The Fisherman's Daughter

The recent news that many libraries will be closing in the UK this year is a reminder to Dorchester residents to support the excellent facility that we have in the town. At the end of the beautiful South Walks is the West Dorset District Council offices.

Adjoining these offices is the Library and Learning Centre.

Yesterday a live theatre production called the Fisherman's Daughter was being performed there, and I went along to watch it. As-One Theatre's production was written for the recent maritme literary festival in Weymouth, but is now touring Dorset libraries. What a treat children and their carers had  as they sat enthralled, watching and listening to an interactive piece of educational theatre. 

The creative play is performed by 2 actors and 1 puppet called Harold who is a one legged seagull.
The characters are the Fisherman's daughter Jess, played by Beth Heath Netherton and Moyra an eccentric librarian who was played by the theatre company's artistic director/producer Jane Mckell.

The pair manage to weave literature, poetry, music, wildlife care, morse code, and passion for reading into the short play, whilst the children were captivated by the clever storytelling.

I admire the work of As-One Theatre, who always make quality family theatre accessible in Dorset.

The play will be performed in 3 more Dorset libraries next week, the link to the website is here, if you want to find out where you can see the play.

I spoke to some of the children afterwards and asked them what they had mostly enjoyed. It seemed that the interaction was popular and they loved telling their jokes to the seagull!

Dorset History Centre Birthday Open Day.

I was glad that I had something to do today, as I knew that I would otherwise spend my day watching the dreadful news from Paris. I followed the news way into the night, stunned and shocked at what I was being told. I would not have been able to take part in any activity today that was too flippant, as my mood was somber, as I am sure was the same as many others today.

I was however looking forward to attending the Dorset History Centre open day, which I did feel was suitably distracting. I have not visited before, but I will be going again for sure.

The staff and the volunteers made me feel so welcome and I was pleased to learn that the public is encouraged to use the facility. I attended a talk about how to trace your family tree, and was taken on a tour of the air conditioned rooms that contain a lot of Dorset's written history.

The History Centre on the Bridport Road in Dorchester, can be visited by anyone, to enable them to carry out research.
During our visit we were shown some very interesting exhibits, including 400 year old painted maps, school, medical and criminal records, parchment scrolls that dated back many centuries and various equally interesting records.

I was particularly interested in the grave diggers records, that volunteers are currently transferring to digital ones. I have recently been following the Future Cemetery Project in Bristol, and I feel that  understanding the history of cemeteries, will help with considering their future.
Another of the interesting things that we were shown, by another volunteer was a family history from the village of Nether Cerne. The volunteer was sorting through boxes of written information that was incredibly detailed, down to the names of the family's horses, which were recorded on the farriers invoices.  Included in this collection was an envelope containing a lock of a child's hair, with her name and 'first curl' written  on the outside.

I read about an eight year old boy who was found guilty of setting fire to a hay-rick, and was consequently sent away from his family, to a detention centre in Bristol. It crossed my mind that the children who set fire to the outdoor classroom at the Prince of Wales School earlier this year, may well have been about the same age. Their punishment was not as severe, but the crime was similar. 

My visit did take my mind off the atrocities that have occurred in France for a few hours, but my thoughts are again very much with the families involved in the incomprehensible crimes that took place in Paris last night. 

Social Embers new business in Dorchester

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to obtain places on some free training courses for women new in business in Dorset. The training has helped me get my new website up and running and I can now share a link to it here!

 I have founded SocialEmbers.com to investigate digital bereavement issues that are beginning to occur in the digital era. There is a blog on the website that may interest readers of this one! Please have look!

The series of training courses that I have attended have been sponsored by WSXEnterprise, The Government Equalities Office and Superfast Dorset and have been held under the umbrella title of 'Dorset Women Go Digital'

It has been a good opportunity for me to network with other women and to discover the evolving business ideas that are being created in Dorset and in Dorchester. 

Digital technology may be second nature to most people under 30 years old, but there are many older people that have not been familiar with it, who find the training extremely valuable. 

Certainly we are experiencing more and more digital technology in our daily lives, and the arrival of superfast broadband to Dorchester is welcomed by all in business. Those living in the rural villages that are still waiting to be connected can check here to see when that will happen. 

Link to fibre broadband coverage map. 

Tolpuddle Martrys Museum

Following my visit to Shire Hall this week, I have today visited the Martyrs Museum in Tolpuddle near Dorchester. Having learnt the details of their trial in the courtroom, the full story of the labourers  plight can be learnt here.

The cottage where the clandestine meeting took place! 

I was interested to learn that Charles Wollaston was one of the Jury members. I have previously recorded that my impression of him was a very warm hearted gentleman. However I have discovered that he did not support the labourers, and sided with his step brother James Frampton, who was responsible for the case being brought to court in the first place. 

