| 2009 | One of the hottest summers the show has had for a long time! What a brilliant turnout. |
| 2007 | 13th. Show at Turnpike!! Wettest July on record, horses cancelled because parking area too wet, F&M outbreak announced on Saturday 10 days before Show. The Show went ahead without livestock and it rained! Thanks to the generosity of sponsors a financial catastrophe was averted. |
| 2002 | Planning application to build a Pavilion on the Showground. The application was eventually rejected in 2008 after complaints from local residents. |
| 2001 | Show cancelled due to Foot & Mouth Disease |
| 1998 | Shows now held on the third Wednesday of August, the date was changed to avoid clashing with Melplash |
| 1996 | A wet Show - the Pluvious insurance funded the building of the barn, in which we store all the show paraphernalia. |
| 1994 | First Show on our own Turnpike Showground, Motcombe |
| 1993 | 96 acres of land, part of Manor Farm, Motcombe was purchased by the Society. |
| 1981 | First year with a team of three Presidents. Last Show with live pig classes |
| 1980 | First Show with big main ring |
| 1979 | Show held on Saturday for the first and ONLY time |
| 1973 | Show held in Messrs C & R Young's fields at Cannfield Farm, Shaftesbury |
| 1968 | Show held at Slaughters Gate in fields of Mr R O Light & Mr H T Green |
| 1961 | Mr A J Gray retires, he had been Secretary since the amalgamation in 1930 and had previously been the Secretary of the Shaftesbury Farmers Club since 1927. |
| 1960 | Show purchased a Post Driver |
| 1957 | Show held on Shaftesbury Car Park and Grammar School playing fields |
| 1956 | Letter from Gillingham Chamber of Trade asking for Showday to be changed to Thursday, the reply - suggest you change Early Closing Day to Wednesday! |
| 1954 | Show moved to Mr Brain's field at Stock, Mr Sanger's field used for parking |
| 1953 | AI Classes introduced. Household Cavalry booked, cost £100 plus expenses |
| 1952 | Show held in Mr Sanger's field at Stock. No cattle or sheep because of Foot & Mouth |
| 1951 | Show moved to Mr Burton's fields Barton Hill Farm, Shaftesbury |
| 1946 | Show resumed, this year in Mr Allards field at Gillingham, £155 in the bank |
| 1940 | Show suspended for the duration of hostilities |
| 1939 | Show stewards who were also members of the T A had been guarding the railway tunnel at Sandley overnight, before spending the day at the Show. |
| 1932 | Yeo Bros Paul tender for tentage £33. They were the tentage contractors until 1994 although the bill increased somewhat! Rent for Mr Allards field and the recreation ground £25. |
| 1930 | Amalgamation eventually agreed after 4 years of discussion. To be called the 'Gillingham & Shaftesbury' Show because Gillingham had been established longer. The first show was held at Gillingham because it had a railway station for moving the cattle. Each Society had a capital of about £600. The last Wednesday in August agreed. This date remained constant until 1998 with only minor changes with Show in even years at Gillingham, odd years in Shaftesbury. |
| 1929 | Mr Allard agreed to 'provide and erect the Show ground' |
| 1927 | Mr A G Gray appointed Secretary to the Shaftesbury Farmers Club and an office was rented from W H Smith & Son Mr Gary served as Secretary until 1961 |
| 1925 | Proposal by Shaftesbury, that Shows should be amalgamated, turned down by Shaftesbury |
| 1924 | Zeals band paid £10 for 10hours performance |
| 1923 | Secretary's salary increased to £40 |
| 1922 | Mr Allard paid £20 for rent of field at Gillingham |
| 1920 | Gillingham Show restarted but there was no capital. All members were asked to deposit £5 on long term loan. This was later refunded after a successful show in 1921. Shaftesbury was also broke. Members were asked to produce a float of £4 each. There is no record that this was refunded. The first mention of 'Pitches and Tents for Cattle Cake Merchants and other business firms' 'Tents upto 10' x 10' @ £1 any other sixe at 2 shillings per foot extra' |
| 1919 | Shaftesbury Show restarted, admission 1s.6d. Shaftesbury Show moved on to land owned by Mr A Burton. The Shaftesbury Committee arranged a 'Promenade Concert with fireworks and illuminations' to be held at Pensbury House the same evening as the Show and to engage the Shaftesbury Comrades band. |
| 1914-1918 | Show suspended for the duration. Both Societies met regularly to raise funds, Shaftesbury minutes record - £740 sent to Red Cross for the purchase of X Ray appliances to be installed in local Red Cross Hospitals in Mere, Gillingham and at the Westminster Memorial Hospital in Shaftesbury. £25 to the Prince of Wales Belgian fund |
| 1913 | Gillingham suggested amalgamation of shows or that they should be held alternate years at the two centres. Shaftesbury unanimously turned down the suggestion |
| 1912 | Complaint about the call-out of the Territorial Army as it was interfering with farming. Foot & Mouth both Shows cancelled |
| 1911 | Show held from 1pm to 10pm. The Show Dinner & Dance went on till 3am! |
| 1910 | Show reverted to late Monday in August. This was standard until the amalgamation. Protest about Daylight Saving Bill. |
| 1909 | Committee complained of an exorbitant bill for £2:10s for the band performance at the Show (30 instruments). Admission 1 shilling. Conveyances 6d per wheel. Show date changed to September |
| 1908 | Gillingham Show moved to Mr Allard's field in Hardings Lane, where shows were held until 1952. 'Mr Allard to be offered £10 & 2/3rd. of the amount obtained from the Vanity fair people messes Coles. The Show having been previously held in a field belonging to Hudson & Martin, possibly in Station Road between the saw mill and U.D. creamery/egg packing station now underneath the by-pass |
| 1907 | Introduction of 'Judging for young men under 25 years' thought to refer to 'length of service with one employer' Rent for the Gillingham field £10 but it was too small, a larger one had to be found. The sites to be inspected;- Pottery Field, Chantry Field, Mr Joseph Shutes ground, Mr Roses field, Stones field, Major Jacksons field… |
| 1906 | Troop Horse & Yeomanry Sports included |
| 1901 | Shaftesbury Horse Show joined the Farmers Club |
| 1896 | Balance in hand £21.11s:10d Secretary/Treasurer was paid £10p.a. |
| 1886 | Balance in hand £9:19s:6d Shaftesbury resisted approach by Gillingham, Melplash and Dorchester that there should be a combined DORSET Show. |
| 1885 | The band was paid £2 for playing at the show and during dinner, a total of 10 hours and 30 instruments! Dinner was held on the evening of the Show for many years |
| 1883 | Shaftesbury Show moved from the Market place to 'Mr Upcraft's field called Cockrams' apparently near the Ship Inn |
| 1881 | Mr Buckland retired as secretary after 19 years, five of them as treasurer |
| 1866 | Cattle Plague - No Shows |
| 1862 | Formation of the Shaftesbury Farmers Club 'make application to the Most Hon. Marquess of Westminster for permission to hold the exhibition of flocks in the new market place' |
| 1860 | Formation of the Gillingham Agricultural Society |
