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We hold the registers and various records for many of the parishes in Dorset.
A short guide to the family and estate archives held at Dorset History Centre.
Newspapers are a rich source of local interest and historical flavour in their own right.
We hold thousands of photographs, including studio portraits, postcards and aerial photographs.
We collect any sound recording which relates to Dorset, is unique and of long term historical value.
The Dorset Local Studies Collection contains books and pamphlets on a wide range of subjects.
We hold records for various kinds of businesses, including brewers, solicitors, architects and more.
Records of crime and punishment include those of the local courts, prisons and police force.
A unique collection of works by authors and poets with a Dorset connection.
Electoral registers are a useful source for tracking individuals or families.
Various authorities have been responsible for local administration in Dorset.
Dorset County Lunatic Asylum, founded in 1832, was based at Forston House in Charminster.
Dorset History Centre holds the records of clubs and societies based in Dorset.
We hold different types of maps, including ordnance survey maps, tithe maps and enclosure maps.
Most Dorset schools kept records fairly systematically from the mid to late nineteenth century onwards.
There are three main types of probate records - wills, letters of administration and inventories.
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