Introduction
Martha Mitchell moved to West Coker as the wife of a shepherd. After her husband’s death, she moved to Hardington, where she made a living by making bonnets. In 1847, she played a significant role in responding to a family crisis by opening her home to two nieces. Later, when her son moved to Wincanton, she joined him there, continuing her bonnet-making until her death in 1862.
Birth at Glanvilles Wootton
Martha was born around 1802 at Glanvilles Wootton, Dorset, the youngest of nine children born to John and Moad Fox.[1] Her siblings included Maria Fox and Frederick Fox.
Sister’s marriage
On 22 February 1815, Martha’s sister, Maria, married George Mitchell at Minterne Magna. They had one daughter, Ellen. Tragically, Maria died on 9 July 1817, aged 30, and was buried at Minterne Magna.[2]
Marriage to her brother-in-law
On 29 June 1823, Martha married her brother-in-law, George Mitchell, at Beaminster. Their son, Simeon, was born at Beaminster and baptised at Minterne Magna on 6 July 1823.
Life at West Coker
By June 1841, George, Martha, Ellen and Simeon lived at West Coker, where George worked as a shepherd.[3] Ellen married Thomas Templeman, a baker of West Coker, on 26 June 1844. By March 1851, Simeon lived at home with his parents while working as a solicitor’s clerk.
George Mitchell died at West Coker on 18 February 1850 due to heart disease and dropsy at the age of 61.[4]
Life at Hardington
After her husband died, Martha moved to Hardington. By March 1851, she was living at the Cross, Hardington, with her two nieces, Maria and Ann Fox, daughters of her brother, Frederick, who had died at Minterne Mana on 21 May 1847 from tuberculosis.[5] Meanwhile, Martha’s son, Simeon, had moved in with his married half-sister, Ellen Templeman, at West Coker, along with William Fox, Frederick Fox’s oldest son.
Life at Wincanton
On 2 January 1854, Simeon married Flora Bailey at Charlton Adam. Between November 1854 and December 1856, they settled in Church Street, Wincanton, where Martha joined them. By April 1861, Martha was working as a straw bonnet manufacturer in Wincanton. She passed away the following year at the age of 60 and was buried in West Coker on 2 December 1862.
Children
George and Martha had one child, Simeon.
References
[1] The censuses of 1851 and 1861 state Martha’s place of birth as Minterne Magna, but she and most of her siblings were baptised at Glanvilles Wootton. The Minterne Magna parish registers record the burial of a Martha Fox on 13 June 1817, aged 14, but her identity remains unclear.
[2] Find a grave index.
[3] Death certificate of George Mitchell; the marriage record of his daughter, Ellen.
[4] Death certificate of George Mitchell.
[5] Death certificate of Frederick Fox.
