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Family History

The Deacon Family of Basket Makers

Posted on 21st April 2014

I have a collection of baskets that were made by members of the Deacon family in the village of Nether Compton in Dorset and all are around seventy years old Luckily my father looked after them and I now have the pleasure of using them around the house where I enjoy them and the memories they bring back I also find it satisfying to use the modern day versions and I have a laundry basket, waste paper baskets and kitchen storage baskets all in regular use This interest led me to visit the unique... more

‘The Bishop, the Devil and the Boot’ – Katherine Barker’s reading of Sherborne Museum’s medieval wall painting

Posted on 24th March 2014

Early in March, the SDFHS Research Centre hosted a talk by Katherine Barker for the Sherborne Museum Association on a medieval wall painting discovered in 1962 during renovations to a house in Sherborne Katherine has very kindly enlarged on her original note describing the talk, to enable us to provide a more thorough record of her investigations: - The house was ‘Tudor Rose’ in Long Street and the painting, found during the removal of what was discovered to be a heavily papered-over... more

Grandad and Charlie Hounsell

Posted on 4th March 2014

In 2013 Barbara Elsmore arranged an exhibition on Foster's School for the Sherborne Museum and recognised her grandfather on one of the Museum's photographs I found this old school photograph in Sherborne Museum and realised my grandfather, Arthur Collings, was standing on the far left with his hands on the back of the chair of the boy in front of him The photo was taken in 1898 at Foster's School in Sherborne and is of the boys in forms IV, V and VI It was published in the SDFHS journal The... more

Who Do Who Do You Think You Are?LIVE

Posted on 22nd February 2014

The SDFHS Chair, Ann-Marie Wilkinson, has been keeping a diary during this year's WDYTYA Tuesday Car nicely packed, just need to pop into the local butchers in Wedmore to pick up some local meat to give to my hosts, Barry and Ann Rideout, who look after me for the next few days As usual the butcher has local meat, this time it is Gloucester Old Spot pork and some of his home made sausages The journey was fairly uneventful, although the traffic was bad around Stonehenge – the new... more

Preparing for ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

Posted on 18th February 2014

Our Chairman, Ann-Marie Wilkinson, and other volunteers will be at the SDFHS table for all three days (20th-22nd February) of WDYTYA Please do come and say ‘hello’ and bring any queries you may have about your Somerset or Dorset familiesWho Do You Think You Are starts on Thursday 20th February at Olympia Preparations have been made and on Friday 14th Steve and I braved the weather to go to Sherborne to pick up all the items we take for the SDFHS tables Barry, John, Wendy and Patricia... more

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