Staff at Dorset History Centre have been looking at the treatment of patients at the Dorset Asylum during the First World War. Dorset History Centre holds the archive of the Dorset County Lunatic Asylum, covering the period from 1829 -1989. The archive includes patient records, committee minutes, accounts books and plans of the hospital, amongst… Read more Spotlight on mental health in World War 1
Recently catalogued documents from the Poole Borough collection reveal historic attitudes to public punishment. The Tudor period was a bad time to be a criminal! Death sentences could be handed out for everything from murder to theft and even begging. In an era when public executions were common, and even seen as a form of entertainment, punishments… Read more Poole’s Pillory
During World War One it took only two days for a letter to reach the front. By the war’s end, two billion letters and 114 million parcels had been sent and received by Britain. A few of these have been deposited in the archives and offer a personal perspective on the war. Gifts from home… Read more In their own words: letters from World War 1
Oral history interviews have captured the memories of real people who lived through the First World War, giving us a real insight into life at home and in service. Living with the enemy Dorset History Centre has recently collected an oral history interview from Miss Pat Grove of East Lulworth. Pat shared her memories of the… Read more In their own words: reminiscence from World War 1
Women played an important role in Dorset during the First World War. Dorset History Centre holds an information booklet issued by the War Office to local officials in September 1916. It aimed to demonstrate that women had successfully taken on jobs formerly occupied by men, and thus encourage the release of additional male workers into the… Read more Women in the war
One of the most unexpected items within Dorset History Centre’s collections is a small black and white poster dating from 1796. It advertises a fencing match in Southampton by a woman; Mademoiselle Charlotte Genevieve Louis D’Eon, also known as the Chevalier D’Eon. A life less ordinary By current classification, Mademoiselle D’Eon would likely be considered… Read more Gender Recognition – at the Point of a Sword
Records in the Borough of Poole archive reveal details of the first policemen to be employed in the town, including their uniforms, expected conduct and rewards. A paid police force Organised crime prevention has existed for centuries, beginning with the early night watchmen and parish constables appointed by Justices of the Peace and other town… Read more Law and order in Poole
Our Archives Project Technician, Amber, continues her journey into the Herbert Photographic Collection. She discovers the surprisingly labour-intensive processes behind transporting Portland limestone off the island in the 1960s (reference: D-HBT/5275). Today, the process of moving, lifting and carrying quarried stone is a relatively simple affair: forklifts, conveyors and front end loaders make easy work… Read more A special shipment of Portland stone
Weymouth and its inhabitants suffered greatly during the war; its proximity to the naval base at Portland and its well-protected bay left it at the receiving end of several bombing raids. The worst affected area in the borough was Chapelhay, residing on the southern side of the harbour. Photographs taken after the war show the extent… Read more Destruction and Creation
Amber, our newly appointed Archives Project Technician, recommences work digitising the fascinating Herbert Collection. She shares some specially selected snapshots of Dorset from times gone by. As one of Dorset History Centre’s newest additions to the team, I find myself with the fascinating privilege of delving through three decades of local Dorset history, as documented pictorially… Read more Delightfully retro festive photography
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