Introduction

Henry Purchase migrated from Hardington to London in middle age and later returned as an elderly widower. After marrying late in life, he moved to London with his wife and two children in the 1860s. The family settled in Battersea, where Henry worked as a carpenter. After the death of his life in 1875, Henry remained in London for at least another six years before eventually returning to Hardington, where he worked as a gardener. His two children stayed in London, their lives transformed by their parents’ move there.

Early life in Hardington

Henry was born at Hardington in 1816, the fifth of seven children born to Henry and Joannah Sandiford. His father was a weaver for most of his life. However, Henry became a carpenter.

Marriage

Unusually, Henry did not get married until he was 43. On 24 December 1859, he married Emma Purchase at Crewkerne parish church. At that time, he was a carpenter living in North Street, Crewkerne. Emma was the daughter of George and Lucy Purchase of Hardington.

By April 1861, they lived with Henry’s father at Hardington Mandeville, in a house close to Manor Farm.

Henry and Emma had a son in 1861 and a daughter in 1863.

Life in London

Between 1863 and 1871, Henry and his family embarked on a new chapter by moving to London, which offered greater opportunities for his carpentry skills. By April 1871, they lived at 26 Broughton Street, Battersea.

In 1875, Emma died at the age of 50, wrecking the family’s stability. By April 1881, Henry and his son, Henry, had given up their house at 26 Broughton Street and were lodging with George Manning, a railway inspector who lived next door at 25 Broughton Street. His daughter, Mary, was a general servant at Southend.

In 1886, his son, Henry, married Eliza Amelia Rogers in the Holborn district.

Return to Hardington

By April 1891, Henry had returned to Hardington, where he lodged with Susannah Rendell at New Buildings and worked as a gardener. As he was by then 74, the work was probably casual.

Henry died in 1893, aged 76.

Children

Henry and Emma had two children. Henry George became a tram conductor and died in 1941. Mary Elizabeth married twice and died after 1939. Her son, Lance Corporal Cecil Sandiford Mower, was killed on the Western Front on 1 July 1916.