Introduction
Abraham Genge was a prominent farmer at Hardington from the late 1860s until his death in 1920. He initially farmed at Prospect Farm and later at Manor Farm. Abraham supported the Bible Christian Chapel at Hardington. He was actively involved in parish affairs, serving as an overseer, parish councillor, school manager, and a patron of cricket and football in the village. He was married three times; unfortunately, his first and second wives died due to illness. His second wife inherited a small fortune from her American uncle, which probably contributed to strains in their marriage. Two of his sons emigrated to Canada, while another son tragically died while building a railway in Africa. His only daughter died due to complications from measles. Abraham was pugnacious and willing to spend considerable sums to defend his reputation. His death in 1920 marked a watershed in the village’s history.
Childhood
Abraham Genge was born on 2 December 1848, as the first of three children born to Abraham Genge Senior and his second wife, Elizabeth.[1] His father was a farmer with a large acreage. By his first marriage, he had four children.
First Marriage
In 1869, Abraham married Harriet Farnham Bartlett, who was the niece of his father’s first wife, Sarah Bartlett. At the time, Abraham was 20 years old, and Harriet was 26.
Harriet was the third child of William and Susan Bartlett of Fivehead. Her father primarily worked as a farm labourer and spent some time as a quarryman. At some point between the ages of 8 and 18, Harriet moved in with her father’s sister, Harriet, and her husband, Dennis Farnham, at Prospect Farm, Hardington. She may have gone there as a quasi-adoptee at a young age or as a housemaid when she was older.
Prospect Farm
Following their marriage, Abraham took over the running of Prospect Farm (then called Townsend Farm) from Harriet’s uncle, Dennis Farnham. By April 1871, Abraham farmed 55 acres and employed one man and one boy.
Dennis and his wife, Harriet, lived with Abraham and Harriet for the rest of their lives. Dennis died in 1872 and Harriet followed in 1881. Upon Harriet Farnham’s death, Harriet Genge inherited about £140.[2]
Nonconformity
Harriet was a religious dissenter. Her uncle and aunt were instrumental in introducing the Bible Christian movement into the village, and Harriet laid the foundation stone of the new chapel on 20 September 1865 when she was 22.[3]
Death of father
Abraham Genge Senior died on 2 November 1880 at the age of 77, leaving an estate valued at “under £2,000.” He bequeathed a life interest in his freehold and leasehold lands to his wife, with the remainder going to his sons, Abraham and George, after her death. He instructed them to convert the remaining estate to cash and invest it in securities, providing his wife with the income for life. After her death, he left legacies totalling £450, with the remainder to be equally divided between Abraham and George.[4]
Abraham Junior came into this inheritance after the death of his mother on 26 April 1885, who bequeathed him her pony, pony carriage and harness.[5]
Manor Farm
Abraham Genge became the tenant of Manor Farm, Hardington, around 1879 or 1880. On 2 January 1880, he advertised a dairy of 25 or 30 cows to let, which may have been located at Prospect Farm.[6] The 1881 census recorded him as a farmer of 460 acres at Manor Farm, employing seven labourers and seven boys. Two female servants lived in the farmhouse: a twenty-year-old general servant and a thirteen-year-old nursemaid.
By that time, Abraham and Harriet had five children, with a sixth born the following year. Their children comprised George William Farnham, (born 1870); Alfred Theodore John (born circa 1873); Ernest Herbert Farnham (born circa 1874); Sidney Abraham (born 1877); Bessie Harriet (born 1879); and Percy Walter Farnham (born 1882).
