Dorset History Centre launches £60k fundraiser to 'unlock' Thomas Hardy archive

The Dorset History Centre is hoping to raise £60,000 to “unlock” Thomas Hardy’s archive and make it accessible online. 

The collection is currently stored in more than 150 boxes at the museum, and includes the manuscript of The Mayor of Casterbridge, and correspondence to Hardy from writers such as T E Lawrence and Siegfried Sassoon. 

At the moment, people wishing to view the collection have to contact the centre to be given access to the material. A number of organisations, including the Dorset Archives Trust and the Thomas Hardy Society, want to create a free online catalogue, ensuring that Hardy’s archives will be discoverable and usable for all. 

The money raised will be used to employ an archivist to work with volunteers over a period of 18 months. 

Carola Campbell, chairman of The Dorset Archives Trust said: “The Hardy archives are a treasure trove of Dorset’s most famous author’s work, thoughts and images. The importance of cataloguing these precious 150 boxes containing thousands of items, cannot be over-emphasised. It provides the most complete picture of Thomas Hardy, a uniquely talented and complex man, whose writings are revered around the globe. Most importantly the project will make these archives fully accessible to everyone, for the very first time.” 

Elisabeth Selby, interim director of Dorset Museum, added: “The Thomas Hardy archive was moved from Dorset Museum on deposit to The Dorset History Centre in 2018 with the aim of improving access for researchers. This project will take that aim one step further, by ensuring that the archive is accessible online for the first time. We fully support this fundraising campaign and project.”