For most people the word ‘archives’ conjures images of dusty basements crammed full of old documents. It’s true that Dorset’s archives contain millions of paper and parchment documents dating from 965AD (though neatly boxed and not dusty!). But this is not the whole story. We collect all types of media and are much more interested… Read more Archival Types – Film and sound
We are sharing a monthly look at the farm diary of John Foss, written from his dairy farm in Kingston Russell in 1851. May 1851 May of 1851 starts cold with a snowstorm on Monday the 5th, but soon improves. John describing many of the days in a similar manner: “Fine morning, continued so all… Read more The Diary of John Foss: May 1851
With the exception of the fascinating recent blog about our conservator creating protective packaging for the wonderful plaster maquettes, it has been a while since we updated you about the exciting project to catalogue the archive of the renowned sculptor, Dame Elisabeth Frink. This collection was provided to Dorset History Centre in accordance with the… Read more Elisabeth Frink: A project update
People often view ‘family history’ and ‘house history’ as two separate endeavours with two distinct end results. In reality, the two are inextricably linked. To attempt to do your house history involves as much searching for the people who lived there as it does searching for the address, or the location. The lives of houses… Read more Archival Types – Title deeds
With the 75th anniversary of VE Day upon us, we asked The Keep Military Museum to write a short piece about how Dorset celebrated the end of the war in 1945… — When post-war generations think of V.E. Day, images of street parties, celebrations in London, and the famous story of Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret… Read more VE Day in Dorset
Gerardus Mercator (1512 – 1594) never travelled very far. Apparently, he was a bit of an armchair traveller, which is most relevant today as, due to the lockdown, none of us can go very far. However, in 1569 he designed the map of the world that we all still recognise today. His principle known as… Read more Armchair Travellers – Maps in a time of lockdown
At the end of March (which feels a long time ago now), our project to catalogue the records of the Herrison Hospital collection ended. Before she left, our Project Archivist, Sophie Smith, gave us her thoughts on the project and the collection… — Working with a collection as complex and varied as the Herrison Hospital… Read more Herrison Hospital Collection: A Year in Review
Manorial documents are a rich and under-used source for both local and family historians and are key to understanding life in early-modern England. Contrary to popular belief most manorial documents are post-medieval and written in English, although the medieval Latin documents often get more attention. Stewards, acting for manorial lords, produced a wide range of… Read more Archival Types – Manorial Documents
‘Royal Weymouth’ is a four-volume book that we hold within our collection. Like ‘The Extra Illustrated Edition of Hutchins’, it has been put together by A.M. Broadley, but instead of grangerising one book, these volumes are based around several accounts of the Royal visits to Weymouth by King George III and his family. — Much… Read more Royal Weymouth Volume 2 – Devonshire and Dialect
The Ancestry website is usually available free of charge at Dorset History Centre and in Dorset Libraries. During the current situation, when these centres are closed, Dorset Libraries are offering free access to Ancestry to anyone with a Dorset Library card. Other library services often offer this, and you may wish to check for services… Read more How to find Dorset records on Ancestry…
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