Death of first wife
After the birth of Percy Walter Farnham on 18 January 1882, Harriet developed metritis and ovaritis, leading to her death on 5 March 1882 at the age of 38.[7]
Harriet’s death left Abraham in sole charge of six children under the age of 12. Between 26 May 1882 and 18 August 1882, he placed four advertisements for a housekeeper, with the first clearly stating that the duties would involve caring for six children.[8] His advertisement may have been answered by Elizabeth Mary Govier of Ruishton, who later became his second wife. They were married at Ruishton on 13 May 1884.[9]
Second wife
Elizabeth was born on 4 October 1846 at Ruishton, a village with about 500 inhabitants, two miles east of Taunton. Many of her relatives were self-employed tradesmen in the village. Her father, Francis Payne Govier, was a carpenter and wheelwright, while his brother, John, before his early death in 1858, was a shoemaker. On her mother’s side, her uncles included a tallow chandler, a basket maker and a wheelwright. Her mother’s oldest brother, John, had emigrated to the United States in 1832, where he achieved notable success as a manufacturer of candles and soap and later in railways and other business interests.[10] He played a significant role in her life story.
It is possible that John Thorn advanced money to Elizabeth, as the 1871 census recorded her farming 41 acres at North End, Creech St Michael, where she employed two men and one boy. Her siblings, Francis and Louisa, lived with her. By April 1881. Francis had become the occupier of a farm at Ruishton, and Elizabeth was his housekeeper. After Francis married a local farmer’s daughter later that same year, Elizabeth effectively lost her position, which would explain why she might apply for the position with Abraham.
Early married life
Elizabeth initially embraced her new role as Abraham’s wife. In May and June 1884, she placed advertisements seeking a general servant to help her in the farmhouse.[11] Two years later, in May 1886, she advertised for a dairy woman to work in the farmhouse, making butter and cheese and performing general chores.[12] From September 1887 to October 1887, she advertised for a general servant who was fond of children.[13]
Abraham and Elizabeth actively supported the Bible Christian movement in the area. In October 1886, she laid the foundation stone for the new Bible Christian Chapel at Haselbury, and he offered to donate 40 hogsheads of lime for its construction.[14]
John Thorn Genge
Elizabeth became pregnant in November 1886 when she was forty years old. On the evening of Tuesday, 12 July 1887, she and Abraham entertained around fifty people at Manor Farm. Workers, their wives, and the oldest inhabitants of the parish enjoyed an excellent meal, followed by dancing and singing until late into the night.[15]
Their child was born on 16 August 1887 and named John Thorn.[16] Initially, everything went well, but on Monday, 23 July 1888, the baby developed bronchitis, which was followed by diarrhoea the next day. On Friday, he died aged just 11 months.[17]
He was buried beside the church path and commemorated with a simple headstone. Elizabeth must have been devastated by the loss, especially as she had no other children.
Children’s education
Abraham’s children attended schools in Yeovil, probably staying there during the week and returning home at weekends. In February 1884, his oldest son, George William Farnham, received a third-class, third-division certificate from the College of Precentors, a body formed to uphold teaching standards, while attending Kingston School, Yeovil, at the age of thirteen.[18] A few months later, his brother, Alfred Theodore John, came second in a 200-yard flat race while attending the same school.[19] There is no direct evidence that the other three boys attended Kingston School, but Sidney and Percy likely did, as they later became engineers.
Death of only daughter
Abraham’s only daughter, Bessie Harriett, was born on 10 April 1879.[20] He paid for her to attend a school for young ladies in Yeovil called Girton House. On 6 July 1890, she contracted measles, which led to croup four days later. Her airways became so constricted that Dr Aldridge considered it necessary to perform a tracheotomy—a surgical procedure where a hole is made in the neck to access the windpipe. Tragically, she passed away twelve hours later on July 13, at the age of just eleven.[21]
Wife’s inheritance
The 1891 census recorded Elizabeth living with her widowed sister, Harriet Howard, at Portman Terrace, Taunton, but she was probably only visiting.
