The Dorsetshire CD 2.1

This CD contains fully searchable transcriptions in XHTML format of material collected or created in the course of my own family history research over more than twenty-five years. Unlike most publishers, all content on these CDs has been transcribed and proof-read by hand to reduce the number of typographical errors and legibility problems commonly found when using scanned images in PDF files. Errors in the original works have been kept but annotated with corrections, and many more annotations containing background information have been added. Placing the mouse over the highlighted text will display any corrections or annotations. Place names have been cross-linked where appropriate to simplify navigation.

Reviews of version 2.0

The CD was listed in Your Family Tree issue 100 (March 2011) in their Top 100 Family History Resources, and described as Superb examples of county-based resources.

...another indispensable purchase for genealogists interested in the county.
 Your Family Tree, issue 89 (Spring 2010).

This CD will be of use to both genealogists and local historians interested in Dorset. The inclusion of trade directories covering 1811 to 1931 may mean you are able to follow three or more generations of a family business. Version 2.1 contains over twelve times as much data as version 1.0, including:

• Holden's 1811 directory entries for Dorsetshire, covering Beaminster, Bere Regis, Blandford, Bridport, Cerne, Charmouth, Lyme Regis, Poole, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Wareham, Weymouth & Wimborne;
• Pigot's 1830 directory of Dorsetshire;
• Pigot's 1842-44 directory of Dorsetshire, listing inhabitants of all major towns in Dorset. See a sample section for Cerne Abbas;
• Hunt's 1851 directory of Dorsetshire;
• Slater's 1852 directory of Dorsetshire;
• Post Office 1855, 1859 & 1875 directories of Dorsetshire;
• Kelly's 1895 directory of Dorsetshire;
• Kelly's 1931 directory of Dorsetshire with over 33,000 entries; New
• Poll book for the 1857 general election in Dorset with over 4,000 entries (discover how your ancestors voted); New
• Selected entries from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica™ giving contemporary details of Dorset towns and people;
• Census place name index for 1861;
• Contiguous Parishes, to assist with searching for itinerant people, and Poor Law Unions;
• Gazetteer of over 700 place names with precise OS National Grid references and cross-links to place names in the directories; Updated
• Members of Parliament since 1714;
• Extracts from the 1941-43 National Farm Survey, an agricultural substitute for a 1941 census; Updated
• Miscellaneous transcripts, such as some parish baptisms, censuses, and tithe apportionments; Updated
• Utilities such as census year of birth calculator, and Easter Sunday calculator.

Orders: send a cheque made payable to K.R. Smith for £16 (includes £1 p&p) to:
K.R. Smith, 24 Lime Road, Oxford OX2 9EG, UK,
or order securely online: