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
History will be made on the streets of Poole this month with the first performances of SALT, the town’s first community play. With a community cast of around 100 actors and musicians aged nine to 86, as well as many more who have been making props and costumes, building sets and will help with the… Read more SALT: A Community Play for Poole
Sitting next to Bournemouth University, you might not realise the history of Talbot Village. Did you know this green and shady suburb was established by the philanthropy of two women, Georgina and Mary Anne Talbot? Early Days The heathland where Bournemouth now stands was once common land which provided the local community with turf, game,… Read more The Evolution of Talbot Village
At Dorset History Centre, we hold a large number of fascinating collections which tell of a rich history. One such collection is that of Loewy Engineering of Bournemouth… — The County of Dorset has been home to many individuals, men and women who in their own specialist fields have made a great impact upon society… Read more Ludwig Loewy – The Story of a Czech Jew who escaped Nazi Germany
On 1 November 1943, a man, claiming to be refugee, arrived in Poole by flying boat and told a story of how he had escaped from a German internment camp in Occupied France. Little did he know then how short his stay in Britain would be. This was wartime Britain and ports and airports like… Read more How Poole helped capture a wartime spy
In this blog, Jenny Oliver and David Watkins from Poole Museum explore a recent purchase made by Dorset Archives Trust and what it can tell us about the history of Poole… — Dorset History Centre with funding from Dorset Archives Trust has recently acquired a letter, undated but probably late 17th century, making a number of apparently unrelated points… Read more Disaffected and Unruly People – Poole in the 1680s
Recent cataloguing of the Poole Borough Archive has revealed an early mention of Robin Hood! The earliest existing record book for Poole Borough, dating 1490-1553, provides us with a yearly record of appointed officers – mayors, churchwardens, bailiffs, keymen and constables – along with accounts of town and parish funds, traditionally held in the ‘town… Read more Robin Hood comes to Poole
Transportation records in the Borough of Poole Archive provide a fascinating insight into the fate of 18th century convicts, including one of the very first Europeans sent to Australia. Most people know the story of Dorset’s most famous transportees, the Tolpuddle Martyrs sent to Australia in 1834 for setting up a Friendly Society. Now,… Read more Journeys to new worlds: transportation in 18th century
Licensing records in the Poole Borough Archive give an insight into the history of entertainment and leisure in Poole. Newly catalogued licensing documents in the Poole Borough are an excellent source for pub history and provide an insight into what kept Poole’s population entertained over the last few hundred years. Historic Poole pubs Lists of… Read more Pubs and Players
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
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