Posted on 9th February 2024
The Dorset Drowners Speaker: Paul Cheetham A ”Drowner” is an occupation that you may have found on a census form as an occupation of one of your ancestors There were a lot of them in Dorset as they were necessary for the management of the water meadows and healthy crops and farm animals Paul’s talk will particularly reference the local water meadows at... morePosted on
To lie abroad – the Georgian traveller Speaker: Gordon Le Pard In the eighteenth century, travel became easier for everybody Roads were improved, canals and later railways were developed, and it became much safer to travel by sea At the same time the idea of travelling for pleasure began, from seaside holidays to the Grand Tour of Europe and further to North America and the Far East This presentation is based around artefacts, the majority of which will be original From maps and... morePosted on
150 years of courtroom drama Speaker: Anne Brown Shire Hall, Dorchester, was the centre of justice and local government from 1797 to 1955 The courtroom was the scene of many famous and infamous trials throughout this period from the internationally significant Tolpuddle Martyrs to Martha Brown, said to be the inspiration for Hardy’s Tess of the D’Ubervilles Particularly fascinating, are the stories of the ordinary Dorset men, women and children who found themselves in the dock during... morePosted on
Searching for surnames: challenges, pitfalls and the downright ridiculous Speaker: Kirsty Gray Kirsty has been involved in the world of genealogy from a very early age She researched her maternal family history and soon found the fascinating surname of Sillifant in her paternal lineage which she enjoyed exploring Kirsty has continued from a rookie to a fully-fledged professional genealogist, business owner, heir tracer, TV/radio personality, Genealogy Show Director, and more... morePosted on 5th February 2024
John Stockley from Weymouth was the star of a TV programme, 'Britain's Secret War Babies', about children whose fathers were African American GIs stationed here in WW11 Finally a DNA test has changed his life for ever This is the fascinating story of a mixed race man growing up in the 1950s and his life, until now in his 70s he finally gets to solve the... more