Introduction
Joseph Bartlett was one of the more substantial tenant farmers on the Somerset–Dorset border during the mid- to late nineteenth century. At different points in his career, he farmed over 300 acres at Hardington and later combined holdings at Halstock on a significant scale. His career illustrates both the opportunities available to capable tenant farmers and the inherent limits of the system: although he accumulated a respectable level of capital, his success did not translate into lasting business continuity.
Origins and family background
Joseph was born around 1803 at East Chinnock, the sixth of nine children of Paul and Ann Bartlett. [1] His father was described as a yeoman, suggesting the family had some local standing, though they were not wealthy.
When Paul died in 1834, Joseph inherited modest but varied assets: one-eighth of the income from a leasehold house; the right to one-third of a £300 life insurance policy on Charles Bartlett; a cider house and cellar, shared with his brother, George; and one-eighth of the remaining estate.[2] These assets were not transformative, but they indicate that Joseph began his adult life with some resources and connections, rather than in a position of complete dependency.
Marriage and early married life
On 16 February 1836, Joseph married Lauretta Leach at East Chinnock.[3] Lauretta was born in about 1810 at Ware in Hertfordshire, where her family had lived for a time before returning to Somerset.
The couple remained at East Chinnock for the first years of their marriage, during which time their children, Robert and Lauretta, were born.[4] This phase appears to have been one of consolidation before Joseph moved into larger-scale farming.
Partnership at Bradford Abbas
Around 1839, Joseph and his brother George became joint tenants of Court Farm, Bradford Abbas.[5] By 1851, they were farming 135 acres and employing six labourers, indicating a respectable, though not exceptional, scale of operation.[6]
The two families lived together in a single farmhouse, where Lauretta’s mother also resided until her death in 1841. Joseph and Lauretta’s youngest child, John, was born there in late 1849 or early 1850.[7]
Joseph and George had some standing locally. In November 1851, they were among the signatories to a petition urging the London and South Western Railway to construct the Salisbury–Exeter line, a project of clear importance to farmers seeking improved access to markets. [8]
Hardington: expansion and consolidation
The partnership between the brothers ended in about 1852.[9] Joseph moved to Cowcroft Farm at Hardington, while George took a smaller holding at West Coker Hill Farm, West Coker. The contrast in their subsequent fortunes is striking. George’s farm comprised about 140 acres, and his estate at death in 1863 was valued at under £450.[10]
Joseph, by contrast, was operating on a significantly larger scale. In 1861, he farmed 313 acres and employed four men and three boys, placing him among the more substantial tenant farmers in the district. [11]
Although Cowcroft was geographically isolated, the family maintained social connections. Among those who stayed at the farm were Ellen Swaffield, who was there in April 1861, and Edith Beer, Lauretta’s first cousin once removed, who stayed from at least November 1857 until her death in November 1859.[12] Edith left an estate valued at “under £100,” most of which she bequeathed to Lauretta for her sole and separate use, including a cottage at Hardington Marsh and the residue of her estate. She also gifted her best bed quilt to Robert and six silver spoons and a pair of sugar tongs to Lauretta’s daughter.[13] Edith’s stay at the farm and the provisions of her will suggest mutual support among the extended family.
Halstock: later career and contraction
By about 1863, Joseph had moved again, this time to Halstock, where he farmed Vale Farm.[14] In 1871, he was recorded with 177 acres and a workforce of two men and two boys.[15] Edward Marsh, aged 18 and from Hardington, was an indoor farm servant.
Following this contraction, Joseph expanded again by adding Sydney Farm to his existing holdings. This likely coincided with the departure from Sydney Farm of Eliza Bown, who held her dispersal sale in November 1865. Eliza had farmed 420 acres in 1861, and her sale included the grazing of 300 acres of pasture land until March 1866, indicating that Sidney Farm was a substantial holding.[16]
Eleven years later, Joseph relinquished Sidney Farm but retained Vale Farm. His sale on 30 October 1876 included 52 dairy cows, 60 ewes, 60 tons of hay, 190 tons of mangolds and swedes, and 250 acres of grass to be fed until 24 March 1877.[17]
By then, he was 73 years old and without a son working in the business. His oldest son, John, had already left to work as a butcher in Yeovil, while Robert married Elizabeth Poole at Hardington on 20 April 1876 and moved to Gillingham.
