Birth
Robert, the third child of Joseph and Margaret Bartlett, was born at East Chinnock in about 1746.
By 1807, his father, Joseph, was a yeoman at Hardington.
Marriage
On 14 March 1816, Robert married Elizabeth Eastment, the daughter of Roger and Edith Eastment, at Hardington by banns. The witnesses were John Eastment and Hester Eastment, Elizabeth’s brother and sister.
By his will proved on 27 November 1811, Roger Eastment left his daughter, Elizabeth, a feather bed, £100, and a further £30 on her mother’s death (which occurred on 19 September 1820).[1]
In 1818, Elizabeth inherited £10 from her uncle, Dennis Eastment.[2]
Inheritance
In 1818, Robert inherited the residue of his father’s estate. However, Robert would not have received much as his father’s estate was valued at “under £200,” and he left £100 to his daughter, Mary, and an annuity of £5 to his daughter, Edith.[3]
Occupations
Robert was a farmer throughout his married life. The voters’ lists of 1832-1834 describe him as the occupier of land above £50 per annum at Hardington Farm.
Death
Robert died on 3 February 1835, aged 51.[4]
Elizabeth’s later life
On 2 February 1837, Elizabeth married Horatio Nelson Leach, her late husband’s nephew, at Crewkerne parish church.
She survived her second husband by seventeen years, living alone in a cottage opposite the New Inn. She died in September 1868, aged 75.[5]
Children
Robert and Elizabeth had a daughter, Tamar, in 1817, who died in infancy.
References
[1] IR 26/290/443.
[2] The will of Dennis Eastment of Hardington Mandeville, yeoman, dated 3 June 1815, proved at Wells on 30 March 1818.
[3] The will of Joseph Bartlett of Hardington, yeoman, dated 9 October 1813, proved at Wells on 31 March 1818. Edith’s annuity would have required capital of about £100. Joseph also left his wife an annuity of £20, but she died only days after her husband.
[4] Hardington burial register.
[5] The Civil Registration Death Index and the Hardington burial register record Elizabeth’s age as 78. The Hardington registers record the birth of Elizabeth, the daughter of George and Elizabeth Eastment, on 31 March 1790 and Elizabeth, the daughter of Roger and Edith Eastment, on 2 October 1792. It is possible that when Elizabeth died, someone consulted the parish registers to establish her age and saw the wrong entry.
