Welcome to Dark Dorset
Welcome to the Dark Dorset website - Dorset's premier website devoted to local folklore, customs, mysteries and the unexplained.
Based on the publication Dark Dorset: Tales of Mystery, Wonder and Terror by Robert. J. Newland and Mark. J. North. and Dark Dorset Calendar Customs by Robert. J. Newland. This site is an online compendium of information relating to local folklore and mysteries that can be discovered in the county of Dorset.
Click on the menu on the left of your screen to explore the wonderful world of Dark Dorset.
The site is regularly updated, so I do hope that you come back soon!
For more updates visit us also on
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February
- Candlemas
Candlemas has long been held in the Christian calendar as ‘The Feast of Our Lady,
The Blessed Virgin Mary’ otherwise known as ‘Candelora’ or ‘Candlemas’. It derived from the ceremony which the Church of Rome dictates to be observed on this day; namely the blessing of candles by the clergy and their distribution to mothers who had borne children during the previous year, after which they process around the church in solemn procession.
The ceremony commemorates when the Virgin Mary, in obedience to Jewish law, went to the Temple of Jerusalem, both to be purified and to present the ‘Christ Child’, ‘The Light of the World’ to God as her firstborn.
However, the word ‘Purification’ carries in its original meaning the idea of cleansing by fire,rather than Jesus Christ being the Spiritual Light and therefore, the origins of Candlemas predate Christianity and lie in the pagan Roman festival of ‘Februalia’, and the ancient Celtic festival of ‘Imbolc’
- Frankenstein creator died on this day 1st February 1851
Few seaside towns can claim so many literary associations as Bournemouth. The remains of writer, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly, author of one of the most famous of all Gothic horror novels - Frankenstein, is buried in the cemetery of St. Peters in the centre of the town.
Click Here to read more about The Life and Legacy of Mary Shelley
- Wolf Gods and Love Tokens: Customs and Traditions of Saint Valentine's Day
The 14th February is better known as 'St Valentine's Day' and it is without question the most popular day of the year for romance.
The custom of sending anonymous greeting cards to ones sweetheart or 'Valentine' is as popular as ever, yet the St Valentine's Day we know today actually evolved from the ancient Roman festival of 'Lupercalia', part of which was the choosing of sexual partners for the coming year by the drawing of lots. The names of all the eligible girls were placed in a vessel dedicated to the god 'Lupercus', and the boys each in turn pulled out a name to see whom fate had chosen for them.
'The Valentine Lottery' as it later became known experienced over the centuries ebbs and flows of popularity and unexpectedly became fashionable once again in the early Victorian era as a party game.
If a girl was courting but unlucky enough not to receive a Valentine greeting from her sweetheart today she would be deemed as 'Dusty' and therefore had to undergo the indignity of being swept down by either her Mother or companions with a broomstick or wisp of straw. The idea was to create as much embarrassment to the 'dusty victim' as possible as she then had to cast lots with the other girls in the usual manner.
- The Crabchurch Conspiracy
"The Crabchurch Conspiracy", was a plot hatched during February 1645, which aimed to bring the the town of Weymouth and Melcombe back under the control of the King's army. This resulted in a bloody battle where around 500 people were killed.
Click here to read more about the The Crabchurch Conspiracy
The Dorsetarian
The Dorsetarian is an online journal featuring a selection of articles and stories on local folklore, mysteries and the unexplained submitted by visitors to this website.
Recent contributions include:-
- Folklore, Customs and Ghost Stories in Sherborne - Elisabeth Bletsoe of Sherborne Museum explores the folklore, customs and hauntings of this ancient Dorset market town.
- Well Dressing and Sacred Water - Dorset Archaeologist Chris Tripp, looks at the folk customs and traditions associated with water and how these ancient rituals still remain with us to this day.
- Folklore of William Barnes - We revisit an early article from the 1920s written by local Folklorist and Historian, John Symonds Udal. He discusses folklore of the county and how it influenced the writings and poetry of Dorset dialectologist Rev. William Barnes.
- Cerne Abbas - A brief history of the village with local Legends and Customs.
- Sea Dragons, Fairy Loaves & Serpents of Stone - Dr. Karl Shuker explores the folklore and proto-scientific beliefs attached to Lyme Regis's most famous fossils.
- Daisy Wheels and a Ritual Landscape in Dorset - Ric Kemp examines the strange, centuries-old religious symbols and carvings which can be found in churches in and around Dorset.
Events
Who's Afeard?
Tales of Dorset's seadogs, soldiers and smuggling men
24th February 2012, 7.30 pm at the Dorset County Museum
'Time and Tide' -Robin Plowman, Sopie Bond and Geoff Payne are all seasoned, well-respected folk performers, each with a natural interest in and affinity with the music and history of our county.
They have drawn their material from our county's records, collective memory and folk memory, and used songs and tunes from the Hammond Collection and the Hardy manuscripts to complement the anecdotes of these hitherto unsung, colourful, local heroes.
