The Blandford Express

In days gone by when smugglers and fishermen  landed at night on Chesil Beach, they had their own trusted method to know where they were. They simply picked up a piece of shingle under their feet and felt its size.  At the Portland end of the beach, the pebbles are large but moving westwards the pebbles become smaller. These locals were able to use this feature to determine at night their exact landing location.  The beach runs for around 18 miles from the Isle of Portland to the village of Burton Bradstock. Chesil Beach is also described as a tombolo  which is a narrow piece of land by which an island such as Portland is attached to the mainland. Known as a lerret,  local fishermen developed a purpose-built boat suitable for their work off Chesil Beach. This was a double-ended open fishing vessel rowed by four men with a fifth acting as a steersman who also managed the nets. Many of these boats were built in Weymouth. It has been estimated as many as 200 vessel...

Before the era of Sky Television most football fans found out how their teams had performed by buying the local Saturday evening football newspaper. Southampton had the Southampton Football Echo, Portsmouth the Football Mail and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, as the club was then called, had the Bournemouth Football Echo. Each would include detailed match reports and photographs of that afternoon’s match. These dedicated football papers were printed on either pink or blue paper to differentiate them from the day’s other local publication. The colour would be determined by whether the club’s home kit was red or blue.It is believed the Bournemouth Football Echo dates back to at least 1901. By half past six on the Saturday evenings, newsagents such as Loaders in East Street, Blandford would be selling copies of the ‘Football Pink’ to a queue of potential purchasers. This was quite remarkable bearing in mind the referee of the Cherries match would have blown the final whistle at exac...

Panda  Blue Rasperry Ade, Strawberry Jelly & Ice Cream and Casper Ghostly Limeade were all unique soft drink flavours produced by the Panda Pops brand owned by Badger Beers. Panda Pops were often sold in small bottles of fizzy drink that were as sweet and sticky as it was as possible for them to be. Other popular Panda Pop flavours were Cherry Ade and Bright Green Cola. Even more singular blends could be concocted by mixing two or more flavours in a Panda Pops mixing bowl. Panda Cola achieved a sort of cult status and there is even a song, ‘ Warm Panda Cola’ . While among Panda aficionados there was even the spoof blend of Princess Diana Memorial flavour! The Blandford drink competed remarkably well against American giants Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. Panda Pops date back to the 1960s when the Blandford brewer dropped the name of Sunparlor for its soft drink brands. Sunparlor had also been the name of a winning race horse owned by a member of the Woodhouse family. Cream soda was...

Bridport Station opened on 12th November 1857 and a large crowd gathered in fine weather to view the first train’s departure for Maiden Newton due to leave at 8.15am. Many took the opportunity to travel on this train as Yeovil Fair was taking place on the same day. Unfortunately departure was delayed so the connection at Maiden Newton was missed. The Bridport station master was unable to issue all the tickets in time because of the numbers desirous of travelling. Next train connection to Yeovil did not arrive there until mid-day. To celebrate the opening, a Grand Dinner was held at the Bull Inn in Bridport on the following Tuesday commencing ‘punctually’ at 5 o’clock. Tickets were priced at ten shillings and six pence (52.5p) to include wine. Mr Knight of the Bull  Inn arranged a two horse omnibus for the convenience of passengers arriving and departing. A general holiday was declared in Bridport and most shops closed to enable the shop assistants to enjoy the celebrations. A first...

Operation Countryman was an investigation into corrupt practices in both the City of London and Metropolitan Police Forces.  It was led in the late 1970s by the Assistant Chief Constable of Dorset, Leonard Burt (above). When younger, he had played a key role in the uncovering of the Portland Spy Ring. This resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of local spies Ethel Gee and Harry Houghton.                     The investigation was set up following allegations that police officers in the capital were accepting money from criminals. In return, it was believed the officers were interfering with evidence, giving advance notice of police raids and assisting with payroll robberies. At the time many workers had their wages paid weekly in cash. This necessitated the transfer from banks to businesses of large amounts of cash required  to make up wage packets. During the 1970s, London was awash with meticulously planned robberies man...

  In 1781, the British Army fought in the Battle of Blandford. However, this was not in Blandford Forum in Dorset but Blandford, Virginia in the USA. It was during the American War of Independence. However, if in 1940 a German invasion of Britain had taken place it is almost certain a Second Battle of Blandford would have taken place but this time on Dorset soil. Operation Sea Lion was the code name for a plan by Adolf Hitler to invade Britain in 1940. Some 2,400 barges had been collected from around Europe to enable the German Army to cross the English Channel. Suitable landing points had been identified by the Germans between Dover and Lyme Bay. The small seaside village of Burton Bradstock, near Bridport was considered as particularly suitable because of the profile of its beach. The British authorities had decided to make Blandford Forum a key point in the defences against a German invasion. The town was on what was called a ‘ stop line’ which ran along the River Stour from Ch...

One of Dorset’s oldest hotels, the Crown Hotel in Blandford has a long and colourful history. Highwayman John Poulter and his five companions were unwelcome visitors to the Crown Hotel in 1752. After spending the day at the Blandford Horse Races, they decided ‘ to go on the sneak’ and in the dusk of the evening stole a ‘ porte-manteau trunk’ from the Crown Hotel. Taking it to a field to search, they discovered it contained eighteen guineas, several gold and silver coins, a gold watch, a pair of gold buckles, a gold girdle buckle, a great quantity of jewels, a white petticoat and a great quantity of apparel. All were taken to London and sold. (Source: John Poulter’s own account published in 1764.) A young chimney sweep was suffocated and burnt to death in a chimney at the Crown Hotel which had been on fire a little before. He went up one chimney and attempting to go down another was in a narrow part and could neither get up nor down. (Source: Salisbury & Winchester Journal 27 ...

