Funding has been announced for a new project to breathe life into the day-to-day family lives of a well-known piece of Dorset’s past.

Historic England is funding 56 new projects across the country which tell the stories of England’s working-class heritage.

The Everyday Heritage grant programme will see Historic England work on the projects across the next two years.

The total amount of funding awarded by Historic England will be £875,000, with each individual project receiving between £6,800 to £25,000.

Dorset’s project is titled Tolpuddle Family Lives: A People’s Heritage. It will imagine the past as experienced by the Dorset rural working-class, those who laboured in the cottages and on the land- what was considered in nineteenth century England as one of the very poorest in the country.

The project will largely look to uncover parts of the Tolpuddle story that have been overlooked, with a particular focus on women and children. The Old Chapel will be the busy hub of the project that will delve into evidence from diaries, memories, family tales, crafts, folk art and family histories.

Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of six farm workers who were sentenced to seven years’ transportation to Australia after forming a union, which was against the law at the time.

The controversial move sparked massive protests across the country, with an annual festival hosted that aims to keep their story alive.

Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grant programme aims to shine a light on the diversity of our heritage and is part of Historic England’s commitment to ensuring that a wider range of people are able to connect with, enjoy and benefit from the historic environment. 

Launched in 2022, the programme has already funded 57 projects from across England.