Introduction
Sidney Partridge spent more than thirty years in the Somerset Constabulary, serving in various towns and villages across the county. Although his career took him far from his birthplace in Hardington Mandeville, it was there that he met his first wife, Ada Caroline Cottle, a housemaid at the rectory.
Childhood
Sidney Partridge was born at Hardington on 21 March 1886, the seventh of thirteen children born to John and Charlotte Partridge.[1] His father was a labourer who lived in the parish his entire life, while his mother, born at Mudford, moved to Hardington as a child. Initially, the family lived at Broadstone until about 1898, when they moved to Lyatts.[2]
By the age of 15, Sidney was a twine maker, almost certainly working in one of the rope and twine factories at West Coker or East Coker. This trade attracted many young workers from neighbouring villages, providing many Hardington boys with their first wage.
Decision to join the police
After the death of his father from bronchitis and cardiac failure on March 3, 1906, Sidney joined the Somerset Constabulary in Glastonbury the following year.[3] Recruitment into the police force typically attracted young men from rural labouring families seeking better pay and prospects than those offered by agricultural or factory work.
Courtship and marriage
While stationed in different locations, Sidney likely returned to Hardington frequently to visit his mother and family members. During one of these visits, he met Ada Caroline Cottle, a housemaid at Hardington rectory. Born in 1883, Ada was the daughter of Isaac and Eloise Caroline Cottle of Rimpton; her father was a farm labourer. By March 1901, she had left home and was employed as a domestic servant to a doctor of medicine in Queen Camel.
Sidney and Ada Caroline Cottle married in the Yeovil registration district in late 1914 or early 1915.[4] Sadly, their marriage did not produce any children.
Police career
Sidney’s career as a constable involved frequent relocations. He served in Weston-Super-Mare, North Petherton, Portishead, Nailsea, Long Ashton, Westfield (Radstock), Taunton Borough, Chief Constable’s office, Clevedon and Ilminster, where he spent three years. In May 1931, after more than two decades of service, he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to Chard.[5]
A glimpse of domestic life and Ada’s final year
A collision with another car while driving near Durston. Although the incident was minor, it indicates that the couple owned a car.[6]
In November 1932, Ada died at the age of 49 after eating at a café in Exeter. At the inquest, the county analyst reported finding a virulent germ associated with food poisoning, and suspicion fell chiefly on an omelette and cream buns served at the cafe.[7] Her sudden death must have come as a profound shock to Sidney after nearly two decades of marriage.
Second marriage and later years
In 1934, Sidney married Winifred Elizabeth March, a cheesemaker’s widow from Rimpton, in the Wincanton district. By March 1938, the couple were living at 360B Dorchester Road, Weymouth, indicating that Sidney had retired from the Somerset Constabulary.[8]
Sidney died on 2 March 1950, at the age of 63, leaving an estate valued at £349 13s 6d. After his death, Winifred returned to her native village of Fovant in Wiltshire, where she lived in a house named Lyatts. She died on 9 January 1957 at the age of 67, leaving an estate valued at £3,756 2s.[9]
References
[1] Civil registration birth index; 1929 Register.
[2] Census returns, guardian valuations and voters’ lists.
[3] Death certificate of John Wethey Partridge; Langport & Somerset Herald, 30 May 1931, p.5.
[4] Civil registration marriage index.
[5] Langport & Somerset Herald, 30 May 1931, p.5.
[6] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 6 April 1932, p.2.
[7] Western Daily Press, 1 December 1932, p.7.
[8] The will of George James Partridge, dated 27 March 1938, proved in London on 28 October 1952.
[9] National probate register.