Introduction
Henry Sandiford was a prominent figure in Hardington during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After thirteen years as a police constable in London, he returned to his native village to run the New Inn, which he combined with farming. He held several parish offices, including serving as a member of the Rural District Council. After the death of his wife in 1907, his health declined, leading to his death four years later.
Childhood
Henry was born at Hardington in 1839, the third of five children born to John and Susan Sandiford. His father began as a weaver before becoming a farm labourer and then a small-scale farmer, tending 20 acres from his house on the site of the present Townsend Farm.
Before his marriage, Henry worked as a farm labourer, possibly alongside his father. His brother, Walter, pursued broader horizons by enlisting in the Royal Artillery, which set an example for Henry to leave the area later.
When Henry was about 23, his father passed away in distressing circumstances, dying in a ditch after a day of hard drinking at Yeovil Fair.[1] His widow lived for another eighteen years but never remarried.
Marriage and Bermondsey
On 2 June 1864, Henry married Jane Augusta Bartlett, daughter of Matthew and Mary Ann Bartlett, who ran the New Inn. Henry was 24, and Jane 28. Both signed the marriage register. Their first child, John Walter, was born a few months later.[2]
Soon after their marriage, the couple moved to Bermondsey, where Henry joined the Metropolitan Police. One of their first addresses was 14 Brook Street, near Tower Bridge Road, an area filled with tanneries. While they were living there, their baby son died from pneumonia and convulsions on 15 December 1865, probably due to the unhealthy urban environment. Their second son, Henry, was born on 22 July 1868, when they lived at 121 New Church Street.[3] By April 1871, they lived at 21 Ernest Street.
Return to Hardington
After the death of Jane’s father, Matthew Bartlett, in December 1877, they returned to Hardington to care for Jane’s mother, Mary Ann, and take over the running of the New Inn.[4]
In addition to selling drinks, Henry occasionally provided catering services. For example, in June 1889, he provided dinner for the members and guests of the village friendly society in a marquee near the inn.[5]
Running a village pub could be dangerous. On Sunday, 20 September 1885, Henry had to eject a violent tinker who retaliated by throwing stones at the inn, leading to a police prosecution.[6]
Pen Hill Farm
After about fourteen years at the New Inn, Henry Sr. decided to take on the lease of Pen Hill Farm, which was advertised as available from 25 March 1891.
Henry may have planned to one day run the farm with his son, Henry Jr, who had moved to Cardiff. However, for ten years, he ran the 165-acre farm by himself, while continuing to live at the New Inn.
Eventually, Henry Jr. returned home with his second wife and lived at Pen Hill Farm for about three years before moving to Sherborne. Henry Sr. held a farm sale in February 1904 that included fifty dairy cows, fifty sheep, twenty-three pigs, and various other livestock.[7]
Civic Offices
Occupying property brought with it civil responsibilities. He served as a parish overseer for Pendomer in 1888,1892, and 1894; as well as for Hardington in 1888 and 1889.[8]
He volunteered for civic posts at Pendomer, becoming a member of the Rural District Council in 1894 and the Board of Guardians in 1901.[9] He also served on the Hardington School Committee until his death.[10]
Jane’s death and Henry’s decline
Jane died on 16 January 1907, at the age of about 71, after suffering a cerebral embolism twenty-one days earlier. The local newspaper noted that she “had been in ill-health for some considerable time.”[11]
Later that year, Henry advertised for a housekeeper with experience of public house work.[12] Anna Maria Vagg, a butcher’s daughter from West Coker, may have responded to the advertisement, as she worked at the New Inn in April 1911. Although Henry specified that applicants had to be “not over 40”, Anna got the job despite being in her mid-fifties.
After Jane’s death, Henry’s own health began to deteriorate due to diabetes and chronic nephritis.[13] On 6 December 1910, he held a sale of his outdoor effects, and on 4 May 1911, he made his will.[14] He died on 9 June 1911, at the age of 71, after suffering for 40 days with gangrene.[15] His funeral was conducted by Rev. H. H. T. Cleife, assisted by Rev. C. G. McCarthy. Several prominent men attended, including Henry Hinks, Thomas Voizey, William Watts, James Saint Partridge, and Thomas Marsh.[16]
Henry left an estate valued at £1,892-6s-7d. He bequeathed £500 to his son, smaller legacies to siblings and nieces, and established trusts for his brother Francis and grandson Ernest. The residue of the estate was held for his son’s benefit and ultimately for Ernest. The witnesses to the will included the village postmistress and a nurse from Weymouth.[17]
Henry and Augusta had a son, Walter John, who died in Bermondsey when only one year old, and a son, Henry, who succeeded his father as landlord of the New Inn.
The will of Henry Sandiford
Executors and trustees: Abraham Genge of Manor Farm, Hardington, and Henry Moore Watts of Yeovil, Solicitor.
To my son, Henry: £500.
To my sister, Mary Ann Sandiford: £50.
To my niece, Leila Mary Bartlett, daughter of my sister, Betsy Bartlett: £50.
To my niece. Lizzie Bassingthwaighte [daughter of Henry’s brother, Walter]: £25.
To my trustees: the remainder to convert to money and hold on trust to pay £10 per annum to my brother, Frank, for 5 years if he shall so long live and to invest £100 on trust for my grandson, Ernest Sandiford, and to hold the residue to pay the income to my son for his life and then to my said grandson, absolutely.
Wit: Emily Uxbro, Nurse’s Institute, Weymouth, spinster.
Emma Purchase, Hardington Mandeville, Post Mistress.
References
[1] Sherborne Mercury, 25 November 1862, p.5. The report gave John’s occupation as a gardener.
[2] Birth registered Yeovil, Q3 1864.
[3] Christ Church, Bermondsey, baptism register. Much of Bermondsey was destroyed during the Blitz. 121 New Church Street ran from Jamaica Road northwards towards the Thames; 21 Ernest Street ran parallel to Spa Road.
[4] As Matthew had died intestate, Mary Ann must have asked them to join her. She had four other children living in England whom she could have asked. She died intestate on 29 January 1885, leaving an estate valued at £15 17s 6d, which Jane administered.
[5] Western Gazette, 14 June 1889, p.7.
[6] Western Gazette, 25 September 1885, p.6
[7] Western Gazette, 15 January 1904, p.1.
[8] Western Gazette 6 April 1888 p.6; Western Gazette 8 April 1892 p.3; Western Chronicle, 6 April 1894, p.6; Western Gazette 6 April 1888 p. 6;
Western Gazette, 5 April 1889, p.6.
[9] Western Gazette, 7 December 1891, p.7; Western Daily Press, 11 March 1901, p.7.
[10] Western Gazette, 16 June 1911, p.3.
[11] Death certificate of Jane Augusta Sandiford. The certificate recorded her age as 69, but she was probably 71. Western Gazette, 25 January 1907, p.6.
[12] Western Gazette, 27 September 1907, p.6.
[13] Western Gazette, 16 June 1911, p.3; death certificate of Henry Sandiford.
[14] Western Gazette, 2 December 1910, p.2.
[15] Death certificate of Henry Sandiford.
[16] Western Gazette, 16 June 1911, p.3.
[17] The will of Henry Sandiford, dated 4 May 1911, proved at Taunton on 18 July 1911.
