Introduction
Maurice Job Mintern grew up in a well-established Corscombe family closely integrated into the economic and institutional life of the parish. His father, Job Mintern, was a blacksmith in the village for over thirty years, while his uncle, Thomas Davis, served for decades as postmaster, parish clerk, and sexton.[1] However, while Job Mintern’s life was characterised by steady capital accumulation, Maurice did not enjoy the same long-term success. After managing a substantial farm for many years, he was displaced in 1920 and subsequently occupied smaller holdings, with no clear return to his earlier status.
Childhood and family background
Maurice was born at Corscombe in 1882, the eldest of seven children born to Job and Fanny Davis.[2] Job was a blacksmith, while Fanny had been a glover before her marriage. The Minterns were a well-established family in the village; Job’s blacksmith business placed him at the centre of local economic life, providing a stable income. By 1911, he had expanded his activities into farming as the tenant of Yew Tree Farm.
Early farming life
Maurice began his farming career at a relatively young age. In 1901, he was recorded as a farmer on his own account in Corscombe, at the age of nineteen. Since he was still a minor, the tenancy may have been held in his father’s name, suggesting that the enterprise was supported by family resources. He managed a household that included his sister Agnes, who acted as housekeeper, and Gertrude, indicating a family-based operation. A trade directory from 1903 lists him at Meech Farm, and it is possible that he took over the tenancy following the dispersal sale of the previous occupier in 1898. That sale included 35 acres of grass feed until March 25, 1899, which may provide an indication of the size of his holding.[3]
Marriage and the Pitt connection
When Maurice was in his early twenties, the Pitt family of Haselbury became influential in his life. In 1905, his sister, Agnes, married John Pitt, and in 1907, Maurice married John’s sister, Annie Mary Elizabeth.
Around the time of his marriage, Maurice became the tenant of Lower Farm, Corscombe, after the previous tenant, William John Sherry, emigrated to Canada.[4] This was one of the larger farms in the parish and was part of the Troyte-Bullock estate. Maurice engaged his brother-in-law, John Pitt, as his dairyman.
Maurice was the tenant of the farm for about fourteen years, including the duration of the First World War. During this time, his only child, Leslie Maurice, was born in 1910. Additionally, Maurice’s brother, Alan, emigrated to Australia in 1912, shortly after a Bridport court found him liable to pay maintenance for an illegitimate child.[5]
Displacement from Corscombe
A significant turning point in Maurice’s career came in 1920, when the Troyte-Bullock estate was broken up and offered for sale. Lower Farm, comprising 165 acres, was initially withdrawn at £3,400 and later advertised for sale with vacant possession by Michaelmas 1920, indicating that Maurice had been given notice to leave the property.[6]
Although he may have been offered a discounted price as the sitting tenant, that price was probably beyond his means. However, his father acquired Yew Tree Farm, which at 54 acres was more affordable.[7]
Maurice’s family connections with the Pitt family may have prompted him to move to Hardington, where Thomas Pitt owned Cowcroft Farm, and his son, Alfred, owned Lower Farm (later known as Vale Farm).[8]
The 1921 census listed Maurice as a farmer at Hardington Marsh, without naming the farm. However, the rate book for 31 December 1923 recorded him as the occupier of 22 acres, 3 roods, 37 perches of land at Landground, owned by Viscount Portman. This holding was significantly smaller than Lower Farm. In the Portman estate sale of 1924, the holding was purchased by someone else, and Maurice appears to have lost his tenancy.[9]
Later life
Little more is known about Maurice’s life until 1939. After his father’s death in 1933, he may have received a share of an estate valued at £2,125 12s 6d, though this was likely modest since all six of his siblings were still alive at that date.
By 1939, Maurice and his family were living at Hill Farm, Thorney Hill, Hampshire. This farm was near Hordle, where Annie’s brother, William Edward Pitt, lived in the early 1920s, which may have influenced the move, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.
On 31 August 1939, Maurice suffered a terrible accident on his farm when he was gored by his own bull. The bull struck him from behind, fracturing five ribs and a shoulder blade. He was quickly admitted to the Royal Victoria and West Hampshire Hospital at Boscombe, but his condition deteriorated, and he died on 4 September from pneumonia at the age of 57.[10] He died intestate, leaving an estate valued at £450 14s 5d, which was administered by his widow. After his death, she resided at Seaview, School Road, Thorney Hill. She died thirty-three years later, in February 1972, leaving an estate valued at £760.
Conclusion
Maurice Mintern’s career as a farmer illustrates early success followed by a rapid decline. With his father’s support, he established himself on a substantial farm at an early age and maintained that position for over a decade. However, the breakup of the estate on which he depended brought this phase to an end. Thereafter, although he continued farming, it was on a smaller scale and without regaining his former status.
References
[1] Dorset County Chronicle, 14 February 1929, p.6.
[2] Civil registration birth index; family reconstitution.
[3] Western Gazette, 14 October 1898, p.1.
[4] Dorset County Chronicle, 20 September 1906; p.14; 1911 census of Canada, Hastings West, Ontario.
[5] Bridport News, 17 May 1912, p.6; Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960.
[6] Western Gazette, 30 April 1920, p.1; Dorset County Chronicle, 20 May 1920, p.7; Western Gazette, 21 May 1920, p.6.
[7] Western Gazette, 7 November 1919, p.8.
[8] Hardington rate book for 31 December 1923.
[9] Western Gazette, 28 May 1926, p.1, refers to the representatives of S Willie, deceased, as the owners.
[10] Bournemouth Times and Directory, 8 September 1939, p.5.