The following list of new aquisitions at the Dorset Record Office comes from their newsletter "On the Record" Don't forget to check out Access to Archives too - http://www.a2a.pro.gov.uk If you haven't visited for a while, do check the RO online catalogue http://www.dorsetcc.gov.uk/archives as they have been very busy filming and you may well find new additions to your parishes of interests. Many poor records have been filmed recently and I found last week that Ashmore baps and burials had been filmed to 1999 & 1997, and East Stour baps till 1997. These are just the two parishes I looked at and I know there are additions to plenty more. I also found (and they have probably had these for ages!) that they have all the Somerset census returns for the parishes close to the Dorset borders, including Bruton and Wincanton. The bad news for overseas and out of county researchers is that research fees have risen to 10 pounds sterling per half hour and they are still unable to accept credit cards. Anyway here are the new aquisitions: Meyrick Estate, Bournemouth (reference D.1824): sale particulars of part of the Bournemouth estate belonging to Sir George A E T G Meyrick, May 1921. Beck Family of Portland (reference D.1820): George Beck served as a soldier between 1898 and 1918 rising to the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. The collection includes Georges diaries compiled during the First World War, the first volume beginning in 1914. These diaries chronicle his day-to-day experiences of the war in France and the colleagues he fought alongside. The following entry for Friday 7 July 1916 is not untypical: Trenches at Auchonvillers: Wet day. Enemy trenches bombarded from 8 to 9am. Germans retaliated on our front line Wet night. A 5.9 fell very close to my dugout, well shook up. Candle put out by explosion & torch switched on. Near thing. Up to waist in mud & water. Trench waders full up. Shelling all night. No sleep. Melbury Bubb Parish Church Archive (reference PE/MBB): baptism and burial registers dating from 1813, marriage register dating from 1838 Douch Collection (D.1822): includes a letter from John Tilley of Dorset to his sister Susannah living with Capped Bishop in Boston, USA, dated 5 February 1776, just a few months before the Americans declared their independence from Britain. In the letter, John conveys his hope that the disturbance with the Americans will be sorted out by the Spring. He also says I herd that you had the Small Pox very bad but later conveys the encouraging news that things is very reasonable now in England, informing his sister that beef is available at 3p per pound, sometimes 2p per pound! In a farm account book of 1815-1836 relating to glebe land at Frampton, Throop Farm and Stratton Farm, there is a huge amount of information about the running of the farmland. For example, on 2 May 1815, James Saltbury was paid 14 shillings for turning Dung at Frampton. On 18 December 1816, £1 6s was paid to Mr Galpin for Bottled Beer, no doubt in good time for Christmas. Also new books: There have been numerous additions to the library in the last year but the following selection may be of particular interest. We are grateful for two donations of books relating to Dorchester, namely · Dorchester Divided by the Community Play Research Group, (the result of considerable research engendered by their play Fire from Heaven). · Dorchester Civic Society have also donated a CD entitled Dorchester Heritage Buildings which is available for use in the Search Room and presents a photographic record of Department of the Environment listed buildings in existence in the county town in 1996. · Stephen Friars Local History Companion available in the Catalogue Room provides an invaluable, single volume, guide to Local History. It is in an easy to use A-Z format. · For those interested in the history of the financial world we now hold British Banking, A Guide to Historical Records by John Ortell and Alison Turton. Of more local interest, 3 books in particular stand out: · A donated volume, dated 1866 entitled General Rules for the Governance of the Dorset County Lunatic Asylums gives a fascinating insight into life in the 19th Century mental institutions at Forston and Charminster. · Yours Reverently From the Pulpit, the Pub and the Parish notes 1948-53 and The Parson Knows from the Parish notes 1953-68 by the Reverend Oliver Willmott, present an often amusing account of the vagaries of 20th Century life. · Transport history comes vividly to life in - Along the Dusty Road. Motor Buses and Carriers from Dorchester Pt.1 The Piddle Valley by Roger Grimley. Happy Hunting Helen Helen Jones, Weymouth, Dorset http://www.melcombe.freeserve.co.uk List Admin Rootsweb Eng Dorset & Scammell Lists, and British Genealogy Eng-Dorset, Surnames & Forenames list