On 31 December 1894, Elizabeth’s American uncle, John Thorn, died, leaving an immense fortune. He bequeathed $20,000 to Elizabeth and each of her siblings—about £4,000 each.[22] Whether this inheritance benefited Elizabeth is a moot point. She may have bought some personal articles, such as the ones listed in the second codicil of her will, but she did not use the money to buy a property to share with her husband. If anything, her newly acquired wealth probably increased the tensions in their marriage, leading to her spending more time away from Hardington. She did not leave entirely, as in February, March and April 1897, she advertised for a servant to work at Manor Farm, in June 1904, she ran a stall at a sale of work at Hardington chapel, and on 24 January 1907, she opened another sale of work at Crewkerne.[23] She was also probably residing at Hardington on 26 February 1908 when she made the first codicil to her will, as Mrs Sercombe acted as a witness. However, she was staying with her sister at the time of the 1901 census, and she spent her final months there.[24]
The Married Women’s Property Acts of 1882 and 1893 gave a married woman the right to own, inherit and bequeath property independently of her husband. Elizabeth took full advantage of this power and kept her finances separate from Abraham. She failed to mention him in her will, although in her first codicil, she left him a token annuity, possibly to prevent legal challenges or preserve appearances.
Two sons emigrate
In 1903, Abraham’s two sons, Ernest and Percy, sailed from Liverpool to Canada, arriving on 6 June.[25] They both settled in the country permanently.
Son’s death in Africa
Abraham’s fourth son, Sidney, became a railway engineer, initially working for the Great Western Railway Company and later for the British Central African Railway Company. On Friday, 18 January 1907, Abraham received a letter from the company informing him that his son had died at the railway hospital at Chiromo five days earlier. The letter stated that the chief engineer overseeing the project had regarded Sidney as one of his best engineers and was sorry to lose him. The following Sunday, Rev. Cleife held a memorial service at Hardington church.[26] The record of his death shows that he died from malaria hyperpyrexia at the age of 28.[27] On 13 November 1907, Abraham was granted administration of Sidney’s estate, which was valued at only £10.[28]
Elizabeth’s final illness
Around the same time, Elizabeth was diagnosed with cancer of the stomach. On 26 February 1908, she made a codicil to her will, bequeathing her piano to her sister, Louisa, and leaving Abraham an annuity of £52. The codicil was probably made at Hardington, as Jane Sercombe was one of the witnesses. The other was Emma Gale, a trained nurse from the Nurses’ Home, Salisbury.
After making this codicil, Elizabeth moved in with her married sister, Louisa, at Maidenbrook Farm, Cheddon Fitzpaine. This may have caused friction with Abraham, as on 30 May 1908, she made a second codicil, listing the particular items she wished her sisters to have and making Abraham’s annuity contingent upon his handing them over to them. At Maidenbrook, Elizabeth was cared for by two nurses from London, a luxury made possible by her uncle’s money.[29]
Elizabeth died at Maidenbrook on 21 August 1908 at the age of 61 and was buried at Ruishton five days later. Among the mourners were Abraham and his two sons, George and Alfred.[30]
Third wife
Two years after Elizabeth’s death, Abraham married Lilian Bartlett. At the time, Abraham was 61 years old, and Lilian was 26.
Lilian was born at Castle Cary in 1883, the fourth child of five children born to Thomas Bartlett and his first wife, Luena. Her father was a farmer and butcher, while her mother was a farmer’s daughter. Lilian’s mother died when she was three years old, and her father remarried a year later, having four more children.
The circumstances of how Abraham and Lilian met are unclear. The distance from Hardington to Castle Cary is about 22 miles by road, making casual interaction unlikely. It is possible that Abraham knew Thomas Bartlett through the Yeovil livestock market. Why Lilian would find the match appealing is also a matter for conjecture. Two relevant factors are that her father’s financial position had deteriorated, and there may have been issues with her stepmother’s mental well-being. By April 1911, Thomas was a dairyman renting his cows and premises from Abraham. On 9 August 1911, his wife was admitted to the Dorset Lunatic Asylum, where she died four days later from exhaustion caused by mania and heart failure.
