Tuesday 3rd December
We had our annual Christmas quiz and buffet evening on Tuesday 3rd December at Cranborne Sports Club. Linda Bright tested our Christmas knowledge with a challenging and enjoyable quiz. Many thanks to her for the time and effort put into the quiz. There was also a free raffle for all members who attended.
Thanks to all the members who kindly donated food for the buffet; it was an excellent spread. Thank you also to the Christmas washing up elf who somehow got into the kitchen un-noticed and sorted out the dirty crockery!
And last, but not least many thanks to Steph and Neil for hosting us at the club again; a great venue.
We don’t have a meeting in January (our winter break) so our next one will be on Tuesday 4th February. The speaker will be Richard Hutley and the subject will be:
‘Issac Gulliver – Smuggler’, the story of a renowned smuggler and his connections to Dorset.
Finally, we wish all our members and their families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for your continuing support over the last year. And stay safe in the awful weather which the latest storm is bringing!
Tuesday 5th November
Our evening at Cranborne Sports Club on Tuesday 5th November was well attended. Ann Brown told us the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and about the awful living and working conditions endured by people living in rural Dorset in the 18th and 19th centuries. For the martyrs themselves hardships continued as they were transported to Australia. After public protest back home in England they were all pardoned on the condition of good behaviour.
Thank you to Steph and Neil for hosting us at the club and to Linda and Ann for organising refreshments and washing up. Thanks also to all of you who donated raffle prizes.
Tuesday 1st October
Our talk on Tuesday 1st October was given by our society secretary Dorothy. Her talk entitled ‘Cranborne Stories’ delved into newspapers’ coverage of events in Cranborne and the surrounding district in the 18th and 19th centuries. Stories ranged from a meteor sighting in September 1738, a major fire in Water Street in 1748, several reports over the early 1800s about Charlotte Miles who was in dispute with her neighbour more than once and a fatal accident at a chalk pit near Holwell Farm. Thanks to Dorothy for an interesting talk.
Thanks as always to Steph and Neil for making us welcome at the sports club. And thank you to Linda for organising the refreshments and to the ladies who helped her (I didn’t get a chance to see who they were so my apologies).
Tuesday 3rd September
We had another well attended talk on Tuesday 3rd September at Cranborne Sports Club. Thanks go to the speaker David Beardsley who gave an interesting presentation about the women of the Bankes family who lived at Kingston Lacy.
Our usual thanks go to Steph and Neil for making us welcome at the sports club and thanks to those of you who contributed prizes for the raffle.
Ann and Ron oversaw the refreshments, so thank you to them and many thanks for your support to all of you who came.
Our next talk will be by our society secretary Dorothy on Tuesday 1st October at the sports centre. Dorothy will be taking a look at how events in Cranborne and the surrounding district were reported in the newspapers.
Visit to Ancient Technology Centre in Cranborne
Our visit to the ATC took place on 7th August and the weather was dry and comfortable as we viewed the various reconstructions on site. Colin, the head volunteer at the ATC, and his team gave us the guided tour and were on hand to answer our questions.
The building and apparatus replicas are based on various archaeological discoveries in Britain and Europe. The ATC is an experimental archaeological site and educational centre. Children from across the UK. visit and get hands on experience of historical skills. The ATC also has a few themed open days for the public.
We brought along our own picnics which were supplemented with tea and coffee supplied by the ATC and with cakes and flapjacks baked by Linda Bright and Dorothy Lane. So, thank you ladies and also many thanks to Colin and his team.
Visit our Photo Gallery page for photos.
Here are links to two short Youtube videos detailing the Roman water lifting machine at the ATC (you may have to copy and paste the links):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6qdOg7VxHc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf5nf-0FYqI
Tuesday 2nd July 2024
Our talk at Cranborne Sports Club was well attended once again. Thanks for your support to all of you who came.
Anne Brown from Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum in Dorchester gave an interesting talk on ‘One Hundred and Fifty Years of Courtroom Drama’. This included a history of the Shire Hall building through the centuries and details of some individual trials that took place there.
The harshness of the sentences and physical punishments was highlighted especially as they were often inflicted on children. Transportation to Australia under hideous conditions on board ship and on land was common as were ‘private whippings’ of children (called private because they took place behind the prison walls but in front of all the inmates). The talk also included a few examples of criminals from around Cranborne.
So, many thanks to Anne; we will welcome her back in November when she will be talking about the Tolpuddle Martyrs.