Advanced tickets are £9.00 (£10 on the door) and are available in person from the Museum Shop or by way of a stamped self-addressed envelope sent to the
Museum Shop,
Dorset County Museum,
High West Street,
Dorchester,
DT1 1XA.
For more enquiries telephone 01305 262735 or alternatively email shop@dorsetcountymuseum.org
More information visit www.dorsetcountymuseum.org
Reviews
Haunted Weymouth by Alex Woodward
Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, 'Haunted Weymouth' by local ghost tour guide Alex Woodward, is sure to send a shiver down the spine of anyone daring to learn more about the haunted history of the area. Including many previously unpublished stories, this book will appeal to both serious ghost hunters and those who simply want to discover what frights lurk beneath the surface of this once royal seaside resort.
The Recollections of Rifleman Harris Audio CD Read by Jason Salkey
The Recollections of Rifleman Harris Audio CD is abridged from an 1848 first edition of this famous historical memoir of a Rifleman Benjamin Randell Harris, from the 95th Rifles, in the Napoleonic Wars. This CD production by Explore Multimedia is read by Jason Salkey, who played the character of ‘Rifleman Harris’ in the Sharpe TV Series and provides a brilliant complement to his Harris diaries DVD series. Sound FX are provided by The 95th Rifles Re-enactment Society. A musical score by Adam Wakeman adds to this excellent production.
Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay: A Case Study in Folklore by Dr. David Waldron and Christopher Reeve
The tale of the Black Dog of Bungay and the infamous attack on the church of St. Marys in 1577, has inspired and fascinated residents and visitors to the town for centuries along with tales of Black Shuck the Ghostly Dog of Norfolk.
To this day, sightings of the Black Dog are common through the region and form an integral part of local folklore and myth. At the same time, the history of the legend itself tells its own tale of the town of Bungay and how the community has responded to crisis through local folklore and myth.
This book, a collaborative effort between local historian Christopher Reeve and historian and anthropologist Dr. David Waldron, traces the rise of this story from its origins in the trauma of the English Reformation to the contemporary era where it has become a central part of Bungay’s communal and civic identity and a colourful and intriguing aspect of local folklore.
Now available on DVD from Newland Media
- Seasonal Customs of England: Blazing Barrels & Midwinter Masks - The West Country Part 1
Seasonal Customs England is the home of many diverse customs and traditions. From the Spring rites of May Day - hobby 'oss'es and floral dancing and May queens crowned. To peculiar village rights to gather wood, to the fire festivals of autumn, when the flaming tar barrels are hoisted on broad shoulders and the Guy is burned on huge bonfires and to the Winter festivals of mummers and the wassail of orchards.
Now available from Newland Media on DVD - Seasonal Customs of England: Blazing Barrels & Midwinter Masks - The West Country Part 1. A celebration of some of the exciting customs you will only find in England. From the incredibly dangerous blazing tar barrels of Ottery St Mary to the turning of the Devil Stone, and the Punky Night custom forerunner of Trick or Treating to the Midwinter Mummers plays from Dorset and Devon. Rounded off with a Wassail and Faggot Burning. It's traditional fayre like this that keeps old England alive! Extra Features include the Original Welsh Border Morris Men on their annual (and only) tour before Christmas; the ancient 'kissing the fish' initiation; Mummers Play with the Frome Valley Morris Mummers and Pumpkin Carving.
Overall running time approx 70mins
Price: £7.99 UK £9.99 International Orders
- Mummers Plays of England 'In Comes I - Wessex -
'In Comes I' takes an informative look at the exciting 'mumming' tradition with interviews and asides from Frome Valley Mummers and others. Look out for some terrific revived plays of morris dancers: Frome Valley Morris, Wessex Morris Men, Babylon and the Dartington Morris Men to the almost unbroken traditions of the Paperboys of Marshfield in Gloucestershire and the rustic charm of the play from Symondsbury in Dorset. Entertaining and insightful with a hint of magic and mystery. You'll want to pick up a sword and take on a knight or two!
Over 90 minutes of mumming action! Double disc set with extra features.
Price: £7.99 UK £9.99 International Orders
DVDs can be ordered online via:- Mail Order and Paypal
Ghost Walks
If you are looking for something different this year, then ghost tours can provide some great entertainment, especially if they're ghost tours after dark. With Dorset having a lot of ghosts, it stands that there will be quite a number of ghost tours and haunted walks to be enjoyed. Click on the Ghost to the right to see our 'Ghost Walk Page' - a collection of haunted walks, some permanent, some seasonal, which you can investigate.
Please Note - Most of these guided ghost tours will require booking - and because of the nature of these ghost tours you should always at least contact the organisers (as they are NOT organised by Dark Dorset) to ensure there have been no changes to the plans as changes can occur at any time for many reasons.
Our Publications
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| Dark Dorset: Tales of Mystery, Wonder and Terror by Robert. J. Newland and Mark. J. North. | Dark Dorset Calendar Customs by Robert. J. Newland | Dark Dorset Fairies by Robert. J. Newland |