Abraham was proud of his young wife. After a Parish Council meeting on 19 April 1910, he invited all the Councillors to Manor Farm to have supper with him and Lilian.[31]
Defamation actions
In June 1899, Abraham brought a libel action against Charles Thomas of West Coker at the Somerset Assizes. Thomas had accused Abraham of selling hay from Lord Portman’s land in a letter to a man named Slade of North Perrott. Although Abraham originally claimed £500 in damages, he accepted a public apology, damages of 40 shillings, and payment of his costs.[32]
Abraham filed a similar action against William Pearce, a farmer of East Chinnock, in 1917, but he was unsuccessful. His grievance stemmed from the sale of a bull at Yeovil Market on 23 June 1916, where Pearce allegedly informed the buyer that the bull was “burned”, by which he meant suffering from a sexual complaint. Abraham interpreted this as an attack on his honesty and reputation as a businessman and instigated legal proceedings for damages. The case was heard at the Somerset Assize held at Wells on 31 May 1917, where Abraham was represented by a King’s Counsel. The Judge stated that Abraham did not appear one farthing the worse off as a result of the incident, and the jury found in favour of Pearce.[33] The cost to Abraham of defending his reputation would have been substantial.[34]
Farming
Despite being a major tenant farmer in the Yeovil area, Abraham did not join the Somerset Chamber of Commerce until 23 May 1884, sixteen years after the Yeovil branch was established. [35] While this may suggest that he resisted change, other evidence indicates the opposite. For instance, when advertising for a dairymaid in May 1896, he said one from the dairy school was preferred.[36] Similarly, when advertising for a carter on 8 November 1918, he stipulated that the man must “understand machinery.”[37]
Abraham was always keen to maximise production. One method he employed was applying lime to the ground, and in June 1884, he advertised for a full-time lime burner.[38]
He extensively used newspaper advertisements to recruit labourers and household servants, let his dairy, sell produce, source equipment and retrieve a lost dog. Between January 1880 and January 1919, he placed 203 advertisements, including seven for shepherds, 30 for carters and 25 for cowmen. From March 1913 to February 1919, he advertised fifteen times for a farmer’s son to help him. While this was practical, it invites a Freudian interpretation that he missed his own sons or regretted not having children with Lilian.
Abraham often held auctions at the farm to sell surplus produce. On 1 July 1886, he sold 40 store pigs and 60 hogsheads of cider.[39] On 2 June 1892, he held a sale that included 50 hogsheads of prime cider, a prime rick of clover hay weighing about 16 tons, and 500 bundles of reed.[40] In July 1893, he advertised “walnuts (for pickling) for sale, 5d per 100.”[41] On 26 August 1893, he had an auction at the farm of fifty Berkshire store pigs, two sows in farrow, a few fat pigs, twenty-five hogshead of cider, the apples in six orchards and his remaining walnuts.[42] On 14 December 1893, he had another sale at the farm, this time “in consequence of the shortness of keep”. Included in the sale were thirty cross-bred dairy cows, some with calves, fifty store pigs, and dairy utensils suitable for a forty-cow dairy.[43] On Tuesday, 10 August 1897, he sold 80 hogsheads of cider in convenient lots by auction at his farm, offering to arrange shipment by rail if desired.[44]
Other items were advertised for sale. In June 1898, he advertised twenty hogsheads of cider.[45] On 26 October 1888, he advertised 150 bags of cider apples.[46] In July 1895, he advertised walnuts again.[47] In July 1906, he advertised 400 bundles of reed and six hogsheads of cider.[48] In March 1907, he advertised four ferrets at 2s 6d each.[49] On 14 February 1913, he advertised a “rick of prime hay, about 40 tons. Also, one rick about 12 tons, fit for hunters.”[50]
On 8 April 1914, Abraham sold some of his livestock, farm implements, and cider because 100 acres of his farm had been turned into small holdings.[51]
Parish offices
Abraham was appointed Overseer of the Poor in 1882, 1884, 1885, 1888, and 1889.[52]
After the Local Government Act of 1894, Abraham was elected to the first Hardington Mandeville Parish Council.[53] In the early days of the council, he did not win a seat every year, but from 1906 to 1913, he was consistently elected and served as chairman. His final election as a Parish Councillor was in 1919, when he received 53 votes.[54]
