by Lorraine Gibson

It’s amazing what you can find in a box that’s been sitting on a shelf for a long time.
When the Dorset History Centre (DHC) opened just such an item in the company of Dorset musicians, Tim Laycock and Phil Humphries, the result – a collection of rare old musical manuscripts – was not just inspiring but offered an intriguing insight into our local history.
They said: “Our collaboration has already turned up interesting new discoveries, such as a list of the members of the Puddletown Church band and singers in 1840–50 that includes two women – in contrast to the ‘men and boys only’ picture presented by Thomas Hardy.”
In fact, so outstanding were the materials that lay within, they’ve resulted in a series of three concerts to be staged in Dorchester, Wareham and Poole this autumn.
Together with the Dorset Archives Trust, the DHC cares for the written and digital documents which form our county’s history and it uses eight miles of climate-controlled shelving on which to store and conserve them!
Some of the manuscripts found are those of William Knapp, the important 18th-century Dorset musician.
Knapp composed the music for the well-known hymn, Wareham, and another piece dedicated to the devastating Blandford fire of 1731 that destroyed most of the town.
Works from the music book of Benjamin Rose will also feature in the concerts. Rose, a farmer and alehouse keeper from near Okeford Fitzpaine, penned a collection of catchy, country dance tunes that encapsulate life in 1820, the year in which he wrote them.

Further songs will be taken from the Hammond manuscripts, which contain a vast collection of folksongs.
Traversing Dorset on bicycles between 1905 and 1908, the two Hammond brothers amassed nearly 700 songs.
Now, woken from its dusty slumber atop the shelf, the melodic treasure trove will be performed by of one of the county’s most popular groups, The Ridgeway Singers & Band led by Phil and Tim who, since its discovery, have been collaborating with the DHC to bring the preciously-perceptive compositions to life after their extended shelf life.
“We will be singing at least one folk song in each concert that was collected in the town in which we are performing,” they say.
“We will also be performing Linden Lea, with words by William Barnes and set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams.”
The style of much of the Ridgeway’s pieces is known as West Gallery, referring to a time when churches had galleries where local musicians and singers would gather to accompany the congregation’s singing.
“Although it fell out of favour in the mid-19th century, as depicted in Thomas Hardy’s Under The Greenwood Tree, it is a wonderfully full-bodied sound,” they added.
The songs, music and readings will be the Ridgeway’s usual joyful, punchy performance, which have been described by audiences as ‘Brilliant, uplifting singing and terrific readings – no wonder we all loved it.’
Dates for your diary:
Thursday, October 6 – Dorchester. Dorford Centre, 7.30pm
Saturday, October 8 – Wareham. Lady St Mary Church, 4.00pm
Thursday, October 13 – Poole. St James’ Parish Church, 7.30pm
Tickets £10 adults, £5 under-18s: via TicketSource ridgewaysingersandband.org, or call 01305 852826.