Dorset

Dorchester Town Pump and Corn Exchange - Photo: Nigel Freeman CCL
 

Dorset’s county town lies on the River Frome and was known as Durnovaria in Roman times. It has a fascinatingly murky past. It was already a royal borough when a castle was built here in the 12^th century, followed by an important priory. The infamous Judge Jeffreys held some of his Bloody Assizes in the Antelope Hotel in the 17^th century while the unfortunate Tolpuddle Marchers were sent to Australia from the town’s Old Crown Court. The 19^th century author Thomas Hardy lived nearby for many years and called the town ‘Casterbridge’ in his masterwork ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge' (1886).

The ancient earthwork of Maiden Castle lies close by. South of the town is the Maumbury Ring, a Stone Age site transformed by the Romans into an amphitheatre. Much later it became the site of public executions. In the town is an excavated Roman house while the local museum has a number of Roman finds on display.

Dorset County Museum - Photo: Nigel Freeman CCL