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Past Talks by Visiting Speakers

Year   Subject Speaker
16/01/1989 1 AGM  
08/03/1989 2 Talk on genealogy  Miss Weinstock
12/04/1989 3 Visit to Mary Rose  
04/07/1989 4 Village houses Miss Cunnington
08/11/1989 5 Sport in Regency Dorset  Dr Dennis Brailsford
16/03/1990 1  Recent excavations in Dorchester Sue Davies
26/04/1990 2 Trip to St Fagans Castle, Wales  
13/06/1990 3 Cerne Workhouse Elizabeth Cockburn
12/09/1990 4 Under the Greenwood Tree Gerald Pitman
16/11/1990 5 History of St Mary’s Cerne Abbas Vivian Vale
18/03/1991 1 Why Bridport? A history of rope-making   Anthony Sanctuary
01/06/1991 2 Visit to SS Great Britain  
02/07/1991 3 Glimpses of the Past 1540-1890  Neale Dawe
11/09/1991 4 Halstock Roman Villa  Ron Lucas
20/11/1991 5 Dorset Regiment 1702-1990  Major Saunders
1992      
1993      
1994 1 Letters from a Black Tin Trunk Pam McClintock
1994 2 Wimborne Museum  
1994 3 Walkabout of Beaminster with Beaminster Historical Society  
1994 4 Historic Dorset from the Air Francesca Radcliffe & Dennis Brailsford
1994 5 Dorset Aqueduct Walk Bill Putnam
1994 6 Dorchester in its Roman Context Sue Davies
1995 1 Soldiers of Dorset from 1700 Maj. John Boulton
1995 2 Horse Drawn Vehicles Large and Small Gordon Hatherill
1995 3 Visit to Edmondsham (?) House and Gardens  
1995 4 Visit to Millhouse Nursery and Clock Museum  
1995 5 Six Digby Brothers at Sherborne Castle Ann Smith
1995 6 Dorset Races in the C18th Dennis Brailsford
1995 7 Local Archaeology and Identification of Finds Peter Woodward
1996 1 White Horses and Giants; In Search of Hill Figures David Miles
1996 2 The Home Guard in Cerne Patricia Vale
1996 3 Visit to Bridport  
1996 4 Visit to Russell-Cotes Museum, Bournemouth  
1996 5 Visit to Sandford-Orcas  
1996 6 Smuggling in Dorset Dr Jim Davies
1996 7 Cerne Valley Railway (that never happened) Gordon Bartlet
1996 8 Visit to Eldridge-Pope (+meal)  
1997 1 Excavations in the Donyatt Potteries 1966 to 1992 Richard Coleman-Smith
1997 2 Demonstration of Roman & Celtic Dress John Smith and Ian Groves
1997 3 Visit to Mrs Penny’s Cavalcade of Costume at Blandford  
1997 4 150 years of Dorchester Railways Terry Hearing
1997 5 Tour of Dorset Redundant Churches  
1997 6 Touchyng Witchcrafte & Sorcerye Dr Jim Davies
1997 7 Medieval Wall Paintings Katherine Barker
1997 8 The Other Dorchester Abbey Ray Nichols
1998 1 Roman Law Keith Perryman
1998 2 History of Wareham Lilian Ladle
1998 3 Medieval Kingcombe Alan Hunt
1998 4 Evening Tour of Wareham and Supper  
1998 5 Bevin Boys Warwick Bridgewater-Taylor
1998 6 Tour of the Dorset Archives  
1998 7 Travels in Tudor Blackmore with an upside-down map Katherine Barker
1999 1 Visit to Dorchester Museum  
1999 2 Dorset Country Houses Bob Machin
1999 3 Tour of Redundant and Historic Churches John Sutherland
1999 4 Ancient Watermeadows Peter Higgins
1999 5 Visit to Maiden Newton Watermeadow  
1999 6 Life Afloat with Nelson Geoff Hunt
1999 7 Two Sheridan Women Dr Alan Chedzoy
1999 8 Inner Sanctums –Private Business Cindy Chant
2000 1 The Durotriges-Dorset in the Iron Age William Putman
2000 2 Medieval Pilgrims Linda Poulsen
2000 3 Two years in Cerne, the Diary of a School Mistress, 1908 to 1910 Elizabeth Brassington
2000 4 Visit to Dorset County Museum  
2000 5 William Barnes, his Life and Poems in the Dorset Dialect Dr David Strawbridge
2000 6 Listening to the Dorset Sound Archives Deborah Stevenson
2000 7 Royal Signals Museum  
2000 8 Sherborne and Yeovil, a tale of two towns Katherine Barker
2000 9 Living off the Sweat of Other Men’s Brows –history of early shops in Dorset Bob Machin
2000 10 The Salvage of  SS Great Britain from the Falklands Malcolm McCleod
2001 1 The History and Workings of White Mill at Kingston Lacy Colin Cope
2001 2 The Rise of Religious non-conformity in Dorset in the 17th & 18th C Dr David Reeve
2001 3 Fogs, Dogs and Logs Ian Andrew
2001 4 History through the Auctioneer’s Eye Garry Batt
2001 5 HM Dockyard, Portsmouth  
2001 6 Tour of St Mary’s Church  
2001 7 The Medieval Sound Part1 Jonathan Weekes
2001 8 Evening visit to Wimborne Museum, and Supper  
2001 9 Early Dorset on Film The Trilith Charity
2001 10 Morris Dancing –its origins and development D Byfleet
