Dorset History Centre

Last updated

The Dorset History Centre (formerly Dorset Record Office) is the archive service for the county of Dorset, England. It collects, stores, preserves and makes available documents relating to the history of Dorset. It is a local authority archive service, jointly funded by Dorset Council, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, serving both authorities. The oldest document in the archives is from 965 AD.

Contents

The Dorset History Centre has scored consistently well in The National Archives Self Assessment programme, which evaluates local authority archive services on a number of key indicators. It received a 4* rating in 2010 – the highest rating which can be awarded. [1]

History

Dorset Record Office was founded in 1955, and based at the County Hall in Dorchester. It expanded through the remainder of the 1950s by taking in the archives stored at the Dorset County Museum, and becoming the Diocesan Record Office in 1959. The Record Office continued to be based at County Hall through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, with a new research room being added in 1971. In 1991 a new purpose-built office was opened on Bridport Road in Dorchester, with approximately 6 miles of shelving capacity in environmentally controlled repositories, including a special storage area for modern media. In 1997, the Record Office became the joint archives service for Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole councils. The county’s Local Studies Library was moved into the record office building in 2005, at which point it became the Dorset History Centre. [2] [3]

Collections

The Dorset History Centre holds a wide range of archive collections created by organisations, families or businesses based in Dorset. It holds records for the Church of England parishes in Dorset, including parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. It also holds some records for other denominations. The Centre also holds the historical records of the Unitary Councils and the former County Council, District and Borough councils and predecessor bodies. Other such public bodies represented in the collections include the local courts, prisons and hospitals. The oldest document in the collection is a charter from the Saxon king Edgar granting land in Cheselbourne which dates from 965 AD. [4]

Notable author and artist archives include:

Business archives include:

Family and estate collections include:

Additionally it holds two library collections. The first is the Local Studies Library, which includes books, magazines and journals on the history of the county on the region. The other is the Dorset Authors Collection – books by (and about) Dorset writers including Thomas Hardy, William Barnes and the Powys brothers. [12]

Services

The Dorset History Centre is open 9am - 5pm Wednesday to Friday and 9am - 4:30pm every first Saturday of the month. There is a by appointment searchroom for requesting and viewing original documents, a microfilm room, library and study areas and computers for public use. [13]

The Dorset History Centre was one of the first archive services to go into partnership with a commercial organisation in order to digitise a significant percentage of its records and make these available online. The first set of Dorset records were released by Ancestry.com in summer 2011. [14]

Aside from its enquiry service, the History Centre also offer talks and group visits, learning sessions for schools or further and higher education bodies, copying of documents and a paid research service for people unable to visit in person. [15] The History Centre also has a conservation lab which supports its preservation objectives. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ , The National Archives Self-Assessment. Accessed 12 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "About us - dorsetforyou.com". Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011., Dorset History Centre, About us. Accessed 12 August 2011.
  3. ↑ https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/5358205.new-dorset-history-centre-opens-doors/
  4. ↑ http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2017/11/cold-hard-history/
  5. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-68515681
  6. ↑ https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/features/lookingback/18002162.sculptor-behind-towns-iconic-statues-papers-preserved/
  7. ↑ https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/case-studies-and-research-reports/case-studies/collections-development-and-care/dorset-history-centre-archiving-the-arts/
  8. ↑ https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/case-studies-and-research-reports/case-studies/collections-development-and-care/dorset-history-centre-archiving-the-arts/
  9. ↑ https://managingbusinessarchives.co.uk/getting-started/business-archives-risk/successtories/casualty-on-the-high-street-beales-department-stores/
  10. ↑ https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2022/12/08/yellow-buses-archives-saved/
  11. ↑ https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/15704215.dorset-history-centre-unlocking-the-bankes-archive/
  12. ↑ , Dorset History Centre, Collections. Accessed 12 August 2011.
  13. ↑ https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/libraries-history-culture/dorset-history-centre/visiting-us/visiting-us
  14. ↑ , Dorset History Centre, Ancestry. Accessed 12 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "Services - dorsetforyou.com". Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011., Dorset History Centre, Services. Accessed 12 August 2011.
  16. ↑ http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2017/11/cold-hard-history/

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset</span> County of England

Dorset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth, and the county town is Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bournemouth</span> Town in Dorset, England

