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The SDFHS Blog

Ernest Chambers and other Anzacs in Weymouth

Posted on 5th July 2014

Phil Sherwood and Jennie McGowan of the SDFHS South Dorset Group took part recently in a 15 minute Radio Solent programme about Anzacs in Weymouth as part of the BBC’s 'World War One at Home 'series You can hear the programme at: http://wwwbbccouk/programmes/p01x5jzr Jennie gives further information about her family connection to the Anzacs Ernest Henry Chambers was born in 1895 in Sydney Australia, the son of Johanna and Frederick Henry Chambers He enlisted for service abroad on 12th May... more

Heritage Alliance Open Day

Posted on 14th June 2014

What a wonderful day the Heritage Alliance Open Day held at the Family History Centre in Sherborne on Saturday 31 May turned out to be It was the first public coming together of the newly established Sherborne heritage group consisting of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, Sherborne Museum, St Johns’ Almshouse, Sherborne Boys' School Archives and Sherborne Steam and Waterwheel Centre It was a lovely day and I was particularly excited as I had been working on my exhibition of... more

Somerset in Historic Photographs

Posted on 22nd May 2014

The SDFHS Chairman, Ann-Marie Wilkinson, summarises a fascinating new photographic exhibition at the Museum of Somerset On Friday evening (16 May), Steve (right) and I along with Patrick Williams (a previous Chairman of the Society) and his wife Joan went to the Museum of Somerset to a preview of their new exhibition In the Frame – Somerset in Historic Photographs The exhibition displayed many photographs from Somerset, the earliest being a picture of workman renovating Mells Church in the... more

The Greenwood Tree May 2014

Posted on 14th May 2014

Bob Barber gives an outline of the next edition of The Greenwood Tree We start the May edition of The Greenwood Tree in seasonal mode with an account by Maureen Bowler of the social history of the celebrations of May Day This brings back grim memories for me of having to learn country dances at school, but the folk customs surrounding May Day spread much wider Bob Evered has unearthed a very nice etching of St George’s church Dunster by Elizabeth Piper, an etcher and painter who... more

The Royal Tombs of Great Britain

Posted on 11th May 2014

We had a real treat yesterday when Dr Aidan Dodson of Bristol University came to our Research Centre at Sherborne and gave two fascinating and informative talks under the heading of The King is Dead: the royal tombs of Great Britain Aidan’s first talk started with the Saxon kings of Wessex and included, of course, Sherborne Abbey’s own burials of Ethelbald (died 860) and Ethelbert (died 866), older brothers of Alfred the Great Many of the pre-Reformation royal tombs were destroyed during... more