History

LOST DORSET NO. 20 SHAFTESBURY

David Burnett, The Dovecote Press

Until the late Victorian period water in Dorset’s towns was provided by private companies, many of them short-lived. In Poole, Beaminster and Shaftesbury the water was turned off every night at six o’clock, and only turned on again at eight in the morning. But all were at the mercy of the weather. Although the sinking of a well on land given by the Grosvenors had solved the ancient problem of providing water to a hilltop town, Shaftesbury’s water was supplied to pumps in the streets, which regularly froze in winter. Peach’s the barbers were the only people with water in Salisbury Street during a sudden cold snap in February 1895. Note the yoke and 17 gallon milk churns amongst the buckets.

Lost Dorset: The Towns 1880-1920, the companion volume to Lost Dorset: The Villages and Countryside, is a 220-page large format hardback, price £20, and is available locally from Winstone’s Books or directly from the publishers.

dovecotepress.com

OBJECT OF THE MONTH THE TROUSSEAU

Elisabeth Bletsoe, Curator, Sherborne Museum

The word trousseau, from the French trusse or bundle, tends to mean the clothes, linen and other belongings collected by a bride before her marriage. It originally referred to the box itself – the Hope Chest or ‘bottom drawer’ but gradually the term changed to mean the contents of the box; anything that a woman from any level of society might have collected and set aside ahead of her marriage in preparation for this life transition. Traditionally this might also include mattresses, pillows, quilts, curtains and towels especially those which were made or embroidered either by female relatives or the bride herself. By the mid-Victorian era the aspiration was for a dozen of everything, and wealthy families embraced the concept of the ‘trousseau tea’ where trunk-loads of linen, china and garments were displayed as part of the wedding festivities. In 1877 Tatler denounced this extravagance: ‘the trousseau’s Monstrous Proportions indicate a Giant Horror from which you will shrink, appalled’.

We know from our records that a woman named Mary Margaret Tootell (soon to become Mrs. Bird) made six of everything and that these items were inked carefully with her name, their number in the series, and the date they were made. Unfortunately they were not donated to us complete but we do have a nightdress, table linen, handkerchiefs (nos. 3 and 4), part of a net curtain, a dress collar, a dress insert (pictured) and a couple of infants’ garments. These last were part of the donation but might not have strictly belonged to the trousseau itself. There is also a tiny pair of Mary’s working scissors, an intimate item providing a direct contact with the past.

The items are made of cotton, fine corded linen or lawn and all are white, which was more usual, since these could be washed and bleached many times over. Some are beautifully hand-stitched, or embellished with appliqué patterns, handmade button holes, lace trim, pin tucks and, as illustrated, broderie anglaise. This is a whitework technique characterised by patterns composed of round or oval holes cut out of the fabric and bound with overcast or buttonhole stitches. So, who was the talented Mary Tootell who provided so thoughtfully for her future? We know she was born in 1843, the daughter of an excise officer, and brought up in Chetnole with her aunt and uncle, Elias and Susanna Bullock, after her mother’s untimely death. On 19th February 1867 she married Henry Bird, a miller, at St. Andrew’s Church in Yetminster. They had a long marriage of 57 years, during the early part of which they lived at Heneford corn and grist mill at Melbury Bubb. Together they had 11 children, and all were baptised in that tiny village.

The 1881 census records them living at Lower Stockbridge, a farm of 314 acres in Lillington. Later, two sons worked with them on the land and four daughters assisted in the dairy. Henry Bird, whom Mary had probably known since childhood, died on their wedding anniversary in 1924, aged 81; he was buried at St. Mary’s, Melbury Bubb, where Mary joined him three years later, aged 85. Her last recorded residence was Japonica Cottage in Chetnole.

Sherborne Museum is currently open, free of charge, on winter hours from 10.30am–4.30pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

DORSET’S DEVIL STONES

Cindy Chant & John Drabik

Agglestone Rock, Studland

Mike Newman/Shutterstock

Any visit to Stonehenge or Avebury will stir the emotions and leave you in awe and wonder as to why these prehistoric monuments were constructed. Dorset too is steeped in magic, megaliths and stone circles. They attract historians, the curious visitor and modern day pilgrims – some even use these sites for ceremony, as our predecessors once did.

