Introduction

Frederick Miller spent his formative years in the rural landscape between Dorchester and Purbeck. He married at Wyke Regis in 1889, and throughout the next fifteen to twenty years, he held various roles as a labourer, cowman, and dairyman across Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire, ultimately settling in Puddletown, where he continued his work as a cowman and dairyman.

Birth

Frederick Miller was born in 1865 in Langton Matravers, Dorset, the third child of Joseph and Mary Ann Miller. His father, Joseph, was a farm labourer.

Childhood

Frederick enjoyed a stable childhood, as his parents remained at Langton Matravers until he was at least ten. They then moved to Tyneham, about nine miles to the west to Tyneham. There, Frederick began working as a farm servant before the family moved further west to Puddletown and eventually settled in Weymouth, where Frederick met his future wife, Elizabeth Sarah Caines.

Marriage

Frederick and Elizabeth were married by banns at Wyke Regis on Boxing Day, 1889. Frederick signed the register with a cross. His sister, Margaret, and Elizabeth’s brother, Arthur William Caines, were the witnesses.

Elizabeth was the daughter of George and Caroline Caines, who lived at 1 Hartley Terrace, Wyke Regis. Before settling in the town, Elizabeth’s parents had lived in various places in Dorset, Surrey and Berkshire, where her father worked as a farm labourer.

Interestingly, Elizabeth was also born at Langton Matravers but left the village by the age of three.

Occupations

At this time, Frederick was a dairyman at Wyke Regis, or at least this was the occupation he gave.

Over the next fifteen to twenty years, Frederick worked as a labourer, cowman or dairyman in different places across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. His employment history includes:

December 1890- labourer at Winfrith Newburgh, Dorset;

April 1891- cowman at Over Compton, Dorset;

April 1892- dairyman at Hardington Mandeville, Somerset;

April 1893-June 1900 (approx.)- cowman at Clench, Milton Lilbourne, Wiltshire;

1901-1903+ (approx.)- dairyman at Lower Merley, Canford Magna, Dorset.

During his time at Canford Magna, Frederick employed Joseph Hart, a dairyman in his twenties, as a live-in servant.

Puddletown

In his forties, Frederick adopted a more settled lifestyle in his forties, making Puddletown his permanent home.

By April 1911, he was a cowman living at Water Barn, Puddletown, with his wife and five surviving children: Mabel Kate, Beatrice May, Florence Evelyn, Elsie Victoria and Harold Bertram. Also in his household was Mabel’s illegitimate son, Wilfred, who had been born the previous year.

Over the next ten years, Mabel, Beatrice and Elsie married, leaving Florence and Harold as the only siblings still living at home.

By June 1921, Frederick had moved to Northbrook, Puddletown, where his entire family, except Wilfred, who was still at school, worked in a dairy for a farmer named Mr T. Duke.

Death

Frederick died at Puddletown in December 1930, aged 65.

Elizabeth’s later life

Following Frederick’s death, Elizabeth continued to live at Northbrook. Her grandson, Wilfred, married in 1931, her son, Harold, in 1933, and her daughter, Florence, in 1940.

Elizabeth died in April 1957, aged 89.[1] Her last address was 2 Mill Street, Puddletown.

Children

Frederick and Elizabeth had eight children, three of whom died in infancy. Their daughter, Beatrice, lost his first husband in the First World War.

References

[1] The Civil Registration Death Index and the Puddletown burial register incorrectly record Elizabeth’s age as 85.