Dorchester museum to reveal all of last woman to be publicly executed in Dorset

The Grade-I listed Georgian courthouse in High West Street, Dorchester is home to the Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum, which will be launching Raising Voices: Women and the Justice System.

The gates of Dorchester Prison, where Elizabeth Brown was executed

The free open day will be held on Tuesday, March 8 and will focus on the stories of three women Elizabeth Martha Brown, Charlotte Bryany and Violet Van Der Elst. All involved with the criminal justice system at Shire Hall.

Brown, from Broadwindsor, was the last woman to be publicly executed in Dorset in 1856, Bryant was the last woman to be sentenced to death in Dorset in 1936, and Elst was a social activist and campaigner who fought for the abolition of capital punishment.

Abbie King, museum director, said: "When curating Raising Voices, it was important to us that the voices of these women were used to tell their stories.

"Extracts from Violet's book, Charlotte's letters and Martha's final confession will feature in the series, alongside modern and contemporary sources."