The Blandford Express

In the history of the British Navy, it appears there were three HMS Blandfords. The first HMS Blandford, launched at Woolwich in 1711, was lost at sea with all hands. The second, launched in 1720 was a trend setter but also had a dark secret. She was involved in the slave trade. While the third HMS Blandford (1741), featured in frequent skirmishes with the French but more recently had a replica built which featured in a television series. HMS Blandford (1711) served the Royal Navy in the Baltic, North Sea and in the Mediterranean. Sadly, she was lost with all hands including her captain, Erasmus Phillips during a fierce storm in the Bay of Biscay in March 1719. HMS Blandford (1720) was one of the first of a class of 22 vessels to be built to a common standard. This resulted in cost savings in both the building and maintenance of the vessels. It also provided greater certainty as to how they performed at sea. Her first captain was William Martin who eventually became an admiral. A...

It might not have been Ascot, Epsom or Aintree but Blandford Races was once quite an important event in the county’s social calendar. Blandford Races date back to 1603 and were held on the downs which today would be part of Blandford Camp. Meetings continued until the middle of the 19 th  century with few breaks in between. The longest interruption was when Oliver Cromwell was Head of State and Government. As Lord Protector he was not amused by such events. Apart from horse racing, there were other entertainments. These included wrestling matches, cock fighting and dancing. Much feasting took place which was highly lucrative for the town. In 1780, cudgel playing was advertised and resulted in a Shaftebury man losing his left eye. This was then replaced by a sword and dagger contest between the gentlemen of Dorset and Somerset. One of the race patrons was Lord Palmerston who was later to be Prime Minister. In 1824, he had had a winner, Luzborough in the Dorsetshire Gold Cup. No...