Project launched to share untold stories of Tolpuddle families
The idea's got nearly £10,000 of funding from Historic England
A project to tell the untold stories of families who worked in the Dorset village of Tolpuddle has got funding from Historic England.
It's one of seven schemes across the South West to be set up through an Everyday Heritage grant.
That's aimed at 'celebrating working class histories', with 56 community-led projects across the country supported.
The Tolpuddle Family Lives project is being given £9,978 to tell the story of Dorset's rural working-class, who laboured in the cottages and on the land.
They were, in the 19th century, among the very poorest working people in the country.
We're told the project will 'uncover largely overlooked parts of the Tolpuddle story, with a particular focus on women and children'.
That'll be through diaries, memories, family tales, crafts, folk art, and family histories.
The hub of the scheme will be the Old Chapel in the village, which was recently removed from the Historic England 'Heritage at Risk' register. |newtab)
Rebecca Barrett, South West Regional Director at Historic England, said:
“There are so many hidden histories to uncover here in England. Every community has a story to tell and we want to hear them. This is the strength of our Everyday Heritage grant programme, which funds projects that are community-led and really engage with local people by empowering them to research and tell their own stories.
"I’m excited to learn more about these fascinating projects as they shine an important light on our working class heritage.”