Having passed the age of three score years and ten, together with my father and grandmothers' memories passed down to me, I feel well qualified in recent Ditcheat history and observed many changes during this period, whilst acknowledging this spans only 100 years. I often wonder what went on before.

I now have paid subscription to  The British Newspaper Archive, allowing me from the comfort of my home  access to archived newspaper pages. I am in the process of compiling reports and advertisements  in date order relating to Ditcheat, and the neighbouring towns and villages.

I am reproducing the text from the newspaper reports in these web pages to share.

The reports highlight the class divide and the difference in wealth and poverty, the problems with alcohol and mental health, crime and the dangers that befell people handling horses.

• Part I Pre 1870
• Part 2 1870 to 1879
• Part 3 1880 to 1889
• Part 4 1890 to 1894
• Part 5 1895  to 1899

You can view maps of the period at these links to find locations no longer referenced today.

|  Ditcheat & East Pennard 1885 survey  |  Arthurs Bridge 1885 survey |  Alhampton & Sutton 1885 survey    |   Castle Cary 1885 survey   |

|  Pylle 1885 surveyy |  Evercreech 1885 survey  |