In April 1881, William Baker, aged 53, was a carter living at Hardington Marsh.

Birth

Walter, the son of George and Anne Baker, was born at Hardington in about 1827. His father was a weaver and labourer.

Marriage

In 1850, Walter married Hester Park of Hardington. She was the daughter of Edward and Joan Park.

Married life at Hardington Marsh

Walter and Hester lived at Hardington Marsh until about 1890. Walter was a farm labourer throughout that time. The 1881 census identifies him specifically as a carter.

In July 1871, John Yeandle, a baker of Yeovil, sued Walter to recover £11 9s 4d, a debt incurred before 1863. When the village club “broke” in 1867, Walter paid £2 10s and gave a “note-of-hand” for the balance. He maintained that the £2 10s was in settlement of the whole debt and denied owing so much. However, the magistrates accepted Yeandle’s account books and ordered Walter to clear the debt by monthly instalments.[1]

Final years in Merthyr Tydfil

In about 1890, Walter and Hester moved to Merthyr Tydfil to live with their daughter, Ellen, at 122 Twynyrodyn. Walter earned a living there as a labourer.

Death

Walter and Hester both died in Merthyr: Walter in 1900, aged 73, and Hester in 1903, aged 77.

Children

Walter and Hester had two sons and two daughters. They all migrated to South Wales except Mark, who chose to stay in Somerset, where he worked as a blacksmith.

Their son, Francis Robert, or their daughter, Caroline, pioneered going to Wales. Francis’s life from 8 to 28 is obscure, but the details of Caroline’s life are more apparent.

In 1875, Caroline married Henry Newman, a farm labourer of Halstock. Soon after they married, Caroline and Henry moved to Merthyr Tydfil. By April 1881, Caroline’s brother, Francis, and sister, Ellen, had also moved to South Wales.

For all of them, the primary employment opportunity was railway work. Caroline’s husband, Ellen’s husband and Francis Baker were all railway platelayers.  

References

[1] Western Gazette, 14 July 1871, p.5.