Introduction

This account of Michael Bowditch’s life reflects the complexities of working-class existence during a time of great social change in 19th-century England, highlighting themes of adaptability and resilience in response to adversity.

Birth

Michael Bowditch was born on July 24, 1814, in Stockland, Devon, to John and Betty Bowditch.[1] His father, John, was a farm labourer.

Marriage

In July 1842, Michael married Charlotte Trevett, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Trevett, at Stockland. Charlotte’s father, Thomas, was also a farm labourer.

Occupations

Michael began his working life as a labourer and subsequently took on various jobs, including cooper, dairyman, and coal merchant. The following list of his occupations has been compiled from baptism registers and newspapers, including a published notice related to his bankruptcy in 1861:

June 1841-Farm labourer at Thorncombe;

July 1845-Cooper at Stockland;[2]

March 1851-Dairyman at Tuckmill Farm, Axminster;

September 1853-Cooper at Winsham;

Circa 1857/58-Dairyman at Hardington Mandeville for 2 years;

1858/59-Dairyman at Yenston, Henstridge for 16 months;

Circa 1859-Purse Caudle for 8 months;

1860/61-Dairyman at Brewham Lodge Farm, North Brewham for 12 months;

1861-Dairyman at Vobster, Mells for 6 months and more;

Circa 1864-67-Cooper at Ilminster;

Circa 1868-1870s-Cooper in Bristol.[3]

Crisis

The early 1860s marked a tumultuous period in Michael’s life, characterised by social and financial decline. He lost his good character, served one or two jail terms, and suffered financial ruin.

Theft

Michael’s troubles began during his tenure as a dairyman at Brewham Lodge Farm. On 22 December 1860, the farmer, John Dunn, accused Michael of stealing hay. The case was heard four days later, and Michael was sentenced to seven days hard labour.[4] As the case went unreported due to the holiday season, it is possible there were mitigating circumstances.

Bankruptcy

Subsequently, in October 1861, Michael petitioned for bankruptcy at Frome.[5] However, his petition was dismissed in January 1862 due to objections from creditors, including Dunn, and his failure to appear in court. [6]

Selling liquor without a licence

On 31 October 1861, at Frome Petty Sessions, Michael was summoned for selling liquor without a licence at his home at Vobster, Mells. In his defence, he told the court he obtained the beer for some navvies lodging with him and thought he was doing no harm in selling it. Nevertheless, the magistrates were unconvinced and fined him £5 plus costs, or one month’s imprisonment. Given that the Insolvency Court had confiscated his assets, it is likely that he served an additional prison sentence.[7]

Ilminster

By 1864, Michael had relocated to Ilminster, Somerset, where he returned to coopering. However, he encountered further misfortunes, including the tragic death of his seventeen-year-old daughter, Charlotte, who succumbed to a year-long chest abscess on 26 August 1864. In February 1867, a violent altercation with a neighbour resulted in Michael successfully pursuing assault charges against the other party.[8] Ongoing financial hardships culminated in an eviction order from an Ilminster court in November 1867.[9]

Bristol

Following their time in Ilminster, Michael’s family moved to Newtown, Bristol, where he continued to work as a cooper. The 1871 census records the family at 25 Morley Terrace, near the railway. By April 1877, they resided at Hobb’s Buildings, where Michael operated as a cooper and haulier.[10]

The urban environment of Bristol presented new difficulties and temptations. In April 1869, the Bristol Police Court heard a case where a woman was charged with “stealing two purses and 17s 6d from the trousers pocket of Michael Bowditch, whilst in a cellar.”  Doubts about the woman’s guilt led to her discharge. One newspaper spared its readers the details because they were “of an indecent nature,” which suggests a sexual encounter, possibly with a prostitute.[11] In a separate incident in September 1869, a boy was charged with stealing a cask worth six shillings from Michael.[12]

Emigration to America

Michael and Charlotte’s eldest child, John, emigrated to America in 1863, paving the way for four of his siblings to follow- Giles in 1868, Elizabeth in 1869, Eli William in 1882, and Jane in the 1880s.

Death

By April 1881, Michael was an inmate of Barton Regis Union Workhouse, Eastville, suffering from senile dementia.

He passed away on 30 March 1891, aged 76, and was interred at Ridgeway Park Cemetery, Bristol.[13]

Charlotte’s later life

In April 1881, Charlotte and her daughter, Jane, lived at 136 Goodhind Street, Bristol, sharing the house with a married couple. Jane was a tailoress, and they had one lodger.

Torn between staying in Bristol and emigrating to America, Charlotte and Jane ultimately chose the latter in 1885 after confronting the harsh reality that Michael was lost to them.

Charlotte passed away at Jefferson, Hillsdale, Michigan, on February 19, 1904, at the age of about 83.

Children

Michael and Charlotte had seven children.  Charlotte died at Ilminster in 1864, John, Giles, Elizabeth, Jane and Eli William emigrated to America, and Sarah married a house furnisher named Alfred Harrison in 1883, afterwards moving to Northampton where she died in 1943.

References

[1] Stockland baptism register.

[2] Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 19 July 1845, p.3.

[3] Frome Times, 9 October 1861, p.1.

[4] Shepton Mallet Register of Prisoners 1856-1862.

[5] Frome Times, 9 October 1861, p.1.

[6] Frome Times, 22 January 1862, p.4.

[7] Shepton Mallet Journal, 8 November 1861, p.4; Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 7 November 1861, p.5. The Bath Chronicle account says the defendant was “committed for a month in default of payment.”

[8] Langport & Somerton Herald, 2 March 1867, p.4.

[9] Langport & Somerton Herald, 30 November 1867, p. 4.

[10] Western Daily Press, 21 April 1877, p.1.

[11] Western Daily Press, 10 April 1869, p.3.

[12] Bristol Mercury, 2 October 1869, p.10.

[13] Death certificate of Michael Bowditch.