July 2020

Mapping the County: The Thornford Estate

Posted on No Comments on Mapping the County: The Thornford Estate

Thanks to the Dorset Archives Trust Document Purchase Fund the Dorset History Centre recently purchased a beautiful 1802 manuscript map of an estate in Thornford.  Thornford is in the north west corner of Dorset near Sherborne.  It was prepared for George Tilly Gollop and surveyed by John Davioge of Ansford (probably near Castle Cary) in 1802.   George Tilly Gollop was a Dorset landowner who actually lived in Netherbury but, in common with most 18th and 19th century landowners, held lands… Read more Mapping the County: The Thornford Estate

A.M. Broadley – The Grangerising Master!

Posted on No Comments on A.M. Broadley – The Grangerising Master!

We have just come to the end of our series of blogs highlighting the wide variety documents contained in two collections of grangerised books held within our archive; Hutchins Extra illustrated and Royal Weymouth. We couldn’t finish this series without writing a little bit about the man responsible for putting these books together, A.M. Broadley.… Read more A.M. Broadley – The Grangerising Master!

Beales, bombs and evidence within the archives

Posted on 7 Comments on Beales, bombs and evidence within the archives

Bournemouth suffered a devastating aerial assault when 23 May 1943, a German ‘Tip and Run’ raid attacked the town.  The incident is well recorded as the cost in human lives and physical destruction was severe with a reputed 130 deaths and the levelling of over 50 buildings.  Amongst the premises badly affected were two large hotels, the Metropole and Central, as well as Beales Department Store where… Read more Beales, bombs and evidence within the archives

Collection Spotlight: Civil Defence records

Posted on No Comments on Collection Spotlight: Civil Defence records

Amongst the Dorset Council records is a small section of Civil Defence records, Ref: DCC-CD, dating primarily from the Second World War. Following the first World War it was acknowledged that any future conflicts would involve aerial attacks and a committee was set up to establish what could be done to protect the public from… Read more Collection Spotlight: Civil Defence records

LGBTQ+ Histories Now Available!

Posted on 2 Comments on LGBTQ+ Histories Now Available!

“When I could finally come out to my parents – that was when I felt liberated, and that I could live openly” In February, we told you about twenty-five oral history recordings we had developed, in partnership with LGBTQ+ volunteers. These recordings involve Dorset residents talking about their experiences around coming out, their views on… Read more LGBTQ+ Histories Now Available!

The Rena Gardiner collections

Posted on 3 Comments on The Rena Gardiner collections

Recently, we have been exploring the work of Dame Elisabeth Frink, as part of our project to catalogue the Frink collection held at Dorset History Centre. However, Frink’s is not the only collection of artistic material we hold… — “It is a quiet region, without drama in either landscape or architecture; yet although each of… Read more The Rena Gardiner collections

Collection Spotlight: The Baskett Family Collection

Posted on No Comments on Collection Spotlight: The Baskett Family Collection

The Baskett Family collection, D-719, is spread over three boxes, two containing documents and one full of photographs. The documents were clearly collected by someone who was interested in history and many of them contain notes about family history and pedigrees of families related to the Basketts. When you find an entry for the pedigree… Read more Collection Spotlight: The Baskett Family Collection

Conservation Tales: The Accounts of Beeby

Posted on 6 Comments on Conservation Tales: The Accounts of Beeby

If we look closely, archival documents can tell us so much more than that which is written in their pages.  Even the most unassuming volume, such as these accounts of the church wardens and constables of Beeby, can tell us a great deal about how the volume was used, some of the personality of its… Read more Conservation Tales: The Accounts of Beeby