Quite an important thing happened today. The above gravestone is in All Saint's church in Charminster. It is marking the grave of John Satchell and his wife Martha. Heavily eroded and encrusted with lichen this is the last resting place of Julie's great great great uncle. Until recently Julie hadn't taken much notice of her family history, however as this interest increases we're unearthing the people who only 150 years ago or so were part of DNA on this earth. As we stood in the churchyard it was hard not to be thinking about John and his brother William, Julie's great great great grandfather. Did they play in the churchyard, maybe the stream alongside. Certainly this is an ancient village and one which, being just a few miles from Dorchester really does feel like 'Far from the Madding Crowd'. More on this when we've completed some good research.
The family history completed, and the rain finally clearing we made a detour to Lyme Regis (via Cheddar Garden Centre, Castle Gardens Sherborne and Dorchester)to gain the last rays of the day. I love the fact Julie is finding her roots and those roots are as Dorset as Dorset can be. This makes sense as her way back ancestors apparently were French, so presumably they popped over the Channel, arrived at Dorset and stayed. I know I'd stay if I'd arrived in Dorset.
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