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The SDFHS Blog

SDFHS Mid-Somerset Group at ‘Arch’ive Explored’

Posted on 18th November 2013

Ann-Marie Wilkinson, the SDFHS Chair, reports on an event in Wells Saturday 16th November saw seven members of the SDFHS Mid-Somerset Group in Wells helping at the “ARCHI’VE EXPLORED” Event The whole event was organised by the Wells City and Cathedral Archivist, Dr Julia Wood She had been on Radio Somerset publicising the event in the morning and even gave our Society a plug The event was spread across venues in Wells Steve Wilkinson, Paddy Thomson and Peter Welch were in the... more

Mills on the Yeo and the men who worked them

Posted on 9th November 2013

Colin Dean reviews Mills on the Yeo and the men who worked them This must sound like the title of a serious study – and so it is Author Martin Bodman describes it as a gazetteer of 91 watermill sites in the River Yeo basin in south-east Somerset and north-west Dorset But when you see the colourful cover and the page lay-outs containing detailed maps and photographs of most of the locations, you will be drawn to pick it up And when you discover in the acknowledgements that respected family... more

An evening with Sir Tony Robinson

Posted on 8th November 2013

Barry Brock describes a recent event in Dorchester A trip to the Dorset History Centre on 30 October provided the chance to meet Sir Tony Robinson, ‘actor, TV presenter, historian and Ancestrycouk spokesperson’ This was a ‘meet the customer’ event, organised by Ancestry in conjunction with the Dorset History Centre - a ballot for tickets had been four times over subscribed It may be difficult to think of Tony Robinson as a knight of the realm, especially as the obvious name linked... more

Bonfires and Dragons

Posted on 6th November 2013

Patricia Spencer summaries an event held in the SDFHS Meeting Room On Monday afternoon (4th November) Jacqueline Dillion of Harding University gave a fascinating talk on the history of bonfires in Britain for our next-door neighbours, Sherborne Museum, who use our Meeting Room for some of their events Jacqueline is currently finishing her PhD thesis on Folklore in the Works of Thomas Hardy and so started her talk with Hardy’s description of a bonfire on Egdon Heath in Return of the... more

Lucky Wedding Charm

Posted on 3rd November 2013

Barbara Elsmore describes a wedding tradition of the Collings family I am off to the wedding in Chicago of my nephew, Simon Collings, and his bride, all American girl Sarah, asked if there is a family tradition that could be observed and I racked my brains to think of one Then I remembered my mother had me walking up the aisle with a silver three penny piece in my shoe A quick look through a box of family treasures and I found a little box with five silver ‘thrupenny bits’ in it I did not... more