Introduction

James Barrett Genge was the grandson of John Barrett, a farmer at Hardington. His mother, Elizabeth, was a teacher at the village school during the 1860s while his father, John, was a gamekeeper for a time. Despite these advantages, James had an unsettled childhood, losing his father at the age of 9 and his oldest brother at 14.

When he was 11, his mother married a farm labourer named William Park, who was only ten years older than James. Although William was relatively young, he may have provided some stability for the family, guiding James and his brother, John, towards jobs on the railway, although it is unclear whether they remained in this line of work.

Birth

James was born at Hardington in 1837, the second child of five children born to John and Elizabeth Genge.[1] He was the older brother of John Barrett Genge.

Parents

James’s mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of John Barrett, a farmer at Hardington Marsh. James’s father, John, initially worked as a weaver and labourer at Hardington before securing a position as a gamekeeper at Staple Fitzpaine in about 1842. Unfortunately, health problems forced John to quit his job and return to Hardington.

Three deaths

John Genge died on 19 October 1846 when James was 9 years old.[2]

When James was eleven, his mother married William Park, who was about seventeen years younger than her. William and Elizabeth had two daughters: Rhoda and Maria.

By March 1851, James’s older brother, Francis John, was working on the farm of his grandfather, John Barrett, at Hardington Marsh. Tragically, Francis died from rheumatic pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart) at the age of 17 the following year.[3]

When James was 21, his half-sister, Maria Park, died from influenza.[4]

Stepfather

William Park had a significant influence on the lives of James and his brother, John. By March 1851, the family lived at White Vine, Hardington, where William, James and John worked as farm labourers. By October 1858, William Park had left farm work to become a railway labourer, and James and John followed in his footsteps.[5] By April 1861, the family lived in one of the railway cottages at Hardington Marsh. By that time, both James and John were railway labourers, and James was also a militiaman.

Poaching incident

On 3 December 1856, James Genge, 19, and James Eastment, 18, appeared at Yeovil County Petty Sessions, accused of poaching. The magistrates offered them a choice: pay a £1 fine or spend five weeks in the house of correction. They chose the latter.[6]

Physical characteristics

The prison records describe James as 5 feet 4 inches tall with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a fair complexion.[7]

Disappearance

James has not been found after 1861.

References

[1] James was born in June, July or August 1837.

[2] John Genge’s death certificate.

[3] Francis John Genge’s death certificate.

[4] Maria Elizabeth Park’s death certificate.

[5] William Park was a railroad labourer when he registered the death of Maria Elizabeth on 17 October 1858.

[6] Sherborne Mercury, 9 December 1856, p.2.

[7] Somerset, England, Gaol Registers, 1807-1879