Burial registers are an incredibly useful resource for those researching family history. Most entries record the name, age and place of abode of the person who has died, but sometimes extra notes are included in the margins. In a series of three blogs we will look at some of the interesting information that can be… Read more What Do Burial Registers Tell Us? Part One
We are sharing a monthly look at the farm diary of John Foss, written from his dairy farm in Kingston Russell in 1851. September 1851 “A very dry scorching day” best described September in 1851. Hardly any rain falls until the end of the month, causing the potato crops to wilt and the cow’s milk… Read more The Diary of John Foss: September 1851
Our current circumstances feel so unexpected, but until recently deadly infectious diseases were common in our UK communities. Various forms of isolation have been a common response, and the first of these were medieval hospitals for lepers. Indeed, our records show that John De Plyers made a grant of land in Parkstone to St. Margaret’s Hospital and Leper House in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. By the seventeenth century ‘Pest Houses’ were often provided by parishes, landowners or boroughs and provided isolation and basic nursing. Among other examples, Poole Borough Mayoral accounts of… Read more Disease, Isolation and Vaccines
Many of us these days are used to seeing rabbits, in our countryside, alongside roads, and even owning them as pets. However, during the Pleistocene Age rabbits became extinct here surviving the Ice Age only in warmer climes. They were reintroduced into Britain following the Norman conquest, with the Norman’s valuing them for the table… Read more Not Quite Peter Rabbit or Benjamin Bunny: Coney Farming in Dorset
In 1876 James Buckman founded the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, which was modelled on a club in Cirencester of which he had been a member. He was the secretary of this club and editor of The Proceedings until his death in 1884. The Dorset History Centre holds several of his drawings of… Read more The Buckmans – Pioneers of New Ideas
In the local studies library at the Dorset History Centre you can find a large collection of journals. These journals are packed with fascinating articles and are often an underused resource. In this new series of blogs we will be highlighting some of the interesting articles within them! In this first blog we will be… Read more The Journals of DHC: Pre-1910
We are sharing a monthly look at the farm diary of John Foss, written from his dairy farm in Kingston Russell in 1851. August 1851 August in 1851 is “fine dry & warm”, with “grand weather for the harvest”. The hot weather meant that the milk in the dairy was regularly souring, and John spends much time churning… Read more The Diary of John Foss: August 1851
Whilst browsing through the archive catalogue seeking inspiration, Collections Archivist Owen came across the Bloxworth Estate archive (D-BLX), and when looking amongst the Family papers saw that there were several recipe books listed… — Recipe books can provide a good insight into social history and are always good fun to have a read through. They… Read more Cooking the Books!
Today, we have chatted with Clare, our Collections Assistant in Digital Preservation, who lets us know about how she has been working remotely and her favourite document from our collections… — During lockdown I had the chance to work remotely with our digital archive, taking the opportunity to tidy up digital files behind the scenes, ensuring that… Read more My Favourite Record – Collections Assistant Clare
The Sheridan of Frampton archive is that of the Sheridan family who lived at Frampton House near Dorchester from 1835 until it was demolished in 1932. This collection includes plans and maps of Frampton House and the surrounding area, but also includes personal diaries, poetry and manuscripts from the members of the Sheridan family. From… Read more Collection Spotlight: The Sheridan of Frampton collection
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