Birth
William, the sixth child of Samuel and Sarah Guppy, was born at Hardington in about 1782.
Inheritance from father
When William’s father died in 1821, he left his whole estate to his wife for life. Then, on her death, he left pecuniary legacies amounting to £130 and the residue to his sons, William and Joseph, equally.[1] As his estate was valued at “less than £300,” William probably inherited about £85 when his mother died in 1822.
Marriage
On 8 April 1823, William married Susan Apsey at Hardington. She was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Apsey.
Occupation
William was a farmer throughout his adult life. The tithe survey shows him occupying a farmhouse near Broadstone, 161 acres owned by Lord Ilchester, and a one-acre orchard owned by Lord Portman.
The 1851 census recorded him as the farmer of 170 acres employing nine labourers. He and his wife also employed a sixteen-year-old house servant, Sarah Delamont.
Nonconformity
William and his brother, Edward, were nonconformists. Their names appear in an 1825 application to license Henry Sandiford’s home for independent worship.[2]
Parish offices
William was an overseer in 1825.[3]
A testimonial for antibilious pills
On 26 June 1826, William wrote a letter to Edward Granger, a Yeovil chemist and druggist, praising his antibilious pills. Granger used the testimonial in his newspaper adverts until 1864.[4]
Trusteeships
In his will dated 8 November 1824, William Strode appointed his brother, Thomas Strode, and William Guppy to act as his trustees until his sons, Thomas and Robert, were twenty-one and could assume the role of his executors.[5]
In 1850, William Guppy and William White acted as the trustees of Mark Dodge’s will.[6]
Daughters
William and Susan had two daughters and no sons.
Their eldest daughter, Emily Wilhelmina, died on 24 November 1848 at the tragically young age of 24.[7]
They then directed all their hopes and aspirations to their daughter, Sarah, envisioning a genteel urban middle-class life for her rather than the life of a farmer’s wife. The 1851 census shows Sarah as a visitor staying in Bath with Mary Ann Bailey, a widow and fundholder, who was probably a relative as she was born at Hardington.
Sarah married William Cox, a Yeovil silversmith, at Holy Trinity, Yeovil, on 25 October 1854.[8] William’s rank or profession in the marriage register is recorded as “Gentleman.”
Retirement
By the time Sarah married, her parents had retired to Burton, East Coker.[9]
William held three sales in preparation for his retirement: corn, hay, feed, cider, and other effects on 1 August 1854, livestock and farming equipment on 5 September 1854, and the remaining equipment, apples, feed, and other items on 14 September 1854.[10] On 5 September 1854, he also sold his freehold house and garden.[11]
Death
William died at West Coker on 19 July 1857, aged 75, and was interred at Hardington four days later.
He left an estate valued at “less than £1,000.” He bequeathed his wife a life interest in his house at Hardington, his furniture and his residue.[12]
Susan’s later life
By April 1861, Susan lived with her daughter and son-in-law in Clarence Place, Yeovil. She died at Park Villa, Yeovil, on 7 April 1867, aged 84, and was interred at Hardington six days later.[13]
Her daughter, Sarah, died childless in 1880, aged 53. Sarah’s husband married Sarah’s cousin, Jane Guppy, at St George’s, Bloomsbury, the following year.
References
[1] The will of Samuel Guppy, dated 19 May 1818, proved at Wells on 7 June 1821.
[2] Somerset Heritage Centre D/D/rm/7
[3] Hardington Jury list.
[4] Morning Advertiser. 13 September 1826 p. 1; Western Gazette 30 July 1864 p. 8.
[5] The will of William Strode, dated 8 November 1824, proved in London on 12 March 1825.
[6] The will of Mark Dodge, dated 16 March 1850, proved at Wells on 30 March 1850.
[7] Sherborne Mercury, 2 December 1848, p.4.
[8] Dorset County Chronicle, 2 November 1854, p.20.
[9] Dorset County Chronicle, 2 November 1854, p.20.
[10] Sherborne Mercury, 25 July 1854, p.2; 29 August 1854, p.2; 12 September 1854, p.2.
[11] Sherborne Mercury, 29 August 1854, p.2.
[12] The will of William Guppy, dated 18 April 1857, proved at Wells on 5 October 1857.
[13] Sherborne Mercury, 9 April 1867, p.3.