Some are elaborate calendars indicating important times of the year, while others mark the resting place of an influential chieftain, or were important boundary or track markers. Many of these enigmatic stones go unnoticed, but each carry a story, with folklore interwoven with archaeology, astronomy and geomancy. They were strategically placed and are associated with ley lines and were undoubtedly used for worship, meditation or rituals to enhance fortune or a good harvest.

Who would have known that with the coming of Christianity, the Devil would be found lurking behind these sacred stones? Stories were invented to discredit and stop people from having spiritual experiences at these ancient sites.

Dorset folk were superstitious and did not refer to the Devil by name, but gave him nicknames, such as Old Nick, Owld Lad or Old Harry. There once were two stone pinnacles just off Studland, called Old Harry and his Wife. But sadly, after several thousands of years, the wife was destroyed in a storm leaving him widowed and standing alone.

Nevertheless, the Devil still went about the countryside having fun. He was said to have thrown a large twenty-foot stone, known as the Agglestone, from as far away as the Needles near the Isle of Wight. His intention was to destroy Bindon Abbey or Corfe Castle, but despite his careful aim, he missed.

Near Winterborne Abbas there is a well preserved stone circle known as Nine Stones and sometimes referred to as Devil’s Nine Stones, or the Devil, his Wife and Children. Some say they were once real children, turned to stone for playing ‘five-stones’ on a Sunday. Despite the busy road, this is an atmospheric place and objects can sometimes be found here indicating modern day rituals.

The Devil did enjoy his games. There is a magnificent example of an exposed Neolithic burial mound at Portesham, known as Hellstone - the result

of his indulgence in playing ‘quoits’. He threw these huge stones, from the Isle of Portland and, with some considerable skill, managed to land them in this position. Nearby, there is the Valley of Stones, consisting of a large amount of grey stone laying haphazard on the ground, each supposedly having been flung by the Devil.

On the A356, near the Beaminster turnoff at Toller Down, there are some huge boulders known as the Hoar Stones. Despite their massive size, these stones are easily missed by drivers speeding their way to the coast. It is a mystery as to why our ancestors went through considerable effort to place these stones in this position. One would be forgiven in thinking they may be boundary stones, or the grave of some important personage or, being high on a hill, some form of marker. But no, it was that wily rascal again, throwing them from Portland in an attempt to block the road.

The Owld Lad sometimes grew tired of throwing prehistoric stones so, not surprisingly, provision was made for his comfort. In the village of Corscombe there is a group of huge standing stones, known locally as the Devil’s Armchair – one does indeed resemble a chair and can be sat upon. They are unrecorded and not shown on any map, and may once have formed the entrance of a long barrow. Another resting place, after a hard day’s mischief-making, can be found on Portland, where a stone protruding from a house is called the Devil’s Stool, or Hags Seat. And on the green, as you enter the village of Evershot, there are three ancient stones actually made into a seat. The story attached to these is that of three dancing maidens, struck dumb and turned to stone, for the usual reasons of making merry on a Sunday.

Well, if it wasn’t the Devil, it was giants having fun hurling huge stones. At Brockhampton Green, near Mappowder, lies a stone thrown by a giant. But some say it was too heavy to be thrown and so the disgruntled giant left it by the side of the road. Near Cheselbourne, two giants were having a contest hurling boulders from the top of Norden Hill towards Henning Hill, to see who could throw the furthest. As expected of this temperamental pair, the sore loser became so embittered with rage that he died, and was buried nearby in a long barrow, known as the Giants Grave.

So, the next time you perchance find yourself near one of these ancient monuments, spare a thought. Feel the age, create a link with the past, and know that your ancestors may once have been here before you.

Specialist Matthew Denney will be in the Sherborne area on Thursday 24th February to value your objects & antiques

SIR ALFRED JAMES MUNNINGS, PRA, RWS (1878-1959) The Watering Pool, Oil on Canvas, 48.5 x 59cm.

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