2002 1 The Dorset Landscape –its character and distinctiveness Richard Burden
2002 2 Herbs and the History of Medicine Rev’d KS Timbrell
2002 3 Dorchester Bypass –excavations and revelations Roland Smith
2002 4 History and Role of the Dorset Lieutenancy Capt Michael Fulford-Dobson
2002 5 Visit to Harvey’s of Bristol and SS Great Britain  
2002 6 The Fun of Family History Colin Dean
2002 7 Visit to Haynes Motor Museum  
2002 8 The 1831 ‘Swing’ Riots in Dorset – a story of agricultural revolt Bob Machin
2002 9 The Swanage Steam Railway Peter Foster
2003 1 Dorset World Heritage Status Coast –our Jurassic Jewel Tim Badman
2003 2 Five Generations of Churchills at Minterne Elizabeth Churchill-Snell
2003 3 Some Dorset Curiosities Rob Curtis
2003 4 Dorchester in the early 17thC- a society divided Terry Hearing
2003 5 A daytime tour of some Dorset Churches –our Christian heritage Patrick Moule
2003 6 Dorset writers –a literary collage Liz Merry
2003 7 An Evening Visit to Sherborne School –a Benedictine inheritance Mike Cleaver
2003 8 Wash Day Blues – a woman’s work is never done! Thelma John
2003 9 Dangerous and Difficult Times: Sherborne, Cerne, the Vikings and Last Things Katherine Barker
2004 1 The Farming Heritage of Godmanstone-farming past and present Will and Pam Best
2004 2 Dorset Maps and Mapmakers Dr David Reeve
2004 3 The 1830 Reform Act and its Impact on Dorset –the Georgian Election Dance! Jill Pope
2004 4 Dorset Customs and Folklore –traditions and superstitions Sue Harman
2004 5 A Day in the Historic City of Bath  
2004 6 Medieval Sound Part 2 Jonathan Weekes
2004 7 Afternoon visit to Smedmore House, Kimmeridge  
2004 8 The See of Wessex –kings and bishops 634AD Ray Nichols
2004 9 Music in the Victorian Home –how it all began Gordon Bartlet
2005 1 A Portrait of Cerne a 100 years ago Patricia Vale
2005 2 How to Trace the History of your house Jenny Potter
2005 3 Anglo-Zulu Wars of 1879 Peter Smith/George M
2005 4 Receiver of Wreck – dealing with Wreckage and salvage Sophia Exelby
2005 5 Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 Paul Pickering
2005 6 Tyntesfield House (NT)  
2005 7 A Hazy History of Port Colin Anderson
2005 8 West Country Parsons Jill Bryant
2005 9 Dorset and Trafalgar Terry Hearing
2005 10 It’s a Grave Business – a Dead Interesting Dorset! Rob & Cindy Curtis
2006 1 Roman Dorset – Recording our  Historic Landscape Nick Griffiths
2006 2 Another Look at the Making of Cerne Abbey Katherine Barker
2006 3 The Tolpuddle Martyrs Peter Welton
2006 4 Tour of Portland Island Peter & Jill Pitman
2006 5 The Dorset Agricultural Labourer Bonny Sartin (Yetties)
2006 6 The Hall & Woodhouse Story Mark Woodhouse
2006 7 House Detectives – Some Cerne Houses George M. and  Karen Handley
2006 8 Dorset Customs & Folklore at Christmas Sue Herman
2007 1 The Book of Cerne Dr Michelle Brown
2007 2 Farming in Godmanston Will Best
2007 3 Prisons and Punishment in Dorset Stuart Ware
2007 4 Visit to Old Crown Court Peter Welton
2007 5 Dorset Village Carriers Roger Grimley
2007 6 Corsham Court  
2007 7 Bagpipes – history and tradition Logan Smith
2007 8 Sherborne School Dr Hugh Ridgeway
2007 9 Exploring CHS website Karen Handley
2008 1 Poole Pottery Paul Atterbury
2008 2 Echoes of Dorset Dr Richard Hall
2008 3 Abbotsbury with lots of ????? Peter Laurie
2008 4 Geology at Cerne plus walkabouts John Charman
2008 5 Bridport& its rope making heritage Richard Sims
2008 6 Bridport  
2008 7 St Mary’s Church Frank Hamblin
2008 8 Dorset Historic Towns Survey Peter Bellamy
2008 9 Verwood Pottery Penny Copland-Griffiths
2009 1 Aelfric 1st Abbot of Cerne Tom Shippey
2009 2 HMS Trincomalee Richard Warren
2009 3 Gloving in and around Yeovil Jean Harper
2009 4 Historic Gardens of Dorset Patrick Taylor
2009 5 Literary Dorset Liz Merry
2009 6 Corfe Castle/Purbeck Vineyard  
2009 7 Photo Day  
2009 8 History of Mapperton Lord Sandwich
2009 9 Mapperton  
2009 10 Wessex essays Llewellyn Powis Frank Kibblewhite
2009 11 West Country Quakers Mick Atkinson
25/02/2010 1 Manor Houses of Cerne Una Russell and AudreyGrindrod
25/03/2010 2 Alton Pancras -researching a typical rural village Colin Dean
22/04/2010 3 Mary Anning —Fossil pioneer Daphne Baker
09/05/2010 4 Beating the Bounds ofall the Cernes Mike Clark
