Archaeology for You
we specialise in high quality community & research-led heritage investigations.
Founders, Jim Rylatt and Anne Teather have collaborated with Dr Hayley Roberts, taking community archaeology forward.
Please click on the above for more information about our projects.
As you scroll up, click on any red text for further information:
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Then please contact us here, we'd love to hear from you!
1024 - 2024
It happened, MMXXIV 2024 was our Millennial year and we celebrated, along with our sister village, Abbotsbury, all perfectly organised by our wonderful Millennium committee headed by the unflappable Karen Hodgson.
The original charter was discovered amongst the archives in The Dorset History Centre (Dorset Council) and it can be seen on the village green, the other side of the large ordnance survey map of our area. The main body is in Latin, dated 1024 in Roman numerals, MXXIIII, and the boundaries of Portesham are written in Anglo Saxon. We've also managed to decipher the unusual symbol which heads the charter!
We must thank the Ilchester Estate for allowing its reproduction, villager Jo Hearton (recently retired from the Dorset Council's History Centre), Archivist Dr Mark Forrest & County Archivist Sam Johnston for their invaluable knowledge, advice and research.
...also to Bruce for the logo design and to John N for his arduous work in creating our new plaque.
What's On in Portesham?
In June:
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WHAT'S HAPPENING IN PORTESHAM VILLAGE HALL?
MH:Main Hall RDR:Ron Doble room
Please keep a regular watch on our calendar here:
First Monday of the month (except Jan) Lunch Club MH 12.00 - 14.00 please check Localendar Monday Table Tennis Club MH 14.30 - 16.30
Monday Cubs MH 18.00 - 20.00.
Tuesday Margaret's Friendship Cafe MH 10.00 - 12.00
Tuesday Read Easy Charity. RDR 10.30 - 11.30
Tuesday Seated Exercise Group with AGE UK MH 13.00 - 13.45
2nd Tuesday of the month Portesham WI MH 19.15 - 21.45 please check Localendar
Tuesday Beavers & Scouts MH 16.30 - 18.30 & 18.30 - 20.30 please check Localendar
Wednesday Pilates with Claire Myers MH 09.30 - 10.30 CMPilates@live.co.uk
Wednesday Badminton Club MH 17.00 - 18.00
Wednesday Portesham Creatives RDR 18.30 - 21.30 please check Localendar
Wednesday Yoga with Owen Lister MH 19.30 - 20.30. owenlister@hotmail.co.uk
Thursday Low Impact Zumba with Anne-Marie Kirby MH 09.30 - 10.30 annemarieszumba@gmail.com
Thursday Short Mat Bowls Club MH 14.00 - 16.00 & 19.30 - 21.00
2nd & 3rd Thursdays' of the month Chesil Bank Writing Shed with Linda. RDR 19.00 - 21.00
Friday Yoga with Owen Lister MH 08.30 - 09.30. owenlister@hotmail.co.uk
Friday Warm Welcome Café. MH/RDR 10.00 - 12.00. September - April
4th Friday Warm Welcome Café. MH/RDR 10.00 - 12.00. May - August
Saturday look out for our village cafés & Warm Welcome soup & bread lunches MH
Saturday Portesham Creatives RDR 09.30 - 13.30 please check Localendar
Last Sunday of the month Portesham Picture Palace Film Club MH 18.00/19.00 Sept - May
PORTESHAM SURGERY'S “WALK AND TALK” GROUP
Would you like to meet new friends and get some exercise at the same time?!
Why not join us for a walk of about 30 minutes and then have refreshments at the Village Friendship Café held in the Hall
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Free and friendly – tea, coffee, biscuits, donations very welcome
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No need to book, just turn up!
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Low impact, suitable for all abilities
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Not to worry if you have not walked before
Fortnightly from January 3rd 2023 at 10am (dates may vary)
Meeting at Portesham Village Hall
Please wear suitable clothing and footwear
THE PORTESHAM VOLUNTEER GROUP - Are always delighted to welcome new volunteers to our group, be it for general tidying and gardening, assisting with our annual café and community projects or even learning the art and helping with areas of dry-stone walling. Recent volunteer work can be seen HERE
With grateful thanks for the sponsorship from the VIP
For further details please contact any of those on our committee:
Stuart Bainbridge (Chair) 871664
Tricia Barker 871567
Susan Blackwell 871239
Keith Brignell (Treasurer) 871925
Murray Fraser 871065
Karen Hodgson
Julie Mason 871117
David Paton
Mary Robins (Secretary) 871408
To celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee and placed on the Silver Jubilee plinth, the Volunteer Group commissioned Stephen Holehan to build this Sundial, a functioning scientific instrument, mathematically correct to its exact location.
Using the engraved Equation of time graph it is possible to calculate the precise "Clock" time.
With thanks to dear Ken (RIP) for instigating the idea and to Keith for his invaluable assistance.
Here's an interesting shot from Portesham House's collection and quite a rare
view of the village for that period. Is there anyone out there who'd like to put a
date to it?
It looks possibly pre-railway i.e. 19th century.
The PORTESHAM REFUGEE SUPPORT GROUP (PRSG) was created to support hosts in the village who have welcomed Ukrainian families into their homes.
Presently the PRSG has enough in its bank account and our monthly
outgoings are low so you may want to suspend any standing orders
from the end of March. However, should you wish to maintain your
payments we will, of course, be delighted.
Unfortunately this dreadful war shows no sign of abating and may go on for years, in those circumstances more families are likely to come to the UK and, should that happen, we hope our wonderful community will provide further support in whatever way they can.
Hedgehogs in your garden?
A good way to tell if you have visitors is to keep an eye out for their poo...their droppings are generally black or dark brown, sausage shaped, 1.5 to 5cm long and, from experience, quite sticky!
