Dorset in the 18th Century

At a recent meeting of the South Dorset Group of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, Jane Ferentzi-Sheppard, the local historian, painted a vivid picture of life in Dorset during the 1800's. At the beginning of the period, farming was the main activity, and existence was indeed difficult for the workers, faced with grinding poverty and appalling living conditions. It was common for the typical farm cottage to be in multiple occupation, with a family living in each room. The countryside was controlled by the large estates, many of which still exist today, and the episode of the Tolpuddle Martyrs indicated the seething discontent of the poorer classes. With the coming of the railways and better roads, people gained mobility and began to migrate both to the towns and abroad, particularly to the USA and Australia. New sources of employment provided more lucrative jobs in the County, such as brewing, tourism and the military development at Dorchester Barracks, so there was a steady drift of population from the isolated villages to the towns.

From the point of view of family history, Jane emphasized the information that could be gleaned from the historic estate papers, which are now usually held in Record Offices, and very often cover the period before civil records had really started. A varied display of old photographs, such as Weymouth Esplanade in 1850, enlivened the proceedings, and the meeting was particularly intrigued by a photograph of a paddle-steamer to Cherbourg in 1884, performing a difficult about-turn in Weymouth Harbour.

Tony Johnson

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