Dorney in 1798: A Village Prepares for War

Social History from the Posse Comitatus Records

The Buckinghamshire Posse Comitatus of 1798 offers an extraordinary window into Dorney village at one of the most precarious moments in British history. As Napoleon's forces massed across the Channel and invasion seemed imminent, High Sheriff John Penn's February precept demanded a comprehensive survey of every man, horse, and cart that might serve the realm's defence. What emerges from these military records is far more than a mere census—it is a vivid portrait of a thriving agricultural community standing ready to defend both local traditions and national liberty.

A Community Measured for War

The survey reveals Dorney as a village of remarkable substance, housing at least sixty identifiable residents whose lives were suddenly subject to military scrutiny. Yet these stark military statistics illuminate something profound about rural English society at the close of the eighteenth century—a community that had achieved genuine prosperity while maintaining the social bonds that would prove essential in times of crisis.

The very act of enumeration tells its own story. When constables knocked on cottage doors and farmhouse gates, they were not merely counting bodies and beasts but taking measure of a civilisation. The careful notation of Richard Sedding as "Lame" or William Tacket with his "Crooked knee" reveals authorities assessing not just numerical strength but the practical realities of human frailty in the face of national emergency.

The Sedding Dynasty: Agricultural Powerhouse

At the heart of this wartime assessment stands the remarkable Sedding family, whose agricultural empire dominated village life. Richard Sedding, despite his physical limitations, commanded resources that would have impressed urban merchants—21 draught horses, 3 wagons, and 4 carts representing a concentration of agricultural capital that speaks to decades of shrewd management and favourable harvests.

The family's reach extended beyond Richard's substantial holdings. Thomas Sedding operated his own enterprise with 6 horses, 1 wagon, and 2 carts, while the mysterious Widow Sedding maintained what would have been considered a major operation by any standard—8 horses, 2 wagons, and 3 carts. Her prominence in these records provides rare evidence of female agricultural leadership in an age when such responsibilities typically devolved to male heirs.

The notation of George the Carter and William the Milkman specifically "At Thomas Seddings"—men who notably "Refused to tell their Surnames"—hints at the complex labour relationships sustaining these operations. Their reticence suggests workers perhaps wary of military conscription, adding a note of human anxiety to what might otherwise appear as dry administrative records.

Social Stratification in Times of Crisis

The distribution of the village's 56 draught horses among just eight property holders reveals the stark economic realities underlying rural prosperity. Richard Sedding alone controlled more than a third of this vital agricultural capital—a concentration that would have made him indispensable to local food production yet also marked him as a man whose loyalty the authorities could not afford to question.

Below this agricultural aristocracy, William Neighbour with his 6 horses, David Perryman with 5, and Avery Kimberley with 4 represented the substantial yeomanry who formed the backbone of village society. These were men whose prosperity derived from their own labour and judgment, yet who remained vulnerable to the economic disruptions that invasion might bring.

Sir Charles Palmer: Aristocratic Continuity

The presence of Sir Charles Palmer, Baronet with his 4 horses, 1 wagon, and 2 carts represents more than mere landed privilege. His active participation in agricultural enterprise rather than ceremonial withdrawal suggests an aristocracy still engaged with practical estate management. The Palmer family's continuous residence at Dorney Court since the early seventeenth century provided stability in uncertain times—a living link to the constitutional traditions now under threat.

Craftsmen and Specialists: The Sinews of Self-Sufficiency

Beyond agriculture, Dorney supported the specialised trades essential to rural self-sufficiency. John Quick and Richard Sired as carpenters could repair the infrastructure of daily life, while Jeremiah Dell's chairmaking represented the luxury crafts that marked a community beyond mere subsistence. Samuel Smith's work as a tailor ensured the village could clothe itself even if broader commercial networks collapsed.

The careful notation of Quick as "Infirm" while still listing him among potential defenders speaks to a community that valued skill and experience over mere physical capability. These craftsmen possessed knowledge that could not easily be replaced—the accumulated wisdom of generations adapted to local conditions.

The Anonymous Majority: Laborers and Servants

The survey's largest category—31 labourers—represents the anonymous muscle power upon which everything else depended. Names like John Broadway, Thomas Belson, and William Budden echo through these records as representatives of that vast majority whose stories rarely survive in written form. Yet their presence in these military assessments reminds us that even the humblest village resident might find himself called upon to defend his country.

The Cox family appears particularly numerous among the labouring classes, with Robert Cox Senior, Robert Cox Junior, William Cox, and John Cox suggesting an extended kinship network bound together by shared economic circumstances. Such family concentrations provided mutual support in difficult times while ensuring agricultural knowledge passed between generations.

Economic Networks and Defence Capabilities

The village's 10 wagons and 17 carts represented more than agricultural equipment—they were potential military assets capable of moving supplies, evacuating civilians, or supporting troop movements. Dorney's Thames-side location made these transport capabilities particularly valuable, connecting the agricultural interior to London's markets and defensive needs.

The concentration of this rolling stock among established farmers ensured that civilian and military transport needs could be coordinated through existing social networks. Richard Sedding's resources alone could support significant logistical operations, while the combined village capacity represented a substantial contribution to regional defence.

Family Networks and Community Resilience

The Perryman, Weston, and other family clusters scattered throughout the survey reveal the kinship networks that provided social stability in uncertain times. Charles and David Perryman among the farmers, various Westons as both property holders and labourers, and the numerous Cox family members suggest communities bound together by blood and marriage as well as economic necessity.

These family connections would prove crucial in wartime, providing informal systems of mutual support that could adapt quickly to changing circumstances. When formal institutions might collapse or prove inadequate, these kinship networks offered resilience based on generations of shared experience.

