The Year Clock
A Celebration of Language, History, and the Life of William Barnes.
The Year Clock is a play that delves deep into the themes of language, speech, and human communication. It focuses on the life and legacy of William Barnes, a self-educated Dorset teacher and parson who lived from 1801 to 1886. Barnes is widely known for his poetry written in the Dorset dialect, with his most famous piece being Linden Lea, which was later immortalised in music by Ralph Vaughan Williams. However, Barnes himself regarded his work in philology – his study of over sixty languages and his search for the root of all speech – as his most significant achievement, particularly his Philological Grammar.
This production is from the Dorset Museum and Art Gallery.