The brewery traces its roots to 1777, when Charles Hall founded the Ansty Brewery (Ansty being a village near Blandford). The Hall & Woodhouse partnership itself dates from 1847, when Charles' son and successor went into business with George Woodhouse.
In 1875, the "Badger" logo of the firm was introduced, and in 1900 when a new brewery was built to replace the original, it was named after the logo. The partnership (or rather, their heirs) continue to make beer to this day.