Introduction
Thomas Matraves was a blacksmith who ran the forge at Hardington from 1870 until around 1899. Before moving to Hardington, he lived at South Petherton. After leaving the village, he rented Moulton’s Farm at Haselbury and later purchased it in the estate sale of 1920. His children included John, George, James, and Florence.
Early life
Thomas was born around 1847 at Seavington St Michael, the fifth of seven children born to James and Elizabeth Matraves.[1] His father, James, was a carpenter.
After James’s death in 1857, the family moved to South Petherton. The 1861 census shows Thomas’s family living close to the home of his future wife, Mary Willy, whose father was a farm labourer.
Move to Hardington
In 1870, Thomas took over the blacksmith’s forge in the High Street at Hardington, which had previously been run by Job Taylor.[2] While Thomas would have served an apprenticeship to become a master blacksmith, the details of his training are unknown. During this period, Thomas’s sister Mary and her husband, Herbert Voizey, also moved to the village.
Marriage
On 7 January 1871, Thomas married Mary Willy at South Petherton by licence. At the time, Thomas was about 24 years old, and Elizabeth was 22. Both signed the marriage register.
Children
Thomas and Mary had seven children. Tragically, on 2 June 1883, their four-year-old son Thomas became ill with acute laryngitis and died the next day.[3]
Their eldest child, Frances, left home by the age of nineteen, initially working for a chemist in Basingstoke and later for the Vassall family at Hurst Manor, Martock.
The three oldest sons, John, George and James, all became blacksmiths. John and James served apprenticeships with their father, but it is unclear whether George did the same, as the 1891 census shows him as a blacksmith’s apprentice living with his uncle, John Willy, a builder and farmer, at South Petherton. John Willy was a carpenter by trade and therefore not George’s master, but it is unclear who was. In 1895. George enlisted in the Royal Artillery, where he served as a farrier.
The two youngest children, Florence and Ernest, remained close to their father.
Local politics
Thomas was active in local politics and was elected as secretary of the village Liberal club on 9 June 1885.[4]
Mary’s death
Mary died on 8 June 1888 from tuberculosis at the age of 39.[5] Her death left Thomas as the sole caregiver for their two youngest children: Florence, who was 5 years old, and Ernest, who was 3 years old.
Second marriage
In 1889, Thomas married Mary Bartlett, the eldest daughter of Thomas Bartlett, a farm labourer. Thomas was about 42, and Mary was about 50.
Sale of business
In about 1899, Thomas sold his blacksmith business to William Henry Watts.
Life at Haselbury
Thomas and his family moved to Moulton’s Farm, Haselbury, where he lived for the rest of his life. He ran the farm with the help of Florence and Ernest.
At the sale of the Hardington estate on 18 October 1920, Thomas bought Moulton’s Farm, which comprised 102 acres, 3 roods and 37 perches.
His second wife, Mary, passed away in 1920 at the age of 84. Thomas died on 28 October 1932 at the age of 85, leaving an estate valued at £448 18s 8d.[6]
Children
Thomas and his first wife had two daughters and five sons, all born at Hardington.
Frances was a servant for the Vassall family at Hurst Manor, Martock, where she met and married a local carpenter.
John moved to Streatham, where he worked as a coachbuilder.
George served in the Royal Artillery as a staff sergeant farrier.
James moved to the Farnham and Basingstoke area, where he worked as a carpenter.
Thomas died aged only four.
Florence (Flossie) helped her father and then her brother, Ernest, run Moulton’s Farm.
Ernest ran Mouton’s Farm after his father’s death.
The will of Thomas Matraves
Thomas appointed his daughter, Florence, and son, Ernest, as his executors and trustees.
He left Florence all his furniture and indoor effects.
He left Florence and Ernest all his stock, implements, and outdoor effects used on his farm divided equally. He also left them all the money in his bank and other personal property divided equally.
The will does not mention land, so presumably, Thomas had gifted that earlier.
References
[1] Birth registered in the Chard district in the first quarter of 1847.
[2] Western Gazette, 10 December 1869, p.4.
[3] Death certificate of Thomas Matraves.
[4] Western Gazette, 12 June 1885, p.7
[5] Death certificate of Mary Matraves.
[6] The will of Thomas Matraves, dated 7 April 1928, proved at Taunton on 26 January 1933.
