Introduction

Emma Eastment life was full of struggle and hardship. She had three illegitimate children and did not marry until the age of 47, passing away six years later. However, her life was not without significance. In addition to being the mother to three children, she became the stepmother to ten children who were left vulnerable after the death of their mother. Moreover, both her sons served in the First World War, with one losing his life

Birth

Emma was born at Hardington in 1864, the third child of Reuben and Jane Eastment. Her father was a farm labourer.

Mother’s death

Emma’s mother, Jane, died in 1882, aged 54. Her father, Reuben, never remarried.

Dairymaid

In April 1881, Emma, aged 16, was a dairymaid at Landsdown Farm employed by John Griffin. Her older sister, Mary, was also a dairymaid at the same farm.

Life with father

Emma lived most of her life in her father’s four-room home at Hardington Marsh.

Illegitimate children

Emma had three children as a single woman: George, born in 1884; Albert, born in 1899; and Mabel Jane, born in 1900.

1911, a year of change

The year 1911 brought profound change for Emma.

The year began as usual, with the 1911 census showing Emma and her three children still living with her father, although her son, George, was recorded as the household head.

However, with Emma’s father nearing eighty and no longer able to earn a living, she sought work in March 1911 by advertising for laundry services, stating that “all work is done at home.”[1]

A major turning point occurred the following month. On 25 April 1911, Emma’s neighbour, Elizabeth Marsh, collapsed and died in the Butcher’s Arms, Yeovil, leaving ten children in the sole care of her husband, Edward Marsh.[2] Within five months, he and Emma were married.

Their marriage was based on mutual support. Edward provided financial security, while Emma helped care for his children.

Emma’s son, George, married Bessie Louisa Partridge and left the family home shortly afterwards.

Father’s death

Emma’s father, Reuben, died in 1912, aged 80.

Death

Unfortunately, Emma’s marriage to Edward Marsh was short-lived. She died from stomach cancer on 9 March 1917 at the age of 52.[3] Edward died in 1932.

Children

Emma’s sons, George and Albert, both fought in the First World War. Albert was killed in Belgium in 1918, but George returned home to his wife and daughter. He lived in North Lane for many years and died in 1959, aged 74.

Emma’s daughter, Mabel Jane, became a domestic servant in Yeovil, where she met and married Sidney Thomas George Hawkins, an electrician. She died at Summerlands Hospital on 9 August 1962, aged 61.

References

[1] Western Gazette, 3 March 1911, p.2.

[2] Western Gazette 28 April 1911 p. 4.

[3] Emma’s death certificate records her age as 51, but her birth was registered in Q4 1864.