Introduction
John Henry Hawkins was born in West Coker in 1857. He had a stable childhood, but when he was 24, his life was disrupted when both his parents died within a few weeks of each other. Shortly after their deaths, he married Frances White and moved to Hardington, where he lived for the rest of his life, working as a mason and later as a bricklayer. Tragically, one of his sons was killed in the First World War.
Childhood West Coker
John was born at West Coker on 6 March 1857, the son of Solomon and Mary Rendell.[1] His father, Solomon, was a mason, and his mother, Mary, was the daughter of a mason.
Solomon and Mary had seven children: George, Elizabeth, John Henry, James, Mary Susanna, Frederick and Benjamin. Given the 16-year gap between Frederick and Benjamin, there are questions regarding Benjamin’s parentage. However, his birth was officially registered as that of Solomon and Mary’s son, and he was baptised accordingly.
Mary’s parents lived nearby and probably played a significant role in the children’s upbringing. The 1871 census recorded the two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, living with their grandparents at that time.
Careers
John followed in his father’s footsteps and became a mason. However, three of his brothers chose military careers. When John was 13 years old, his brother, George, enlisted in the Royal Navy.[2] A few years later, James joined the Royal Marines Light Infantry, and on 14 September 1880, Frederick also enlisted in the Royal Navy.[3] Meanwhile, Elizabeth stayed home, while Mary took a position as a servant at Cheselbourne Rectory in Dorset by April 1881.
George’s naval career was cut short when he deserted on 11 July 1874, just three years into his ten-year contract. The authorities probably interviewed the family to discover his whereabouts, but his ultimate fate is unknown. This incident must have been distressing for the family, especially if George vanished without a trace.
Family crisis
The period from December 1881 to February 1882 was a time of crisis for the family. Mary died from stomach cancer on 5 December 1881 at the age of 47.[4] Eight weeks later, Solomon suddenly collapsed and died while visiting a neighbour. An inquest established that he died from a burst blood vessel in his chest. He was 51 and had been in poor health for some time.[5]
The deaths of their parents profoundly impacted the three children still living at home. Mary, then twenty years old, entered domestic service and became a servant at Godalming by April 1891. Solomon quickly married Frances White of Hardington, whom he was probably already courting.[6] Most severely affected was Benjamin, who was placed in an orphanage in Bristol.
Life at Hardington
After their marriage, John and Frances established their home in Hardington, initially residing at Hardington Marsh until around 1890. They then moved to Moor Cottage, a property John eventually bought in the 1920 estate sale after previously living there on a monthly tenancy.
John continued working as a mason, becoming a bricklayer employed by Bird & Peppard of Yeovil by June 1921.
Family structure
By April 1901, John and Frances had seven children, aged between 6 and 18. The two oldest boys, Francis and Ernest, were walling masons, while Ethel was a dressmaker and Reginald was an errand boy. After Frances’s father died in 1904, her mother, Emma, lived with the family until her own death on 15 January 1915
The family was relatively close-knit. By the start of the First World War, only three of the children had left home: Francis, who married in 1906, and Ethel and Annie, who had entered domestic service near London by April 1911.
First World War
By February 1915, Reginald and Albert were serving with the Grenadier Guards. Tragically, Reginald was killed in action on the Western Front later that year.[7]
Ernest continued working as a mason and married Dora Hackwell of East Coker on 14 August 1915. He was called up for military service in 1917, but his employer, Messrs Bird & Pippard, lodged an appeal that was heard by the Yeovil Tribunal on 4 April 1917. The tribunal granted Ernest a temporary exemption until 1 June, after which he presumably joined the armed forces.[8]
The roles played by the other brothers, Francis and Roland, in the war are unknown. Roland may have worked for Petters of Yeovil, where he was employed in 1921.
Post-war
By June 1921, John and Frances were living at Hardington Moor with their sons, Roland and Albert. Albert left home after marrying Annie Mary Evans on Christmas Eve, 1921.
Death
John died on 18 December 1922 at the age of 66, leaving effects valued at £202-15s.[9]
Frances’s later life
Frances continued to reside at Hardington Moor. After her son Roland married in 1924, she probably lived alone. Frances died on 4 December 1935 at the age of 81.
Children
John and Frances had eight children:
1882-Francis Henry (worked as a mason and bricklayer; married his cousin, Susan Emma White; resided at Hardington; died in 1957);
1883-Ernest Leopold (worked as a mason and bricklayer; married Dora Lily Hackwell; resided at Hardington; died in 1965);
1885-Ethel Florence Mary (married Charles Dart in 1916; resided near Clacton-on-Sea; died in 1948);
1886-Frederick Reginald, called Reginald (worked as a carpenter; served with the Grenadier Guards; killed on the Western Front in September 1915);
1889-Annie Maud (became a lady’s maid in London; died intestate in 1953, leaving an estate valued at £4,577);
1891-Albert George (died in infancy);
1893-Roland George (married Rose Axe in 1924; worked in Westlands; resided at East Chinnock; died in 1969);
1895-Albert John (married Annie Mary Evans in 1921; worked in Westlands; resided at Hardington; died in 1964).
John Henry Hawkins’ will
John appointed his sons, Ernest Leopold and Albert John, executors and trustees.
John left all his household effects to his wife for life. He also left her the use of his house for five years, after which it passed to their son, Ernest Leopold. He left the remainder equally to his children living at the death of his wife.
References
[1] West Coker baptism register.
[2] Royal Navy Register of Seamen’s Services, 1848-1939.
[3] Royal Navy Register of Seamen’s Services, 1848-1939.
[4] Death certificate of Mary Hawkins.
[5] Western Gazette, 3 February 1882, p.8.
[6] John and Frances married in the second quarter of 1882.
[7] Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919.
[8] Taunton Courier & Western Advertiser 11 April 1917 p. 6.
[9] The will of John Henry Hawkins, dated 2 April 1921, proved at Taunton on 2 February 1923.
