Edward English was a gardener residing at 43 Broadstone Cottage in 1891 and East Fields in 1901.

Early life at Minterne Magna

Edward was born at Lyons Gate, Minterne Magna, in 1842. His father, Daniel, was a farm worker. His mother, Sarah, was born in Blandford and was the daughter of a soldier.

Edward’s first work was indoors as a domestic servant. In April 1861, he was a hall boy at Minterne House, and, in April 1871, a ‘servant’ living at home with his parents.

By the time he married Emma Holt at Hermitage in April 1873, he had changed to outdoor work. The record of their marriage describes him as a ‘labourer’.

Life in Wiltshire

After a short time at Hermitage, Edward and Emma moved to Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire, where their second child, Edward Charles,  was born on 17 July 1875. As the distance between Minterne Magna and Limpley Stoke is fifty miles, Edward may have answered a newspaper advertisement or obtained help from a gentry family in his home parish. His work at Limpley Stoke may have been at a private house, a reformatory for girls or a Hydropathic Institution.

Edward and Emma only stayed at Limpley Stoke for a few years. They then moved eleven miles east to Keevil, where their third child was born on 4 October 1877. The baptism entry for the child records Edward’s occupation as a ‘gardener’.

Life in East Coker and Hardington

Edward then took a position as a gardener at or near East Coker. In April 1881, he and his family lived at South Down Cottage, East Coker, and in April 1885, at Hew Hill, near Holywell, West Coker.

In about 1887, Edward accepted a position as a gardener at Hardington Rectory. He rented 43 Broadstone Cottages to live in, and by December 1892, if not earlier, he was head gardener.[1]

Edward remained at the rectory for nine years.[2] However, a disagreement with the rector or some other reason led to his final move to East Fields, where he worked as a “Gardener, not Domestic,” a title which suggests he was a market gardener.

Edward died in 1903, aged 56. After his death, his widow, Emma, moved to Tarrant Hinton to live with her married daughter, Henrietta. Emma died in the Yeovil area in about 1934, aged 84, probably while staying with another relative.

References

[1] Western Gazette, 30 December 1892, p.5.

[2] Western Gazette, 24 April 1896, p.4.