Introduction

John Bullock was a dairyman at Hardington in the late 1820s. He died in 1831, leaving behind his widow, Mary, and three children. Mary’s later life was remarkably varied. She married twice and lived in various places, including London and Hove.

Birth

John Bullock was born in about 1800.[1]

Marriage

On 10 April 1825, John married Mary Strode, the daughter of William and Jane Strode, at Hardington. Her father, William, was a farmer at Kingswood Farm until his death in 1824.

Residences

Based on baptism and burial records, John was a farmer at South Perrott in March 1827, a dairyman at Hardington in February 1829, and a farmer at North Perrott in July 1831.[2]

Death

John died at North Perrott in June 1831, aged 30. He was buried at Hardington on 2 July, the same day his daughter, Marianne, was baptised.

Mary’s early widowhood

The loss of her husband at such a young age was a devastating blow to Mary, with far-reaching consequences for her and her children. A small consolation was her expectation of inheriting money from her father’s estate after her mother passed away. Mary’s two brothers, Thomas and Robert, who were executors of their father’s estate, may have advanced money to her. As it turned out, her mother died in November 1832, which meant that her father’s estate was then divided equally between his nine children.[3] While Mary’s inheritance may have been modest, it allowed her to focus on raising her children without rushing into another marriage.

By June 1841, Mary was a servant at Norton House, Norton-sub-Hamdon. Her second son, William, lived with a labourer in the same village, while her oldest son, John, was a tailor’s apprentice at Yeovil. Her daughter, Marianne, probably died in infancy.

Move to London and second marriage

In the early 1840s, Mary moved to London, where she met and became pregnant by a servant named James Charles Burge. On 13 May 1844, Mary married James at the parish church of St Marylebone. The marriage register entry suggests that she had left her two sons behind in Somerset and passed herself off as a spinster, claiming her father was William Bullock, a dairyman.

Move to Misterton

Following their marriage, Mary and James moved to Misterton, where Mary gave birth to a daughter, Clara, who was baptised on 22 September 1844. The baptism register recorded James’s occupation as a labourer.

Move to Marston Magna

Mary’s second marriage was not a success. By March 1851, she was working as a house servant at Marston Magna Vicarage, and her daughter, Clara, lived with Mary’s brother, John Strode, at Bourton. The whereabouts of Mary’s husband are unknown.

Mary’s two sons

By this time, Mary’s two sons were now steering their own paths. William emigrated to Australia when he was about nineteen. There, he married Catherine Wadham, a native of Tasmania, in 1870, and they had seven children. Meanwhile, Mary’s other son, John, moved to Chapel Allerton near Leeds and later to Plumstead, Kent, where he lodged with a soldier’s widow named Ann Haugh for over two decades. Although John ostensibly lodged with Ann, she may have concealed the true nature of their relationship to protect her army pension. Significantly, Ann had a brother, John Wilde, a sergeant-major in the Royal Artillery, who was to play a pivotal role in Clara’s life.

Move to Hove

By April 1861, Clara and her mother lived at Hove on the Sussex coast. Mary worked as a house servant for a clergyman at 38 Albany Villas, while Clara was a dressmaker lodging at 9 George Street nearby. By that time, Mary was either a widow or presenting herself as one.

Third marriage

Hove marked the beginning of a new phase in Mary’s life. On 26 September 1866, she married William Norman, a carpenter and parish clerk at the nearby village of Rodmell. His wife had died two years earlier.[4]

Mary and William enjoyed nine years of marriage at Rodmell before Mary died in August 1873, aged about 67.[5]

Clara’s later life

Clara went to lodge in the same household as her half-brother, John, in Plumstead where she met Sergeant-Major John Wilde. Eleven years older than Clara, he was preparing to leave the army and settle down. He became a schoolmaster, and he and Clara married at Plumstead parish church on 25 June 1872. John and Clara lived in Lewisham for forty-four years and had seven children. John died in September 1916, followed by Clara just three months later.

References

[1] He may be the “John, son of John and Ann Bullek” baptised at Glanvilles Wootton on 28 September 1800,

[2] Chedington baptism register, Hardington baptism register and Hardington burial register.

[3] The will of William Strode the older of Hardington Mandeville, dated 8 November 1824, proved in London on 1 September 1831.

[4] Clara was one of the witnesses.

[5] The Civil Registration Death Index recorded Mary’s age as 66, but she was at least 67.