Hello list. My gg-grandfather William BRICKELL died in Charmouth in Dec 1875, and I wondered if there might be a notice or even an obituary in the local press. Could someone tell me which Newspaper(s) would have covered Charmouth at that time. whether there are archives of such paper(s) where could I find them? (PS My Brickells don't seem to be related to any of the many Dorset Brickells in Shaftesbury and around; William was a coastguard and came from Kent. Mind you, if anyone can provide a connection...?) Thanks in advance Simon Brickell

Dear Simon & Chris, There are several papers that may have an obituary notice in them, probably those which cover the Bridport or Lyme Regis area would be the most likely, but the ones that cover the whole county could also have one. If the person was well known then several papers could have details. Below is a complete list of all the Dorset Newspapers & where you can access them - (unfortunately there isn't much on-line) - The British Library Newpaper Library (BLNL) at Colindale in London do hold some titles - see http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs . Some Devon / Somerset titles also covered the western part of Dorset. DORSET DORCHESTER 1821. Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester Gazette (1821-1823). This appears to have been the forerunner of the Dorset County Chronicle: only four issues are known to have survived, two in Weymouth Public Library, and two in Dorchester Public Library. These issues should be microfilmed and then carefully preserved on account of their significance in the history of Dorchester. It should be remembered that for many towns the first newspapers were published in the 18th century and contain little, if any, local news. This title was not started until well into the 19th century and is therefore of more local interest. 1823. Dorset County Chronicle (1823-1957). This was Dorset's main newspaper. Much of the file has been filmed by Wessex Microfiling. The BLNL has filmed, and offers for sale, the years 1830-1862. 1856. Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette (1856-1886). The only holding of any length of this file is in the BLNL, and any microfilm would have to be bought from them. A four-page weekly throughout, it would require about 11 reels of microfilm. 1957. Journal series. When the Dorset County Chronicle ceased in 1957, this was taken over the Salisbury-based 'Journal' series - see below (6). SHERBORNE The small town of Sherborne in Dorset produced two newspapers whose importance in the west of England was out of all proportion to the size of the immediate community. In the 18th and early 19th centuries the newspapermen distributed these two papers throughout the West Country from Wiltshire to Cornwall. The news and advertisements they carried reflect life through the whole of the west of England and not just in the small area of Dorset and Somerset immediately around Sherborne. 1737. Sherborne Mercury (1737-1749). Only one file of the hard copy is known to exist; the first three years (1737-January 1740) are held in the private collection of Sherborne Castle, and are not available for public use. A microfilm of this file was made in 1975 by Wessex Microfiling. The remaining years (1740-1749) are held by the Somerset County Record Office; they are in good condition although the first pages need some preparation. The whole file was filmed by Wessex Microfiling. 1749. Western Flying Post (1749-1867). This was formed by the amalgamation of the Sherborne Mercury (above) with the Western Flying Post (a Yeovil paper of which only one copy is known to have survived, reported framed in the boardroom of the offices of the Western Gazette). The two titles are often confused owing to the fact that the newspaper continued to be known as the Sherborne Mercury. The whole run was filmed by Wessex Microfiling in the 1970s. Only the Somerset County Record Office hold a fairly complete set, received from the publisher (now the Western Gazette) and therefore sometimes heavily marked; the years 1826-1828 were reported unfit to use but much of it is still in very good condition. Although a film of these two titles already exists, it could in no way be considered suitable as a national archive, and the re-making of a better quality film for such an important newspaper should be considered a priority. Harvester Press is considering filming to the end of the 18th century; if this is done, the BLNL should consider either filming or commissioning a film of the years before the BLNL holding starts in 1829. As there are several locations for the early years (Royal Institution of Cornwall, Dorset County Museum, Exeter Public Library, Somerset County Record Office) the files should be examined in more detail to ensure that the best original is used in each case. It is to be hoped that Harvester Press and the BLNL could reach an agreement whereby a copy of the master negative is made available for a national archive of master negative at the BLNL. 1764. Sherborne Journal (1764-1886). This title, also