During the 20th century we had five monarchs and Coronations for three. In the first of two blogs this week we will take a look at how Dorset celebrated these occasions through the archives we hold. At the start of the century, Queen Victoria, who had reigned from 1837 until her death on 22nd January… Read more Coronations in the Archives – part 1
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 over 33,000 records and counting, the Bankes collection is rich with stories about all sorts of things relating to Dorset, Britain, and the wider world. Following its cataloguing between 2015 and 2018, the collection has gone on to regularly be one of our most popular collections; with hundreds, if not thousands of documents from… Read more The Bankes Associates
In March, Dorset Archives Trust held a series of lectures relating to Thomas Hardy, exploring different themes of his life, his work and his interests. The lectures were held to help fund-raise for our Thomas Hardy project and to demonstrate the multi-faceted nature of one of Dorset’s most famous sons. Dorset Archives Trust Vice-Chair, Sara… Read more The Hardy Lectures
Dorset’s outstanding landscapes have long been a draw for tourists, and we are sure that there will be a great many who will be visiting different parts of the county during this Easter Bank Holiday weekend! Visitors currently spend around £1 billion in Dorset, with many supporting small and medium sized businesses across the county.… Read more Steaming along the Dorset coast
If you’ve been following our blogs for the last few months, you might remember that we recently discovered a tiny almanac belonging to Thomas Strangways, so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. Inspired by this adorable find, we decided to see what other miniature things could be found in Dorset History… Read more Archives in Miniature
Portland cement was first patented by a Leeds bricklayer, Joseph Aspdin on 21 October 1824. It is so named because of its resemblance to Portland stone. Portland cement is now the most common type of cement in general use around the world. Royal Mail acknowledged the importance of Portland Cement in a series of stamps… Read more Putting a Stamp on Portland!
Welcome to the sixth part of our series exploring the history of Icen Cottage, Fordington. In previous blogs, we have introduced you to the cottage, shown you some of the earliest documents relating to the cottage, discussed some of the problems when trying to identify the people who lived in the cottage, introduced George Cull as one… Read more Icen Cottage – Thomas Provis Wickham
The story of Harry Paye is an interesting one (if you haven’t heard it). He is somewhat of a local legend. Harry Paye was a seafarer in the 1400s. Described by many as a pilfering pirate; he policed the channel intercepting hundreds of French and Spanish ships; capturing cargo and earning the moniker “Robin Hood… Read more Harry Paye – An admiral of the sea, or a seafaring pirate
Last year, we were joined by a new Conservator – Jessica Pollard! Four months later, and we thought it was about time we introduced her to our readers! — Hello, I’m the new Archive Conservator at Dorset History Centre, joining the team in November of last year, and can’t quite believe four months has gone… Read more Introducing our new Conservator!
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