About the Wareham and District Archaeology & Local History Society
The Wareham and District Archaeology & Local History Society was established in 1985 with the aim of bringing together individuals with a shared interest in archaeology, local history, and heritage. Our society is made up of a diverse group of like-minded people from various backgrounds and walks of life.
A special event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Wareham Archaeology and Local History Society will take place on Saturday 10 October 2026 at Furzebrook Village Hall (2pm – 4:30pm). Lilian Ladle, founder of the society will provide some highlights of the last 40 years. Julian Richards a professional archaeologist with over 30 years experience, and a familiar face on TV over the years, will give a talk ‘A Career in Ruins’. See Events page for more details.
As part of the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the Society we have provided some information on the Bestwall Quarry project which ran from 1992 to 2005.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
17 June 2026. Drowning in Dorset. The rise and decline of the water meadow systems in Dorset
Paul Cheetham
Drowning is the term for the annual flooding of the many extensive engineered water meadows to be found in Dorset – the specialist agricultural workers who did this were called ‘drowners’. Water meadows were a key element of the so-called ‘sheep-corn’ agricultural system that produced cereal crops to support the burgeoning towns and cities in the run up to, and during, the Industrial Revolution. This reliance on homegrown corn had reduced drastically by the end of the 19th century, and so almost all the water meadow systems had been abandoned and/or fallen into disrepair before the middle of the 20th century. This talk will consider the social and economic aspects of this agricultural engineering achievement, how the systems worked, why they were abandoned, and the unlikely knock-on effects for helping interpret some important archaeological sites of Dorset.
Summer break – then next 2026 meetings 16 Sept, 10 Oct (40th Anniversary meeting), followed by normal monthly meetings on 21 Oct, 18 Nov and 02 Dec.
For more information and full list of dates go to the Meetings page
UPCOMING EVENTS
(Our own WALS events and others likely to be of interest to members)
10 June 2026 – Visit to the Newt Roman Villa in Somerset. Joint visit with EDAS.
26 June 2026 – Tour of The Big Dig Excavation at Winterborne Kingston
02 September 2026 – a walk around Victorian Wareham with Lilian Ladle.
For more information go to the Events page