Thank you to Steph and Neil for being excellent hosts at the sports club and to Linda for sorting out the refreshments.
We do not have a talk in August but instead have a visit to the Ancient Technology Centre (ATC) here in Cranborne at 11am on Wednesday 7th August. If you haven’t already booked your place, please contact our secretary Dorothy by phone (01725 517569) or email (clhssecretary@gmail.com) as soon as possible.
Tickets are £5 per person and include tea, coffee and cake. Please bring your own picnic if you wish. We will have use of the Viking longhouse if the weather turns wet. Family and friends are welcome; grandchildren go free!
Please visit the ATC website through the link below.
https://ancienttechnologycentre.com/
Tuesday 4th June
Our talk entitled “A History of Place Names” by Tony Painter was well attended on Tuesday 4th June. As well as including names of towns and villages Tony covered names of farms, fields, pubs and local areas. He explained how many modern names have been derived from Saxon words and from names given after the Norman invasion of 1066 which often included the name of the family that William the Conqueror gave the land to. Many thanks to Tony for encouraging us to read behind the many strange and wonderful place names in Dorset (and wider afield).
Many thanks to Steph and Neil for hosting the evening at the sports club again and making us welcome. Thank you to Jill and Janet for sorting out the teas and coffees and to Dorothy on the door and Anne who sorted out the raffle. Thanks to all of you who donated prizes for this month’s draw.
Tuesday 7th May
There was a change to the talk on Tuesday 7th May by John Smith. It was entitled “What the Romans Did for Us” and included objects of interest, replica Roman clothing, photos and pictures. Thank you John.
Thanks to Steph and Neil for making the sports club available for us again and making us feel welcome. Many thanks to Jill and Pat for making the refreshments and to Anne for running the raffle.
The next talk entitled “A History of Place Names” by Tony Painter is on Tuesday 4th June at the sports club. This will be a look at the origins of place names in our part of the country.
Don’t forget, guests and visitors are welcome for an entrance fee of £3 which includes refreshments.
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2nd April 2024
There was an excellent turn out at Cranborne Sports Club on the evening of 2nd April for our Annual General Meeting and Chris Bright’s trip into the past with old photos of Cranborne and its people.
The chairman’s, treasurer’s and secretary’s reports were presented by Chris and Dorothy. We have had a successful year of talks and last summer’s outing was to Rockbourne Roman Villa followed by refreshments at Alderholt Mill. This year’s outing will be in August to The Ancient Technology Centre here in Cranborne.
The secretary explained that the society is a member of the British Association for Local History and links to some of their papers would be presented to members in due course for those interested.
A brief run through this coming year’s talks was given to whet people’s appetites; please select ‘2024-25 Programme’ link on the website for details.
Also, the importance of our Data Protection Policy was stressed i.e. how members personal contact details will be held securely and updated in future. The policy and the society constitution are available on the society’s website.
The role of Publicity Officer on the committee has been created to manage the society’s Facebook page and new website. The interim Publicity Officer, Mike, gave a brief description of both sites and how they will hopefully keep members and visitors informed.
The committee then resigned and were then duly returned to their posts for another year. The chairman mentioned that additional committee members would be welcome if anyone wished to volunteer.
Chris’s talk then followed. It sparked lots of memories of Cranborne folk, of past events and celebrations and some of the changes that have happened in the village over the years. Thanks to Chris.
We would also like to thank Steph for hosting the meeting at the Sports Club again and to Neil for organising the tables and seating for the evening. Excellent service.
Thanks also to Linda and Dorothy for organising refreshments and to Anne for running the raffle.
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Tuesday 5th March 2024
Cranborne Sports Club was packed on Tuesday evening, 5th March, for an interesting talk on 'The Past 50 Years of Cranborne Estate' given by Gavin Fauvel, the Estate Director. Gavin dipped into history a bit further back at times and this added to the story. He informed us about the people from the village associated with the estate and how the estate has modernised in the early 21st century. Thank you Gavin.
Many thanks to Steph at the club for hosting us again while the village hall is out of action.
Thanks also go to the ladies serving refreshments, to members who donated raffle prizes and to those who helped move the furniture around so we could fit everyone in.
Our talk on Tuesday 2nd April will be given by our chairman Chris at Cranborne Sports Club. The title is 'A Trip Into The Past, Old Photos Of Cranborne and its People'.