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Fire From Heaven: Case Study
Beryl Alsop - My LHI story
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Fire From Heaven: Case Study
Location: Dorset
In the 21st century is it easily assumed that life is changing faster than ever before, however in 17th century Dorchester there was upheaval and conflict of a kind we hope never to witness in the modern world.
Fortunately this period in Dorchester’s history is very well documented and has been extensively researched, providing the ‘Fire from Heaven’ project with considerable amounts of useful archive material to explore for their community play.
Professor David Underdown’s book, ‘Fire From Heaven’ published in 1992 gave the group a fasinating insight into life at the time and helped to inspire the play of the same name.
The play focused on the influence of the Reverend John White, a charismatic Puritan priest who strove to rid the town of its immoral, irreligious habits and to reclaim it for the pure of heart and mind. He was aided in his quest by two disastrous fires which he used to enhance his authority by claiming they were sent by heaven as punishment for the townsfolk’s dissolute ways.
The project involved over 300 local people who set about exploring their town’s records to create a picture of these tumultuous times which led to the establishment of Dorchester, Massachusetts by Dorset people and the bloody Civil War battle in which the town fell to the Royalists.
Playwrite Rupert Creed wrote ‘Fire From Heaven’ with the help of the many enthusiastic researchers, including both trained and amateur historians, who gathered as much material as possible about life in 17th century Dorchester: cuttings, photographs, files and drawings.
A video of the play’s first act is available from the group. Following their acclaimed performance the group decided to use the mass of material to contribute to a book, ‘Dorchester Divided’, selecting subjects and materials for a series of essays, published with photographs, archive material and background notes.
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