At a meeting on 19 April 1895, he proposed limiting the speaking time for councillors.[55] In 1897, he took on the assistant-overseer role without pay, making Arthur Reynolds redundant. Reynolds sued the council for compensation, and Abraham appointed a solicitor to defend the council, but ended up paying the bill himself for not consulting them first.[56]
Abraham also served as a school manager from at least 1911. When Mrs Sercombe retired in 1911, Abraham and Lilian gave her a solid brass fender and a fire set.[57]
Abraham continued to support the chapel. He helped decorate it for the Harvest Thanksgiving on 1 September 1901, and hosted a ham and coffee supper for about seventy people following a concert at the chapel on 21 April 1904.[58]
Liberal politics
From his late thirties, Abraham was active in promoting the Liberal Party. He helped establish a Hardington branch of the Liberal Association, attending the initial meeting in April 1885, where he seconded the motion to create the branch.[59]
In his sixties, he hosted and attended Liberal Party dinners, including one on Friday, 29 December 1911, held in his granary[60] On 4 January 1912, he and Lilian attended a Liberal Party dinner at East Chinnock to celebrate the passing of the Insurance Bill. [61] On 5 January 1912, they participated in a Liberal Party tea in the granary for the village’s children under 15.[62] On Thursday, 11 January 1912, he hosted a dance and social for eighty Liberal supporters at Manor Farm. On the evening of Friday, 16 February 1912, he and Lilian attended a Liberal Party dinner held at the West Coker schoolroom.[63]
Sport
Abraham was a patron of sporting activities in the village. In March 1894, he was elected president of the village cricket club, and lent his field for matches during the following season.[64] He was actively involved in running the club at least until 1903. In 1912, he allowed village athletic club to use his fields for cricket.[65] In 1894, he supported an initiative to form a village football club by offering a field for their use.[66]
Death
On 2 December 1919, Abraham celebrated his 71st birthday. By this time, he was suffering from severe kidney and prostate issues, and it was evident that he had little time left. He passed away at Manor Farm on 7 February 1920 from chronic nephritis and enlarged prostate cystitis, with Lilian by his side.[67]
His estate was valued at £4,720 4s 11d gross and £4,525 5s 6d net. Lilian received a legacy of £150, the use of his household effects for life, and the income from most of the remainder for her lifetime.[68]
On 18 March 1921, his executors sold his household furniture and outdoor effects at an auction on the premises.[69]
Lilian’s later life
After Abraham’s death, Lilian left Manor Farm and moved to 5 Lyde Road, Yeovil. She has not been found on the 1939 Register, but by November 1958, she was living at 104 Fidlas Road, Cardiff, with her sister, Minnie. Lilian died at St David’s Hospital, Cardiff, on 26 August 1960 at the age of 77. She left an estate valued at £1,188 15s 7d, most of which she bequeathed to her sister, Jesse Coppins, who lived in Norfolk. Following her death, the capital of Abraham’s estate was released for his sons and their descendants. However, the only son still alive at that time was Percy.
The will of Abraham Genge
He appointed Lilian and his son, George, as executors.
He bequeathed £150 to Lilan.
He bequeathed £50 each to his sons, George William Farnham, Herbert Ernest and Percy Walter.
He bequeathed Lilian the use of his household effects for life.
He instructed his trustees to sell the remainder and invest the proceeds, paying the income to Lilian for her life and, on her death, dividing the capital between his children, except Alfred Theodore John.
References
[1] Birth certificate of Abraham Genge; family reconstitution.
[2] Will of Harriet Farnham, dated 9 June 1879, proved at Taunton 11 August 1881.
[3] Western Gazette, 29 September 1865, p.6.
[4] The will of Abraham Genge, dated 6 September 1878, proved at Taunton on 20 December 1880.
[5] The will of Elizabeth Genge, dated 20 June 1881, proved at Taunton on 3 July 1885.
[6] Western Gazette, 2 January 1880, p.4.
[7] Death certificate of Harriet Farnham Genge.
[8] Western Gazette, 26 May 1882, p.4; 7 July 1882, p.4; 4 August 1887, p.4; 18 August 1882, p.4.
[9] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 14 May 1884, p.4.
[10] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 24 September 1913, p.5.
[11] Western Gazette, 30 May 1884, p.4; 6 June 1884, p.4.
