31-05-2025
Talk to give insight into lives of Thomas Hardy's sisters
A talk in Fordingbridge will explore the lives of Thomas Hardy's sisters.
The event will focus on his sisters, Mary and Kate, who trained as teachers in Salisbury Cathedral close and their subsequent teaching in schools in Dorset and Wiltshire.
Sponsored by Fordingbridge Museum, the talk will take place at 7.30pm on Friday, June 13, at Avonway Community Centre in Fordingbridge.
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Thomas Hardy's sisters, Mary and Kate, were trained as teachers in Salisbury. (Image: Fordingbridge Museum) Museum manager Jane Ireland said: "Mary and Kate Hardy lived in the shadows of their famous brother despite being trailblazers in the early days of nineteenth-century education.
"They trained as teachers in the building that now houses Salisbury Museum in what were rigorous and austere conditions.
"They went on to teach in equally challenging schools in a time when there was relatively little money to invest in the schools, pupils or teachers.
"Thomas Hardy used their experiences as material for his novels such as Jude the Obscure.
"The talk will give a fascinating insight into this little-known aspect of the Hardy family."
The evening will be led by Anne Johns and Jenny Head, who trained at the same college as the Hardy sisters and have written several books about the college.
Tickets cost £10 and are available from Fordingbridge Museum, Tina at Timothy's on Fordingbridge High Street, or via the Ticketsource website.
