Dorset Dialect Trails

In 2015 the Dorchester BID (Business Improvement District) launched a series of trails in the County Town of Dorchester. 43 unique Dorset Dialect ‘plate clocks’ were positioned around the county town to create six different themed trails and were located in a variety of different shops and other locations dotted around the town. These clocks were ‘markers’ that contained a unique ancient Dorset word taken from A Glossary of Dorset Dialect compiled by William Barnes in 1863. Each clock contained an embedded code that when scanned by a smartphone would direct you to www.dorchesterdorset.com which had information about the project, including a glossary and maps. See the box►

In conjunction with the actual trails, the designers of the plate clocks, Parasite Ceramics produced a limited edition set of playing cards, entitled Dorset dialect trails. Each card contains a visual reference to Dorchester and a Dorset dialect word used in the trails, as well as images of the plate clocks. There are two jokers, one of which references the Dorchester BID while the other promotes the William Barnes Society. The back of the cards shows a photograph of William Barnes (1801-1886).

Above: ‘Dorset Dialect Trails’ playing cards produced by Parasite Ceramics, United Kingdom, 2015.