In yesterday’s blog, we published an account of the ghost of John Daniel, who died in Beaminster in 1728. His relations and neighbours suspected he had been murdered by his stepmother, and their suspicions were only heightened when the ghosts of John and his mother – and an apparition of John’s coffin – were spotted… Read more The Ghosts of Beaminster: How to Get Away With Murder?
Several weeks ago, we came across a spooky document in the Weld of Lulworth Archive (D-WLC/Z/22) headed “A True Account and Narrative of an Apparition in the parish church of Beaminster in the County of Dorset”. Of course, this merited further investigation! After all, who doesn’t love a ghost story at Halloween? It’s not clear… Read more The Ghosts of Beaminster
Dorset History Centre is delighted to report that in July 2024 it received confirmation of its Accredited status from The National Archives. This is the second full accreditation review that the service has undergone – the first being in 2017. This was supplemented by a mid-point ‘light touch’ review in 2021. Accreditation is an important… Read more Accreditation by The National Archives and why it matters
We have recently had the pleasure of digitising a wonderful collection of 47 photographs of Sydling St. Nicholas, each with a caption clearly explaining the scene, and together they paint a wonderful picture of life in the small post-war West Dorset village in 1947. These official photographs were issued by the Central Office of Information,… Read more Life Through a Lens: A Post-War Dorset Village (Part 1)
We recently had a donation of photographs to the Dorset History Centre, with little information. We knew they belonged to the Morrice Family who lived at the (now-demolished) Glebe House in Weymouth. Included amongst the photographs were photos of the grand Glebe House: Also included in the donation was a handwritten diary from 1856. There… Read more Discovering Stories in Archive Collections
Dorset History Centre will be closed to the public for two weeks between Monday 25 November and Friday 6 December 2024 as we undertake Collections Fortnight. Following the successful similar two-week period held in January 2024, we have assessed the volume of customer enquiries and visits we typically receive throughout the year and have concluded… Read more Collections Fortnight: 25 November – 6 December 2024
Dorset has close historical links to Newfoundland in Canada, with many of the immigrants who settled there coming from the county. Many Dorset people travelled to Newfoundland to work and trade in Newfoundland, some returning to Dorset in the winter, others making a permanent home there. Poole was one of the most important ports in… Read more Newfoundland Sources at the Dorset History Centre
Between 2015 and 2018 Dorset History Centre undertook the ‘Unlocking the Bankes archive‘ project. During the life of this project, staff and volunteers contributed well over 100 blogs to the project website. As we reach 2024, this project website is no longer functional in the way it originally was, and we have made the decision… Read more “Daphne Bankes – There’s No Place like Studland!”
Join us at Dorset History Centre for Heritage Open Day on Sunday 15 September to find out more about what we do and how we do it! There will be a range of documents on display, archaeological finds to explore, activities for children; and hourly tours of our building offering you the chance to see… Read more Heritage Open Day 2024
As part of the ongoing Thomas Hardy cataloguing project, we have been joined by Emma, an intern who is working alongside Dorset History Centre and the National Trust to unlock some of the gems hidden in the collection… — Some of you may have seen me at Dorset History Centre (DHC) if you are in… Read more The Empty Rooms Project and Thomas Hardy
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