West Lulworth

a Registered One-Place Study and part of the Dorset OPC network

George Bagwell White (1783-1851) and family

There have been several ‘White’ families living at West Lulworth over the years. This article focuses on George Bagwell White and his immediate family. Another article will follow on George James Winzar White & family.

George Bagwell White


George was baptised in West Lulworth in 1783. He was the son of Andrew White (1741-1807) and Anne White nee Bagwell (1749-1814).


At the age of 12, George was hired by his father to John Foot, a yeoman of West Lulworth, for £4 a year. At 14, George was then apprenticed to John Sanson of Winfrith Newburgh, a carpenter and wheeler, for seven years during which time he resided with his master. At 21, George went to Wimborne to apply for work with James Perman, carpenter and joiner. He was successful and his starting wages were 12 shillings a week. His wages gradually increased to 16 or 17 shillings a week.


George married Sarah Barrett (c.1781-1838) at Wimborne Minster on 17 September 1807. George and Sarah had six children, all born at Wimborne:

Mary Ann White (1808-?), Charles White (1810-?), William White (1812-1885), George White (1814-?), Sarah White (1816-?) and Andrew White (1819-1886)6


Towards the end of 1821, George (Senior) was taken ill for about a month and received 15 shillings poor relief but on 4 January 1922, George and his family were the subject of a removal order requiring them all to be removed and conveyed out of the parish of Wimborne Minster to the parish of West Lulworth. The ‘examination’ of George took place on 9 January 1822 and some correspondence was exchanged between the two parishes with the West Lulworth Overseers saying they had no objection to relieving the ‘Pauper’ and his family at Wimborne.


Whether the family were removed to West Lulworth is not clear, but they ended up in Kingston, near Corfe Castle.  As well as being a carpenter, George was also a Sunday School teacher and we do know that William Morton Pitt had established a Sunday School at Kingston.


George’s wife Sarah died in 1838 of cancer and is buried in the churchyard immediately outside Kingston old church. The informant of the death was Sarah White (their daughter) who gave her abode as Scholes Farm.


On 10 June 1844, George married for a second time, this time to Martha Worledge (c.1810-?) at St James in Westminster, London. Martha was the daughter of Edward Worledge from Oundle, Northamptonshire. It is likely that George met her while he was working up in London for Lord Eldon.


George and Martha had one son, Edmund Worledge White (1845-1911). George was 62 when Edmund was born. Edmund followed his father’s trade of carpenter and married Anne Poulter from Farnham, Surrey in 1871 at St Mary Magdalene in London, another church designed by George Edmund Street. Edmund and Anne had five children. A great-great-grandaughter of Edmund is now living in New Zealand. George died on 9 April 1851 aged 70 at Kingston of debility apoplexy.


For more information about this branch of the White family, please visit our sister site for Kingston, near Corfe Castle

This section is especially for stories and photographs of the families who have lived in West Lulworth over the years.


If you have any information about the White Family which you would like to share, be it stories or old photographs etc., please email us at info@westlulworth.org.uk

The White Family