THE YEAR CLOCK

West Stafford Village Hall

HOW did a rustic and sparsely educated farmer’s son become a noted academic, prolific linguist, poet, Anglican clergyman and passionate supporter of the Dorset dialect?

Musician and actor Tim Laycock says it all in his amazing dramatisation of the life and works of William Barnes, a man of massive intellect whose love of learning brought him international respect but who always retained his deep affection for the Dorset countryside and its people.

This solo performance, helped along by the musical accompaniment of violinist Colin Thompson, is full of gentle humour and affection as it explores the life of Barnes through the man’s own poems and writings.

Through Tim’s eyes we see the country boy dancing a reel, the schoolteacher with slate and chalk, the book lover discovering the wonders of languages and archaeology as well as the devoted husband and father.

Barnes’ poems, spoken in the soft Dorset dialect in which they were penned, recount his life experiences while letters and diaries recount the world in which he lived as the Victorian age moves from stagecoach to train. A special delight was enjoying Tim’s account of an adventure in 1851 when Barnes travelled by train from Dorchester to London to visit the Great Exhibition at the newly built Crystal Palace.

For a man with such an intellect, there is still much to learn about the life of this remarkable man and this account is able only to touch upon some of his achievements, including the dismal reception Barnes received for some of his academic works and his passion for the English language and the root of Dorset dialect words in particular.

This Artsreach production was a delight from start to finish and especially appropriate when performed in a friendly village setting.

Tim, currently artist in residence for the National Trust at properties associated with Thomas Hardy, can be seen during the summer in an innovative series of informal gatherings where members of the public can enjoy taking tea with Hardy and his wife at the writer’s home.

That has got to be a winner.

MARION COX