Dorset Archives Trust (DAT) is an independent charitable body which supports the work of the Dorset History Centre (DHC) - the archives and local studies library for Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole. The DHC preserves and makes available to researchers the historical records of the area. The oldest document dates from 965 AD and the centre holds records up to the present day. Archives are often called 'the raw materials of history' - without them, we cannot understand our own past.

The Dorset Archives Trust works to support the activities of the Dorset History Centre to preserve and make accessible the recorded heritage of the county and its people from paper and parchment to film and sound. Enabling everyone to research and understand the stories of Dorset's past. . For more information on what archives are and what the Dorset History Centre holds visit the Dorset History Centre web pages at: www.dorsetforyou.com/dorsethistorycentre