The Blandford Express

  The inhabitants of Stourpaine were on Sunday morning thrown into a state of most painful excitement by the report that their most highly esteemed clergyman, the Reverend C F Tufnell had committed suicide by cutting his throat. It appears that the unfortunate gentleman had been labouring for sometime past under depression of spirits. (Somerset County Gazette 3 rd August 1867)   Six dairy cows belonging to Stourpaine farmer, John Coles were killed on the Somerset & Dorset line near Shillingstone.   On Friday afternoon a little boy, eight years of age was sent after the cows. He let them in on the line but before he could get them off on the opposite side the up-express, which is booked to arrive at Blandford at 3.30pm, emerged from the cutting and dashed through the cows. Five of the seven which were killed on the spot and another died in the night through injuries received. (Western Gazette – 8 th September 1871) The Stourpaine Temperance Friends were so satisf...

Dorset dialect is said to have originated from the Saxon invaders that landed in the county in the sixth century. Some less well-known ‘ Do’set ’ words include: ‘ Boris-noris’ meaning to go on recklessly without thought to risk or decency; ‘ Twanketon ’ meaning melancholy; ‘ Dumbledore ’ meaning a bumblebee; ‘ Torididdle ’ meaning to be out of one's  mind and ‘ God’s almighty cow’ which surprisingly is a ladybird! In June 1932, the following message was sent to King George V from the Society of Dorset Men; ‘Sire, Do’set Men at the yearly feast in the King’s Hall, Holborn Restaurant has ‘bidden woonce mwore to zend ‘ee their loyal and loven greetens. May ‘ee be spared vor years to zit wi friends avore the vierzide an’ dwell at hwome in peace. God bless ‘ee I d’bide your vaithful survint. Angus V Hamro; Society of Do’set Men.’ Radio fright claimed its first victim in July 1927 and deprived listeners of the opportunity of hearing the Dorset dialect over the radio for the first...

  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...