Thomas Hardy lived in Dorset for most of his life and it was the inspiration for much of his work. Born in 1840 at Higher Bockhampton near Dorchester he attended the village school for a year before moving on to a school in Dorchester.

At 16 he started as an architect in Dorchester but later chose to concentrate on writing. After living in London for five years, he returned to Weymouth and continued to work as an architect while finding book publishers. In the following years he produced many great novels, including Far from the Madding Crowd, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Under the Greenwood Tree and The Trumpet Major. Jude the Obscure, was published in 1895 and from then on he concentrated on poetry.

In 1885 he had moved to Max Gate, a house of his own design on the edge of Dorchester, and here he died on 11 January 1928. Hardy's Cottage and Max Gate are preserved by the National Trust and open to the public; although he was buried in Westminster Abbey, the grave where his heart is buried can be seen in Stinsford churchyard.

Some of his disguised place names in his writing can easily be revealed, 'Casterbridge' is Dorchester, originally the Roman town of Durnovaria, situated at a point where a bridge crossed the River Frome. In his writing the lower end of the town leads to 'Durnover Moor'. Bere Regis found in 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles'can be found from 'Regis', Latin for 'of the king', Hardy calls the village 'Kings Bere'. In fact, it was known as Kyngesbyre in 1264. The Turbervilles were once Lords of the Manor. Shaftesbury is called 'Shaston'. The real name is probably derived from the fortified place or 'burh' belonging to a Saxon called 'Sceaft'. In medieval times the place was often called 'Shafton' which later was pronounced 'Shaston' possibly because someone misread the f as an old form of s in documents.

Many of his settings cluster round his birthplace. He was born in an attractive thatched cottage in the hamlet of Higher Bockhampton within the parish of Stinsford, an area he named 'Mellstock' in his writings.

Following the success of 'Under the Greenwood Tree', Hardy began another novel which he set in Puddletown, not far from his birthplace. Puddletown was renamed 'Weatherbury' and the novel was 'Far from the Madding Crowd'.

For a while he lived in rented accommodation in Yeovil, Sturminster Newton and Wimborne. The two years spent at Sturminster Newton, or 'Stourcastle', he described as idyllic. Whilst living there he wrote 'Return of the Native' which is staged on Egdon Heath. Egdon described all the heath lands from Bockhampton to Poole Harbour.

In 1883, the Hardys rented accommodation in Dorchester while supervising the building of Max Gate. This period was one of great creativity with the publication of 'The Mayor Casterbridge', 'The Woodlanders' and his collection of short stories, 'Wessex Tales'.

'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' has landscapes of the 'Vale of Little Dairies' (Blackmore), and the 'Vale of Great Dairies' (River Frome)and together with the wintry 'Flintcomb Ash' on the chalk downs they echo the mood as the tragic story unfolds.

When he died, Thomas Hardy's ashes were placed in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey and at the same moment, his heart was laid to rest in his wife's grave in Stinsford Churchyard.

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