Introduction

Jane Haggett married a sailor named John Haggett and outlived him by 34 years. She inherited an interest in property in 1813, which gave her some financial security. Unfortunately, her youngest child, Thomas, became an inveterate small-time criminal.

Birth

Jane was born around 1776, the fifth of seven children born to Thomas and Elizabeth Apsey. Her parents married in Wilton, Wiltshire, on December 23, 1766, and the marriage register indicates that Thomas was a baker. Thomas may have died in 1796, followed by Elizabeth in 1806.

Marriage

On 19 July 1798, Jane married John Haggett, a sailor, at Hardington.

Inheritance

In 1813, Jane’s unmarried sister, Elizabeth, died, leaving an estate valued at “under £450.” She bequeathed it to her three sisters—Dorcas, Jane, and Hester—as tenants in common.[1]

John’s death

John died in November 1821, aged 53.

Jane’s later life

By June 1841, Jane and her sister, Dorcas, lived in the household of Jane’s son, Joseph. In March 1851, Jane was the head of a large household at Lyatts, which included the family of her married daughter, Elizabeth Bartlett, and Henry Haggett, her nine-year-old grandson.[2]

The 1843 tithe map and apportionment recorded Jane as the occupier of a house and orchard at Lyatts (plots 24 and 25) and an allotment in Coldharbour (plot 452).[3]

In the 1840s and 1850s, Jane had to endure the shame of seeing her youngest son, Thomas, convicted of multiple counts of theft.

Death

Jane died in January or February 1855, aged 80 or 81.[4]

Children

John and Jane had three sons and two daughters:

1799- William (died 1805);

1802- Jane (married Elias Willmot, a shoemaker, in 1828; died in 1864);

Circa 1806-Joseph (became a farmer and cattle dealer);

Circa 1811- Elizabeth Apsey (married John Bartlett in 1836; emigrated to Australia in 1863);

Circa 1814-Thomas (married Abigail Hawkins in 1834; numerous criminal convictions; died after 1872).

References

[1] The will of Elizabeth Apsey, dated 25 March 1813, proved at Wells on 26 June 1813.

[2] The 1861 census recorded Henry as Jane’s nephew, but he actually was the son of Jane’s son, Joseph.

[3] The tithe apportionment recorded Jane’s name as “Joan.”

[4] The Civil Registration Death Index recorded Jane’s age as 80, while the Hardington burial register recorded it as 81.