Introduction

John Barrett was a farmer at Hardington Marsh during the 1830s and most of the 1840s. Before moving to Hardington, he lived at Corscombe and Melbury Osmond. In 1807, he married Elizabeth Dawe. The death of their son in 1838 contributed to their leaving the farm in about 1847. They also experienced a collapse in wealth and social status.

Birth

John, the son of John and Betty Barrett, was born at Corscombe in about 1785.

Marriage

On 5 January 1807, John married Elizabeth Dawe at Melbury Bubb. She was the daughter of Thomas and Grace Clarke Dawe.

Melbury Osmond

John was a farmer at Melbury Osmond until at least 1816.

Marsh Farm, Hardington

By 1832, John and his family were living at Marsh Farm, Hardington. John is listed on the voters’ lists from 1832 to 1847 as the occupier of land, including Marsh Farm. The 1843 tithe survey recorded him as the occupier of 99 acres owned by Lord Portman.

John’s grandson, Francis John Genge, the son of John’s daughter, Elizabeth, lived at Marsh Farm for much of his childhood.

The 1841 census shows a resident servant at the farm named Job Eastment, aged 16.

Inheritance

In 1836, Elizabeth inherited £50 from her father. Thomas Dawe. Her father also released her husband, John, from all debts due to him.[1]

Death of son

John and Elizabeth’s son, John, died on 24 August 1838 from inflammation of the bowels, aged 30. His death had serious implications for the future of the farm.

Financial collapse

In about 1847, John passed the farm over to Elizabeth’s brother, Thomas Bodley Dawe. By March 1851, John was a mere farm labourer, indicating a significant decline in his wealth and status. He had also lost his hearing by this time, as the 1851 census recorded him as deaf.

Death

John’s grandson, Francis, died on 13 May 1852 from rheumatic pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart), aged 17.

John died in June 1854, aged 69 or 70.[2] Elizabeth died in October 1858, aged 75.

Children

John and Elizabeth had two sons and two daughters.

References

[1] The will of Thomas Genge, dated 13 November 1834, proved in London on 9 April 1836.

[2] Hardington burial register recorded his age as 69, while the Civil Registration Death Index recorded it as 70.