know as Cruttwell's Sherborne Journal, set up as a rival to the Western Flying Post in 1764. The Sherborne Journal survived as the Western Chronicle to 1931. Although it is of secondary importance to the Sherborne Mercury, like its rival it circulated throughout the south-west. No microfilm of this title has yet been made, probably because there is no complete file, and the surviving volumes are fairly scattered. Issues have survived for only 35 of the 64 years before the start of the BLNL's holding in 1829. SWANAGE 1919. Swanage Times and Directory (1919-1936). The Dorchester Reference Library's holding of this title is incomplete and deteriorating fast. The British Library has a complete set which would require about 18 reels to microfilm. In view of the condition of the only remaining file in Dorset this should be considered a high priority for filming. 1944. Swanage Times and Dorset County Chronicle (?1944). This appears to be a local edition of the Dorset County Chronicle. Only 1944 survives, held by the Dorchester Reference Library. 1958. Swanage Times and Dorset Herald (?-1983). Only Dorchester Reference Library holds this title before 1958 (BLNL 1958 - ); like the Poole and Dorset Herald, this is a local edition of the Bournemouth Times with the front and centre pages changed. The files of this title held by the newspaper offices are gradually being handed over to Dorset County Library: those already handed over are at the Dorchester Reference Library, others (dates not specified) are to follow. Although an article in the Dorset Evening Echo for 7 January 1971 states that 'the Swanage Times is 150 years old ...' (thus relating it to the supposed start date of the Dorset County Chronicle), the Swanage Times as such never had a separate existence, and its numbering was that of the newspaper with which it was incorporated. After its incorporation with the Dorset County Chronicle in 1937 it has always been a local edition of another title and is therefore not a high priority for filming after that date. WEYMOUTH 1821. Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester Gazette (?1821-? ). This appears to have been the first Weymouth newspaper, of which only two copies survive at Weymouth Public Library, nos.33 and 34, dated 16 and 23 August 1821. (This was probably the forerunner of the Dorset County Chronicle, whose start date is often given as 4 January 1821.) Following this was a small weekly magazine with local advertisements, the Western Literary Gazette, first published as the Weymouth Tatler and Jersey and Guernsey Visitor, in September 1833. Weymouth Public Library holds the only known copy of this, 18 issues from 2 September to 30 December 1833. 1851. Southern Times (1851-1954). The Southern Times and its successors constitute Weymouth's longest running newspaper, and together with The 'Telegram' series are the main Weymouth newspapers from the middle of the 19th century. Weymouth Public Library has an incomplete set with many years duplicated at the Dorchester Reference Library. After 1954 the Southern Times became incorporated in the 'Journal' series, based at Salisbury and then Bridport, although they remained Weymouth, Dorchester papers. There are several sets still in existence in reasonably good condition (Weymouth and Dorchester Public Libraries, Dorset County Museum, BLNL); they will need to be microfilmed in the foreseeable future, but this is not urgent. 1921. Dorset Daily Press (1921-1924). This title survived for 2« years only; a four-page daily, it would require about eight reels of microfilm only. 1921. Dorset Daily Echo/Dorset Evening Echo (1921- ). Dorset County Library has an arrangement with the publishers to share the cost of microfilm by Wessex Microfiling. It is to be hoped that this can extend retrospectively using BLNL microfilm. 1865. DORSET 'TELEGRAM' SERIES Of the early (pre-1886) group of Telegrams, the main paper seems to have been the Weymouth Telegram: the variations in the others seem to have been small, so it would be most useful to film the longest run, the Weymouth Telegram. The other two pre-1886 titles formed the Western Chronicle in 1886 and moved to Yeovil, i.e. out of Dorset into Somerset. The Telegram (1886-1901) was also printed and published in Yeovil, but returned to Dorset in 1901 as the Weymouth Telegram, the Dorchester Telegram and the Portland Telegram. Of these three, the Weymouth Telegram should be first priority for filming - together with its predecessors it would require about 67 reels to film (approx. one reel/year). The minor Telegrams should be checked to see if the change pages could be incorporated in the same reels of film as the Weymouth Telegram, or whether they should be treated as separate papers. 1865. Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis Telegram (1865-1869, 1874-1886): 16 reels 1874. Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram (1874-1886): 12 reels 1879. Poole Telegram (1879-1886): seven reels 1901. Dorchester Telegram/Mail (1901-1927): 26½ reels 1910. Portland Telegram (1910, 1913, 1915): three reels Of the last two, post-1901, Telegrams, the Dorchester Telegram/Mail should be considered the most important, as the publishers considered it to be a separate newspaper by 1904 when it changed its title to the Dorchester Mail. Of all the Telegrams, with the exception of the Portland Telegram which is held only by Weymouth Public Library, the British Library holds the most complete files and microfilm would therefore have to be bought from the British Library. BOURNEMOUTH 1858. Bournemouth Visitor's Directory (1858-1919). Bournemouth, being a resort town, does not have a long history, and did not have a newspaper until 1858 when the Bournemouth Visitors' Directory started. This being the main 19th-century newspaper, Bournemouth Public Library has had it microfilmed from the beginning of the BLNL holding in 1868. The film was made with three different cameras: 1868-1876 is BLNL negative film; 1877-1908 was made by Micro-methods (the master negatives for these years are held by Microform Ltd., which advertises the sale of this title in its catalogue); 1909-1919 was filmed by Wessex Microfiling. Bournemouth (Springbourne) Public Library holds a hard copy file 1901-1919, but the location of the originals used for filming the years 1877-1899 is not known. An incomplete file of five of the first 10 years of this title, i.e. 1862-1867, is held in the offices of the 'Advertiser' series in Poole. 1919. Bournemouth Times (1919-1983). This was the direct successor to the Bournemouth Visitors' Directory, and has been microfilmed from 1965 onwards, first by Micro methods to 1976, and then by Wessex Microfiling. The film is all of a high standard, although the negatives for 1965-1976 are held by Microform Ltd. The years between 1919 and 1964 have not been filmed, and would require up to 90 reels to do so. There is a complete file in the Bournemouth (Springbourne) Public Library which is in good condition, but the binding is quite tight. 1875. Bournemouth Observer (1875-1901)/Observer and Chronicle (1881-1909). This title had a somewhat chequered history throughout its 26 years; it probably started life as the Dorset Free Press in Wimborne in 1874, and, for the first 16 issues, continued the numbering of that paper. In 1876 it became twice weekly, with a slightly different title on the Wednesday issues; in 1881 the Saturday issues became the Observer and Chronicle for Hants and Dorset, which the BLNL treats as a separate title, and which continued as a weekly until 1909. There are complete files of both titles in Bournemouth (Springbourne) Public Library, which could be used to supply the BLNL's missing years if a microfilm were to be made by the BLNL. Treated as separate titles, the Bournemouth Observer would require about 26 reels, and the Observer and Chronicle would require about 30 reels. The titles are interfiled in the Springbourne set for the years in which the two titles represented a twice weekly, i.e. August 1876 - October 1901. 1883. Bournemouth Guardian (1883-1928). There is a complete file of this in the Bournemouth (Springbourne) Public Library, though in rapidly deteriorating condition. The BLNL file lacks 1911, which was reported in Springbourne but not found. A large 8-12 page broadsheet, this title would require about one reel/year to film, i.e. 45 reels. 1900. Bournemouth Daily Echo/Evening Echo (1900- ). The newspaper offices hold a complete file of this title, but are interested in holding microfilm. The other 'Echo' offices belonging to the Southern Newspapers group have had all editions filmed, and the Bournemouth Public Library wants only the last edition. The early files in Bournemouth (Springbourne) Public Library are in poor condition, indeed some microfilm has been made of them; it would probably be better to use the BLNL files for the early years, since these will be in a much better condition. From 1966 the file has been filmed to a high standard commercially. Between 1920 and 1966 the Springbourne files are in much better condition. Current filming is by Wessex Microfiling. 1902. Bournemouth Graphic (1902-1937). An illustrated 16-page tabloid weekly, this title would require about one reel/year to film. The Bournemouth Public Library set is in very good condition. CHRISTCHURCH 1855. Christchurch Times (1855-1983). This was Christchurch's first main newspaper for nearly 130 years. In 1983, bowing to market forces, it became a free newspaper, one of the 'Advertiser' series. The Advertiser offices in Poole hold a file from issue no.4 (21 July 1855), although the years 1856-1858 could not be found. Christchurch Public Library hold a file from issue no.41, so in order to produce as complete a microfilm as possible the BLNL would have to ask to borrow from both these sources. The file held in the Advertiser offices is not in good condition, and it may be that many issues are missing. The file in Christchurch Public Library is incomplete. The complete file would require about 112 reels. 