So many faces and places from the llikes or Portland to Broadwindsor, Weymouth to Poole.
If we were a fly on the wall of the Innkeeper Mr. Stephen's "Punch Bowl Inn" in Portland how many quarrymen and boys would pass by to and from the Portland rock, and would we see the likes of Benjamin PEARCE, WHITE or FLEMINGHAM or
be greeted by the quarryboy Arthur Petters.
No history of Dorset is complete without a moment or two discussing the mariners from fishermen such as
Joseph STONE, Thomas FRAMPTON, and William STANTON
or the crew of the ships in port in 1881 such as
Edward PHILLIPS of the "Skylark".
But with the mariners there are many moments of sadness and loss. One example is the case of the sinking of the cutter "Spirit" after a collision with the Danish freighter "St. Jans".
The two BENNETT brothers and Mr. TIZARD lived to tell their story, but mariner James Richard ZELLEY was lost and gone forever as he sunk beneath the sea.
There are many well known families from ALLEN, AYLES, LOVELL, to ZELLEY. One such Wyke Regis family was the Thomas WHITE - Ann Charlotte BELLAMY family. Some say
a distant relative by the name of NOBLE would marry
a lass from the BURRIDGE family.
Of interest, due to the mariner connection, many a family group would also have Kent and Devon connections such as
Devon born George John FLISHER. Another Kent born
but Dorset raised person was Elizabeth Ann BAKER
(daughter of Richard BAKER and Susan VALLENS/VALENCE).
But let's not forget the CHICK, RANDALL, MARSHALLSAY,
SYMES, BOWRING, SAMWAYS et al.