Bournemouth is a coastal resort town on the south coast in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. The town's urban subdivision had a population of 187,503 at the 2011 census making it the largest town in the county; the town is part of the South East Dorset conurbation, which has a population of 465,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole</span> Town in England

Poole is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is 21 miles (34 km) east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The town had an estimated population of 151,500 making it the second-largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset. Together with Bournemouth and Christchurch, the conurbation has a total population of nearly 400,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorchester, Dorset</span> County town of Dorset, England

Dorchester is the county town of Dorset, England. It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway that separates the area from Weymouth, 7 miles (11 km) to the south. The civil parish includes the experimental community of Poundbury and the suburb of Fordington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturminster Newton</span> Human settlement in England

Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which the town's economy is built. The larger part of the town (Sturminster) lies on the north side of the river, and includes most shops and services, whilst to the south is the smaller Newton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swanage</span> Town in England

Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately 6+1⁄4 miles (10 km) south of Poole and 25 miles (40 km) east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 9,601. Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks, with Studland Bay and Poole Harbour to the north. Within the parish are Durlston Bay and Durlston Country Park to the south of the town. The parish also includes the areas of Herston, just to the west of the town, and Durlston, just to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridport</span> Town in Dorset, England

Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and within the town's boundary is West Bay, a small fishing harbour also known as Bridport Harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Dorset</span> Former non-metropolitan district in England

East Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council met in Wimborne Minster between 2016 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferndown</span> Human settlement in England

Ferndown is a town and civil parish in Dorset in southern England, immediately to the north of Bournemouth and Poole. The parish, which until 1972 was called Hampreston, includes the communities of Hampreston, Longham, Stapehill and Trickett's Cross. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 26,559, making Ferndown the largest inland town in Dorset in terms of population, being larger than Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alton Pancras</span> Village in Dorset, England

Alton Pancras is a small village and civil parish in Dorset, England. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 175.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadmayne</span> Human settlement in England

Broadmayne is a village in the English county of Dorset. It lies two miles south-east of the county town Dorchester. The A352 main road between Dorchester and Wareham passes through the village. In the 2001 Census the population of the village was 1,864, reducing to 1,204 at the 2011 Census. There is an electoral ward of the same name whose population at the above census was 1,870. Village facilities and services include a post office, a clinic and a public house. There are two churches in the village, both of which were redesigned by Thomas Hardy, who was an architect before he became a novelist. The parish church of St Martin dates from the 13th century and has a notable south tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Dorset</span> History of county in England

Dorset is a rural county in south west England. Its archaeology documents much of the history of southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset Premier Football League</span> Association football league in England

The Dorset Premier Football League is a football league based in Dorset, England, which sits at Step 7 of the National League System, or level 11 of the overall English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South East Dorset conurbation</span> Population centre in Southern England

The South East Dorset conurbation is a multi-centred conurbation on the south coast of Dorset in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset County Council</span> Former local authority in England

Dorset County Council (DCC) was the county council for the county of Dorset in England. It provided the upper tier of local government, below which were district councils, and town and parish councils. The county council had 46 elected councillors and was based at County Hall in Dorchester. The council was abolished on 31 March 2019 as part of structural changes to local government in Dorset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlton Down</span> Village in Dorset, England

Charlton Down is a new village in Dorset, England, situated approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the county town Dorchester. It lies within the civil parish of Charminster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilts & Dorset</span> British bus operator

Wilts & Dorset is a bus and coach operator providing services in East Dorset, South Wiltshire, and West Hampshire. It operates services under the morebus brand around Bournemouth and Poole, and under the Salisbury Reds brand around Salisbury and Amesbury. It is part of Go South Coast, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Coaches</span>

South West Coaches is a privately owned bus company that operates services around Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire, in South West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Hampshire/South East Dorset Green Belt</span>

The South West Hampshire & South East Dorset Green Belt is a green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space in the South West region of England. It is mainly within the county of Dorset, extending cross border into Hampshire. Essentially, the function of the belt is to control development expansion in the South East Dorset conurbation and outlying towns and villages. It is managed by local planning authorities on guidance from central government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance for Local Living</span> British political party

The Alliance for Local Living (ALL) was a minor localist party and political group based in Dorset, with separate branches in the two authorities, ALL for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and ALL for Dorset. The BCP office was based in Poole, whilst the Dorset office was based in Weymouth. The party was deregistered in November 2023, at which point it had four councillors on Dorset Council, who continued to sit together as an informal grouping.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.