Thomas Hardy qualified as a magistrate in 1884.  He was Justice of the Peace for the Borough of Dorchester from 1884, and for the County of Dorset from 1894. He sat in court at least thirty-eight times as a magistrate and served at least sixteen times on grand juries for the Assizes.

As a  Justice of the Peace, Hardy was  aware of the Law and the Judiciary. In this talk the chairman and academic director of the Thonas Hardy Society, Mark Damon Chutter, will consider the law, order and subversion in the work of Thomas Hardy . From ‘ Far from the Madding Crowd’ to ‘ Tess’ to ‘ The Return of the Native’ to ‘ Jude’ and then to the poetry – Hardy presents a moral order and law that wreaks havoc when it is broken and thus tragedy ensues to the demise of all.

In partnership with the Thomas Hardy Society Birthday Weekend 2026

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Come and join Mark Damon Chutter, Chairman and Academic Director of the Thomas Hardy Society. He is a Head of Performing Arts and has been teaching for thirty years. Mark was shortlisted as one of the top six practitioners in the country for ‘ The Times ‘ Most Innovative Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year respectively. He is a member of the Dorchester Civic Society, the Joint Dorchester Heritage Committee and STAND.