Twenty-four years old leather breeches maker, Tom Hill has the unusual distinction of being condemned to be transported to both America and Australia for his crimes. On 13 th March 1783, Tom had been sentenced in a Dorchester courtroom to be transported to America for stealing a silver watch valued at one pound. At the time, this sum was the equivalent of three weeks wages for a Dorset agricultural labourer. The decision was a particularly bizarre one as America was no longer a British colony after the British defeat in the American War of Independence. However, the British were surreptitiously trying to restart the American convict trade as its prisons were overfull. Prior to this war, which had halted the scheme, around 50,000 convicts had been sent to the American colonies despite its unpopularity with locals. British authorities hired a London merchant who did a deal with a Maryland merchant to receive convicts and sell them as indentured servants. Consistent with the furtiven...

‘Tis not well-known, but one year in the 1970s Shillingstone had the privilege of hosting the County’s Dwyle Flonking Championships. Equally little-known are the rules of the game. Two teams of twelve players are formed who dress up as yokels. To play they use a ‘dwyler’ (knitted cloth), a ‘dribbler’ (stick used to hurl the cloth) and two chamber pots, known as ‘guzunders’. The latter are filled with beer. Turns are determined by tossing a sugar beet. One team gathers in a circle and moves around an opposing player known as the ‘flonker’. This competitor dunks the cloth into one of the pots and then throws it at the opposing circling  players.  Points are awarded according to which area of the body the thrower hits with three points awarded for hitting a head.  However, if the player misses, called a ‘swadge’, the thrower has to drink as a forfeit the contents of the other chamber pot within a strict time limit. Alternatively, the player can dump the contents of the guzul...

  From Dorset Gallows to Van Diemen’s Land is the unlikely but true story of political corruption, hangings and transportation in the small market town of Blandford in Southern England.  It is available as a paperback from  Amazon in the United Kingdom, Australia and the USA. The book uncovers the extraordinary tale of two ordinary men, George Long a shoemaker and Richard Bleathman a butcher. Driven by belief and dissatisfaction they are swept along by events. Sentenced to be hanged in Dorchester Gaol for their protests against political corruption they are instead, following clemency appeals,  transported to Van Diemen’s Land -  on the other side of the world. ‘A fascinatingly  good read.  This book entirely complements the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs - also transported to Australia.’ (Richard Holledge, newspaper editor, freelance journalist - London. As read in the Independent, New York Times & Financial Times. Author of   Voices of the M...

Riots and protests are not normally associated with towns like Gillingham. Yet, that is what happened back in the 1620s. Gillingham Forest on the Dorset/Wiltshire borders was a medieval royal hunting ground and deer park which had been particularly popular with King John. A moated hunting lodge had been built there  to accommodate his annual visits. Gillingham Royal Forest consisted of some seven thousand acres and included the villages of Motcombe, Bourton and West & East Stour. In 1625, the area was deforested, the land enclosed but this  led to riots and protests. King James I and King Charles I had sold off parts of the forest to raise money. Erection of fences prevented the locals from grazing their animals and from collecting wood which had been long-standing practices. Also during the winters of 1626 & 1627 the deer were slaughtered and trees were felled. One of the more bizarre protests involved Lady Skimmington cross-dressing parades designed to poke fun at th...

Despite the duties being unpleasant, ‘Groom of the Stool’ to the King of England was considered a prestigious position. The role involved assisting the Monarchs with their bodily functions and bathroom needs using a close stool (see above). This historical piece of furniture was an early portable toilet which enclosed a chamber pot. Historians disagree as to whether this servant was required to wipe the Monarch’s bottom. Proximity to the Monarch with no-one else present led to the sharing of many royal confidences. In turn, the post holder became a feared and influential figure around the Court because of his access to the Sovereign.  The Groom of the Stool was also responsible for monitoring the King’s bowel movements and for liaising with doctors when necessary. Elizabeth I was served by a Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber. Sir William Compton, Sir Michael Stanhope and Sir James Fullerton were all Grooms of the Stool. Compton performed the role between between 1509 until 152...

Archie Wellman, a Dorchester postman and his friend, Owen Wicks, a hairdresser’s assistant who worked on South Street, were both charged at Dorchester Assizes in May 1910 with fraudulently seeking to obtain money from a football betting company based in Holland. To secure their ends, the two men put together an ingenious scheme.  The betting company, owned by Fred Archer & Fred Bacon offered money prizes if the match scores were accurately predicted in return for an entry fee. All entries had to be posted before 2pm on Saturdays. Legal restrictions in Britain on betting were quite restrictive at the time and this is probably why the scheme operated out of Holland. Wicks made arrangements with a Cheshire based newspaper, the Athletic News to have the result of Saturday’s football matches telegrammed to him as soon as the games finished. These he would later post up in the hairdresser’s salon where he worked. Wicks received the football results at 4.56pm on the Saturday in questi...

It was a long time ago but 25th June 1348 was probably Dorset’s worst day ever. For it was when it is believed that infected sailors arrived at Melcombe, near Weymouth from Gascony in France carrying the Black Death. Like most ships, it would have been carrying rats. No-one knew at the time the causes of the epidemic which became known as the Great Pestilence. Local townsfolk were the first victims of the epidemic. The Great Pestilence quickly spread around Weymouth and people left the town taking the Black Death with them. So many died in Portland that the quarries fell silent. Within weeks, it had spread along the coast and up river valleys. Quickly, it passed through Devon and Somerset and onto Bristol and beyond. The disease was transmitted it is believed by fleas. Sufferers first experienced a black rash, then swollen glands, a high fever and finally death. Such was the devastation of the epidemic that the Bishop of Salisbury appointed new priests in Dorset on 22 days during the 3...