Sources for the history of Bridport
The Dorset History Centre in
Dorchester is the archives service for
Poole, Bournemouth and Dorset.
In addition to original, historical
documents, the History Centre also
holds books, pamphlets, magazines
and other printed material relating to
Bridport.
Our archive collections include:
Dorset History Centre
Bridport Road
Dorchester
DT1 1RP
Tel: 01305 250550
Fax: 01305 257184
Church records, including registers of
baptisms, marriages and burials
• School records including admission
registers and log books
• Business records, including brewers,
solicitors, architects and more
• Records of groups and societies like
the Women’s Institute, Scouts, local
sports clubs and others
• Court records, along with prison
registers
• Family and estate records including
correspondence, deeds, diaries, lists of
tenants etc
• Maps and plans, such as tithe maps,
Ordnance Survey maps and architect’s
plans
• Local newspapers on microfilm
• Local trade directories
[email protected]
And much more!
•
Bridport is a market town in West Dorset. It has its own beach
and harbour; West Bay, which is located just over a mile from
the town. It is popular with tourists, who go to enjoy the walks,
sea air, vibrant art scene, market days and scenic views. It was
granted a charter in 1253 and has a long and successful history
as a maker of rope and nets; even providing nets for important
sporting events. The infamous ‘Bridport Dagger’ was a
hangman’s noose made from rope that was produced in Bridport.
DID YOU KNOW?
On the 5th May 1855 the ‘Bridport Railway Bill’ was passed
and two years later the railway arrived at West Bay. The first
train out of Bridport was late due to the high demand for
tickets and subsequently missed its connecting train to Yeovil
from Maiden Newton! The railway station was closed in 1975
due to financial cuts.
•
According to the Domesday Book, there were only 120
houses in Bridport during the reign of Edward the Confessor
(1042-1066) which would mean a population of only around
500 people.
• Artist Francis Henry Newbery had a long association with
Bridport. He was mostly widely known as the director of the
Glasgow School of Art (1885-1917) where he nurtured the
talents of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. In his retirement he
donated a number of paintings to Bridport which can be seen
in the town hall.
•
The following is a list of some of our collections relating to
Bridport. The references in brackets are for the collection
as a whole. Please contact us for further information, or
see our online catalogue:
www.dorsetforyou.com/dorsethistorycentre/catalogue
Local government and official bodies:
Bridport Highways Board, 1863-1894 [BH/BT] Small Sized
Catalogued Collection
Bridport deeds, 1674 – 1759 [D.404] Small Sized Catalogued
Collection
Bridport Rural District Council [DC/BTR] Single Catalogued
Item
Bridport Rural Deanery [RD/BT] Single Catalogued Item
Bridport Petty Sessions 1872-1995 [PS/BT] Large Sized
Catalogued Collection
Bridport Social Democratic Party 1981-1986 [D.1117]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport chamber of commerce archive, 1967-1997
[D.1709]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport County Court [CY/BT]
Bridport Rural District Council, [D.922] Small Sized
Catalogued Collection
Bridport marine archive, 1945 – 1984 [D.1626] Medium
Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport deeds, 1825 [D.1910] Small Sized Catalogued
Collection
County Courts 1880-1992 [CY] Large Sized Catalogued
Collection
Bridport board of guardians, 1836-1949 [BG/BT] Large
Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport borough petty sessions, 1872-1953 [PS/BTB]
Large Sized Catalogued Collection
