A Dorchester author has been announced as the winner of a writing competition.

Philip Browne won the Hall & Woodhouse Dorchester Literary Festival Writing Prize at a celebration evening held in Poundbury.

Mr Browne's non-fiction book, ‘The Unfortunate Captain Pierce and the Wreck of the Halsewell’ describes the tragic event in 1786 when a huge East India Company ship was wrecked on the Purbeck coast.

Thanks to the efforts of quarrymen in the area a third of the crew were saved but more than 150 drowned, amongst them Captain Richard Pierce and his two teenage daughters. They were all bound for India.

Mr Browne, who is a retired teacher, said: "I am genuinely surprised. I’m also delighted that my win will hopefully bring the story of the Halsewell to more people’s attention. It surprises me that such a tragic local event is not more widely known. I spent four years researching the life of Captain Pierce up to that final voyage and discovered a remarkable man with an extraordinary career."

The judges for the prize were Sara O'Keeffe, executive editor of Atlantic Books and world-renowned literary agent, Christopher Little.

In choosing Mr Browne's book they said it was a "tremendously lively, thoughtful and well researched piece of historical non-fiction".

The award of £1,000 was announced by Kate Adie CBE at a packed event held at the Duchess of Cornwall in Poundbury.

Anthony Woodhouse, managing director of Hall & Woodhouse said: ‘We are proud to have supported the first Dorchester Literary Festival Local Writing Prize. The competition showcases our local talent and promotes writers in Dorset and the South West who deserve to have their work recognised by the whole country. Being rooted in the heart of Dorset, Hall & Woodhouse is committed to enriching the lives of its communities and it was fascinating to meet the authors behind the novels and support their talent in this way."

Janet Gleeson, co-founder of the festival added: "Our inaugural prize has been an extremely memorable event with vast diversity shown with the 53 submissions. We are hugely grateful to Hall & Woodhouse for supporting the competition, as well as to Kate Adie and all the readers and judges who helped us select such a fascinating winner."

This year’s Dorchester Literary Festival will run from Wednesday, October 17 until Sunday, October 21. Tickets will go on sale mid-August and can be purchased at dorchesterliteraryfestival.com or Dorchester TIC.