Introduction

John Bartlett served as a gunner with the Royal Marine Artillery. He retired from the military in 1881, intending to settle in Hardington; however, his wife passed away just one year into their marriage. Subsequently, he moved to Southampton to work as a customs officer and remarried in 1884. Tragically, he died three years later due to an accident. After his death, his widow returned to North Perrott, where she had previously worked as a cook.

Childhood

John was born at Hardington in 1844, the youngest son of Matthew and Mary Ann. His father was initially a farm labourer and later became the landlord of the New Inn.

John has not been found in the 1861 census, suggesting he left the village in his teens.

Military career

By April 1871, John was serving in the Royal Marine Artillery. On the night of 2 April 1871, he was a gunner aboard a vessel named “King Alfred” in Grassey Bay, Bermuda. On the night of 3 April 1881, he served as a bombardier on board the “Minotaur,” which was anchored off Gibraltar.

First marriage

In August 1881, at Hardington, he married Charlotte Partridge, the daughter of Abraham Partridge, a smallholder of Lyatts.

Charlotte’s death

Their son, Christopher John, was born at Hardington on 10 July 1882, but Charlotte died shortly after childbirth at the age of 33.

Second marriage

On 29 May 1883, John attended the North Perrott Club Day, during which Rear-Admiral Hoskins spoke about the role of the Royal Marine Artillery, in defeating 10,000 Egyptian troops near Kassassin.[1] It may have been on that day that John met his future second wife, Ann Pearson Belton, who was a cook at North Perrott Rectory. John was about 39, and Ann was four years younger.

Ann came from Clipsham in Rutland, where her father worked as a quarryman and stone mason.[2] She owed her position at North Perrott Rectory to her sister, Frances, who worked for the Rev Charles Thomas Hoskins, most of her life, never marrying. Initially, Frances was a nursery maid under Hoskins when he was Rector of Clipsham and moved with him to North Perrott when he became Rector there in 1876.[3] Ann may have moved to North Perrott at that time or slightly later. [4]

John probably told Ann about his plans to move to Southampton to work as a customs officer, an idea that may have originated with his sister, Elizabeth Joslin, who had lived there since 1870. On 22 June 1883, he advertised a house with an orchard and garden at Lyatts for sale.[5]

John and Ann were married at North Perrott Church on 3 July 1884. John’s occupation was recorded in the marriage register as “Pensioner Boatman.”

Southampton

Following their marriage, John and Ann established their home at Southampton, where their son. Harold Francis was born on 29 April 1885.

A fatal fall

On the evening of Monday, 21 March 1887, John carried out his duties as a customs officer on board the Brittany, which had arrived from the Channel Islands. At 11.55 p.m., he bid goodnight to William Shaw, the officer who had come to relieve him. About a minute later, Shaw heard a cry for help from the aft part of the ship. Grabbing a lantern, he ran ashore and attempted to use the life-saving apparatus. Finding he could do little on his own, he decided to seek help.

Shaw soon encountered a dock constable and another man who had also heard the cry for help. They managed to locate John in the water, nearly under the starboard sponson, and observed that he was not making any effort to swim, even though a buoy was close to him.  The constable placed a boat-hook under John to hold him afloat until a boat could reach him. John was taken to the Dockhouse, where he was stripped of his wet clothes and rubbed to warm and revive him.

John’s superior officer, James Street was called and arrived at the Dockhouse around 12.15 or 12.20. He later recalled that John was able to speak coherently and complained of severe pain in his back. He also remembered that his breathing was laboured, and he spat blood and mucus. A doctor was summoned and arrived at about 12.30. He concluded that John was improving and advised that his treatment should continue. He then left but took him with a man who later returned with a stimulant containing ether and ammonia to help John’s recovery. Ten minutes after the stimulant was administered, John was laid down and covered with blankets. After initially appearing easier and drowsy, he subsequently made three convulsive gnashings of his teeth and died. According to Street, this occurred at 1.45 a.m.

Later that day, an inquest was held at the Platform Tavern on the Town quay. Surprisingly, the critical question of how John fell into the water remained officially unresolved. It was established that John had left the ship via a sponson because there was no gangway. However, the Coroner, seemly eager to absolve the ship’s owners, the South Western Company, from any blame, said that it was uncertain whether John fell into the water from the vessel or from the quay. Consequently, he concluded that no blame could be assigned to the Company or any other party. The jury returned a verdict of syncope, resulting from injuries received from falling into the water.[6]

John’s funeral was held at Southampton Cemetery the following Saturday afternoon. His body was followed to the grave by several Customs officers, and also by members of the Sir George Hewitt Court Foresters, to which John belonged.[7]

The Western Gazette reported the accident, saying that John was well known at Hardington and much respected.[8]

Ann’s later life

Ann returned to live at North Perrott almost immediately, probably with the help of her sister, Frances, who still worked at the Rectory. Ann’s stepson, Christopher John, joined the village school on 2 May 1887.[9] The 1891 census recorded her as a needlewoman living in a two-room house at Middle Street with her son and stepson. The 1901 census shows her as a laundress living at Bowling Green with her son, her stepson having left home.

She died intestate on 6 September 1903 at the age of 55, leaving effects valued at £86-19s-8d.[10] She was buried in the village churchyard four days later.

Children

1882- Christopher John (became a domestic gardener at Bournemouth; married Florence Blanche De Mire in 1908; died in 1860);

1885-Harold Francis (became a cabinet maker; married Annie Lavinia Taylor in 1905; died at Gelligaer in 1917, aged 31).

References

[1] Western Gazette 1 June 1883 p. 7.

[2] Ann’s mother died in 1853, when Ann was 5.

[3] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 8 November 1876, p.4. Frances was initially a lady’s maid at North Perrott and later a cook.

[4] By April 1871, Ann had left home and was working as a housemaid on a farm at Ancaster, Lincolnshire, about twenty miles from her home. By April 1881, she had moved to North Perrott.

[5] Western Gazette, 22 June 1883, p.4. The advert was placed by J Bartlett of the New Inn, Hardington.

[6] Hampshire Advertiser, 23 March 1887, p.4; Hampshire Independent, 23 March 1887, p.2; Hampshire Chronicle, 26 March 1887, p.6.

[7] Hampshire Independent, 26 March 1887, p.5.

[8] Western Gazette, 25 March 1887, p.7.

[9] North Perrott School Admissions Register.

[10] Probate Calendars.