Photographs, posters and postcards:
Bridport- Dorset Photographic Archive [D/DPA/BT] 429
photos
Photographs of Mountfield House, Bridport and the Holden
Family circa 1930’s, [D.1877/3] 11 photos
Photographs of Bridport, [D.1361/3] [D.1361/3/4]
[D.1361/6/4]
Church Records:
Bridport parish, 1600-2009 [PE/BT] Large Sized Catalogued
Collection
St Mary's Church of England school primary school,
Bridport,
1871-1977 [S.329] Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport Methodist Circuit, 1999 [NM.12] Medium Sized
Catalogued Collection
Bridport Unitarian Church, 1720-1977 [NU.1] Large Sized
Catalogued Collection
Family and Estate collections:
Thomas Clarke and Family of Bridport, Town Missioner,
[D.807] Medium Sized Catalogued Collection
Madge Booth of Bridport archive, 1964 – 1966 [D.485]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Mrs Rachel Shave of 11 Bridport terrace, 1908 [D.991]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
James Mabb of Bridport archive, 1856 [D.474] Small Sized
Catalogued Collection
Brown family of Bridport archive, 1757-1840 [D.1016]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Revd Basil Short of Bridport, historian, archive, 1774 –
1984 [D.1719] Medium Sized Catalogued Collection
Samson family of Bridport archive, 1851 – 1932 [D.2035]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Hockey family of Bridport, 1888 – 2000 [D.1696] Medium
Sized Catalogued Collection
Colfox Family of Bridport Archive, 1663 – 1944 [D/COL]
Large Sized Catalogued Collection
Schools:
Bridport General Schools, 1844-1979 [S.117] Large Sized
Catalogued Collection
Colfox school, Bridport, 1956-1995 [S.253] Large Sized
Catalogued Collection
Mountjoy special school, Bridport, 1974-1988 [S.177]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Allington National School, later Bridport Secondary
Modern School, 1873 – 1956 [S.2] Large Sized Catalogued
Collection
Bridport grammar school, formerly Bridport secondary
school, 1905-1957 [S.319] Large Sized Catalogued Collection
Business collections:
J. Day of Bridport, solicitor, 18th - 19th Cent [D/DAY]
Medium Sized Catalogued Collection
Roper and Roper of Bridport, Solicitors, [D/RRB] Single
Catalogued Item
Bridport Post Office, 1828-1983 [D.1066] Large Sized
Catalogued Collection
Morley and Sons of Bridport, Auctioneers and Estate
Agents, [D.599] Large Sized Catalogued Collection
Thomas Holt of Broadwindsor and Bridport, boot and
shoemaker, 1839-1980 [D.1004] Medium Sized Catalogued
Collection
Austen, Whetham and Guest of Bridport, solicitors, 15981971 [D/AWG] Single Catalogued Item
Nantes and Wylde of Bridport, solicitors 1565-1968 [D/
NWS] Single Catalogued Item
Parish Records:
Symondsbury Parish Council [PC/SYM] 1958-1987
Shipton Gorge Parish Council [PC/SHG] 1941-1999
Netherbury Parish Council [PC/NBY] 1894 - 1995
Loders Parish Council [PC/LOD] 1894 - 2000
Bradpole Parish Council [PC/BRE] 1894-1984
Bothenhampton Parish Council [PC/BOT] 1894 - 1993
Allington Parish Council [PC/ALL] 1977-1990
Groups and societies:
Merchant Seamens fund, Bridport, 1858-1988 [D.1054]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport area Handicraft Guild, 1961-1984 [W.95] Large
Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport Conservative Club/West Dorset Conservative
Association Archive 1831 – 1962 [D.399] Small Sized
Catalogued Collection
Bridport and district horticultural society, 1964-2001
[D.1797] Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport Charities, 1742 - c1992 [D.1190] Medium Sized
Catalogued Collection
Bridport Home Guard[D.1/LB] Small Sized Catalogued
Collection
Maps/Plans/Leaflets:
Bridport Gas Company (Special Order) Two O.S. Maps
