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The SDFHS Blog

Preview of the February 2015 ‘Greenwood Tree’

Posted on 25th January 2015

Bob Barber previews the first edition of The Greenwood Tree in 2015 which will be reaching members shortly Remember, if you haven’t renewed your membership then you won’t receive your copy So don’t miss out, see: wwwsdfhsorg/ 2015 is an important milestone for our Society as it marks the 40th anniversary of its founding The Society was the brainchild of Mervyn Medlycott, who convened a meeting in the village hall at Sandford Orcas in June 1975, following an appeal in the spring to anyone... more

Zulus in Sherborne

Posted on

The first of our 2015 Sherborne events took place yesterday when Col Iain Swinnerton described the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, followed by a wine-tasting of six South African wines The main events of the Anglo-Zulu war are very familiar to anyone who has seen the film Zulu (all but one of us present yesterday had seen it - some many times!) and its later prequel Zulu Dawn (rather fewer had seen this film) but we all welcomed the opportunity to hear the expert views of the SDFHS Military Advisor,... more

Grandad’s spade – another object with a story to tell

Posted on 2nd January 2015

Barbara Elsmore tells the story of another of her family treasures - one that won't fit into her box and which 'won't buckle'! It crept up slowly, the need to get the boxes of family photos and mementoes down from the loft where I had stashed them hastily following my mother's death three years previously I soon found myself transported back in time, when I found a photo of my brother Roger standing in the wheelbarrow belonging to my grandfather Arthur Collings in the garden of the old house... more

A Boxful of Family Treasures

Posted on 31st December 2014

Barbara Elsmore describes the contents of her own box of family treasures, each with its reminder of past owners, helping her to envisage the lives of her ancestors I had had no idea of the word 'mnemonic' although I have used mnemonics many times over the years - 'i before e except after c', '30 days hath September', 'one collar and two socks' to remember how to spell necessary - I am sure you can think of more that have helped you too as an aid to the memory I first became aware that this... more

William Rowland – iron founder of Sherborne.

Posted on 23rd November 2014

William Rowland, one of Sherborne's iron founders, whose name can still be seen on gratings around the town, featured in one of Graham Bendell's talks at our Industrial Archaeology Day on 22 November William Rowland was born in Bristol about 1840 By 1851 his family had moved to Salisbury where his father was in business as an engineer and iron founder employing three men William was working for his father in 1861 as an engineer An advertisement in The Western Gazette, dated 11th October 1867,... more