Introduction
Albert Hedley Baker, known as Hedley Baker, worked for much of his life in trades connected with animals and the rural economy of Somerset and Dorset. Trained as a butcher, he later operated as a general dealer, amusement contractor, and horse dealer, and ran a licensed knacker’s yard. He moved to Hardington shortly before the First World War, where he acquired land and two cottages. His working life was varied but predominantly manual, and included a brief period of military service during the war.
Early life and family background
Hedley was born on 28 January 1877 at Piddletrenthide, the second child and only son of Albert William Baker and his wife, Sarah Jane (née Hooper). His father worked for a time in London as a journeyman butcher before returning to his native village to set up his own business, which had expanded to include farming by April 1891.
The family experienced early losses. One sister, Mabel Jane, died in infancy in 1883, and another, Bessie, died at the age of twenty. Two sisters, Eva Rebecca and Lilian Beatrix, survived. Lilian attended school in Dorchester at the age of fifteen, suggesting that the family could afford some degree of education beyond the elementary level.
Hedley entered the butchery trade at about the age of fourteen. He first worked as his father’s assistant and later as a butcher at Hazelbury Bryan. On 12 July 1898, he married Bessie Eavis of Manor Farm, Hilfield, at Hilfield parish church. The couple began their married life at Hazelbury Bryan, where their son Jehu Eavis was born, before moving to 24 Waterloo Road, Boscombe, where their second son, Albert, was born.
Independent trader
By his late twenties, Hedley had returned to Piddletrenthide and established himself as independent trader. A court case of March 1906 described him as a general dealer, while another case of October 1906 referred to him as an amusement proprietor.[1] By 1911, he was operating a licensed knacker’s yard at Hermitage, while also working as a horse dealer and continuing his involvement in amusements.
The RSPCA prosecution, 1913
In May 1913, Hedley and his father were prosecuted by the RSPCA under the Protection of Animals Act 1911. The case concerned an elderly pony that a newsagent had sold to them specifically for slaughter. Instead of destroying the animal, it was passed on and later found in the possession of a gypsy named Nelson Cooper.
The RSPCA’s solicitor claimed that Hedley had contravened nearly every regulation in the Act. He alleged that the pony had been kept in a field and subsequently sold to Cooper. The magistrates treated the matter as serious, emphasising the importance of preventing the traffic in old horses intended for slaughter. Hedley pleaded guilty to failing to slaughter the pony within the required period, but denied the additional charge of unlawfully selling it alive. He was fined and ordered to pay costs.[2]
The case illustrates how the boundary between knacker and dealer could in practice become blurred, particularly when some value remained in animals nominally destined for destruction. However, the law drew a clear distinction between the two roles, and, according to the newspaper, Hedley had been warned of this when he obtained his licence, suggesting that the blurring was not simply accidental.
Move to Hardington and military service
By 1915, Hedley and his family were living at St Bernards, Hardington. On 22 November 1915, he enlisted at Yeovil in the forage department of the Army Service Corps. He was appointed an acting sergeant and served as a forage cutter.
However, his service was brief. He was discharged at Stalbridge on 20 July 1916, after less than eight months, under the regulation “services no longer required.” His conduct was recorded as good, and there is no indication of disciplinary or medical issues. The discharge papers describe him as 5 ft 6 in tall, with brown hair and blue eyes, and note that he had a glass right eye, a condition which may have limited his usefulness even though it did not prevent his enlistment.
Later life
Hedley initially returned to Hardington, although his wife appears to have spent time away. In February 1917, Mrs H. Baker of St Barnards, Hardington, advertised some goats for sale.[3] However, the family moved shortly afterwards, as their youngest son, Sydenham Lloyd, was born at Piddletrenthide in July 1917. Additionally, a court case of August 1917 provides evidence that St. Bernard’s was empty by then.[4]
Their eldest son, Jehu, enlisted in the Dorset Regiment and was later transferred to the 10th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. He was killed in action in France or Flanders on 9 May 1918 at the age of eighteen, and was buried in Berles New Military Cemetery.
The 1921 census recorded Hedley and his family living at Hill End, Hardington. At that time, both he and his son, Albert, worked for the Yeovil building firm, Bird and Pippard. Albert was a motor driver, while Hedley, although describing himself as a butcher, was likely engaged in labouring work for the firm.
According to the parish rate book of 31 December 1923, Hedley owned two cottages at Hill End, Hardington: one that he lived in and another that he rented to Samuel Marsh. He also owned and occupied a field at Hardington Marsh of 3 roods 15 perches, and he occupied 19 perches of land owned by William Delamont.
In 1928, Bessie’s father died, leaving an estate valued at £826 13s 8d. Two years later, Hedley’s father died, leaving an estate valued at £1,241 7s, for which Hedley acted as an executor. The probate record describes him as a haulage contractor.
By September 1939, Hedley and Bessie lived at Vale View, Primrose Lane, Mudford, near their son, Albert. Hedley worked as a “County Council Roadman.” He died on 3 November 1962 at the age of 85, leaving an estate valued at £742 14s. Although this was a modest sum, it provided a financial cushion for Bessie, who survived him by six years. Her death was registered in the Wincanton district in the third quarter of 1968, at the age of 91.
Conclusion
Hedley Baker’s working life was characterised by adaptability as he moved between butchery, dealing, amusements, and the management and disposal of animals. Some of these occupations were becoming highly regulated and subject to legal scrutiny. In later life, he moved into activities associated with road transport. Although he owned two cottages and land by 1923, the estate he left at his death was modest.
References
[1] Bridport News, 30 March 1906, p.6; Dorset County Chronicle, 1 November 1906, p.10
[2] Western Gazette, 30 May 1913, p.10.
[3] Western Gazette 23 February 1917 p. 5.
[4] Western Chronicle, 31 August 1917, p.3.