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 in Higher Brockhampton, near Dorchester in Dorset. As he was a sickly child, he was kept mostly at home and gained an intimate knowledge of the surrounding countryside, local stories, rituals and superstitions that would later influence his work.
Many of his most famous novels are set in Dorset including Tess of the D’Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge and The Woodlanders. Not only do we hold copies of his works in our reference library, but we also now hold Dorset County Museum’s collection of Hardy records which includes his correspondence, notebooks and memoirs.
William Barnes
The poet William Barnes was born at Rushay Farm, on Bagber Common near Sturminster Newton in Dorset. He came from a farming family who were greatly affected by the rapid urbanization and industrialisation of the Victorian era.
Much of his poetry is written in Dorset dialect, such as his first poetry collection Poems of Rural Life in Dorset Dialect, which was published in 1844. His work gives a vivid picture of rural life in Dorset, and seems to look back fondly to his childhood when agriculture was prosperous.
Barnes also wrote on a broad range of subjects for a number of magazines, journals and newspapers including the Dorset County Chronicle, Hone’s Yearbook and The Gentleman’s Magazine. In October 1845, Barnes helped to found the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester, he also gave lectures for the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club.
Sylvia Townsend Warner
Sylvia Townsend Warner was born in 1893 in Middlesex, but in 1930 she moved to the village of Chaldon in Dorset when she fell in love with the poet Valentine Ackland. Both Warner and Ackland spent the rest of their lives living together in Dorset.
Warner wrote poetry all her life, as well as several novels. But it could be suggested that it was her short stories written in the 1930’s, that made her most widely known, many of which were published in The New Yorker.
We hold the Sylvia Townsend Warner and Valentine Ackland collection (D-TWA) here at the Dorset History Centre. This collection is uncatalogued but includes stories, poems, correspondence, photos, diaries and more.
Authors inspired by Dorset: Enid Blyton
There are also a number of authors, that although are not from Dorset have still been inspired by our beautiful County, perhaps most famously the beloved children’s author Enid Blyton.
Enid Blyton wrote over 700 books and stories during her writing career, and several of these include locations and characters inspired by her visits to Dorset.
Enid Blyton would holiday on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset 3 times a year with her children, and later her husband Kenneth. It is believed that popular Dorset locations such as Corfe Castle, Blue Pool, Brownsea Island and Kimmeridge Bay all feature in her stories.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was also inspired by a holiday to Dorset. Austen visited Lyme Regis during the summer of 1804 with her family. Dorset must have made an impact on her, as her last novel Persuasion is partially set in Lyme Regis.
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We hope you have enjoyed learning a bit more about a few of our Dorset authors, however there are many more that have not been mentioned in this blog.
In our reference library, we have a section dedicated to Dorset authors. This includes original work, but also academic studies and journals. You can see what books and publications we hold on the LibrariesWest website, just search for the author or book title you are interested in and then use the filters on the left hand side to select the Dorset History Centre!
Other Dorset writers include Wilkinison Sherren and Orme Agnus, both active around the turn of the twentieth century; both were followers of Hardy
and wrote, among other things, about the towns and rustics of Wessex.
S herren also penned a non-fiction tome ‘The Wessex of Romance’.
I wondered if any of the museums, libraries etc in Dorset held collections and information about these lesser talents ?
Hi Keith, thanks for your comment! At the Dorset History Centre, we hold two copies of Wilkinson Sherren’s publication Wessex of Romance in our Rare Books collection. We do not have any of Orme Agnus’ publications, but we do have a collection of letters written by him – reference D1/PS/1A-F. You are welcome to visit us to view these; please just email us to make an appointment.
Dorset Libraries hold copies of eight different works by Agnus Orme within their Local History reserve collection. You will need to contact the Library Service to enquire about borrowing these, which you can do using the form on their website. There are also copies of several works by Wilkinson Sherren, some held by Dorset Libraries HQ and others by Dorchester Library, which are available for borrowing. You can search Dorset Libraries’ catalogue online by going to http://www.librarieswest.org.uk.