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Public Lectures and Readings

William Barnes' Lectures and Poetry Readings at Working Men's Institutes and Adult Classes 1851-1880

There was no Literary and Scientific Institute in Dorchester but Barnes was co-founder and secretary of the Dorset County Museum. He programmed lectures balanced between Literary and Science for the 51/52 season to take place at the venue.

1851

  • Weymouth Literary and Scientific Institute - Anglo Saxons, Founding of the English Kingdom
  • Dorchester - Light and Heat

1852

  • Sturminster Literary and Scientific Institute - Anglo Saxons and the Founding of the English Kingdom

1853

  • Dorchester - Gold and Social Wealth

1855

  • Blandford - Anglo Saxons

1856

  • Wareham - Glimpses of the Saxons in England, especially in Dorset
  • Wimborne - Glimpses of the Saxons in England, especially in Dorset
  • Corfe Castle - Literature
  • Dorchester - Ancient Britons I and Ancient Britons II

1857

  • Dorchester Town Hall Working Men's Mutual Improvement Society - Chairing a debate on Dreams Clairvoyance Presented to William Barnes a silver pencil case with the inscription.
  • Sherborne - Ancient Britons
  • Sturminster - Ancient Britons
  • Corfe Castle - The Atmosphere
  • Dorchester - Debate on Dreams
  • Wareham - The Atmosphere
  • Dorchester - Labour ad Gold
  • Dorchester - The Beautiful and Art

1858

  • Wareham - The Beautiful and Art
  • Poole - Ancient Britain and the Britons
  • Sherborne - The Beautiful and Art
  • Mere - The Beautiful and Art
  • Weymouth - The Beautiful and Art
  • Dorchester - Labour and Gold
  • Wimborne - Labour and Gold
  • Dorchester - Dorset Poems

1859

  • Corfe Castle - Dorset Poems
  • Blandford - Crown Hotel The Beautiful and Good in Nature and Art
  • Wareham - Dorset Poems
  • Mere - National School Dorset Poems
  • Shaftesbury - Dorset Dialect and Poems
  • Poole - Dorset Dialect and Poems
  • Sherborne - Ancient Poems
  • Bridport - Lecture on Literature
  • Dorchester - Dorset Poems
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems
  • Portland - Labour and Gold
  • Maiden Newton - Dorset Poems

1860

  • Blandford - Literature and Dorset Poems
  • Sherborne - Dorset Dialect
  • Wimborne - Literature
  • Maiden Newton - Literature
  • Weymouth - Readings in the Vernacular
  • Warminster - Readings in the Vernacular

1861

  • Sherborne - Labour and Gold
  • Bridport - Dorset Poems
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems
  • Wimborne - Labour and Gold
  • Blandford - Ancient Briton
  • Salisbury - Dorset Dialect
  • Shaftesbury - Dorset Poems
  • Mere - Dorset Poems

1862

  • Sherborne - The Rise and Progress of Trial by Jury in England
  • Mere - The Rise and Progress of Trial by Jury in England
  • Shaftesbury - The Rise and Progress of Trial by Jury in England
  • Bridport - Literature
  • Blandford - Literature
  • Warminster - Dorset Dialect
  • Weymouth - Origin, Progress and Benefits of Trial by Jury in England
  • Frome - Western English Dialects
  • Sherborne - Dorset Poems
  • Devizes - Western English Dialects
  • Romsey - Dialect
  • Bridport - Dorset Poems

1863

  • Shaftesbury - Dorset Poems
  • Trowbridge - Dialect
  • Poyntinhton - Dorset Poems
  • Frome - Lectures
  • Salisbury - Lectures
  • Dorchester - Preaching at St Peters Church Nov 15th 1863
  • Buckland Newton - Dorset Poems
  • Glanville Wootton - Dorset Poems
  • London, Somerset House - Lecture to the Philological Society
  • Blandford - Dorset Poems

1864

  • Shaftesbury - Language
  • Bristol - YMCA Dialects
  • Trowbridge - The Western English People
  • Christchurch - Dorset Poems
  • Romsey - Dorset Poems
  • Sturminster - The Western English People
  • Wareham - Literature
  • Swanage, Mowlem Institute - Dorset Poems
  • Sherborne - The House and House Life
  • Lymington - Western English Speech
  • Allington - Literature
  • Bridport - Dorset Poems
  • Frome - The House and House Life
  • Wellington - South Western English Dialects
  • Dorchester - The House and House Life
  • Lyndhurst - Dorset Poems
  • Romey - Dorset Poems
  • Blandford - Lecture

