington Magna as had his father before him. Kington Magna, a small village in the far north of Dorset is on the border with Somerset and near to the border with Wiltshire. The village is situated on the slope of a hill overlooking the valley of the River Cale, a tributory of the Stour. Wincanton, also on the River Cale about five miles from Kington Magna, was a thriving market town known for wool and linen weaving. In the 17^th century, when Moses was born, the main industry in the area was linen weaving and flax, from which linen is made, was the predominant cash crop.

Moses was baptised in Kington Magna on the 8^th of April 1681. His parents were Richard and Elizabeth Parsons. There were several Parsons families in Kington Magna at the time and Richard Parsons, a flax merchant and weaver from Wincanton, who was probably a relative, had retired and was also living there.

The parish register is unclear in some places and damaged in others but we know that Moses had at least one elder sibling baptised in 1673 whose name has been lost. His elder sister Dorothy died in December 1676 soon after she was born — she was buried on Christmas Eve. He also had a younger brother called Edward.

Moses lived in Kington Magna all his life. In about 1702 when he was about 24 years old he married a woman called Mary but we do not know her surname nor where the ceremony took place. Their first child, a girl, was born in 1703 and they named her Judith. Moses and Mary’s next two children were probably twins and were called Moses and William. They were baptised on the same day, January the 14^th 1707, but William was buried just five days later and Moses was buried three weeks after that. Their next two children may also have been twins as they were also baptised on the same day, December the 14^th 1707, and were given the names Moses and Mary. Baby Moses died only a few days after he had been baptised and was buried on the 21^st. But Mary survived to marry and have children. Moses and Mary had two more children, a daughter called Phyllis and another boy, their third to be called Moses.

Moses’ daughters Judith and Phyllis grew up to marry and have children, as did his son, young Moses, who married and had children who carried on the Parsons name.

The Kington Magna vestry minutes for 1715 contain the following curious entry — “Paid the apothecary for working a cure upon Moses Parsons and his wife”. Why did the parish pay? Was Moses too poor to pay the apothecary himself? If so his fortunes must have improved later.

Twenty one years later, when Moses was about 58 years old, he became ill. He was not a rich man but he did nevertheless feel the need to write a will which must in itself have been a significant expense. Moses’ will read:

I Moses Parsons of Cinton Magna in the County of Dorsett yeoman this twenty fifth Day of June in the ninth year of their majestys Reigne King George and Queen Carolina Annoq Dom 1736 Being weake of Bodey But of perfect mind and memorey Revoking all other Wills By me made do make and order this my Last Will and Testament in manner and forme as following viz Principly I commend my Soule to Almighty God that Gave it; my Bodey I comit to the Earth to be Decently Buried at the Descression of my Executor heareafter named and as for my temporall Goods I Despose of thereof as folows Impress I do Give All my Goods and Chatells within dors and without to my wife Marey Parsons During her naturell Life Except Two Horses I Give to my Son Moses Parsons at my Decease if Two Best as I have Impress I Give to my Son in law Hennerey Mead one Shilling Impress I Give to my Daughter Philes Lanon one Shilling Impress I Give to my Grandaughter Marey Mead Twenty Shilling a year for Two years After my Decease to be Paid by ye said Marey Parsons my wife whome I make my Soule Executor During her naturell Life and After to my Sone Moses Parsons onley my Grandaughter Marey Mead shall have A Quarter Part of what is Left After ye Decease of her Grandmother Marey Parsons with my son Moses Parsons And ye said Marey Parsons Shall not have ye handes of ye Goods or Chatells to Squander it away nor Sell aney of It without ye leaf of her son Moses Parsons or by his Consent so Marey Parsons my wife I make my Sole Executor of this my Laste Will and Testament in Witness hearof I have Heareunto Sett my hand and Seal the day and year first Above written the markes of Moses Parsons in ye Presence of Anna Hiscock

Moses was buried in Kington Magna on the 17^th of July 1736. His wife Mary died three years later, in April 1739, and was buried on the 22^nd of that month.

Moses and Mary’s children

The known details of Moses and Mary Parsons’ children and grandchildren are summarised in the following chart:

• Judith was baptised on the 20^th of October 1703. We know nothing more about her. She was not mentioned in her father’s will so it is possible that she died before he did.

• Moses and William were both baptised on the 14^th of January 1707. William died soon afterwards and was buried on the 19^th. Moses lived only another couple of weeks and was buried on the 11^th of February.

• Moses who was baptised with his sister Mary (perhaps his twin) on the 14^th of December 1707 was Moses’ second son of that name, but like his predecessor he died soon after birth.

• Mary was baptised on the same day as her brother Moses. When she was about 23 years old she married Henry Mead, a widower who was over forty years old whose wife, Sarah, had died two years previously. Henry was from a neighbouring village called Buckhorn Weston and the wedding was probably held there. Mary and Henry lived in Buckhorn Weston and had two children whom they named Mary (b.1732) and Henry (b.1734). Mary died in 1740 leaving her husband Henry with their two young children.

• Phyllis was baptised in January 1710. In 1730 she married Richard Lanning in Kington Magna. They had two children. John was born in 1731 and Mary in 1736. The family lived in Kington Magna. Phyllis’ husband John died in 1764. Phyllis lived another 25 years until she died aged about 80 and was buried on the 13^th of November 1789.

• Moses, Moses’ third son to be named after him, was born in 1714. He has his own biographical page which is entitled Moses Parsons of Kington Magna (1714 to 1789). Charles Parsons of Marston Magna, who was a great-grandfather of Sidney Parsons of Southampton, the main subject of this series of web pages, was this younger Moses’s grandson.

Return to Sidney Parsons’ Ancestors

You are free to make use of the information in these web pages in any way that you wish but please be aware that the author, Mike Parsons, is unable to accept respsonsibility for any errors or omissions.

Mike can be contacted at parsonspublic@gmail.com

The information in these web pages comes from a number of sources including: Hampshire County Records Office, Somerset Heritage Centre; Dorset County Records Office; Southampton City Archives; the General Register Office; several on-line newspaper archives; several on-line transcriptions of Parish Register Entries; and several on-line indexes of births, marriages and deaths. The research has also been guided at times by the published work of others, both on-line and in the form of printed books, and by information from personal correspondence with other researchers, for all of which thanks are given. However, all of the information in these web pages has been independently verified by the author from original sources, facimile copies, or, in the case of a few parish register entries, transcriptions published by on-line genealogy sites. The author is aware that some other researchers have in some cases drawn different conclusions and have published information which is at variance from that shown in these web pages.