27/05/2010 5 The folksongs of Dorset The Yetties
24/06/2010 6 Ciderland James Crowden
27/07/2010 7 Afternoon visit to Wolfeton House  
23/09/2010 8 Portland Quarry Industry John Reay
02/10/2010 9 Portland Quarry Visit John Reay
28/10/2010 10 BBC films “ Away in a Village”
Cerne at Christmas 1974		  
25/11/2010 11 The Clarke family of Cerne Peter Clarke
27/01/2011 1 AGM  
03/03/2011 2 The Giant, its history and management George Mortimer and Rob Rhodes
24/03/2011 3 History of Dukes and major finds Garry Batt
28/04/2011 4 History of witch hunting in the SW Andrew Pickering
26/05/2011 5 George Digby-a Victorian land owner Ann Smith
29/05/2011 6 Beating the Bounds ofall the Cernes Mike Clark
30/06/2011 7 The Tolkien Phenomenon Tom Shippey
28/07/2011 8 Visit to Minterne Henry Digby
22/09/2011 9 Sir Ernest Debenham and Briants puddle Anne King
27/10/2011 10 Dorset Place Names Anthony Poulton-Smith
24/11/2011 11 William Cuming 18th century physician Dr Peter Down
26/01/2012 1 AGM  
23/02/2012 2 The Spirit of Place in Dorset Paul Pickering
29/03/2012 3 Churches of the Cerne Valley Gordon Le Pard
26/04/2012 4 Frampton: 4000 years of History Doreen Smith
13/05/2012 5 Beating the Bounds ofall the Cernes Mike Clark
31/05/2012 6 T.S. Eliota nd EastCoker Henry Merritt
28/06/2012 7 The Ridgway Hill Excavations David Score
26/07/2012 8 Visit to Max Gate – (details to be confirmed)  
27/09/2012 9 The People’s Poet: William Barnes Dr Alan Chedzoy
25/10/2012 10 Dorchester Museum, Past, Present, Future Jon Murden
29/11/2012 11 Necropolis Railway and other unlikely events Jonathan Still
24/01/2013 12 AGM  
28/02/2013 1 The Lord Digby—Kate Adie interview  
28/03/2013 2 Cerne Abbey Geophysical Survey Jonathan Monteith
18/04/2013 3 An evening walk —settlementand ancient
Landscape (details to be confirmed)		  
25/04/2013 4 The Dorset Yeomanry Captain Colin Parr
23/05/2013 5 Edward Peacham —
Puritan and Traitor?		 Charles Bird
27/06/2013 6 Lawrence ofArabia and Clouds Hill David Score
25/07/2013 7 Visit to Brympton (details to be confirmed)  
26/09/2013 8 History of the Drax family Jane Ferentzi-Shepherd
24/10/2013 9 Women of Dorset in World War I Kate Adie
28/11/2013 10 Tolpuddle Martyrs Anne King
23/01/2014 1 AGM and Exhibition of Living History  
27/02/2014 2 Ship to Shore: Dorset Landscape and Marine Painter John Everett Gwen Yarker
27/03/2014 3 Living Stones: Highlights in the History of Sherborne Abbey Canon Eric Woods
24/04/2014 4 Dorset Shipwrecks Gordon Le Pard
22/05/2014 5 The day Dorchester was invaded by the Germans Brian Bates
25/05/2014 6 Beating the Bounds ofall the Cernes Mike Clark
12/06/2014 7 Archaeology walk with Chris Copson  
26/06/2014 8 in the Footsteps of Treves – Cerne Abbas Steve White
24/07/2014 9 Visit to Wimborne (details to be confirmed)  
25/09/2014 10 Kingston Lacy: an Undiscovered History David Smith
23/10/2014 11 Lest we forget: Cerne Abbas and those who died in the Great War George Mortimer and Duncan Fergusson
27/11/2014 12 Dorset Folk Tales Tim Laycock
22/01/2015 1 AGM and Lest we forget exhibition  
26/02/2015 2 Salisbury Cathedral and the Magna Carta Canon Edward Probert
26/03/2015 3 700 years: a Prison in Dorchester Ed Wilson
28/05/2015 4 The Monmouth Uprising John Lello
25/06/2015 5 Raleigh to Religion: Weymouth and the New World Dr. Anne Collier
23/07/2015 6 Visit to Salisbury Cathedral Hannah Paye
24/09/2015 7 The Community at Hilfield and the Little Commonwealth Judith Stinton
22/10/2015 8 The Saxon Minster at Charminster John Askew
26/11/2015 9 The Druce Farm Roman Villa Excavation Lilian Ladle
28/01/2016 10 AGM  
25/02/2016 1 Raleigh’s (Rest)oration    Ros and Piers Rawson
24/03/2016 2 When Railway Mania came to Dorset   Jerry Bird
28/04/2016 3 The Copy of the 1225 Magna Carta in the Cartulary of Cerne Abbey David Carpenter
26/05/2016 4 Bushes Bottom, the Curious Story of a Forgotten Farmstead Will Best
30/06/2016 5 Black Saturday: Reflections on the First Day of the Somme 1st July 1916 John Bourne
22/09/2016 6 The History of Fordington David Forrester
27/10/2016 7 The Life of Frederick Harvey Darton – Cerne’s forgotten chronicler Liz Merry and Tom Shippey
24/11/2016 8 The Giant: Prehistoric or More Recent?  The 1996 Symposium  Revisited Katherine Barker
       
