One Sunday early in September a bride sat nervously waiting at St Mary’s church for her husband to be to appear. Now this wasn’t a young couple by any stretch of the imagination! The bride to be was Elizabeth Meaden, she was 37 years of age, a Weymouth lass, her father, Richard was a Shoe…
Author: cannasue
1872; Chesil Royal Adelaide shipwreck; part 2. Armageddon.
This is the second part of the tale of the sinking of the Royal Adelaide on Chesil beach that happened on the 25th November 1872. Well, in fact, it’s actually about what happened after…the dreadful scenes that hit the national papers and shook a lot of people. Despite there being many shipwrecks around the coast over…
1872; Chesil Shipwreck; Death, Drowning and Detention. Human Nature at its Very Best & Worst!
Lyme Bay and Chesil beach have always been notorious amongst sailors of old (and new!) Many a ship and its crew and passengers have seen the sight of thunderous waves breaking on Chesil’s steep pebble bank as maybe their last, or maybe their salvation. Since time immemorial the subject of shipwrecks have meant many things…
1877; Weymouths shipping trade
Weymouth has had a long history of trading with the Channel islands, and even further afield. As a small child I can recall walking along the raised platform on the harbourside with my Mum firmly holding my hand, huge creature like cranes towered above me, they’d lumber along the rails set in the concrete from…
1888; Weymouth Queen Victoria Jubilee Clock.
The striking Jubilee Clock is an iconic image of Weymouth, it adorns thousands of postcards and holiday brochures and what local hasn’t stood under there at some stage of their life to meet someone? The year 1887 was a milestone in the reign of Queen Victoria. It marked the 50th year of her ruling over the kingdom….
1869; Battery, Assault and Burial on Weymouth Beach!
In 1869 a little incident occurred on Weymouth sands, it really shouldn’t have been a problem, but it was, and one that ended up in the national papers much to the local council’s horror! William Wynn, a well-educated gent from London had been residing in Weymouth with his family for a much welcomed holiday. The…
1870; The Queens Own Regiment of Dorset Yeomanry Cavalry week at Weymouth.
Weymouth down through it’s past history has quite a link with the military. In the late 1700’s The famous Red Barracks that sits up on the Nothe, its Georgian built accommodation blocks towering above the quayside cottages below, were built, first to house the cavalry troops, but then later converted to house infantry troops. The Nothe…
1868, Weymouth mayor in court!
We are going through a bad recession at the moment (as if I had to tell you that!) and when things get tough financial wise, somethings have to go. Such is the present day council’s dilemma…what to cut, what to keep. Well, it appears to have been the old harbour area and piers that seems to be…
1861; World Famous Tightrope Walker Charles Blondin at Belfield Park, Weymouth.
In the Victorian era, there was actually a little known public park in Weymouth, the first to be created in the town. It was part of the grand Belfield estate. A 13 acre site, mainly parkland that surrounded a magnificent house built approx 1780’s for the Buxton family. Thomas Fowell Buxton became Weymouth’s MP between…
1906; The Portland boy buccaneers.
Slightly out of the Victorian era I know, but only just. This story caught my eye as it summed up the excitement and invincibility of childhood, feelings of the exciting escapades of the Famous Five, even though the lads involved were more teenagers, and the story had it’s slightly dark side. In the April of…
VICTORIAN TALES FROM WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND 