The Sherborne Archives will have some significant display material up at the Northleach Local History exhibition, which is in the Old Prison this coming weekend. Details above. I can confirm that the material they have on display is fascinating. It would be great to support the Archives. Please go along
I have continued to work closely with AI to develop the deciphering of the 1710-1713 notebook. Recap: The notebook was written by John Dutton. He took over from his father, Ralph Dutton, after Ralph Dutton got into trouble financially. Ralph Dutton was banished to Ireland, a pension of £400
My continuing deciphering of the 1711-1713 estate notebook written by John Dutton, later Sir John Dutton, has provided me some fascinating insight. One aspect is how the welfare of the poor and needy was managed in this period in history and in Sherborne in particular. It sounds like a
As I continue to decipher the 1711 Sherborne accounts notebook, I have come across some interesting references to some fairly ancient formal community positions. The roles of a village lengthsman and a hayward are traditional English community positions dating back to the medieval and feudal eras, though the lengthsman role
A thorough examination of John Dutton's notebooks from the period 1710 to 1713 shows that smallpox arrived in Sherborne in December 1711. John Dutton himself his mother and his three sisters contracted the disease. Quite an outbreak across the whole family. In the early part of the 1700s,
I have mentioned before that Brian Agg and I have a private shared interest in poetry. I was thinking of him today, now settled elsewhere, but not too far away, and within seconds, by chance, I was reading this poem, so I'm just going to post it, for
My investigation of the notebook from the early 18th century is becoming a fascinating little project. Modern AI is now very capable of helping me decipher this. I'm gaining very great insights into how John Dutton managed the Sherborne estate at this time. Furthermore, some really useful nuggets
Three quite different matters to discuss this morning. 1. Mink. You may remember from a previous post that I have collaborated with the Waterlife Recovery Trust on their mink programme. Although pest eradication can be an emotive topic, the mink issue deserves detailed attention. Mink are an alien species in
As you know, about eight weeks ago, I submitted an information request to Thames Water through formal channels to understand better what was going on at the Bourton on the Water sewage treatment works, which treats, or should treat, the sewage from Sherborne. This followed some unsuccessful efforts to get
I'm saddened to report that a key part of the Sheafhouses, the heritage building that stands in the middle of Old Park, has collapsed in the last few days. This structure is listed Grade II. (List Entry 1090429) It was built in 1831, replacing an earlier agricultural building
1. On 20 September, as part of the Cheltenham Heritage Open Day, the Sherborne Archives will be doing a unique "walk and talk" at the deer course in Lodge park. The deer course, dating to probably the early 17th century or even earlier, maybe, is pretty unique in
Readers of these posts will know that there are a number of Roman villas in the vicinity of Sherborne. You will recall that a couple of years ago we spotted the crop mark of a long-suspected Roman villa down where the Sherborne Brook meets the Windrush. Here's