In April 1891, Martha Alberta Squire, aged 20, was a grocer’s assistant at Hardington Moor.

Early life at Hardington

Martha was born at Hardington on 4 December 1870. She was the youngest daughter of Albert and Martha Squire, who ran a bakery and shop. When her father died in 1886, her mother closed the bakery but continued with the shop. Martha and her older sister, Ellen, helped her run it.

Marriage

On 5 August 1895, Martha married William George Bishop at Hardington.[1] He was a printer’s compositor who probably lived and worked in Yeovil.

Husband’s background

William came from a poor family. When his parents married at Fordington, Dorset, in 1858, his father was a sailor and his mother a servant. By April 1861, his father had obtained work as a mason’s labourer, and he and his wife lived in Mill Lane, Fordington, the poorest part of Dorchester. Ten years later, they lived in Holloway Row, which was little better.

William must have displayed an aptitude for patient, conscientious work. He was also ambitious. By the age of fifteen, he was a printer’s apprentice. Ten years later, he was working in Reigate as a printer compositor. Within the next four years, he moved to Yeovil to work for the Western Gazette Company, where he remained until he retired.

Life in Yeovil

In March 1901, William and Martha lived at 101 Goldcroft. By April 1911, they had moved to a six-room house at 3 Crofton Park. The 1911 census shows Martha’s mother and an eighteen-year-old male boarder living with them

William died on 15 August 1944, aged 78, leaving an estate valued at £483 10s.

Martha died on 31 October 1951, aged 80, leaving an estate valued at £2,088 14s.

They had no children.

References

[1] Western Gazette, 9 August 1895, p.8