John MOTYER

Abt 1780 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	John MOTYER
  Birth	Abt 1780	Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England   [1]
  Gender	Male
  _FSFTID	MX97-D79
  _FSLINK	https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MX97-D79
  _UID	7902770F058B4280A6D48525F2440263120A
  Death	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I316	MOTYER Family Genealogy - NitroWings Test
  Last Modified	26 Mar 2024

  
  

  Father	Joseph P. MOTYER,   b. 1746, Fleet, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Dec 1830, Chiswell, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England (Age 84 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth FREEMAN,   b. Abt 1745, England d. 29 Jan 1792, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England (Age 47 years)
  Marriage	31 Dec 1770	Litton Cheney, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England   [2]
  Marriage Index	31 Dec 1770	Litton Cheney, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England
  	Dorset Marriage Index
  	Married at Litton Cheney on 31 Dec 1770 Groom Joseph MOTYER of - Bride Elizabeth FREEMAN of - Licence or Banns Lic Witnessess FRY John & FUSZARD Robert
  Family ID	F126	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lydia FORSE,   b. 1779, Burton Bradstock, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Oct 1847, Isle of Wight County, England (Age 68 years)
  Marriage	25 Feb 1799	Litton Cheney, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England   [3]
  Marriage Index	25 Feb 1799	Litton Cheney, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England
  	Pallot's Marriage Index for England: 1780 - 1837 Record
  	Name: John Motyer Spouse: Lydia Fors Marriage Date: 1799 Parish: Litton Cheney Name: Lydia Fors Spouse: John Motyer Marriage Date: 1799 Parish: Litton Cheney
  Children	1. Edward Thomas MOTYER,   b. Abt 1799   d. Oct 1873, London City, Middlesex County (now mostly Greater London), England (Age 74 years)   2. Elizabeth Turner MOTYER,   b. 1 Sep 1801, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Abt 1849, Southwark, Surrey County (now in the London Borough of Southwark, Inner London), England (Age 47 years)   3. Harriet MOTYER,   b. Abt 1804, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Yes, date unknown   4. Mary Forse MOTYER,   b. 25 Dec 1805, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Jul 1881, Hampshire County, England (Age 75 years)   5. William MOTYER,   b. 13 Nov 1808, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. 1850 (Age 41 years)   6. John Forse-Voss MOTYER,   b. 23 Feb 1811, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Yes, date unknown   7. Lydia MOTYER,   b. 22 Oct 1813, Chiswell, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Yes, date unknown   8. Lydia Forse MOTYER,   b. 11 Nov 1815, Chiswell, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Jan 1843, London City, Middlesex County (now mostly Greater London), England (Age 27 years)   9. Maria MOTYER,   b. Abt 1819, Chiswell, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Jan 1829 (Age 10 years)   10. Joseph MOTYER,   b. Abt 1822, Chiswell, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. Oct 1833 (Age 11 years)   11. Benjamin MOTYER,   b. Abt 1824, Chiswell, Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England d. 1827 (Age 3 years)
  Family ID	F108	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	28 Aug 2011

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - Abt 1780 - Portland (Isle of Portland), Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England Marriage - 25 Feb 1799 - Litton Cheney, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England Marriage Index - Pallot's Marriage Index for England: 1780 - 1837 Record - 25 Feb 1799 - Litton Cheney, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  There are two stories concerning the history of this unfinished house, which stood for over a century in Chiswell. One was that it belonged to a sea captain, who was building this house for his fiancée.  However, she died and, in his grief, he left the house unfinished. The alternative is that it belonged to the notorious Dr. Motyer, who was a quack exploiting the Portlander's ignorance of medicine.  He sold 'cures' for witchcraft, and scared the locals around Mallams with unearthly sounds and screams at night. I published an account of the Captain's House and the reason for its sad state in the Free Portland News, issue dated August 1990.  This is reproduced here as a 'true' account of the building: Known variously as the 'Doctor's House' or the 'Captain's House', I can now reveal that it was originally owned by the infamous Dr. Motyer, whom Stuart Morris describes in his illustrated History of Portland as a quack and a conjurer.  Reg Perry has shown me a photograph dating from the mid-1800s, which clearly shows the building with a roof.  However, it was derelict by the turn of the 19th century.  In fact, Dr. Motyer was one of the last alchemists, who worked to turn iron and lead into gold.  He was feared by all who lived close by, because of his weird chemical experiments. One fateful night in March 1868, residents of Underhill were shaken from their beds by a fantastic explosion.  They ran out in their night attire to see the old doctor's house blown to bits.  The roof was totally gone, and only a few cracked walls were left standing. By the light of the following dawn, a fantastic sight was seen by locals.  The fatal explosion must have culminated in the doctor's alchemical success, since the entire area around Artist's Row, Mallams and Kings Street was speckled with gold.  There were chaotic scenes, as the locals dug and sieved every square inch of their gardens.  It was like the Klondike, with small pouches of gold dust being legal tender at the old Sun Inn in Fortuneswell.  Locals kept this affair a closely guarded secret from strangers (i.e. those from Tophill), lest there be any claim jumping. This is why it has been difficult for me to find the facts surrounding this true story.  The doctor died 'in testate', hardly surprising in view of the force of the explosion, and so the house had to remain in its present decaying state, until a distant relative could be found.

  
  

• Sources

  [S295] Internet: Database: FamilySearch, ((https://www.familysearch.org/)), 30 Jun 2012, accessed 5 Mar 2024), John Motyer (MX97-D79); LornaJean. (Reliability: 3). [S76] DANIELS, Philip, Internet: eMail: DANIELS, Philip, 27 Dec 2012 (Reliability: 3). [S27] Internet: Website: Genealogy: Ancestry.com, ([Date]), accessed 28 Aug 2011), http://trees.ancestry.com.au/pt/ViewRecordRedir.aspx?tid=20693435&pid=1031678063&dbid=5967&rpid=596504&nam=Lydia%2bForse&pg=32768&pgPL=pid (Reliability: 3).