THIS Sunday (7), a Herrison Hospital History Open Day is being held at Herrison Hall in Charlton Down, near Dorchester, from 11am to 4pm.
People will be given a chance to learn more about the history of the hospital and meet some of the people who were involved with it.
It was timely then to hear from Sally McMahon, who doesn't live locally but became aware of the open day after picking up a copy of the Echo when she was staying in Dorchester to visit the opening of the Tolpuddle Martyrs Remixed exhibition at the Shire Hall.
Some of Sally's relatives worked at or were patients at the hall and she has shared their records with us below after researching her family history.
1) Employment record - Samuel Hammett was a brick layer (1871-1881) who possibly worked on the construction of the building, but certainly worked as an attendant at The Dorset County Asylum from 1891-1911 and resided there. He was Sally's second cousin three times removed and the son of James Hammett Tolpuddle Martyr.
2) Patient record - Elizabeth Hammett, who died at the Dorset County Asylum in 1870. She was Sally's three times great grand uncle’s second wife and the step-mother of James Hammett, Tolpuddle Martyr and step-grandmother to Samuel Hammett mentioned in No 1 above.
3) Employment record for William Stroud(e) and his son John, who in 1861 are boarders in Charminster with the father a journeyman bricklayer, who possibly was involved in the construction of the hospital. William was married to Ursula/Prisilla nee Hammett, who was Sally's first cousin four times removed and the sister of James Hammett, Tolpuddle Martyr.
4) Patient record - Priscilla (Ursula) Stroude 1871, listed as a patient at the Charminster Dorset County Asylum. She was Sally's first cousin four times removed, wife of William (above) and sister of James Hammett, Tolpuddle Martyr.
Sally said she has also just noted another family connection to a man named Jacob Gibbons who worked at Charminster County Asylum in 1871 as a farm labourer. His son by the same name born at Charminster in 1875 married Lottie Puckett, who was Sally's half third cousin two times removed (half first cousin two times removed to James Hammett, Tolpuddle Martyr), and this son was the Titanic Survivor from lifeboat 11, who resided in Swanage.