[12] Western Gazette, 28 May 1886, p.4.
[13] Western Gazette, 30 September 1887, p.4; 7 October 1887, p.4; 14 October 1887, p.8; 21 October 1887, p.4.
[14] Western Gazette 29 October 1886 p. 7.
[15] Western Gazette 15 July 1887 p. 6.
[16] Western Gazette, 19 August 1887, p.1.
[17] Death certificate of John Thorn Genge.
[18] Western Gazette, 8 February 1884, p.5.
[19] Dorset County Chronicle, 24 July 1884, p.12; The Sportsman, 23 July 1884, p.3.
[20] Family tree on ancestry.com
[21] Death certificate of Bessie Harriett Genge.
[22] Western Chronicle, 17 May 1895, p.2.
[23] Western Chronicle, 1 July 1904, p. 4.
[24] Western Chronicle, 4 September 1908, p.6.
[25] Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935.
[26] Western Chronicle, 25 January 1907, p.6.
[27] Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969.
[28] National probate register.
[29] Western Chronicle, 4 September 1908, p.6.
[30] Western Chronicle, 4 September 1908, p.6.
[31] Western Chronicle 22 April 1910 p. 6.
[32] Bristol Mercury 12 June 1899 p. 8.
[33] Wells Journal 8 June 1917 p. 4.
[34] Western Chronicle, 8 June 1917, p.5.
[35] Dorset County Chronicle 29 May 1884 p. 8.
[36] Western Gazette 29 May 1896 p. 4.
[37] Western Gazette 8 November 1918 p. 6.
[38] Western Gazette 27 June 1884 p. 4.
[39] Western Gazette 18 June 1886 p.5.
[40] Western Gazette 27 May 1892 p. 1.
[41] Western Gazette 14 July 1893 p. 4.
[42] Western Gazette 11 August 1893 p. 1.
[43] Western Gazette 1 December 1893 p. 1.
[44] Western Gazette 30 July 1897 p. 1.
[45] Western Gazette 17 June 1898 p. 4; Western Gazette 24 June 1898 p. 4.
[46] Western Gazette 26 October 1888 p.8.
[47] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser 17 July 1895 p. 4.
[48] Western Gazette 6 July 1906 p. 6.
[49] Western Gazette 15 March 1907 p.7.
[50] Western Gazette 14 February 1913 p.2.
[51] Western Gazette 27 March 1914 p. 1.
[52] Western Gazette 7 April 1882 p. 5; Western Gazette 4 April 1884 p. 6; Western Gazette 3 April 1885 p. 6; Western Gazette 6 April 1888 p. 6; Western Gazette 5 April 1889 p. 6.
[53] Western Gazette 7 December 1894 p. 7.
[54] Western Chronicle 21 March 1919 p. 3; 18 April 1919 p. 11.
[55] Western Chronicle 26 April 1895 p. 6.
[56] West Somerset Free Press 16 April 1898 p. 6; Pulman’s Weekly News and Advertiser, 23 August 1898 p.6; Pulman’s Weekly News and Advertiser, 20 September 1898, p.6.
[57] Western Gazette 29 December 1911 p. 2.
[58] Western Chronicle 6 September 1901 p. 5; Western Chronicle 22 April 1904 p. 7.
[59] Western Gazette 24 April 1885 p. 6.
[60] Western Chronicle 12 January 1912 p. 6.
[61] Western Chronicle 12 January 1912 p.6.
[62] Western Chronicle 12 January 1912 p. 6; 19 January 1912 p.6.
[63] Western Chronicle 23 February 1912 p. 5.
[64] Pulman’s Weekly News and Advertiser 20 March 1894 p.6; Western Gazette 26 October 1894 p 6.
[65] Western Chronicle 26 April 1912 p. 7.
[66] Western Gazette 26 October 1894 p 6.
[67] Death certificate of Abraham Genge.
[68] The will of Abraham Genge, dated 27 March 1912, proved at Taunton 14 April 1920.
[69] Western Gazette 11 March 1921 p. 1.