showing Area of Supply, etc 1937 [QDP(M)/GW/53]
Maps of Bridport, with printed reports, relating to
boundary changes, 1868, 1887 and undated; maps of
Dorset, 1805-61, 1805-87 [DC/BTB/R5]
Retail Maps of Bridport by Charles Goad Ltd, 1971 – 2009
[M163/6]
Sketch plans of the Territorial Drill Hall, Bridport showing
proposed new showers, 16 May 1948, [D/BTM/E6/19]
Plans of alterations to West Mead Hotel, Bridport, with
detail of proposed bar service to new extension, 19781979 [D.1390/3]
Plans showing existing layout and proposed bar service
area, Woodman Inn, Bridport, 1976-1979, [D.1390/4]
Focus leaflets by West Dorset and Bridport Liberals
circa.1973-1979 [D.1510/5/3]
Miscellaneous:
Bridport harbour and piers archive, 1714/15 – 1722
[D.480] Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport, Shipton Gorge, Walditch and Symondsbury,
[D.631] Medium Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport literary and scientific institute, 1872 – 1951
[D.194] Large Sized Catalogued Collection
Customs and Excise, Bridport [D.778] Single Catalogued
Item
Bridport Ropewalk [D.658] Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport liberal hall 1886-1989 [D.1078] Large Sized
Catalogued Collection
Bridport and district hospital league archive 1925 - 1949
[D.486] Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Mountfield House, Bridport, mid 19th Cent. – 1953 [D.1877]
Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport pageant archive, 1953 [D.1861] Small Sized
Catalogued Collection
Barrack street/St Andrews Road, Bridport, deeds, 17951939 [D.1950] Small Sized Catalogued Collection
Port Bredy Hospital, Bridport, 1836 – 1952 [NG/HH/BT(B)]
Large Sized Catalogued Collection
Bridport General Hospital, 1896 – 1948 [NG/HH/BT(G)]
Large Sized Catalogued Collection
Library Catalogue – Principal Books and Printed Sources:
A selection of some of the books about Bridport that we have:
Rope, Net & Twine: the Bridport textile industry, 2009 by
Richard Sims, Class No: 942.331
Bridport and West Bay: the buildings of the flax and
hemp industry, 2006 by Mike Williams, Class No: 725.4
Around Bridport and Lyme Regis, 2004 by Gerald Gosling
and Les Berry, Class No: 942.331
Bridport and The Great War: Its Record of Work at Home
and in the Field, 2003 by J.W. Rowson, Class No: 942.331
Bridport and West Bay in old postcards, 1995 by Brian C.
Stidwell, Class No: 942.331
Bridport Harbour: Ships Built 1769-1879, 1992 by A.E.
Cocksedge, Class No: 623.82
Bridport Trade: Rope And Net: Hemp and Flax, 2003 by
Celia Martin, Class No: 677.71
Book of Bridport: Town, 2003 by Rodney Legg, Class No:
942.331
Francis Frith's Bridport, 2001 by Rodney Legg, Class No:
942.331
Bridport and Lyme Regis: The Story of Dorset's Western
Coast, 1999 by Rodney Legg, Class No: D1:9
Medieval and post-medieval deposits at the former fire
station, south street, Bridport, 1999 by Wessex
Archaeology, Class No: 936.2331
Bridport: Burgh and Borough 878 A.D.-1974 A.D: A Short
History, 1999 by Richard Hindson, Class No: 942.331
Bridport Past, 1999 by Gerald Gosling, Class No: 942.331
Bridport Terracotta Brick Tile Pipe and Pottery Works,
Bothenhampton, Bridport, Dorset, 1998 by C.E. Sparkes,
Class No: 666.71
The Bridport railway, 1998 by Brian L. Jackson, Class No:
385.094233
Around Bridport: A Second Selection, 1996 by Keith Alner,
Class No: D1:9
Bridport and West Bay: a guide to the past and present,
1996 by West Dorset District Council, Class No: 942.331
Bridport and West Bay in old postcards, 1995 by Brian C.
Stidwell, Class No: 942.331
www.bridportmuseum.co.uk
Bridport Museum,
South Street,
Bridport,
DT6 3NR
Tel: 01308 458703
The museum also has a research facility, the Coach House,
which is open to the public. Contact for more details.