Introduction
Francis Dawe was the tenant of Marsh Farm, Hardington, from the 1850s until his death in 1887. He never married but lived at the farmhouse with his unmarried sister, Elizabeth Frances, and other relatives. In later life, he became active in parish affairs, serving as a poor law guardian and playing a leading role in the formation of the village’s Liberal Party Club in 1885.
Early life and family background
Francis was born around 1825 at Melbury Osmond, the youngest of ten children born to Thomas Bodley Dawe and his wife, Mary (née Priddle). At the time of his birth, his father was likely the tenant of Holt Farm. In 1839, the family moved to Batcombe, Dorset, where they were recorded in the 1841 census.[1]
Marsh Farm, Hardington
In the 1840s, the family moved to Hardington Marsh, where Thomas’s brother, Michael, was the tenant of Marsh Farm. In 1847, Michael held a livestock sale at the farm as he was ending his dairy business.[2] Francis may have taken over as tenant around that time.
The 1851 census recorded Thomas as the head of the household, a retired farmer, with Mary and Elizabeth Frances listed as his wife and daughter. Francis appears to have been mistakenly recorded as a daughter and dairymaid, likely due to an enumerator’s error, and was probably already working as a farmer.
His mother died in 1852, and under the terms of an indenture dated 16 April 1808, she left £5 to each of her seven surviving children. Francis proved his mother’s will in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, the grant being issued in London on his oath, although this did not necessarily require him to attend in person, as such oaths were often sworn locally and transmitted to the court.[3] His father died in 1858 without leaving a will.
Francis continued to run the farm for nearly forty years, steadily expanding its size. He occupied 222 acres in 1861, 340 acres in 1871 and 563 acres in 1881, at which point he was the largest tenant farmer in the parish according to the census.
He lived at the farm with his sister, Elizabeth, who was six years older, along with various relatives, including a cousin and sister-in-law in 1861, a brother and uncle in 1871, and two brothers and a niece in 1881. His brother, Ellis, served as his bailiff from the 1860s onwards. After her mother died in 1875, his niece, Elizabeth Francis Dawe, lived with him. In 1892, she married Charles Bartlett Taylor of Broad Farm, East Chinnock, whose brother, William Dawe Taylor, would occupy Marsh Farm from 1895 to 1918.
Parish affairs
In his mid-fifties, Francis became more active in parish affairs. From 1879 to 1885, he served as the village poor law guardian, and in 1885, he was elected president of the new village Liberal Party Club. Alongside George Marsh, he was also elected as a delegate to the Central Association.[4]
Newspapers provide occasional glimpses of Francis’ activities. In 1857, he was among the farmers who signed a letter testifying that Sarah Delamont was “very saucy and abusive” when she accused Job Taylor, the blacksmith, of assaulting her.[5] In 1860, Francis helped Joseph Bartlett, a farmer and village constable, in arresting a violent poacher.[6] On Christmas Day 1875, Francis, Ellis and several labourers put out a fire at William Newbery’s Farm. [7]In 1882, Francis attended a rent supper at Manor Farm for tenants of the Portman estate.[8] In 1884, Lord Portman’s steward invited Francis to join his gamekeeper in hunting on Portman estate land at Haselbury. However, both Francis and the gamekeeper were fined since the tenant had not granted permission.[9]
Death and Elizabeth’s later years
Francis died on 30 June 1887 at the age of 62, after suffering for eighteen months from an illness described as “malignant disease of the spine,” followed by asthenia; the death certificate does not indicate whether the cancer was primary or secondary.[10] He left an estate valued at £646 10s 9d, which he bequeathed to his sister, Elizabeth, apart from £100 left to their niece of the same name.[11]
On 19 January 1888, a sale of his live and deadstock took place at the farm. The sale included 56 dairy cows bred on the farm, seven cart horses, five wagons, a cider press and two apple mills, forty hogsheads of prime cider, and a cheese tub capable of holding about fifty gallons.[12]
After Francis’s death, Elizabeth and her niece moved to Manor Street, West Coker, and later to East Chinnock. Elizabeth died on 3 June 1897, leaving an estate valued at £785 13s 6d, which she divided into 27 parts, distributing them among her nephews and nieces and the children of her late niece, Caroline Dommett Horwood. She appointed her nephews, Walter Taylor and his brother George, as her executors.[13]
Conclusion
Francis Dawe’s life was centred on Marsh Farm, where he built up a substantial tenancy over four decades. His later involvement in parish affairs suggests that his local standing grew alongside his agricultural success, although this prominence emerged relatively late in his life.
References
[1] Sherborne Mercury, 4 March 1839, p.1
[2] Dorset County Chronicle 14 January 1847 p. 1
[3] The will of Mary Dawe, dated 21 November 1851, proved in London on 8 November 1852.
[4] Western Gazette, 12 June 1885, p.7.
[5] Sherborne Mercury, 25 August 1857, p.5.
[6] Sherborne Mercury, 31 July 1860, p.5.
[7] Western Gazette, 31 December 1875, p.5.
[8] Western Gazette, 3 November 1882, p.6.
[9] Western Gazette, 21 November 1884, p.6.
[10] Death certificate of Francis Dawe.
[11] The will of Francis Dawe, dated 6 July 1886, proved at Taunton on 11 November 1887.
[12] Western Gazette 13 January 1888 p. 5.
[13] The will of Elizabeth Frances Dawe, dated 6 August 1891, proved at Taunton on 11 December 1897.
