Our Society
Dorset Museum is owned and cared for by members of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society.
A lively organisation of over 2,000 members, it was Dorset’s first conservation organisation being established to collect, preserve, research and exhibit objects relating to the archaeology, natural history, art, literature, and culture of Dorset.
Foundation of the Society
An independent Society, Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club was founded by James Buckman from the result of a meeting at the Digby Hotel, Sherborne on 16th March 1875. The Society was modelled on the Cotteswold Naturalists’ Field Club of which he had been a member. Buckman was the secretary of this club and editor of The Proceedings until his death in 1884.
The Field Club worked in friendly cooperation with the Museum Society for many years. The two organisations amalgamated in 1928, under the new title of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, owning and running the affairs of the Dorset Museum.
Portrait of James Buckman (1814-1884)
By Philipa Kemmis Rowe, c. 1840.
James Buckman with an ammonite by his side. Buckman studied these and other fossils from Dorset’s oldest rocks. He became a Professor of Botany, Geology, and Natural History, and had a keen interest in archaeology.
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Opening hours:
Daily: 9.00am - 4.30pm
Sunday: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Bank Holidays: 10.00am - 4.00pm -
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For more information
[email protected]
Membership
Become A Member Today!
Become a member of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society today and get a deeper insight into 250 million years of Dorset’s history, while you help protect its rich heritage for future generations.
Talks
22 September 2022, 7:00pm
Mary Anning, the fossil woman
Join Tom Sharpe, formerly Curator of Palaeontology and Archives at the National Museum of Wales, and author of ‘The Fossil Woman: A life of Mary Anning’, to examine what we know of the life of this extraordinary woman.
Find out more28 May – 30 October 2022
Take a fresh look at the Victorian novelist and poet, Thomas Hardy, in the stunning Wessex landscapes that shaped his view of the world. His story will be retold in exciting new ways by our museum collections, from period costumes to personal letters, art to archaeology.
Find out more20 June – 16 September 2022
Plastics are not Fantastic
In this exhibition students from Weymouth College express their thoughts about the environment through posters, pledges and artwork.
Find out more16 August 2022, 10:00am - 11:00am
Dorset Museum Highlights Tour
Explore 250 million years of Dorset’s history in this volunteer-led highlights tour of Dorset Museum. Discover Roman mosaics, fossils from the Jurassic Coast, Thomas Hardy manuscripts and the sculptures of Elisabeth Frink – and plenty more along the way.
Find out more16 August 2022, 10:00am - 12noon
Summer ArtyFacts
Inspired by Dorset Museum’s collection and Special Exhibitions, our volunteer-led craft activities are fun and creative.
Find out more18 August 2022, 10:00am - 12noon
Summer ArtyFacts
Inspired by Dorset Museum’s collection and Special Exhibitions, our volunteer-led craft activities are fun and creative.
Find out more23 August 2022, 10:00am - 11:00am
Dorset Museum Highlights Tour
Explore 250 million years of Dorset’s history in this volunteer-led highlights tour of Dorset Museum. Discover Roman mosaics, fossils from the Jurassic Coast, Thomas Hardy manuscripts and the sculptures of Elisabeth Frink – and plenty more along the way.
Find out more23 August 2022, 10:00am - 12noon
Summer ArtyFacts
Victorian cameo silhouettes and gilt frames. Create your own Victorian silhouette and Victorian-style frame, inspired by the Thomas Hardy exhibition, the Hardy gallery and portraits in the Dorset Artists gallery.
Find out more25 August 2022, 10:00am - 12noon
Summer ArtyFacts
Victorian cameo silhouettes with gilt frames. Create your own Victorian silhouette portrait and Victorian style frame inspired by the Thomas Hardy exhibition, the Hardy gallery and portraits in the Dorset Artists gallery.
Find out more