And it seems that the local vicar was also no help to the Tolpuddle men,  as he promised the labourers that he would be supportive,  but it seems he was in fact influenced by financial factors! Not an uncommon story!  

So a secret oath led to the men being deported to Australia! I will be careful whom I share my secrets with from now on! I will most certainly be crossing one bridge in Dorchester very carefully in the future, as it still has this sign attached to it!

Dorset residents week

The week of 28th April - 4th May 2014 is Dorset Residents week. If you visit the Tourist Information Centre in Trinity Street you can pick up a copy of 'Your Dorset' Dorset County Council's newspaper.

Inside there are 5 coupons that will give residents the opportunity to visit local attractions at a discounted rate. Additional vouchers can be downloaded here.

Dorchester museums are included in the offer, as are many local attractions. 

After such a long wet winter, I am looking forward to visiting some of these myself.  Now where to choose I wonder? 

If you are not a resident and are planning to visit Dorchester, you can install the 'Dorset Smartphone App' if you have a suitable device. 

link to smartphone app'

Lawrence of Arabia

A few miles East of Dorchester is the village of Moreton.

The Frampton Arms is next to the  train station and is named after the Frampton family who built Moreton House, and for 6 centuries have been the landlords of most of the village.

On Sunday I enjoyed about a 4 mile walk in and around Moreton and Clouds Hill house. Clouds Hill is owned by the National Trust and was the home of Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia.)

I have been learning a bit more about him. He studied history at Oxford and  travelled to Levant, which was the former name of the countries that we now refer to as Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Lawrence was very interested in the history of this area and joined an expedition as an archeologist.
He enjoyed living with the Arabs and learning about their lifestyle, customs and language.

I imagine he would have continued living this life if it had not been for war breaking out on 1914.

He was recruited by the British Army. His knowledge of the area and the Arab people gave him the advantage of being able to communicate with them.

He worked strategically under the command of General Allenby, who was the British commander. His close links with the Arab people led to the assistance that they gave the army in the conflict against the Turks.

Lawrence continued to support the Arab people by accompanying them to sign the Treaty of Versailles, when they expected to be given independence, as a reward for helping the British. This did not happen and the area was split into zones, which are still in conflict today.

This outcome perhaps resulted in Lawrence feeling disillusioned. He wrote an autobiography titled 'The Severn Pillars of Wisdom' but some of it was never published as it was lost in his briefcase when  he was changing trains at Reading Station. (So easily done and a reminder today for us to back up work that is stored on various electronic devices.)

It is no wonder that Lawrence sought the refuge of the peaceful and tranquil setting of his house at Clouds Hill in Moreton. He was obviously suffering from stress. He changed his name to conceal his identity, left the army and joined the the Royal Tank Corps based at Bovington. He was later transferred to the RAF and purchased the cottage that he had been renting, from his distant relatives the Frampton family. Lawrence became friends with Thomas and Florence Hardy who lived at Max Gate in Dorchester.

He was killed at the age of 46 in a motorcycle accident.

I found 2 different memorial stones that marked the place of the accident that killed him. The original road is not quite the same now. I think the one pictured above is probably near the actual site of the crash. It is not now visible from the road. There is a more recent one under an oak tree  which was only planted in 1988 by his friend, and is within a stopping area next to the road. 

 It was an untimely end to a man who had been responsible for diplomacy in the middle east.

 He was travelling at speed on his motorbike and swerved to avoid two young lads, who appeared suddenly. There are several conspiracy theories about his death being made to look like an accident, but nothing was proven. 

 I could relate to that today as part of my circular walk took me next to the roadside to get back to my car. There were lots of motorbikes taking the same route, and they were certainly not sticking to the speed limit, or riding particularly safely. 

I visited his grave which is in Moreton churchyard. His funeral was attended by many dignitaries including Winston Churchill. Extra trains had to  run to bring people to the village. 

 When I returned home my daughter was revising for her History GCSE. She was learning about the conflict in the Middle East and the wars that have happened more recently.  I wonder where her studies will lead? 

There is a memorial to Lawrence in St Martins church in Wareham, another village close to Dorchester. This is Dorset's oldest church.

The carved effigy was planned for St Paul's Cathedral, but caused controversy as Lawrence was depicted in Arab clothing. Neither Westminster Abbey or Salisbury Cathedral accepted it for the same reason.

How sad for the clothing that he chose to wear, being responsible for this decision, but the result of which is a rather fine memorial now exists in small church in a village in Dorset.  

The church is presently locked, as there has been some damage during the recent wet weather and it is being repaired. It is due to be open again for Easter 2014.

Short news film about Lawrence

Link to the T E Lawrence Society

Link to National Trust visitor information for Clouds Hill