23/02/2017 1 The Lost Village of Tyneham Paul Fancy
23/03/2017 2 The Roman Army in Dorset: Finds, Facts and Fiction John Smith
27/04/2017 3 Dorchester and its Brewery: The Life and Times of Eldridge Pope Jeremy Pope
25/05/2017 4 Beatrice: A Kingston Lacy Housemaid David Smith
22/06/2017 5 The Geology of Cerne Abbas and its Influence on the Character of the Village. (Guided walks to follow) John Charman
10/07/2017 6 Joint visit with CASH to Wells: Bishop’s Palace and Gardens plus Cathedral  
28/09/2017 7 The Dissolution of the Monasteries, 1536 to 1540 George Bernard
26/10/2017 8 Milestones and other Waymarkers around Dorset Mike Faherty
23/11/2017 9 The Bristol Slave Trade Mick Atkinson
       
25/01/2018 1 AGM and Exhibition  
22/02/2018 2 The Wicked Squire of Holnest Luke Mouland
22/03/2018 3 An Imaginary Walk through 17th Century Dorchester Brian Bates
26/04/2018 4 The Romans in West Dorset: What we can still see today Steve Wallis
24/05/2018 5 The Life of Pamela Digby/Churchill/Harriman (To be held at Minterne House) Henry Digby
28/06/2018 6 Catherine Granville’s Diary: Cerne’s Edwardian Schoolma’am Jonathan Still
July7/Aug 2018 7 Arrangements for a visit to be confirmed  
27/09/2018 8 The History of Nether Cerne Ed Gallia
25/10/2018 9 A History of Kingston Maurward Tim Loasby
22/11/2018 10 The Dorset Regiment on the Western Front 1914-1918 Chris Copson
    Thursday 27th September  
       
