‘The Danes in Dorset:

A Crash Course Through 300 Years of Viking Britain’

Jack will focus on the Viking presence in the county during the eighth to eleventh centuries.   Jack is a recent graduate of Bournemouth University who lives on Portland where he works as a volunteer at the island’s Museum.  This is a great opportunity for members to support a young archaeologist at the start of their career gain valuable experience in public speaking.

24th September

The Durotriges in Dorset

with Dr Martin Papworth

Aelfric Project with Cerne First School

 Click below to listen to the children

Aelfric of Cerne: A Literary Giant

Following the presentation and workshops in January and April this year, to raise the profile and writing of Aelfric, Professor Francis Leneghan and Dr Niamh Kehoe-Rouchy of Oxford University were keen to also involve the children of Cerne Abbas CE VC First School in the project.

The result is this short recording of the children speaking ‘eald Englisc’.

It translates as-

‘We are the pupils of Cerne,

We want to speak Old English with you.’

25 June 2026

Bernard, who is the author of the book 

Dorset Bridges Spanning the Ages

will take us on a journey along Dorset’s rivers, highways and byways to see and hear stories about some of the fascinating bridges and tunnels that feature in his book.

Included will be some of his personal recollections from his 35 years as a Civil Engineer with the County Council, plus a bit beyond!  

Copies of Bernard’s book will be available for purchase on the night.

Bernard grew up in West Dorset and on leaving school joined Dorset County Council Roads and Bridges Department as a Trainee Engineer on a five year sandwich course leading to a degree in Civil Engineering. He left DCC at Local Government Reorganisation in 1997 and joined Bridport Town Council as the Town Surveyor.

He is also the author of Loders Back-Along, which recalls memories of life in Loders in the 1950s with many pictures and details of the village back to the 1800s.

Doors at the village hall will be open from 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start.

As always, wine and soft drinks will be available for a modest price. Entrance is free to members and £5 to non-members.

Members’ Research Evening

Five CHS members present their work and findings.

30th April Cerne Abbas Village Hall 7:30pm

The Island & Royal Manor of Portland Court Leet

The Royal Manor and the Court leet can trace its origins back “tempus ex mente” (time out of mind – generally considered to be 1086)

It has a long association with the Crown Estate, the Royal Manor having belonged to the Crown since then.

26th March 7:30pm

Gerry Hinde

is the current Crown Local Agent & Bailiff

The Court Leet on the Island & Royal Manor of Portland protects the rights of commoners and preserves and improves around 160 hectares of Portland’s Crown common land for the public benefit. This land, owned by The Crown Estate, exists mainly at Portland Bill, Chesil Beach and Church Ope cove.

The Court has run continuously since time out of mind, generally considered to be 1086. It’s probably the last fully functioning Court Leet in the UK.

Portland held out for the Crown in the Civil War and has, for centuries, received royalties from the quarrying of Portland stone, one of the finest monumental limestones in the world. These royalties are a gift to inhabitants, from the monarch, enshrined in a Royal Warrant from King Charles II in 1665 and renewed by every monarch since.

Gerry will discuss our history, our role — and our future — as we navigate important negotiations to keep our unique traditions alive.

Gerry was born on Portland and went to school on the island and also at Hardye’s school in Dorchester. He enjoyed a long career at IBM and Philips and is the custodian of Rufus Castle on Portland.

English Women’s Dress During the Dissolution

England in the 1530s was, in many ways, a foreign country to the one we know today.  Language, etiquette, food, and clothing were all very different to what we’re familiar with.

While we have written records of what life was like, the majority of such documents were written by (and for) men.  Women, especially ordinary women, leave us with very little personal record of what their lives were like.

Clothing has often been looked down on and dismissed as frivolous and irrelevant (everyone wears clothes, after all), but it can provide valuable insights into the lives of those who wore it – shaping, and being shaped by, the lives they lived.

So what might different women have worn in Cerne Abbas at the time the Abbey was dissolved? And what might their clothing have meant to them?

In this informal talk, Juliet Braidwood will demonstrate how women of two different ranks might have dressed in the 1530, discussing the different layers of dress, their use, and their context.

The film of the last lecture: 

Ælfric of Cerne 

can be seen on the CHS YouTube page on this site.

A very special and fascinating, illustrated and compelling lecture by two Oxford University English language specialists on the subject of Ælfric, the little known but influencial translator of the Bible, writer and hagiographer. 

Worthy of the title “Ælfric of Cerne” because of the time he spent here teaching the monks at the Cerne Abbey from its inception in 987ce onwards,  this dedicated and motivated writer quickly gained a reputation for his passioned and accessible Old English.  He later moved to Eynsham, Oxon, where he became the first Abbot.  

His writings included Homilies and Lives of Saints, many of which were writen at Cerne Abbey.  The video contains read Latin texts, Old English passages and translations into modern English aided by on-screen highlighting.