Dorset Books

(Barbara Elsmore) From midway through the reign of Queen Victoria, to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the many changes affecting the way of life in Over and Nether Compton are explored. Life is viewed through the eyes of members…..

(Sylvia Creed) This book was written to show the changes that had taken place in the last one hundred years. Whitchurch Canonicorum is the largest village in the vale, a low-lying, bowl-shaped valley drained by the river Char.  Other villages…..

Stories of some of the dramas, tragedies and even comedies that played out at the Dorset assize courts during the nineteenth century. Collectively the stories paint a fascinating picture, not just of nineteenth century crime, but also of the prevailing…..

(Andrew Norman) In November 1943, during the Second World War, a tiny village near the Dorset coast was busy preparing for Christmas.  Despite the conflict, the community had remained much as it always had been: the big house, church, school,…..

(Bob Machin)  A major series of essays about the author’s research into old countryside buildings, mostly farmhouses. The book is the result of many years of investigation, stemming from the author’s interest in the houses of ordinary people.  What did…..

(Bob Machin)  This book describes the history of the vale from early times up to more modern times. The vale was an uncultivated waste until the late Saxon period.  By 1086 only twelve small areas had been enclosed.  Many new…..

(Terry Townsend) This book is a literary pub crawl around two of England’s most beautiful and least spoilt shires, Dorset and Somerset, following in the steps of famous and lesser known writers.  The author has included town pubs, country pubs,…..

(Chloe O’Shea)  This book is aimed art both amateur family historians as well as experienced genealogists who wish to research their background in the county. The initial chapters deal with different record types, such as newspaper articles, title deeds and…..

(published in 2002) (Anthony Wilcox) A listing of the available parish registers, including the original registers, bishop’s transcripts and other available copies and transcriptions, for christenings, marriages and banns, and burials, for all Dorset parishes. 153 pages. Soft covers.

(ed Nicci Brown) Over 100 of the more than one million UK soldiers killed in the First World War were from Blandford, and more than 200 from nearby villages. This book is a testimony to them, and all the others…..

(Various authors)  Sixpenny Handley has been home to smugglers and poachers, it has been burnt down on more than one occasion and there have been riots, murders and ghostly riders on horseback.  It is all true, except perhaps for the…..

Price now reduced (Adrian Bailey)  A guide to place names in Marnhull. The author, who became confused in trying to identify so many ‘local’ names as he struggled through his own family history research, decided to trace them all. The…..

(Elizabeth Buckler Gale)  Enthralling account of the lives of the people of the Burton Bradstock locality from long ago to recent times. 172 pages.  Soft covers.

(Bernard Paull)  The author has spent many years collecting post cards and photographs of Loders.  This collection, much of which has been included in the book, has enabled a look back at life and events in the village between the…..

(Elizabeth Buckler Gale)  This book looks at the history of Bridport Harbour, now known as West Bay, and the Bridport Swimming Club which was founded in 1898, along with the author’s family’s ties to the town.  Includes over 70 photographs……

(Ed Bob Machin) – Dorset Record Society Vol 8. Provides detailed information on building practices and costs at a crucially important period, which saw one of the greatest pre-nineteenth century building booms in England. It is rare to find such…..