The Human Cost of Readiness

Perhaps most poignant are the notations of physical limitation that appear throughout the records. Richard Sedding was marked as "Lame," John Quick as "Infirm," William Cox as "Lame," and William Tacket as having a "Crooked knee." These annotations reveal a society where physical disability did not necessarily exclude men from productive work, but where such limitations were carefully noted for military assessment purposes.

These brief notations hint at personal stories of injury, illness, or congenital conditions that shaped individual lives. Yet they also demonstrate a community that had learned to accommodate human frailty while maintaining productivity—a social resilience that would prove essential in times of crisis.

The Village Census: Dorney's Human Resources in 1798

Population by Occupation

Agricultural Resources

Prominent Families

• Sedding Family: Richard (21 horses), Thomas (6 horses), Widow Sedding (8 horses)
• Perryman Family: Charles and David, both farmers
• Cox Family: Robert Sr., Robert Jr., William, and John among labourers
• Weston Family: Thomas (property holder) and Thomas (labourer)

Historical Significance

The 1798 Posse Comitatus captures Dorney at a moment when local and national concerns converged with unusual clarity. The village's 60+ able-bodied men represented significant defensive potential, while its 56 horses and 27 wheeled vehicles could serve crucial logistical functions. Yet these military assets existed within a thriving civilian economy that had achieved remarkable prosperity through centuries of adaptation and improvement.

These records preserve more than names and numbers—they capture the texture of daily life in a village that had achieved genuine prosperity while maintaining the social cohesion necessary for collective action. From Sir Charles Palmer in his ancient manor house to the labourers in their cottages, from the Sedding farming dynasty to the village craftsmen, this was a community that had successfully balanced individual ambition with collective responsibility.

When we imagine these men responding to the High Sheriff's call, we see not just a military muster but a community asserting its readiness to defend both local traditions and national institutions. In their willingness to be counted and assessed, the people of Dorney demonstrated the civic engagement that would prove Britain's greatest strength in the struggles ahead.

The 1798 Posse Comitatus provides an invaluable snapshot of Dorney at a crucial historical moment, preserving the names and circumstances of ordinary people who might otherwise have vanished from memory. In doing so, it illuminates the human foundations of national resilience—the individual farmers, craftsmen, labourers, and servants whose daily work sustained the prosperity and stability that made effective defence possible.

Virginia Silvester wrote an article for the September 2020 Dorney Parish News on this fascinating subject. Her article is below:

Complete returns for the Posse Comitatus of 1798 survive for no county in England and Wales other than Buckinghamshire. Summaries or partial lists exist for some counties, while for others there is merely an allusion in the lieutenancy papers to the returns being made, or else no record at all

The Posse Comitatus, or civil power, was a survey of all men capable of acting in a military capacity who were neither Quakers, nor clergymen nor already serving in a military unit.  Men between the ages of 15 and 60 were included.  In addition, the number of horses, wagons and carts available were surveyed. It was prepared to assess the potential availability of military preparedness in the event of invasion by France. By the late 1790s, France controlled, or was allied with, much of continental Europe.

The surviving records for the Bucks Posse Comitatus are among the most comprehensive for any county. The Posse Comitatus, which pre-dated the first census (1801) by three years, is a source of information on the names and numbers of males between the ages of 15 and 60, and their occupations.

The Posse Comitatus did not include women in the head count, although some women were shown as owning draught horses, wagons or carts. As the author on the Records of Bucks 1985 publication on the Posse Comitatus, Ian Beckett, states when considering the Posse Comitatus as a social document “The main posse .. does not include the female population (55,350 in 1801) although a few women are listed as owning horses, wagons and carts … This omission … tends to present an unbalanced picture of the county’s economy at the time since the largest trade (lace-making) was overwhelmingly a female occupation.”

The DORNEY Posse Comitatus 1798 (Page 163)

Farmers

Avery Kimberley

William Neighbour

Charles Perryman

David Perryman

Richard Sedding     Lame

Carpenters

John Quick               Infirm

Richard Sired

Taylor

Samuel Smith

Chairmaker

Jeremiah Dell

Servants

James Bear

William Biggs

Thomas Dearlove

Robert Hicks

Joseph Landan

William Money

Job Walker

William the Milkman)

George the Carter)            At Thomas Seddings. Refused to tell their Surnames

Labourers

John Beirns

Thomas Belson

John Broadway

William Budden

Francis Chear

John Clemmons

John Cox

Robert Cox Snr

Robert Cox Jnr

William Cox              Lame

James Ellwood

John Herrington

James Howell

John Hubbard

Thomas Jones

William Lack

John Martin

William Martin

John Middleton

Thomas Neal

Thomas Newell

Robert Osborn

Richard Parker

John Smith

William Tacket                    Crooked knee

Robert Tarrant

Thomas Tarrant

Thomas Thorne

Jacob Wells

Richard Weston

Thomas Weston

No Description

Moses Ellstone

Joseph Houghs

Richard Slamacher

Richard Stallwood

Page 172: Buckinghamshire to wit Hundred of Burnham. A Register of the Names of the Persons within the said Hundred who keep Draught Horses, Waggons or Carts of Burthen, the Numbers thereof by them respectively kept and of the Persons Occupying any Wind or Water Corn Mill with the Average of the Weekly Quantity of Corn that can be Ground thereat as returned by the Petty Constables within the said Hundred in pursuance of a precept from John Penn Esq, High Sheriff of the said County bearing date the 16th day of February 1798. For the better ascertaining the Civil power of the said County.

DORNEY