Introduction
George James Partridge spent his entire life in Hardington, adapting to the opportunities available in the building trade in Yeovil. Over time, he achieved a degree of stability, ultimately owning his own home, which he left to his three daughters.
Childhood
George was born on 4 January 1882 at Hardington Mandeville, the fifth child of John Wethey Partridge and his wife Charlotte (née Delamont). His father was a labourer. The family initially lived at Broadstone before moving to Lyatts in about 1897.[1]
In November 1899, at the age of 17, George placed a newspaper advertisement seeking a situation in a stable or garden.[2] By 1901, he was working as a mason’s labourer.
In March 1903, he was elected to the Hardington cricket club committee, marking his only recorded involvement in local sports, in contrast to his cousin, George William Partridge, who played both football and cricket for Hardington.[3]
Marriage and family
In 1909, George married Fanny Higgins of Hardington. Fanny’s father, James Higgins, was a farm labourer who lived at Rydons Cottages (the one nearest Barry Lane). In 1901, Fanny worked as a general servant at Manor Farm.
George and Fanny had three children: Ivy Viola Winifred, born in 1910; Eveline May, born in 1912; and Dorothy Peggy, born in 1917 (known as Peggy).
Working life
By 1911, the family lived at 330, Hardington, a four-room house next door to Mary Voizey’s shop. At that time, George worked as a builder’s yardman responsible for a motor mill and gas plant. In 1921, they still resided there, and George was working as a builder’s labourer employed by J W & H Childs of Yeovil. He described his work as “motor grinding with gas suction plant.”
In August 1915, a policeman caught George riding his bicycle without a light at 9.30 at night. Although George informed him that he had only travelled half a mile from Hardington Moor, he was summoned before Yeovil County Sessions and fined 3 shillings.[4]
On 1 September 1921, George gave away his sister Elizabeth Ann when she married William George Elford, a solicitor’s managing clerk, at Christ Church, Dorchester.[5]
Later life
By 1937, the family had moved to a cottage at Lyatts, where Fanny died on 2 October 1937, at the age of 56, “after years of suffering patiently borne.”[6]
On 27 March 1938, George made his will, leaving his cottage and land at Lyatts, together with his furniture, to Ivy, instructing her “ if possible to keep a home for my daughters Peggy Dorothy and for May when she is able to come.” He divided the remainder of his estate, including his Prudential insurance money, among Ivy, May, and Peggy.
The 1939 census recorded George living at Lyatts with Ivy, Peggy and a twelve-year-old evacuee from Wandsworth named Myfanwy Parry. At that time, George was working as a builder’s labourer. May lived in Yeovil with her husband, Clifford Edwin George Bolton, a progress chaser at Westlands. During the war years, Ivy married Stanley George Chant, a cowman, in 1940, and Peggy married Harold Frank Gillard, a storeman at Westlands, in 1943.
George died at Taunton and Somerset Hospital on 10 March 1952 at the age of 70. His estate was valued at £1,182 11s 2d. His home was later purchased by Peggy and her husband, who lived there for many years.
Conclusion
The newspaper advertisement that George placed at the age of 17 could have led to a new life elsewhere. Instead, he remained at Hardington, supporting himself through work in Yeovil’s building trade. His three daughters also stayed in the local area, continuing the family’s association with Hardington and its surroundings.
References
[1] Hardington voters’ lists.
[2] Western Gazette, 24 November 1899, p.4. George gave his age as 18.
[3] Western Chronicle, 27 March 1903, p.7; Western Gazette, 2 August 1946, p.2.
[4] Western Chronicle, 1 October 1915, p.7.
[5] Western Gazette, 9 September 1921, p.4.
[6] Western Gazette, 8 October 1937, p.16.