Introduction
Thomas Paul was the tenant of Cary’s Farm from 1855 to 1858. His life was unfortunately short and tragic. His father died when Thomas was around 12 years old, and thirteen years later, his brother, Giles, died after an accident. Thomas married and had three children, but the first two died in infancy. Tragically, just two months after the death of his second child, Thomas passed away at the age of 27.
Birth
Thomas Paul was born around 1831 in Seavington St Mary, as the fourth of seven children born to Daniel and Rachel Paul. At that time, his father, Daniel, worked as a labourer.
Hardington
A year or two after Thomas was born, his parents moved to Moor Farm, Hardington.
Thomas’s childhood was rather unsettled. When he was about eight, his six-month-old sister, Sarah Elizabeth, died. When he was twelve, his father succumbed to cancer, and his mother took over the farm.[1] During his teenage years, he lost two siblings who emigrated to the United States: James in 1849 and Mary at some point in the 1840s.
Marriage
On 20 February 1855, Thomas married Mary Ann Bartlett, the daughter of Robert and Fanny Bartlett, at Hardington. At the time, Thomas was about 24 years old, and Mary Ann was about 23.
Mary Ann already had a two-year-old illegitimate son named Edward, who was raised as part of Thomas’s family and later became a prosperous greengrocer in London.
Residence
Mary Ann’s father, Robert, had died the previous year, on 1 October 1854, after falling from his cart.[2] Thomas moved into the farmhouse, which later became known as Cary’s. The 1858 voters’ list shows Thomas as the occupier of “Paul’s Farm.”
Death of brother
On 15 April 1856, Thomas’s brother died from locked jaw resulting from an accident at the age of 21.[3]
Summons
On 3 December 1856, Thomas was summoned to court for rescuing some geese from the village pound. The magistrates ordered him to pay the expenses, but did not impose a fine.[4]
Children
Mary Ann was already pregnant when she married Thomas. Their first child, Frances Elizabeth, was born in about June 1855 and baptised on 22 June. A second daughter, Rachel Emily, was born towards the end of 1856 but tragically died in January 1857 at the age of 3 months. Frances died on 5 February 1858 from whooping cough, at the age of two.[5] Just two days after Frances’s death, Mary Ann gave birth to their third child, Giles Hodges.[6]
Death
In mid-March 1858, Thomas fell ill with an inflammatory fever, which led to congestion of the lungs. He died on April 8, 1858, at the age of 27.
Mary Ann’s later life
On 3 January 1861, Mary Ann married Giles Hodges, her late husband’s cousin, at St Marylebone parish church.
Mary Ann and Giles had three children together.
Mary Ann died on 14 August 1868 from exhaustion after a difficult labour at the age of 36.[7]
References
[1] Death certificate of Daniel Paul.
[2] Death certificate of Robert Bartlett.
[3] Death certificate of Giles Paul.
[4] Sherborne Mercury, 9 December 1856, p.2.
[5] Death certificate of Frances Elizabeth Hodges.
[6] Birth certificate of Giles Hodges Paul.
[7] Death certificate of Mary Ann Hodges.
