In 1799 two significant things were born. Both would make significant contributions to science and research. The first, The Royal Institution of Great Britain was established in March 1799, and is still in existence, having seen no less than 15 Nobel Laureates pass through their doors, and 10 chemical elements be discovered by its members… Read more Mary Anning, 1799-1847
For this blog local Dorset author Minette Walters tells us about the inspiration behind her upcoming book… — For anyone who relishes tales of courage and heroism against overwhelming odds, I recommend a study of the siege of Lyme Regis during the English Civil War. I researched it for my new novel, The Swift and… Read more The Siege of Lyme Regis
Quarter Sessions records are a rich source for many types of historical research. With responsibility for both local justice and administration many people had dealings with the Quarter Sessions court at some point. The records of the Quarter Sessions are a starting point for some fascinating stories of life in Dorset particularly during the 19th… Read more Stories from Dorset Quarter Sessions
This is the third instalment in our blog series about the non-conformist reverend James McClune Uffen and the diary he kept of his Journey from Dorchester to New Zealand in 1911. You can read part 1 and part 2 if you’ve not seen them already! In this instalment we shall find out about ship sightings,… Read more Reverend Uffen’s Leaving Dorset (part 3)
In the collections, Dorset History Centre holds a number of locally published works and manuscripts of Miss Adela Marion Curtis. Miss Curtis (1867-1960) founded a community which existed just outside Burton Bradstock for almost 30 years in the mid 20th century. The members were known locally as The White Ladies because of the flowing white… Read more The Burton Bradstock Religious Community That Almost Never Existed
Wills are basically a statement of how you wish your property to be disposed of following your death. The 1540 Statue of Wills laid down that a will should deal with real estate (i.e. land and buildings) and personal property (e.g. goods, money). The main change was that through a written Will a landowner could… Read more A Guide to Wills, Admons and Inventories
Amongst the records of non-conformist churches held by Dorset History Centre you will find a collection of correspondence called the Carpenter Letters. In this collection you will find letters from many of the prominent social reformers, educators and abolitionists from the nineteenth century. The Reverend Russell Lant Carpenter was the minister of Bridport Unitarian Church from 1865-1887. He was the… Read more The Carpenter Letters
This February we’d like to think beyond the exclusivity of romantic love and open our hearts to all the affection and emotion which can be conveyed by a handwritten letter. Until the mid-twentieth century letters were the primary means of contact for people living more than a few miles apart and the pleasure of receiving a letter or note was often enormous – indeed the wish to correspond… Read more Posts from the Past
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching we wanted to look at declarations of love in our collections, in particular love letters and poems. There are some lovely pieces celebrating love, and the angst that goes along with it! — Firstly, from the Dorset County Museum King Collection archive is this very fragile 19th century example of… Read more Poems for Your Love
“…the oddness of the world and the surprisingness of mankind…” – Sylvia Townsend Warner Although not born in Dorset, the author and poet Sylvia Townsend Warner, fell in love with the county when she visited Chaldon Herring and the surrounding area in the 1920s. A prolific writer of short stories she contributed to the New… Read more Sylvia Townsend Warner (1893-1978) & Valentine Ackland (1906-1969)
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