Archive of 2010 documents

Celebrate Christmas in the style of Dorset dialect poet William Barnes this December.

What sort of tools and supplies would an eighteenth century Inuit trader be interested in? November's Document of the Month tells us.

The spirit of austerity that characterised World War Two seems to have been no excuse for a slip in standards when it came to dressing smartly, as October's Document of the Month reveals.

Duelling was a form of combat between two individuals designed to resolve arguments over personal honour. In the Document of the Month for September, we look at an eighteenth century duel between two Dorset: James Warden and Norman Bond.

Florence Nightingale, a champion of better hygiene and sanitation in hospitals, and pioneer of the modern nursing profession, died 100 years ago this month. Within our collections is a document which bears her signature.

The Document of the Month for July looks at a quintessential feature of the English summer - the village fete.

With the UK General Election behind us, we take a look at some posters and poems designed to sway voters in the past.

The Document of the Month for May is a poster detailing an eighteenth century treatment for rabies.

April's document of the month is a rare example of medieval musical manuscript, which was discovered inside the wall of Netherbury church.

The Document of the Month for March is a broadsheet from 1712 - an account of an incident in which a Shaftesbury miller took the law into his own hands by apprehending and executing a highwayman.

Britain's recent extreme weather caught many of us by surprise, including the meteorologists responsible for forecasting the weather. But if we have been given occasion to doubt modern forecasting techniques recently, systems for weather prediction were even more dubious in the past.

With the season of traditional festive gluttony over, it is worth reflecting on more austere times! 70 years ago this month saw the introduction of rationing, which continued for more than a decade.