Introduction
William John Manning served as a gamekeeper for the Hoskyns estate during two distinct periods: first in the 1880s and again from about 1905 until his death in 1926. His service was interrupted by some fifteen years spent back in his native Devon, where he worked independently as a rabbit catcher. His life sheds light on both the realities of estate gamekeeping and the resilience of a rural family as they navigated crises, raised dependent children, and maintained occupational continuity across generations.
Childhood
William was born in 1850 at Tiverton, the eighth of eleven children born to James and Sarah Manning. His father’s recorded occupations suggest a modest upward trajectory within the rural economy: he was a lime burner in 1841, a farm labourer in 1851, and a gamekeeper by 1861. The family lived first at Elmore and later at Hill Cottage.
At the age of 20, William appears to have been employed as a groom, although the handwriting on the census sheet is difficult to decipher. If correct, this would have represented a transitional stage before he entered the field of gamekeeping.
Marriage and early career
On 21 March 1878, William married Sarah Ann Tucker, the daughter of a farm labourer, at Huntsham parish church. They settled at Whitestone Cottage near Knightshayes and had three children there. By this time, William was working as a gamekeeper, and a newspaper report of September 1897 confirms that he worked on the Knightshayes estate.[1]
First period at Hardington
Between April 1881 and May 1884, the family moved to Hardington, where William probably entered the service of the Hoskyns estate. They lived at Daisy Down cottage, succeeding the previous gamekeeper, Thomas Perry.
Although voters’ lists from 1885 to 1890 record William as occupying a house at Romsey, baptism entries for his children Edwin (6 September 1885) and Lily Jane (2 October 1887) specifically list their address as Daisy Down.[2] This discrepancy may indicate that the voting lists used “Romsey” as a general locality descriptor rather than a precise cottage name.
Devon Interlude: Rose Ash and South Molton
Around 1889, the family returned to Devon. Jessie was born at Rose Ash that year, and Frank was born at South Molton on 15 September 1893. By March 1901, they were living at Bridge House, North Molton, where William and his eldest son, also named William, were described as self-employed rabbit catchers.
This shift from estate gamekeeper to independent rabbit catcher may represent a period of reduced security or altered circumstances, although the precise reasons remain unclear.
While at North Molton, Louisa, the eldest daughter, gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Lucy Maud. Census entries suggest that Lucy was presented as William and Sarah’s own child rather than as their granddaughter. Whatever the precise arrangement, the family absorbed her presence without apparent disruption, illustrating their flexibility in responding to difficulties.
Return to Hardington
By about 1905, the family had returned to Hardington and were living in the Romsey farmhouse.[3] William worked as the head keeper for Mr Hoskyns.
The position could be dangerous. In January 1906, when William saw four men in one of Mr Hoskyns’ plantations attempting to catch rabbits with nets and a ferret, the men fled as soon as he approached.[4] However, in November 1906, when he, two of his sons, and two policemen tried to apprehend three poachers, William was hit on the back of the neck with a stick.[5]
Loss and continuity
In 1908, William’s daughter Lily Jane died at the age of twenty-one due to a perforated gastric ulcer. She was admitted to Crewkerne Hospital in August and died on 22 August with her father by her side. Her death would have been a severe blow to the family.[6]
All four sons ultimately followed their father’s footsteps, pursuing careers in gamekeeping or related estate work. By April 1911, only the younger two sons remained at home. Edwin was working as an assistant gamekeeper, and Frank as a woodman.[7]
Edwin later moved to Wiveliscombe, where he formed a relationship with Lily Western, a domestic servant. They had two children: Clifford Edward Manning Western, born shortly before their marriage in 1914, and Lilian May Manning in 1915. When Lily died later that year, the children were divided within the extended family. Lilian was taken in and raised by Edwin’s brother, Fred, and his wife, Eliza, while Clifford returned to live with William and Sarah.[8] As with Lucy Maud, the family organised itself to provide the necessary care.
During the First World War, Fred, Edwin, and Frank all volunteered for military service in 1915 and survived the conflict.[9]
The later household
The 1921 census recorded William and his son Frank as gamekeepers working for H. W. P. Hoskyns. Clifford also lived in the household, along with Algy Gummer, an eleven-year-old schoolboy, who appears to have been the illegitimate son of Florence Beatrice Gummer of Somerton.[10] The reasons for his presence are unclear, but once again, the household functioned as a refuge for a dependent child.
Death
William died in late 1926 or early 1927 at the age of seventy-six. Sarah survived him by some five years, dying in late 1931 or early 1932 at the age of seventy-seven. Their youngest son, Frank, continued as a gamekeeper on the Hoskyns estate until his early death in 1945 at the age of fifty-one.
Conclusion
Apart from the interlude in Devon, William Manning’s life was closely tied to the Hoskyns estate. His work was difficult and isolating, requiring him to live in remote cottages, confront occasional violence, maintain a professional distance from neighbours, and operate under the watchful eye of his employers. Nevertheless, the records show a household that repeatedly welcomed bereaved or illegitimate children and managed successive misfortunes without apparent fragmentation.
References
[1] Tiverton Gazette (Mid-Devon Gazette), 30 September 1879, p.5.
[2] North Perrott baptism register.
[3] Hardington voters’ lists; Chard and Ilminster News, 17 February 1906, p.8.
[4] Chard and Ilminster News, 17 February 1906, p.8.
[5] Western Times, 13 November 1906, p.5.
[6] The death certificate of Lily Jane Manning,
[7] RG14, Hardington Mandeville, schedule 14381.
[8] RG15, North Molton, schedule 52.
[9] Western Chronicle, 5 February 1915, p.6; British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920.
[10] RG15, Hardington Mandeville, enumeration district 6, schedule 98.