24/01/2019 1 AGM  
28/02/2019 2 Finding Pitt-Rivers: The life of Augustus Lane-Fox Pitt Rivers Adrian Green
28/03/2018 3 The Wreck of the Halsewell Philip Browne
25/04/2019 4 The Myth and Magic of Water Meadows Kathy Stearne
23/05/2019 5 The Life of Pamela Digby/Churchill/Harriman (To be held at Minterne House) Henry Digby
27/06/2019 6 Poverty and Migration in 19th Century Dorset Jane Ferentzi-Shepherd
July7/Aug 2018 7 Arrangements for a visit to be confirmed  
26/09/2019 8 Research findings from members on topics related to the Pitt Rivers sale  
24/10/2019 9 The Osmington White Horse Steve White
28/11/2019 10 The Black Death in Dorset Mark Forrest
       
23/01/2020 1 AGM  
27/02/2020 2 The railway which nearly came to Cerne Gordon Bartlet
26/03/2020   CANCELLED due to Covid  
       
28/01/2021 1 The Romans in Dorset Chris Copson
25/02/2021 2 Villains, Victims and Tragedies Brian Bates
25/03/2021 3 The Roman Town House in Dorchester Steve Wallis
22/04/2021 4 Hospital Blues Luke Mouland
27/05/2021 5 Dating the Cerne Giant Martin Papworth
24/06/2021 6 Dorset Windmills Richard Crumbleholme
 
23/09/2021 7 Talk My Family and other Smugglers Roger Guttridge.
     
28/10/2021 8 Talk A History of Cider James Crowden.
25/11/2021 9 Talk Old St. Pancras Churchyard, Shelley and the Dorset Connection Liz Merry.
         
27/01/2022 1   AGM  
24/02/2022 2 Talk Cerne Abbey, where was it? A symposium on recent research and an opportunity for members to air their views Various
     
24/03/2022 3 Talk Dorchester’s secret tunnels David Taylor
28/04/2022 4 Talk Medieval Musical Instruments Frances Eustace
26/05/2022 5 Talk Thomas Coram, Dorset born philanthropist  Kate Adie
23/06/2022 6 Talk The History of Cricket in Cerne Den Denness
July/Aug 7 Visit Forde Abbey  
22/09/2022 8 Talk The 1915 Gallipolli Campaign and the Dorset Connection  Chris Copson
27/10/2022 9 Talk Kenelm Digby, a C17th ancestor, courtier and diplomat Henry Digby
24/11/2022 10 Talk Turnpikes and Dorset Coaching Days Rob Curtis
         
26/01/2023 1   AGM  
23/02/2023 2 Talk On the Parish:
Life in Dorset’s Workhouses		 Luke Mouland
23/03/2023 3 Talk Women’s suffrage in Dorset: Forgotten stories Karen Hunt
27/04/2023 4 Talk Studland and Poole Involvement in the build up to David Warhurst
25/05/2023 5 Talk Chesil Beach: A Peopled Solitude Judith Stinton
22/06/2023 6 Talk Revising the Dorset Pevsner     Michael Hill
10/07/2023 7 Visit Portland visit Chris Copson
22/7-13/8 8 Field The dig for Cerne Abbey Dr Willmott and his team
28/09/2023 9 Talk The English Civil War in Dorset Richard Warren
26/10/2023 10 Talk The Princess and the Slave: a Tale of Two Women in Iron Age Dorset Martin Smith
23/11/2023 11 Talk The Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme  Ciorstaidh Hayward-Trevarthen
         
25/01/2024 1   AGM  
22/02/2024 2 Talk Trams in Bournemouth;  Gordon Bartlet
28/03/2024 3 Talk Formidable Bankes Women David Beardsley
25/04/2024 4 Talk Aerial Archaeology Claire Pinder 
23/05/2024 5 Talk Benjamin Ferrey – The man who re-built Wessex Francis Burroughes 
27/06/2024 6 Talk A History of Sherborne Rob Curtis
Mid July to Mid August 7 Field Planned further excavations in Beauvoir Field Dr Willmott and his team
26/09/2024 8 Talk Shire Hall Museum: 150 years of courtroom drama Anne Browne
24/10/2024 9 Talk Medieval Weymouth – A tale of two towns Richard McConnell
28/11/2024 10 Talk Prehistoric Food and Farming Chris Copson
23/01/2025     AGM  
27/02/2025   Talk Folk Songs of Dorset Alastair Braidwood
02/03/2025   Talk Henry III Prof David Carpenter
24/04/2025   Talk Members talks  
22/05/2025   Talk Iron Age artefacts and the Valley of the Stones Dr Anne Teather
26/06/2025   Talk Posted in the past Helen Baggott
Mid July to Mid August     Excavations in Beauvoir Dr Willmott and his team
25/09/2025   Talk The transported prisoners of Dorset Mike Randall
23/10/2025     Cancelled.  Speaker tba.  
27/11/2025   Talk Architectural Follies of Dorset Jonathan Holt