Introduction
Robert Burt spent the first third of his life in Pendomer, where he could have followed his father’s path as a railway platelayer. However, after the early death of his father, circumstances led him to seek a new life in London. There, he joined the Metropolitan Police and served for 27 and a half years. Following the untimely death of his first wife, he remarried swiftly to provide a stepmother for his two young sons, choosing a woman from East Coker.
Birth
Robert was born at Pendomer on 14 March 1866, probably at Kithill Railway Cottages. He was the third of seven children born to Walter and Caroline Burt, and was named after his paternal grandfather.
Father
Robert’s father, Walter, was a railway platelayer for over thirty years and lived at Kithill for most, if not all, of that time.
Mother
Robert’s mother, Caroline, was the daughter of George Young, a sailcloth weaver and later coal carrier of East Coker. In 1854, Caroline had an illegitimate son, George Robert Young, whom she raised with the help of her father. When she married Walter Burt in 1862, she left her son with her father at East Coker. These circumstances help explain why Caroline married at about thirty years of age, while Walter was eight years younger.
Illness and death of a brother
Around December 1881, when Robert was fifteen, his seven-year-old brother, William Henry, was diagnosed with scrofula, a form of tuberculosis. The disease slowly progressed through his body, affecting both legs and his right ear. After three years of suffering for William and the entire family, he died on 2 December 1884 at the age of ten.[1]
Romantic entanglements
Robert was probably a handsome man, standing five feet ten inches tall, with blue eyes, sandy hair and a fresh complexion—qualities attractive to many women.[2]
During the summer of 1889, Robert discovered that Emily Bartlett of Hardington was pregnant with his child. Instead of marrying her, he chose to marry someone else. On 25 November 1889, he married Mary Jane Neville at Pendomer Church.
On 14 March 1890, Emily Bartlett gave birth to a daughter named Sarah Jane. In August 1890, Emily applied to the Yeovil magistrates for an affiliation order against Robert, but her claim was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.[3] The fact that Robert was already married and had a child on the way probably influenced their judgment.
Emily Bartlett was left to raise her daughter without financial support from Robert. However, in 1895, she married Joseph Purchase, a local farm labourer, which provided her with some security.
First wife
Mary Jane Neville was the illegitimate daughter of Sarah Neville of East Coker and was raised by her grandparents after her mother married. At the time of their marriage, Mary Jane was working as a domestic servant in Kensington.
Railway platelayer
After initially working as a farm labourer, Robert followed in his father’s footsteps and became a railway platelayer. By April 1891, he, his wife, and their four-month-old son, Sydney, were living in Farm Lane, Hardington Marsh. Five months later, another son, Henry, was born.
Move to London
Mary Jane’s knowledge of London played a crucial role in shaping the rest of Robert’s life.
On 22 March 1892, Robert’s father, Walter, died at his home from heart disease and dropsy at the age of 52.[4] This loss probably motivated Robert to radically change his life. He and his family moved to London, where he joined the Metropolitan Police on 25 April 1892.[5]
Mary Jane’s death
Mary Jane’s time in London was short. In 1896, she was diagnosed with stomach and liver cancer and admitted to the University College Hospital, where she died on 2 October 1896 at the age of 34, with Robert by her side.[6]
Residence
At this time, the family lived at 22 Eton Street, and Robert remained there for the rest of his life. The road is now called Edis Street.
Second marriage
Mary Jane’s death left Robert in sole charge of two sons aged five years old. Unsurprisingly, he soon remarried. On 15 August 1897, he married Mary Ann Giles at St Mary Magdalene Church, Paddington. The marriage register shows them living at 4 Chichester Street, which may have been a temporary address.
Second wife
Mary Ann Giles was the daughter of John Giles, a thatcher of East Coker. She left home as a young woman, and although she is not recorded in the 1881 or 1891 censuses, she may have been living in London at that time.
Children
Robert and Mary Ann had two sons: Reginald Frank, born on 6 October 1899 and Walter, born in 1902.
Retirement
Robert retired from the Metropolitan Police on 22 September 1919 after 27 years and 150 days of service.[7]
Death of Mary Ann and Walter
Mary Ann died intestate on 23 February 1929, at the age of 70, leaving an estate valued at £139-12s-5d, which Robert administered.
Their son, Walter, died in February 1933 at the age of 31.
Robert’s death
Robert died on 6 January 1935, at the age of 68, at the Archway Hospital, Archway Road, Highgate. He bequeathed his estate, valued at £275-15s-4d, equally to his three sons, Sydney, Harry, and Reginald. Although he omitted to name an executor, the probate registry accepted the will’s validity and granted probate to his son, Sydney.[8]
Later lives of Robert’s children
All four of Robert’s sons remained in the St Pancras district. Walter worked in an engineering factory; Sydney became a motor mechanic and later a warehouse foreman; Henry became a painter and decorator; and Reginald worked as a postman. The 1939 register recorded Henry living at 22 Edis Street (formerly 22 Eton Street).
References
[1] Death certificate of William Henry Burt.
[2] Metropolitan Police Pension Registers.
[3] Western Gazette 8 August 1890 p. 6; Western Gazette 5 September 1890 p. 6.
[4] Death certificate of Walter Burt; Western Gazette, 15 April 1892, p.8.
[5] Metropolitan Police Pension Registers.
[6] Death certificate of Mary Jane Burt.
[7] Metropolitan Police Pension Registers.
[8] The will of Robert Burt, dated 22 April 1933, proved at London on 18 February 1935.
