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September 2020 September 2020

Dorset, written in the Dorset dialect, was set to music and sung by the entire cast.
The episodes were allocated and produced by different collections of village WIs
and were rehearsed locally, before being brought together for a formal public
dress rehearsal. More highbrow than a similar pageant might be today, the
episodes were:

Episode I. The Conquerors, AD 45
Episode II. Thersytes, AD 1390
Episode III. The Abbess Departs Shaston, AD 1539
Episode IV. King James Goes Hunting at Lulworth and Encounters a Witch, AD
1615
Episode V. Benjamin Jesty, AD 1805
Episode VI. Woodbury Fair, AD 1860
Bere Regis WI contributed to Episode V, where it appears that the initial wrath
against Benjamin Jesty for his successful experiment to inoculate his wife and sons
against small pox from a cow with cowpox appears to have been forgiven and
the scene sees him celebrated for his success.
The stated aim of the pageant was simple: to arouse ‘keen interest’ and kindle
‘personal enthusiasm’ and
‘memories which will be handed down to generations’, and, above all, to
encourage ‘the Spirit of Old Dorset’. We hope in small part through this article
we’ve been able to honour that aim. If anyone knows of family members that
were involved in the pageant or has any photographs from the event, we’d love
to hear from you.
For details of future meetings, or further information about the WI, please contact
Di Pitts on 01929 471322 or Moira Mathers on 07900 906278. You can see more
about our past meetings and activities on our Facebook page @BereRegisWI.

Our Sad Loss
It is with deep regret that we share the sad news
that our long standing member, Elaine
Standfield, passed away on 2 August 2020. We
will miss Elaine in so many ways. Her cooking
would have won her Master Chef at any time,
with her malt loaf, scones, ginger cake, quiche or
chicken/sweet corn tartlets. All of these, and

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