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Blackmore Vale Group

The Tolpuddle Martyrs and Shire Hall: we will, we will, we will be free!

Posted on 17th January 2025

Anne Brown: The Tolpuddle Martyrs and Shire Hall: we will, we will, we will be free! Shire Hall, Dorchester, was the centre of justice and local government from 1797 to 1955 The Georgian courtroom was the scene of many famous and infamous trials throughout this period, the most famous being that of the six agricultural labourers known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs This talk looks at the background to their story, the punishment they endured and the changes these ordinary Dorset working men made... more

Life on The Row

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Jacquie Wragg: Life on The Row Unlike the pretty Church Street in Sturminster Newton, The Row is a mismatch of properties However, surviving documents held at the Dorset History Centre reveal interesting information about some of the occupants and their homes which date back to 1650 This presentation will include details of residents in The Row affected by the Great Fire of 1729, a Waterloo veteran with a connection to Robert Young, the Dorset dialect poet, the draper who married his... more

From Gott’s Corner to Tinsel Town

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Margot Choo: From Gott’s Corner to Tinsel Town The fascinating story of one of Sturminster Newton schoolmaster’s... more

Standing on the shoulders (and other parts) of a giant: the Cerne Abbas Giant reconsidered

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Paul Cheetham: Standing on the shoulders (and other parts) of a giant: the Cerne Abbas Giant reconsidered Local archaeologist professor, Paul Cheetham, has been working on the dig in Cerne Abbas where surprising new discoveries have been made about the giant and its... more

Where were you on V.E. Day?

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Felicity Harrison: Where were you on VE Day “I was born during WW2 but I don’t remember where I was on VE day I’ve been aware that I know very little about how WW2 affected Sturminster other than the two Commonwealth War Graves in the Cemetery So, I’ve been asking around, trying to find out from some of the locals how it impinged on their youth The result is this... more

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