In the local studies library at the Dorset History Centre you can find a large collection of journals. These journals are packed with fascinating articles and are often an underused resource. In this new series of blogs we will be highlighting some of the interesting articles within them! This is the second in our series… Read more The Journals of DHC: 1910s
We are sharing a monthly look at the farm diary of John Foss, written from his dairy farm in Kingston Russell in 1851. September 1851 “A very dry scorching day” best described September in 1851. Hardly any rain falls until the end of the month, causing the potato crops to wilt and the cow’s milk… Read more The Diary of John Foss: September 1851
Our current circumstances feel so unexpected, but until recently deadly infectious diseases were common in our UK communities. Various forms of isolation have been a common response, and the first of these were medieval hospitals for lepers. Indeed, our records show that John De Plyers made a grant of land in Parkstone to St. Margaret’s Hospital and Leper House in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. By the seventeenth century ‘Pest Houses’ were often provided by parishes, landowners or boroughs and provided isolation and basic nursing. Among other examples, Poole Borough Mayoral accounts of… Read more Disease, Isolation and Vaccines
Many of us these days are used to seeing rabbits, in our countryside, alongside roads, and even owning them as pets. However, during the Pleistocene Age rabbits became extinct here surviving the Ice Age only in warmer climes. They were reintroduced into Britain following the Norman conquest, with the Norman’s valuing them for the table… Read more Not Quite Peter Rabbit or Benjamin Bunny: Coney Farming in Dorset
Our new online catalogue launched last week. This is the place where you can find descriptions of over 360,000 items in our collections. We have been working with the team behind Epexio Discover to deliver a modern archival discovery platform which makes it easier for you to find what you are looking for within Dorset’s archives. More dynamic searching… The new catalogue offers a more intuitive and user-friendly experience. You… Read more Explore Epexio: DHC’s new online catalogue!
We thought that in today’s blog we would look at some of Dorset’s authors and poets, and also a couple of authors who have been influenced and inspired by Dorset. Thomas Hardy We cannot talk about Dorset authors without mentioning the distinguished poet and author Thomas Hardy. Hardy was born on the 2nd June 1840… Read more Dorset Authors at Dorset History Centre
In October 2018 Dorset County Museum closed for a multi-million pound redevelopment, incorporating new galleries, a learning centre, library and visitor facilities. Whilst designing the new galleries a number of archival items were identified as requiring conservation treatment before they could be put on display. Forty documents that will be exhibited in the Hardy’s Dorset,… Read more Working with Dorset County Museum
We are excited to offer a paid traineeship in digital archives as part of the Bridging the Digital Gap programme run by The National Archives and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Bridging the Digital Gap aims to increase digital skills in archives by bringing new talent into the sector to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce. … Read more Bridging the Digital Gap Traineeship
The censuses were incredibly useful things. Not only because of the information about the population that was learned, but for genealogists in the centuries afterwards. And yet, censuses can be hard work too. One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is how to find out exactly where someone lived as often the censuses… Read more Navigating a Census
In 1876 James Buckman founded the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, which was modelled on a club in Cirencester of which he had been a member. He was the secretary of this club and editor of The Proceedings until his death in 1884. The Dorset History Centre holds several of his drawings of… Read more The Buckmans – Pioneers of New Ideas
Recent Comments