Introduction
Joseph Higgins spent his entire life in Hardington and belonged to a family that had been established in the village since the mid-nineteenth century. Although he began his working life as a farm labourer, he later moved into the building trade, spending many years travelling to Yeovil for work. His married life was centred on Jubilee Cottage in North Lane, where he and his wife shared a home with elderly relatives and maintained a household that changed little over the course of four decades.
Early life
Joseph Higgins was born at Hardington on 20 November 1882, the youngest of seven children born to James Higgins and his wife Elizabeth (née Newman). One sister, Mary Ann Emily, died in infancy. His father had moved to Hardington from Sutton Montis during the 1860s to work as a farm labourer and married Elizabeth in 1868. Joseph was named after his paternal grandfather, who remained at Sutton Montis.
The family initially lived near the top of the High Street. By 1891, they had moved to No. 332 The Street, close to Broadstone Cottages. Living with them was Elizabeth’s widowed mother, Grace Newman, whose presence reflected the importance of extended family support within working-class households.
By 1901, Joseph was the only child still living at home. His three surviving sisters had married and established homes of their own within the village, while the whereabouts of his brother John are uncertain. Grace Newman continued to live with the family but passed away the following year.
After leaving school, Joseph followed in his father’s footsteps and worked as a farm labourer. In August 1910, he appeared before magistrates alongside his employer, Abraham Genge of Manor Farm. Both men pleaded guilty to working two mares that were deemed unfit and were each fined five shillings. Not long afterwards, Joseph left agricultural employment and entered the building trade as a bricklayer’s labourer. It is unclear whether the prosecution influenced his decision. He may have been assisted in finding work by family connections, including his brother-in-laws, Walter Charles Guppy, a stonemason, and George James Partridge, who worked in a builder’s yard.
Marriage and family life
In 1916, Joseph married Fanny Eastment at Hardington. He was thirty-four years old, and she was thirty. Fanny was the illegitimate daughter of Emily Eastment but had been brought up by her grandparents, Henry and Harriet Eastment. She was well known locally as a singer and during her twenties performed solo pieces at Hardington church during Easter and Christmas services.[1]
Harriet Eastment died in February 1916, only months before the marriage. Following his wedding, Joseph moved into Jubilee Cottage in North Lane, where Fanny lived with her uncle, Charles Eastment. The household expanded further after the death of Joseph’s father in January 1917, when his widowed mother, Elizabeth, joined them.
The couple’s only child, Sylvia Grace Higgins, was born on 7 March 1920. Tragically, she died less than a month later on 30 March. Joseph and Fanny had no further children.
The census of 1921 recorded Joseph as a general labourer employed by Bird Pippard Ltd, building contractors of Yeovil. His move from agricultural work to construction reflected a broader trend among Hardington men during the early twentieth century, as employment opportunities in Yeovil increasingly supplemented or replaced traditional farm work.
A parish rate book for 31 December 1923 recorded Joseph as the owner of a cottage and garden in North Lane measuring one rood and six perches. This property was almost certainly Jubilee Cottage, giving the family a degree of security that many rural labourers never achieved.
Later years
For many years, Jubilee Cottage remained home to a remarkable multi-generational household. Joseph and Fanny lived there alongside Elizabeth Higgins and Charles Eastment, combining members of both families under one roof.
Elizabeth Higgins died in December 1931 at the age of eighty-six. Charles Eastment continued to live with Joseph and Fanny until his death on 15 November 1950. His estate, valued at £1,171 1s. 8d, was left entirely to Fanny, reflecting the close relationship that had developed through decades of shared domestic life.
Village memories suggest that the Higgins household was well known locally. Eddy Turner of Manor Farm, passing the cottage in the course of his work, would often call out to Fanny, “Lovely day for washing, Mrs Higgins.”[2]
Fanny died on 16 November 1958, leaving an estate valued at £1,784 14s. 5d. Her will left everything to Joseph should he survive her; otherwise it would go to her cousins.
Joseph survived his wife by less than a year. He died on 29 October 1959 at Bishops Lydeard. Given that Tone Vale Hospital was located there, he may have spent his final days in the institution, although the circumstances are unclear. His estate was valued at £2,331 14s. 6d., much of which was probably represented by the cottage that had been his home for more than forty years. The terms of his will have not been identified.
Conclusion
Joseph Higgins lived a life characterised by continuity and family support. Although he moved from farm work to the building trade, he remained rooted in Hardington and spent most of his adult life in the same cottage. His story illustrates the gradual shift of rural workers towards employment in nearby towns while retaining strong family and community ties within the village. The long-lived household at Jubilee Cottage, shared with relatives from both sides of the family, also demonstrates the importance of kinship and mutual support in sustaining working-class life in twentieth-century Hardington.
Refernces
[1] Western Chronicle, 1 January 1909, p.6; Western Chronicle,16 April 1909, p.6.; Western Chronicle, 12 April 1912, p. 6.
[2] Information provided by Margaret Danes.
