George White was a gardener, aged 40, at Hardington in 1851.

Charminster

George was born at Forstone, Charminster, in 1811. His father, John, was a labourer

East Chinnock

In 1841, he was a servant at East Chinnock rectory, in the service of the Rev. Charles Smith Coxwell, who was curate of Evershot from about 1827 to 1840. Another servant in the household was Marianne Feaver Lake, a native of Evershot. She had probably entered service with Coxwell while he was a curate at Evershot and then moved with him to East Chinnock.

In May 1845, Coxwell’s wife died, which may have caused Marianne to move to Hardington Rectory to enter the service of the Rev. Henry Helyar.

Hardington

George White and Marianne married at Hardington on 24 February 1846. They then moved into the cottage in the Barry Lane dip. While living there, they had two children: William and Frances Elizabeth.

On 24 June 1856, George Witnessed the codicil to Helyar’s will, and on 8 January 1857, he signed an affidavit about that codicil.

In April 1861, George was a gardener at the vicarage, Merriott, but his wife and two children remained in the Barry Lane cottage. He may have moved to Merriott following the Rev Henry Helyar’s retirement in 1856.

Merriott

By April 1871, George and his wife lived at Merriott, where George was a groom and gardener at the vicarage. By April 1881, George and Marianne had moved to Edgwood House, Merriott. By April 1891, they lived in a four-room house in Church Street, with George continuing his work as a gardener.

Retirement

George may have died in 1891, aged 79, and Marianne in 1896, aged 84. If the relevant entries are correct, they died in the Barton Regis registration district, probably at the home of their son, William, in Morley Street, Bristol.

Marianne’s illegitimate son

Marianne appears to have had an illegitimate son named Henry F Lake, born at Newport on the Isle of Wight in about 1833. He lived with George and Marianne in 1851, but his later whereabouts are unknown.