1872. Christchurch and Bournemouth Chronicle (1872-1876). Bournemouth (Springbourne) Public Library has an incomplete file of this title, but the only complete file is in the BLNL. Only four reels would be required to film this short-lived paper. 1960. Christchurch Herald (1960-1972). A recent tabloid newspaper (average 32 pages), this title never competed successfully with the Christchurch Times. There is a file of seven years (1963-1969) in good condition in Bournemouth (Springbourne) Library, but the binding is too tight for microfilming. The BLNL has a complete file which would require about 20 reels to film. POOLE 1846. Poole and Dorset Herald (1846-1983). A local edition of the Bournemouth Times, with (latterly) front and centre pages changed. This was Poole's longest running newspaper. The newspaper offices gave their best file to Poole Public Library and this holding has been filmed by Wessex Microfiling. The file was incomplete in 1985, lacking about 17 complete years and about 18 months scattered throughout the file, there were then plans to complete this file and this has now been achieved by the Poole Local History Centre. 1879. Poole Telegram (1879-1886). One of the early Dorset 'Telegram' series. While probably only a regional edition of the Weymouth Telegram, it is probably the most important of the early regional variants; requiring only seven reels to film, it justifies microfilming as a second priority when the Weymouth Telegram has been filmed. The only file of any length is in the BLNL so the film would have to be bought from the British Library. 1936. Poole and Parkstone Standard (1936-1937). Poole Public Library has a well bound copy of this title. Not a high priority for filming. 1924. Poole Observer (1924)/Poole Pilot (1867-1869). Both these titles are held by Poole Public Library only, well bound, in very good condition. 1983. Poole Advertiser (1983- ). The free successor to the Poole and Dorset Herald; Poole Public Library (i.e. Dorset County Library) plans to have this title microfilmed when budget and contract arrangements permit. 1957. DORSET 'JOURNAL' SERIES The Dorset County Chronicle ceased on 25 April 1957 and was taken over by the 'Journal' series, published by Bennett Brothers, whose main newspaper was the Salisbury Journal. The firm took over the publishing of the Weymouth newspaper, the Southern Times, in 1954, and the Bridport News in 1957. The resulting newspapers merged and diverged, changing title several times; to complicate matters further there was no numbering, so it is difficult to identify continuations. The head office was always in Salisbury although the papers were not Salisbury papers. Of all the newspapers in the south-west this one is the true cataloguer's nightmare. The continuations appear to be as follows: 1855. Bridport News (1855- ). This paper never changed title throughout, and since it is not held in the County Library prior to its take-over by Bennett Brothers in 1957, Dorset County Library plans to have it filmed when funds permit. There is a complete file in the offices in Bridport and the BLNL has an almost complete file, lacking the first issue and the years 1897, 1898 and 1911. It would probably require about 100 reels to film. 1954. Weymouth and Portland Times (3 December 1954 - 26 April 1957); Southern Journal and Wessex Post (3 May - 13 September 1957); 1957. Southern Times and Weymouth and Portland Times (20 September 1957 - 22 February 1963). 1954. Southern Journal and Wessex Post (3 March 1954 - 22 February 1963) 1955. Dorchester and District Journal (5 March - 14 May 1955); Southern and Dorchester Journal (21 May 1955 - 22 February 1963) These last three seem to have been published simultaneously and the content appears to have been the same although this is difficult to check because not all the files are in the same place. Before microfilm for the post-1954 period is ordered the newspapers should be carefully checked to see whether they are identical with the Bridport News. If this is the case a microfilm of the complete run of the Bridport News would cover all these titles. (Information taken from Devon Libraries Local Study Services - Newsplan site at http://www.devon.gov.uk/localstudies/111043/1.html#DOR) There is a list for Somerset papers on this site and a link to Devon's own site which may help also. Happy Hunting Regards Vanessa Dorset ----- Original Message ----- From: "Simon and Chris Brickell" <thebrickells@tiscali.co.uk> To: <DORSET@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 5:13 PM Subject: [DOR] Local Newspapers in Charmouth > Hello list. > My gg-grandfather William BRICKELL died in Charmouth in Dec 1875, and I > wondered if there might be a notice or even an obituary in the local > press. Could someone tell me > which Newspaper(s) would have covered Charmouth at that time. > whether there are archives of such paper(s) > where could I find them? > > (PS My Brickells don't seem to be related to any of the many Dorset > Brickells in Shaftesbury and around; William was a coastguard and came > from Kent. Mind you, if anyone can provide a connection...?) > > Thanks in advance > > Simon Brickell