Lives of a gay couple who lived in a Dorset village for nearly six decades turned into an exhibition

The lives of a gay couple who lived in a Dorset village for nearly six decades have been turned into an exhibition in the county, which brings together a selection of photographs, letters and diary entries to provide an overview of their personal and professional lives.

Despite homosexuality being illegal at the time, Norman Notley and David Brynley moved to Corfe Castle, Dorset in 1923 and lived openly as a couple for nearly six decades.

Now the lives of these two men have been turned into an exhibition to mark LGBT+ History Month.

The two men – successful musicians who sang together in Britain and the United States – lived peacefully with the local community for 57 years until their deaths.

The couple shared a passion for creating art as well as collecting. However, where Brynley described himself as a ‘Sunday painter’, for Notley, his relationship with art was more serious and he bequeathed his large collection of paintings to Dorset Museum & Art Gallery.

In 1973, local people organised an event for the couple to celebrate their 50 years in the village.

Dorset Museum director Claire Dixon said: “They were known as ‘the boys’ quite affectionately by the community.

“They didn’t throw the party, the community threw it for them.

“When lots of people were having to hide the fact that they were gay, or think about their behaviour in public space, it seems that they were able to live quite a peaceful life in the village.”

Maisie Ball, a student at Bournemouth University, began digitising photographs and transcribing communications from journals and letters documenting the couple’s life and individual careers as part of a work placement at the museum.

Maisie said: “When I heard about the collection, I was keen to learn more about the lives of David Brynley and Norman Notley and digitise their story. I particularly enjoyed looking through the vast amounts of photographs, ranging from professional photoshoots to snapshots of their personal lives.

“The photographs that have stuck with me the most are the ones with their many dogs and the rare few of Norman on his own, where you get to see a glimpse of his personality.”

Despite being able to live authentically, the only image in the collection of them being affectionate to one another is a photo of Brynley kissing Notley on the cheek.

Notley died in 1980, aged 90, and Brynley a year later, aged 81.

More info HERE

All images Dorset Museum