Introduction

Henry Bull is recorded in the 1851 census as a brickmaker’s labourer at Kingswood, Hardington, employed by John Stone. He was originally from Crewkerne, where he later married and resided until the 1860s. he then moved to Melcombe Regis on the Dorset coast, where he found work as the caretaker of the Good Templar’s Hall. He died in 1877 at the age of just 42.

Early life

Henry Bull was born around 1835 in Crewkerne to John and Jane Bull. His father, Henry, worked as a farm labourer before becoming a market gardener at Charmouth.

In 1851, Henry’s parents, who lived in Hermitage Street, Crewkerne, recorded him on their census schedule as a brickyard labourer. At the same time, his employer, John Stone, recorded him on his schedule as a brickmaker’s labourer at Kingswood, Hardington.

Marriage

Henry married Ann Stoodley at Crewkerne on 8 November 1856. Ann, the daughter of a shoemaker, was baptised at the South Petherton Wesleyan Chapel on 15 March 1835.

The couple settled in Crewkerne and had two children. By April 1861, they lived in Hermitage Street and Henry worked as a haircloth weaver.

Life at Melcombe Regis

Between 1861 and 1867, Henry and his family moved to Melcombe Regis, where they had two more children. By April 1871, they lived at 1 Governors Lane, and at that time, Henry was a general dealer. Later on, he became a caretaker.

Henry died in March 1877, aged 42. A brief account of his funeral described him as the keeper of the Good Templar’s Hall and a member of “The Flower of the West Lodge.” He was interred with honours at Weymouth cemetery, where over seventy members of the order, male and female, gathered to pay their last respects.[1]

Later life of Henry’s widow.

In 1879, Ann married George Chick of Weymouth. By April 1881, they lived in the High Street and George was a porter and grocer. In April 1891, Ann occupied a grocer’s shop in the High Street, while her father, William Stoodley, lived with her, as George was a patient in the Royal Hospital. By March 1901, Ann lived at 1 Melrose Terrace in the household of her son-in-law, George F Bugler, a cab proprietor, while George was lodging at 19 Chickerell Road. By April 1911, George had become a widower, but the exact date of Ann’s death has not yet been found.

References

[1] Southern Times and Dorset Herald, 24 March 1877, p.4.