Introduction

Thomas Matthews lived in Hardington from the 1830s to the 1870s, where he worked as a butcher. Prior to his time in Hardington, he resided at endomer. Thomas never married and ultimately passed away in the Yeovil Workhouse.

Early life

Thomas was born around 1803 in Membury, the first of nine children born to Richard and Mary Matthews. All of the children were baptised at Stockland, although at least two may have been born in Whitchurch Canonicorum. Thomas’s father, Richard, was a farmer. The family later moved to Pendomer, where Richard died in January 1831.

Move to Hardington

After Richard’s death, the family relocated to Hardington. By June 1841, Thomas was living in a house in Hardington High Street with his mother, his brothers Richard and George, and his sister, Eliza Bridget. The census from that year does not note his occupation; however, he is recorded as a butcher in the censuses of 1851, 1861, and 1871.

1849-61

Between 1849 and 1861, the family underwent significant changes that left Thomas living alone by April 1861, except for a boarder, the 82-year-old Betsy Slade. His mother died in December 1849 at the age of 70, and his brother George left home before March 1851. His sister, Eliza Bridget, married in Plymouth in 1857. By April 1861, his brother Richard was working as a servant at the Coach and Horse Inn in Yeovil.

Later life

By April 1871, Betsy Slade had moved out, and Richard had returned to live with Thomas.

Thomas died in the Yeovil workhouse on 4 May 1880 from “decay” at the age of about 77.[1] After his death or earlier, Richard left the village, and his whereabouts in April 1881 remain unknown. Neither Thomas nor Richard ever married.

References

[1] Death certificate of Thomas Matthews (age recorded as 75).