Dory

The Dory family  may have been descended from Willimino Doreswelle who was listed in the Lay Subsidy returns of Chewton Mendip in 1327. A Thomas Dory was listed in a Protestation and Lay Subsidy roll of 1641 and was assessed as worth 34, a considerable sum, but based on goods rather than land. He may have lived in Ston Easton which may explain his relative wealth but lack of land holding. He may have been the  Thomas Dory who was paying rates in the East End of Chewton Mendip in 1704 according to the churchwardens accounts . Various members of the family are listed in the poor records from then on.

Somerset archive records DD\FS/35/6/1-2 are the draft trust deeds of school founded by trust (1759) of John Dory the younger of Chewton Mendip. The Poor law records refer to a School house in 1750 so John Dory probably funded the opening of another school for girls. There was a girls school still operating in what is now Veals farm in the Victorian era and there is no strong reason to suggest that the girls school was not always on that site. It is possible that the former Court House was reused as the girls school for a while but the Folly House and Church House were still being used for their main purpose as ‘work houses’ for the poor.

Collinsons history of Somerset makes a vague reference to various locals funding the school and the situation was very complex. The Dory family apear to have taken over some properties that had belonged to John Yorke who had recently gone bankrupt. The parish were paying for work done on Chew Down in 1745 which had recently been presented to them,possibly by the Yorkes or Dory family. The York family had properties in many places which explains why Chewton Mendip school owned land near Street.

Somerset record DD\FS/35/7/5 connects John and Palmer Dory of Chewton Mendip and Thomas Dory the elder of Ston Easton with James Yorke of Wells in connection with land held in Ashcott which may have subsequently been awarded to the school.

The apprentics agreement dated 1754  listed Mr Thomas Dory who was responsible for Thomas Bendles’ park corner estate  and the Dory family do not appear as residents of Chewton Mendip in records after the 18th century.