Earlier this year, we came across a curious diary in our library here at Dorset History Centre.
Written in 1872, Our Journal at Winterbourn St. Martins is a personal diary written by a Miss Berry Dallas during her visit to Dorset.
Joined by her younger sister Helen, Berry stayed with Major Charles Clapcott and his wife Mrs Sarah Anne Clapcott (née Coleridge) for nine months in Winterbourn St. Martins otherwise known as Martinstown.
Our Journal at Winterbourn St. Martins consists of Berry’s light-hearted account of her day-to-day ventures, offering an amusing commentary of her experiences. Sketches of the local surroundings and her daily activities accompany Berry’s words, contributing a humanising and insightful snapshot into this period of Dorset’s history.
The journal was first purchased by Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society in May 1982 at an auction in London after its discovery in Torquay. The journal was published in the same year alongside commentary and contextual information pieced together by Jo Draper. Using archival material from the Dorset County Library, the Dorset Record Office (the predecessor to the now Dorset History Centre), and the Dorset Military Museum, Draper’s notes help form essential context and clarity for understanding the events, people and surroundings that the Dallas sisters interacted with.
Berry’s first entry into the journal on Wednesday the 17th of January 1872 can be seen below:
“Our arrival at Winterbourne St. Martins. The floods are out to welcome us.”
Berry and her sister Helen certainly had an eventful entry into Martinstown!
We plan to release a monthly update from this journal, showcasing the sketches and commentary written by Miss Berry Dallas during her time in Victorian Martinstown.
We look forward to posting the next instalment!
You can find Our Journal at Winterbourn St. Martins in our library at Dorset History Centre under the call mark 942.331 WSM.