1865

  • Crewkerne - Lecture
  • Shaftesbury - Lecture
  • Portland - South-Western English People
  • Dorchester , Dorset County Museum - Dorset Poems
  • Lymington - South-Western English People
  • Allington - The House and House Life
  • Bristol YMCA - Dorset Poems
  • Yeovil - Dorset Poems
  • Buckland Newton - Dorset Poems
  • Dorchester - Christian Marriage

1866

  • Crewkerne - House and House Life
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems
  • Southampton, Hartley Institute - Lecture
  • Fisherton, Mr Handley's Schoolroom - Poems
  • Dorchester, Corn Exchange - Dorset Poem To The Militia Men
  • Dorchester - Dorset Poem To The Militia Men
  • Marlborough - Dorset Poems
  • Crewkerne - Pickings from my notebook
  • Blandford - Pickings from my notebook
  • Sturminster Newton - Random Notes
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems

1867

  • Dorchester, Corn Exchange - Poetry Reading To The Militia Men
  • Yeovil - Arts and Manners
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems
  • Crewkerne - Notes on Arts, Manner and Welfare
  • Ringwood - The Old Speech and People of the West of England
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems
  • Dorchester - Poetry Reading at the opening of the new Corn Exchange, 19th December 

1868

  • Somerton Town Hall - Dorset Poems Penny Readings
  • Langport - Dorset Poems Penny Readings
  • Wimborne St Giles - Dorset Poems
  • Puddletown - Dorset Poems and Penny Readings
  • Henstridge - Dorset Poems
  • Dorchester - Chairman at George Grossmith "Humorous lecture on lecturing"
  • Bridport - Literature
  • Sherborne - Literature
  • Mere - Literature
  • Bournemouth - West of England Dialects
  • Crewkerne - Literature
  • Fisherton - Literature
  • Downton - Literature
  • Symondsbury - Literature
  • Symondbury - Literature
  • Bridport - The English Language

1869

  • Stalbridge - Rise, Changes and Present State of the English Language
  • Powerstock - Dorset Poems
  • Bridport - Dorset Poems
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems
  • Winterborne Monkton - Dorset Poems
  • Beaminster - Dorset Poems
  • Sherborne - The English Language
  • Weymouth - The English Language
  • Salisbury - Dorset Poems
  • Wareham YMCA - The English Tongue
  • Wareham YMCA - Dorset Poems
  • Dorchester Corn Exchange - Poetry Readings to the Malitia
  • Weston Super Mere - Dorset Poems
  • Weymouth - Reading in the Vernacular
  • Weymouth - Dorset Poems
  • Poole Mechanical Institute
  • Sherborne - Early England
  • Bournemouth - Early England

1870

  • Leigh - Dorset Poems
  • Shaftesbury - The Language Manners and Customs and our Forefathers
  • Gillingham - West English People and their Folk Speech
  • Sherborne - Report on Education
  • Tisbury - Dorset Poems
  • Ansty, Hilton Reading Room - Dorset Poems
  • Houghton - Dorset Poems
  • Buckland Newton - Dorset Poems
  • Crerwkerne
  • Bridport - Dorset Poems
  • Symonsbury
  • Romsey
  • Broadlands
  • Chard
  • Wokingham - Wellington College Dorset Poems

1871

  • Chard - West Country People and their Folk Speech
  • Chard - How Are Words Are Made
  • Sherborne - Dorset Poems
  • Piddletrenthide - Dorset Poems
  • Longbridge Deveril - Dorset Poems
  • Warminster - Dorset Poems
  • Longleat
  • Crewkerne - How Our Words Are Made
  • Ansty - Labour and Gold
  • Frome
  • Langport
  • Weymouth

1874

  • Crewkerne
  • Sturminster
  • Broadwey - Dorset Poems

1875

  • Childe Oakford - Dorset Poems
  • Trowbridge - Dorset Poems
  • Dorchester - Main Speaker at the pubic meeting on the Burial Bill, 15th November
  • Osmington

1876

  • Tisbury - Dorset Poems

1877

  • Fordington School - Dorset Poems

1878

  • Shaftesbury - The Dorset Dialect

1879

  • Sherborne, MacCready Institute - Poems

1880

  • Wimborne - Paper read to the Field Club on Eggardon