In addition to the items shown in the Research section of the menu bar, we hold records for Dorset and other Counties. Many of the items have been donated or loaned to the Society.

Details of how you can research these records are set out on our Research Service page.

These include: –

Dorset Census

We hold transcripts of several early census records taken in Dorset.

Online access to the England & Wales census taken since 1841, and the 1939 Register, is available at Treetops.

Maps

Earlier maps can help to know the area where our ancestors lived.

Military Musters 1781 – 1782

These records can identify individuals who served or were eligible to serve in the military. 

School Logbooks

These give accounts of daily life and provide a fascinating insight into the social / local history of the schools. There is a surname index which includes pupils, teachers, and visitors.

War Memorials

Transcriptions of several Dorset memorials are available.

The following spreadsheet is an index of all the above items kept at our Treetops Research Centre for research.

In addition, we hold: –

IGI 1992 Edition (on microfiche)

The Society holds copies for ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND, WALES and the CHANNEL ISLANDS.

Dorset Strays Index

[Strays are ancestors who turn up in records away from their birthplace or the place with which they were normally associated. For example, if a man born in Dorchester emigrates to Canada and dies there, his memorial may record “Born Dorchester, England”. Similarly, a man may marry in London, but the register entry may record him as, “of the parish of Poole, Dorset”. Another kind of stray is the Bridport man who appears in armed service records.]

Strays revealed by the 1881 census are excluded due to the easy availability of that information elsewhere, but the index does include Dorset men serving in the Hampshire Police.

Search gives full information per surname.

Send information on new Strays to Treetops Research Centre using the Enquiries option.

Index to Dorset Wills & Admons (1568-1799 approx)

The index is of Wills and Admons proved in the courts of the Diocese of Bristol, the Archdeaconry of Dorset and several Peculiars. It provides a surname search facility and yields a reference to locate the deed plus, in some cases, additional information.

Index of Surnames in Dorset FHS Journals Vols 1-21

Fee is per surname searched.

Search fee: Members £2 – Non-Members £4