Dear List
My Orchard/Archard people were in Potterne throughout the nineteenth century and up to at least the middle of the Eighteenth. The earliest that I know was Michael Orchard who married Elizabeth Cooper on Dec 5 1785 in the Parish Church in Potterne. They had at least 8 children, all of which were baptised in the same church. This was not a large village, albeit it had a rowdy reputation, and there were not many Orchard/Archard people in the area that I have not already mapped to my tree - however, there are some remaining and, if these connect at all, then they must be descended from a sibling of Michael or Michael's father.

I would very much like to find out more about Michael and his parentage. The other families that my direct line married into whilst in Potterne were Underwood and Gingell (these last coming from the area between Melksham and Seend).

My great grandfather went to Brixton Hill in London to work and married a girl from Soham in Cambridgeshire. They moved to Potterne and the first two children were born there, they then moved slowly eastwards, first to Etchilhampton where tow more were born, then Milton Lilbourne (another), then to Oxenwood (where the largest number were born) - finally when they moved to Wexcombe, close by.


Any information would be gratefully received and reciprocated where possible,

regards
John