Introduction
Henry Bartlett was a farm labourer with a remarkable record of achievements. He was the founder of the Hardington Friendly Society and played an active role in its management until at least 1895. In his forties, he won several prizes for his skills in mowing, thatching and hedging, and from his late forties to mid-sixties, he often won an annual prize for his allotment. Tragically, he faced significant personal loss, with the deaths of two sons in childhood and two daughters at the age of 25.
Childhood
Henry was born at Hardington on 22 August 1819, the seventh of ten children born to Robert and Mary Bartlett.[1] His father was a weaver until the late 1840s, when he became a farm labourer. Henry’s siblings included George and Emanuel.
Sadly, two of Henry’s brothers passed away young. Charles died from rheumatic fever at the age of 28 on 1 September 1845, and Joseph died at 46 on 25 June 1855 from a broken leg after jumping down from a churchyard wall.[2]
Marriage
On 13 March 1845, Henry married Ann Park at Hardington. They were both aged 25, and both signed the marriage register.
Ann was the illegitimate daughter of Mary Park. In the marriage register, she recorded her father as William Lugg, a rope manufacturer.[3]
Early married life
Initially, Henry and Ann lived at Hardington Moor, near the bottom of Pig Hill. The 1851 census recorded Henry as a farm labourer and Ann as a canvas weaver, with three children.
In 1853, while Ann was pregnant with their sixth child, their second child, Benjamin Thomas, fell ill with a phlegmonous inflammation of the leg and died on 5 May 1853 at the age of six.[4] They named their seventh child Benjamin Thomas as well, but he passed away at just 15 months old.
By April 1861, the family had moved to a house near the centre of the village, possibly one of the Rydon Cottages. By this time, Ann was no longer a canvas weaver, while their two surviving sons were both farm workers. By March 1887, they were definitely living at Rydon Cottages, as this address appears in the local newspaper.[5]
During the 1860s, two more daughters were born, while the three oldest daughters left home to work in domestic service. In 1869, their oldest son, Robert, married and settled in the village.
In the 1870s, their son, William Henry, probably emigrated to Australia, while their daughter Emily became a laundry maid at Montacute vicarage, leaving just Fanny and Sarah at home. By that time, Fanny was an assistant teacher at the village school. In 1882, Fanny left Hardington for a teaching position near Preston Plucknett.
During the 1880s, Henry and Ann had to face the deaths of two daughters and one son-in-law. In June 1881, Jane contracted typhoid fever while working at Shrublands, Torquay, and was admitted to Torbay Infirmary. After six weeks, she died on 28 July 1881 at the age of 25, with Henry by her side.[6] Sarah died at Hardington on 4 March 1887 at the age of 25.[7] The following year, Elizabeth’s husband, George Cornall, died from cancer at Torquay at the age of 29, and Henry attended his funeral at Kingsteignton on Sunday, 23 September 1888.[8]
Illegitimate granddaughter
Henry and Ann also had to contend with their youngest daughter, Emily, becoming pregnant in 1889 while unmarried. Her daughter, Sarah Jane, was born on 14 March 1890. Although she sought an affiliation order against Robert Burt, she was unsuccessful.[9] She began raising Sarah Jane while living at home with her parents and working as a laundress. In 1895, Emily married a farm labourer named Joseph Purchase and moved next door to her parents, eventually having a daughter with Joseph in 1900.
Achievements
Henry accomplished many admirable things during his life.
In 1847, he proposed establishing a village friendly society or club to support members during sickness and bereavement. He played an active role in its management, and on 30 May 1875, he was chosen to present William White with a Bible in recognition of his services as treasurer for 27 years.[10] From at least 1883 until 1895, the annual club day in June began with members gathering outside his house, which was known as the clubhouse.[11]
During the 1860s, while working for Albert Young of Manor Farm, Henry won several competitions organised by the Haselbury Labourers’ Association. On 25 June 1863, he came second in a mowing competition at Haselbury and won a fustian coat worth £1.[12] When the same competition was held at North Perrott on 13 June 1867, he missed out on the prizes but received a commendation.[13] However, in October 1867, he won a fustian coat worth 15s for thatching two ricks at Haselbury and the following year, he won the first prize of a coat worth £2 in the hedging competition.[14] After Albert Young moved to East Chinnock, Henry secured a position with George Marsh of Bridge Close Farm.[15]
Between 1866 and 1885, he regularly won an annual cash prize from the Live and Let Live Labourers’ Friendly Society for his allotment, receiving between 6s and 10s.[16]
On 3 March 1870, he killed a two-foot-long adder in the village, which was noted in the local newspaper.[17] While not an achievement at such, this incident shows that his actions were visible at a community level.
In June 1885, a Liberal club was formed in Hardington, and Henry was elected to the committee along with eight others.[18]
Death
Ann died in 1902 at the age of 83, while Henry died in about 1904 at the age of 84.
Children
Henry and Ann had ten children.
1845- Robert William (married Elizabeth Sandiford in 1869; lived at Townsend Farm until 1920; died in 1938);
1847- Benjamin Thomas (died in 1853 at the age of six);
1850- William Henry (a farm labourer in April 1871; possibly emigrated to Australia);
1852- Mary Ann (moved to Bournemouth; married Edward George Pudden, a carpenter and joiner, in 1882; widowed 1902; died in about 1936).
1853- Elizabeth (moved to Torquay, where she married George Cornall, a butcher’s assistant, in 1885; widowed in 1888; died in 1930);
1855- Jane (became a housemaid at Torquay; died in 1881 at the age of 25)
1857- Benjamin Thomas (died in 1858 at the age of one);
1859-Fanny (an assistant teacher at Hardington from 1875 to 1882; married Mark Samways, a carpenter, in 1883; resided at Preston Plucknett; died in 1927);
1861- Sarah (a housemaid in April 1881; died in 1887 at the age of 25);
1864- Emily (gave birth to an illegitimate daughter in 1890; married Joseph Purchase in 1895; died near Lymington in 1957).
References
[1] Family heirloom document with a list of names and birth dates.
[2] Death certificate of Charles Bartlett; Sherborne Mercury, 3 July 1855, p. 3.
[3] William Lugg has not been identified.
[4] Death certificate of Benjamin Thomas Bartlett.
[5] Western Gazette, 11 March 1887, p.1. The 1891 census recorded the property as 333 The Street.
[6] Death certificate of Jane Bartlett.
[7] Western Gazette, 11 March 1887, p.1.
[8] Totnes Weekly News, 6 October 1888, p.6.
[9] Western Gazette, 8 August 1890, p.6; 5 September 1890, p.6.
[10] Western Gazette, 19 June 1874, p.5.
[11] Western Gazette, 15 June 1883, p.6.
[12] Western Gazette, 27 June 1863, p.3; 24 November 1863, p.3.
[13] Sherborne Mercury, 18 June 1867, p.3.
[14] Western Gazette, 25 October 1867, p.6; 16 October 1868, p.4; 18 December 1868, p.8.
[15] Western Gazette, 10 April 1885, p.6.
[16] Western Gazette 12 October 1866, p. 5; Western Gazette 16 October 1868, p. 5; Western Gazette 16 October 1868, p. 5; Western Gazette 30 October 1874, p. 5; Western Gazette 13 October 1876, p. 7; Dorset County Chronicle 16 October 1879, p. 13; Western Gazette 8 October 1880, p. 7; Western Gazette 13 October 1882, p. 7; Western Gazette 2 October 1885 p. 8.
[17] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 9 March 1870, p.5.
[18] Devon and Somerset News, 16 June 1885, p.6.
