You may remember that, a few months ago, we posted a blog about two ‘unknown men’ who were admitted to Herrison in 1904. One was later found out to be Horace Edward Scanlan, an engineer from Poole, and the other claimed to be Henry Octavius Keegan, an Irish-American who had gone out with two women… Read more A Man Unknown (part 2)
The Poor Laws existed in England and Wales between the late 16th century and the 20th century in some form or another. Before their introduction, beggars and vagrancy were increasingly viewed as a problem that needed to be dealt with, so a system was created to help the ‘deserving poor’ and punish the ‘undeserving poor’… Read more The Overseers and the Old Poor Law
The history of Tyneham in the present tends to focus on its military turning point during the Second World War, when the villagers were evacuated in December 1943 by the military and were not allowed to return post-war. Even now, councils and associations as far as Portsmouth are in deliberations about how to restore the… Read more 13 Years Old and 14 Miles Out: Ann Gillett, the Husbandry Apprentice
Every box in DHC’s repositories is a remnant of a human experience – from farm accounts to heartfelt diaries. So it’s no wonder that writers, including our supporter Minette Walters, find inspiration in the archives and put fingers to keys to retell stories of times long past. Read on to find out how Sue Ashby,… Read more Historical Plays set in North Dorset
Through four weeks in June and July 2023, Dorset History Centre hosted two students on work experience placements. During this month, they were given the opportunity to learn about what DHC does and how we work. In this blog, Molly gives us her thoughts on the placement… — Hi there! My name is Molly Butcher… Read more Work Experience 2023: Molly’s experience
Through four weeks in June and July 2023, Dorset History Centre hosted two students on work experience placements. During this month, they were given the opportunity to learn about what DHC does and how we work. In this blog, Ben gives us his thoughts on the placement… — Hi, I’m Ben Corben-Hale, a history student… Read more Work Experience 2023: Ben’s experience
History will be made on the streets of Poole this month with the first performances of SALT, the town’s first community play. With a community cast of around 100 actors and musicians aged nine to 86, as well as many more who have been making props and costumes, building sets and will help with the… Read more SALT: A Community Play for Poole
At DHC we are fortunate to hold many hours of film and video footage featuring Dorset places, events and people form yesteryear. Much of this fantastic history is on formats we no longer have the equipment to play. And the pool of people with the expertise and equipment to transfer original formats to digital is… Read more The Fun of Old Film
If you have visited the Dorset History Centre during June and spent time in the reception area you may have seen the display showcasing some of the many tools, and a few commonly used materials, that can be found in the conservation studio. Our Conservator explains more… — Some of the tools may look familiar,… Read more Conservation tools: a handy gadget to have
June has been Gypsy Romany and Traveller month, and we have previously shared with you various blogs charting some of the challenges in identifying members of the GRT community in historical records. This week we wanted to share the memories of Jean Matthews, a member of the GRT community, about her life at Heavenly Bottom.… Read more Heavenly Bottom: Memories of Jean Matthews (part 2)
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