Introduction
After a childhood spent at Hardington Marsh, Daniel found business success at West Coker as a carpenter and builder. He became a prominent figure in the parish, serving as a parish councillor, supporting his Baptist church and winning prizes for his gardening skills.
Childhood at Hardington
Daniel was born at Hardington in about 1844, the fourth son of William and Mary Hallett.[1] His father initially worked as a shoemaker but changed to working as a farm labourer in the 1850s.
In April 1861, Daniel lived at Hardington Marsh with his parents while working as a carpenter.
First marriage
On 10 May 1866, Daniel married Mary Ann Pitcher at West Coker. They established their home at 18 East Street, sharing it with Mary Ann’s widowed mother until she died in 1884.
Career
It is possible that Daniel moved to West Coker to work for Samuel Guppy in his building business at East Street, subsequently marrying Samuel’s wife’s sister. This theory is supported by the newspaper account of a court case in September 1873, where Daniel, as a witness, described himself as “a carpenter, working for Mr. Guppy, at West Coker.”[2] He may, therefore, have been among the six men and three boys that Samuel Guppy employed in April 1881. It is also noteworthy that Samuel’s sister, Susan Guppy, was one of the witnesses to Daniel’s wedding.
When Samuel Guppy retired in the 1880s, Daniel either took over his business or seized the opportunity to set up his own business.[3] A trade directory of 1889 lists Daniel as a carpenter, and in March 1890, he submitted a tender to the Yeovil Board of Guardians to make coffins for the Coker district, which was accepted.[4]
For over twenty years, Daniel continued making coffins for the Board of Guardians and arranging funerals. However, by 1911, he had expanded beyond carpentry, describing himself as a builder in that year’s census.
His business may have ceased in about 1914 as that is the year of his last recorded funeral and last tender for coffin making.[5] By then, he was seventy years old. He had already taken steps to provide for his retirement, selling his house at West Coker to his son-in-law, William George Burbage, who worked as an insurance agent, in about 1910.[6]
Religious Nonconformity
Daniel was a Baptist. At Christmas in 1876, he delivered a reading at the newly-established Montacute Baptist Sunday School.[7] On 27 May 1880, he attended the opening service at Montacute Baptist Chapel, which he may have helped build because Samuel Guppy was one of its builders.[8] In August 1884, Daniel chose the chapel as the venue for his second marriage.[9]
Politics and other interests
Daniel was a significant figure in parish affairs. In July 1901, he was elected as a parish councillor and may have served until March 1907, when he failed to be elected.[10]
He was also interested in adult education. In November 1913, he was elected as one of the vice presidents of the adult school at West Coker, a body of which he was already treasurer.[11]
Daniel was a keen gardener and tended an allotment to such a high standard that in the 1870s, he won several prizes from local societies concerned with promoting thrift and self-help among labourers.[12] He also competed in the village flower show, winning second prize for turnips in 1894 and third prize for runner beans in 1896.[13]
Addresses
Daniel lived at several different addresses at West Coker:
1871 18 East Street
1881 Duck Street
1891 Manor Street
1900 Sunnyside
1901 Mid Lawns
1911 Mount Cottage, High Street
Adversity
Daniel’s life was blighted by loss and suffering. In 1879, his first wife, Mary Ann, died at the age of 37, leaving him seven children to care for. Mary Ann’s mother assisted by acting as Daniel’s housekeeper until she died in May 1884.
In February 1880, Daniel’s seven-year-old daughter, Emily, was so severely burnt when her clothes caught fire that she died the next day.[14]
On 26 April 1894, Daniel’s eldest son died, aged only 25.
Daniel’s third son, James, who was his business partner in 1904, may have emigrated to Canada with his wife before 1911.
Second marriage
Daniel remarried at Montacute Baptist church on 21 August 1884, within a few months of his mother-in-law’s death.[15] His second wife was Ellen Weech, a domestic servant who worked as a nurse at Hewhill House, West Coker, in April 1881. Ellen’s father had been a wheelwright and carpenter until his death in 1875. Unfortunately, their marriage was short-lived, as Ellen passed away in November 1887 at the age of 38, shortly after giving birth to their daughter, Margery.
Death
Daniel died in 1919 at the age of 74.
Although Daniel’s second wife was interred at West Coker, Daniel and his first wife were probably laid to rest in a nonconformist cemetery or the Yeovil cemetery.
References
[1] The Civil Registration Birth Index does not include a record of Daniel Hallett born at that time, but it does include an entry for John Hallett in Q1, 1845, mother’s maiden name Jeans, which could relate to Daniel.
[2] Western Gazette, 12 September 1873, p.5.
[3] By April 1891, Samuel Guppy was a farmer at Westfield Farm, East Coker.
[4] Western Gazette, 4 April 1890, p.6.
[5] Western Gazette, 17 April 1914, p.8; Western Chronicle, 12 June 1914, p.5.
[6] Western Gazette, 16 September 1910, p.6.
[7] Western Gazette, 5 February 1875, p.5; 5 January 1877, p.6.
[8] Western Gazette, 28 May 1880, p.7.
[9] Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis Telegram, 29 August 1884, p.9.
[10] Western Chronicle, 12 July 1901, p.5; 29 March 1907, p.5.
[11] Western Chronicle, 21 November 1913, p.5.
[12] Western Gazette, 14 October 1870, p.7; 13 October 1871, p.5; 22 October 1875, p.6; Chard and Ilminster News, 13 October 1877, p.2 and 3; Western Gazette, 8 November 1878, p.8.
[13] Western Chronicle, 3 August 1894, p.7; 28 August 1896, p.6.
[14] Western Gazette, 5 March 1880, p.7.
[15] Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis Telegram, 29 August 1884, p.9.
