Hardy and Justice

*This event is included in the Thomas Hardy Birthday Weekend

If you are NOT taking part in the THS Birthday weekend,

Click Here to BOOK DIRECT WITH SHIRE HALL MUSEUM

Thomas Hardy qualified as a magistrate in 1884. He was Justice of the Peace for the Borough of Dorchester from 1884, and for the County of Dorset from 1894. He sat in court at least thirty-eight times as a magistrate and served at least sixteen times on grand juries for the Assizes.

Hardy was fascinated by the justice system or rather by the injustice of the society in which he lived. An example of this was the trial of Elizabeth Martha Brown at Shire Hall and later her hanging in 1856 at the Dorchester Prison and before her in 1706 the burning of Mary Channing at Maumbury Rings. Hardy thought that Channing was innocent of poisoning her husband.

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Come and join Mark Damon Chutter, Chairman and Academic Director of the Thomas Hardy Society. He is a Head of Performing Arts and has been teaching for thirty years. Mark was shortlisted as one of the top six practitioners in the country for ‘ The Times ‘ Most Innovative Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year respectively. He is a member of the Dorchester Civic Society, the Joint Dorchester Heritage Committee and STAND.

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2025/2026 THS Dates for your diary

From 04/07/2025 until 01/08/2026
All day event

Empire, the West Country and Thomas Hardy

On 04/07/2025
Starts 18:00 until 19:00

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On 05/07/2025
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The Thomas Hardy Society Annual General Meeting

On 19/07/2025
Starts 18:00 until 19:30