There is a village group, part of the Dorset Mammal group, instigated by Sarah Wooley & Graham Whitby and further details may be found here.
The clip to the top left has been supplied by Angela & Malcolm Passells portraying their rather greedy little hog! The daytime clip below it is from Janice Grove.
Given the amount of sightings recently, it appears we have a very healthy hog population in Portesham!
We have a few new postcards to view on the "Early Portesham Postcards" page here.
The Kings Arms Hotel -
Who knew!
Where are we here?
Up at the quarry
Portesham Railway Station
Some of Portesham House amongst others recently brought to light
The Green
The Kings Arms
The millstream ford before the New Road bridge was built in the 40's
There are plenty more in the Heritage section "Under Blackdown" and "Early Portesham Postcards".
Many of their descendants are still residents here today.
There is also a record of those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom in both world wars.
Photo courtesy of Ruth Chipp-Marshall
You will recognise several current villagers' surnames below.
1. Bill Vine
2. Bill Hansford
3. Harold Young
4. Percy Kellaway
5. Charles Hodder
6. Len Harding
7. Percy Chalden
8. Cyrell Godden
9. Charlie Hodder
(Shaddy)
10. Bill Chipp
11. George Reed
12. Jack Jolliffe
13. Arthur Woodsford
14. Mr Read
15. Bill Halford
16. Major Collingwood
17. Bill Hunt
18. Fred Hodder
19. Bert Swaffield
Are you a carer?
Portesham Surgery has a dedicated carers lead, who can support you with your caring role.
Can Social Prescribing help you?
Portesham Surgery now has a social prescribing team. They can help you focus on your health
and wellbeing by taking a more holistic approach.
Now completed, The Visual Impact Provision (VIP) Project, just over the hill to us, why & when it was started, the objectives and the amazing discoveries en route!
Aren't we so fortunate, living slap bang in the middle of an area of outstanding natural beauty, where archaeological finds from the earliest Neolithic (4000-2500 BC) and Bronze Age (2500-800 BC) settlements from 6000 years ago, through the 500 years of Roman occupation (late Iron Age 1st century BC to late Roman period 4th century AD) to the relatively recent Medieval times (from the 5th to 15th century AD) continue to be discovered!
Click on the above for the link to their archaeology webinars
There are a few relatives of Portesham Help & Chat Group members', villagers Anne, Ruth, Robin H &
Robin J and Bill's 2 sisters. Bill has kindly tried to put a name to some of the faces he vaguely recognises from when he was a pupil there, a little more recently, in 1939!
JOIN Portesham Help & Chat Group on WhatsApp
The place to see and contribute towards the latest village news and views
We have 235 members now, the majority having Admin status, so there is every chance you will already know someone in it - just ask "that someone" to add you!
Portesham School 1932
Photo courtesy of Robin Harding's Aunty Ruth Treves-Brown (nee Harding).
2 Dorothy Coombes (nee Chipp) 5 William Chipp 9 Jack Jolliffe 12 George Samways 18 Betty Hodder (nee Halford) 27 Rena Dike (nee Halford) 34 Eric Jolliffe 35 John Harding
Read Elizabeth's short story :
Archie Carberry's Adventures is located in: Living/Local/Village Tales
AS READ IN THE CHESIL MAGAZINE
Great news!
We have new geese!
Thanks to Graham Parker & Graham Whitby for flying them in, free of charge, from Litton Cheney,
The Mallard collection box in the Kings Arms, near their garden entrance, was opened recently and was found to contain nearly £70.00 due to some very generous donations after the sad loss of George, our village goose.
These funds went towards purchasing duck food.
Easy listening music added here for your perusing pleasure - courtesy of local musician & composer Lucy Hackett
It's a spacious, modern hall ideally situated on the edge of our historic and picturesque village in the heart of the Dorset countryside.
With 3 rooms for hire, a small lawned garden with patio and a car park, you can hire the whole hall for a special event or any of the rooms that suit your needs.
Portesham Heritage
High above the village on Blackdown Hill, is the magnificent 72 ft stone monument to Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy GCB, our famous 19th century resident, who fought under Admiral Lord Nelson as Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.
It was the most important sea battle of the 19th century, resulting in the British Navy, becoming the world's largest sea power for the next 100 years.
Comet Neowise - 19th July 2020AD - next viewing 8786AD...
As is tradition, named after the discoverer: NASA's space telescope "Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer"
It's here >
As Nelson died it is well documented that he was overheard by those around him to say "Kiss me Hardy"; however, the Victorian's much preferred to believe that it was "Kismet Hardy" that was said, 'kismet' being the Turkish word for FATE.
The current owners of Hardy's House have a fascinating tale of fate and coincidence to tell you relating to the very recent discovery of the lost original sundial that started its life here, in the garden of Portesham House, nearly 250 years ago!
Read that story HERE.
Do you have a Portesham story you'd like to share ? Tell it HERE and read it HERE!
The Portesham Map on The Green
Created by local people to record and share their village heritage.
View it on The Green opposite the Kings Arms.
More detailed images of the map can be found on the Portesham Map page
It's now over 50 years since this little booklet was created to celebrate the Centenary of Portesham Church School and 100 years of Portesham history.
Take a walk on the wild side ...
Our Favourite!
Photography - Copyright © 2020 Geoffrey Thomas
Dorset Rights of Way
Click on the Dorset Explorer map below to view the Pink (footpath) or Green (bridleway) Rights of Way.
Select the Base Map Icon on the right hand toolbar to turn on the Ordinance Survey map.
Use it with Location on your mobile phone to accurately find your position along the many beautiful walks around Portesham.
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