Declining health may also have played a part. Joseph died at Vale Farm, Halstock, on 20 January 1877, aged 74, leaving an estate valued at under £1,500.[18] He bequeathed £250 to his son, John, and £250 to his daughter, Lauretta, with another £50 after her mother’s death. He left the remainder to his wife for life and then to his three children equally.[19]
Lauretta as farmer
After Joseph’s death, Lauretta and their daughter continued to run Vale Farm for nine years—a significant period of time. Meanwhile, John used his inheritance to establish a butcher’s business at Lower Leigh, Halstock.[20] However, this venture was short-lived, and in the early 1880s, he emigrated to America, where he married and had two children, Lauretta and John. He died in Iowa in 1887 at the age of 37.[21]
The mother-and-daughter farming partnership ended in 1886. Their sale held on 14 January of that year included a dark brown cob, a spring trap, nine sows, eight porkers, eight hogsheads of cider, a two-horse wagon and dairy utensils suitable for a 50-cow dairy.[22]
Later years and family heirlooms
After leaving the farm, Lauretta and her daughter initially moved to Buckhorn Weston, where they lived at Hartmoor Hill, Tunnel Head. [23] In 1901 or 1902, they moved to Madjeston, a hamlet south of Gillingham, where Robert occupied New House Farm. Lauretta died at Madjeston on 6 December 1902, at the age of 92.[24]
Her daughter, also named Lauretta, remained unmarried and lived alone, except for an elderly female boarder who shared a similar farming background. She died at Madjeston on 24 March 1916, at the age of 78, leaving an estate valued at £1,586 1s 11d. In her will, she divided her estate equally among the four sons of her brother, Robert.[25] Ten days before she died, she added a codicil bequeathing specific items of furniture, jewellery, and silver to her four nephews and three female relatives.[26] Among these items were the six silver spoons and the sugar tongs she inherited from Edith Beer, which she left to her great-niece, Lauritta Bartlett. This great-niece emigrated with her parents to Australia and died in Chittering, Western Australia, in 1992.
Conclusion
Joseph Bartlett’s life illustrates both the possibilities and the limitations of tenant farming in the nineteenth century. While he was able to move between farms in pursuit of opportunities, he owned no land and buildings to pass on to his sons, who left to pursue their own ventures. After his death, the family farm’s continuity rested on the efforts of his widow and daughter, who ran Vale Farm for many years. Their roles highlight how widowed or unmarried women could attain economic independence and exercise agency within rural society.
References
[1] East Chinnock baptism register; family reconstitution.
[2] The will of Paul Bartlett of East Chinnock, yeoman, dated 4 July 1833, proved in London on 6 June 1834.
[3] The name “Lauretta” is often spelt “Lauritta,” in the case of Joseph’s wife and his daughter. Their personal preference may have changed over time.
[4] East Chinnock baptism register.
[5] Bradford Abbas voters’ lists; HO107, Bradford Abbas, piece 291, book 2. folio 12, p.22.
[6] HO107, Bradford Abbas, ED12, piece 1859, folio 419, p.22.
[7] Civil registration birth index.
[8] Sherborne Mercury, 11 November 1851, p.2.
[9] Bradford Abbas voters’ lists.
[10] RG9, West Coker, ED3, piece 1640, folio 56, p.43; National Probate Calendar.
[11] RG9, Hardington Mandeville, ED11, piece 1639, folio 57, p.12.
[12] Ellen Swaffield may have been a relative of Joseph or Lauretta, as the maiden name of Ellen’s paternal grandmother was Bartlett. Alternatively, she may have been a friend of Lauretta’s daughter. Interestingly, Ellen’s cousin, Elizabeth Poole, married Joseph’s son, Robert.
[13] The will of Edith Beer, dated 7 November 1857, proved at Taunton on 6 January 1860.
[14] Hardington Guardian valuation of 1862; Halstock jury list of 1863.
[15] RG10, Halstock, piece 2022, folio 30, p.13.
[16] RG9, Halstock, ED2, piece 1632, folio 34, p.24; Dorset County Chronicle, 2 November 1865, p.20.
[17] Western Gazette, 27 October 1876, p.4.
[18] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 31 January 1877, p.4.
[19] The will of Joseph Bartlett, dated 30 March 1876, proved at Blandford on 31 March 1877.
[20] RG11, Halstock, ED 2, piece 2119, folio 28, p.11.
[21] Newman-Knott Family Tree on Ancestry, accessed 17 March 2026.
[22] Western Gazette, 1 January 1886, p.5; Pulman’s Weekly News and Advertiser, 5 January 1886, p.4.
[23] RG12, Buckhorn Weston, ED13c, piece 1902, folio 48, p.8; RG13, Buckhorn Weston, ED17, piece 1968, folio 53, p.18.
[24] Monumental inscription at Halstock.
[25] The will of Lauritta Bartlett, dated 5 October 1911, proved at Blandford on 18 July 1916.
[26] The codicil of Lauritta Bartlett, dated 14 March 1916, proved at Blandford on 18 July 1916.