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Dorchester

Lust and Litigation in 17th Century Dorset

Posted on 24th January 2021

Family history research can sometimes reveal the most fascinating and unexpected results This happened to me recently when I was researching my FULFORD ancestors I discovered details of a lawsuit that gave startling insight into a family member Margaret JEWELL was born in 1665 daughter of Anne Jewell (neé Fulford) The first name of her father and the marriage details of her parents are unknown (records are scarce for the Commonwealth period) On 4th August 1685 at Sydling St Nicholas she... more

The Greenwood Tree – September 2020

Posted on 26th August 2020

Members came up trumps once again with their tales of the Black Sheep of their respective families in what proved to be a popular theme for The Greenwood Tree’s September edition For the second successive issue (and for no extra charge) four more pages were added to provide a suitable platform for some intriguing stories Editor Paul Radford previews the edition which will be mailed to members at the end of August and which SDFHS members can already view or download from the Members Area of... more

Open Day at Herrison Hospital, Dorchester

Posted on 10th April 2019

On Sunday, 7 April 2019 the doors of Herrison Hall were thrown open to anyone with an interest in the old Herrison Hospital in Dorchester and before the exhibition was officially opened every space in the car park was taken as people seemed to be heading for the hall from all directions We had to park some distance away and as we walked we met up with a man who was excitedly returning as he told us he had started work in the kitchen, many years ago, on leaving school Many came with items... more

Somerset Photographers 1839-1939

Posted on 25th June 2018

On 31 August 1844, an advertisement in the Warwick and Warwickshire Advertiser announced that, during the following week at the Bowling Green, Warwick “Master Augustus Gyngell, only eight years of age, the child with the iron nerve, will make his daring and astonishing flight across the Green, from an immense altitude, surrounded with fireworks, as the Spirit Ariel, travelling at the rate of 200 miles an hour” We’ve not found a report which might have verified the height or the speed of... more

The Greenwood Tree – March 2017

Posted on 24th February 2017

The March 2017 issue of The Greenwood Tree is now being printed, and will be posted to all members of the Society next week This is the first under the new schedule, where the publication dates will be at the beginning of March, June, September and December So if you’ve been wondering where your copy of The Greenwood Tree has got to, don’t despair – it will be with you soon Once the print copies are in the post, the PDF version will be uploaded to the Members' Area of our website We... more

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