Introduction

In April 1871, Ann Mudford, aged 48, was the sole occupier of a house and orchard at Hardington Marsh. This house, just west of Grove Farm, was one of several houses at Hardington Marsh later abandoned due to the decline in population during the nineteenth century. Living alone in such an isolated setting may have adversely affected her health, ultimately leading to her admission into an asylum.

Birth

Ann was born at Hardington in about 1822, the daughter of Michael and Sarah Mudford. Michael lived at Hardington Marsh, where he farmed between seven and eight acres.

Domestic service

In June 1841, Ann worked as a servant for Moses Hawkins, a farmer at Yew Tree Close, Yeovil.

Return home

Within ten years, she returned home to look after her parents, probably taking over responsibilities from her younger sister, Jane, who had entered domestic service.

After Ann’s mother died in 1850 and her brother Thomas left home in the 1850s, she and her father lived alone until he died in January 1868. Following his death, she lived entirely by herself for thirteen years.

Illness and death

This prolonged isolation may have contributed to a decline in her health. Near the end of her life, she suffered from gangrene caused by hardened arteries and spent time in the care of her brother, Michael, a former gamekeeper, who lived with his wife and daughter at West Monkton.

Her health issues affected her mental state, and on 26 March 1881, she was admitted to the Somerset Lunatic Asylum at Wells. She died there thirteen days later, on 8 April 1881, at the age of 59.

Subsequent history of the house

The house can be found on the Ordnance Survey map of 1901, but it does not appear on the Ordnance Survey map of 1927.