Introduction

William Hallett spent his early years at North Perrott and probably moved to Hardington after marrying Mary Jeans in 1837. He and his family lived at Hardington Marsh and later at Hill End. William demonstrated versatility in his work; he began as a weaver, transitioned to shoemaking, and later became a farm labourer. Sadly, his oldest son, Lot, died from a fever at the age of eight, and his youngest daughter, Augusta, suffered from mental health issues.

Childhood at North Perrott

William was born at North Perrott on 27 April 1808, the youngest of five children born to James and Mary Hallett. His father, James, may have been a gamekeeper.[1]

Marriage

William married Mary Jeans of Hardington on 28 February 1837. At the time of their marriage, William was 28 years old, while Mary was 26. Both signed the marriage register.

Residence

The couple established their home at Hardington Marsh. In 1843, they lived in a cottage in Marsh Lane (number 581 on the tithe map), and William also occupied a small plot (number 580).

Occupations

From 1838 to 1840, William worked as a weaver.[2] He then switched to shoemaking, possibly learning the craft from his brother, Benjamin, who lived at North Perrott and later Haselbury. William continued as a shoemaker for at least eleven years.[3] By April 1861, he had become a farm labourer, a role he would remain in for the rest of his life.

Their daughter, Rebecca, contributed to the family income by running a shop in the late 1850s.[4]

Death of son

In early April 1848, William and Mary’s eight-year-old son, Lot, fell ill with a fever from which he died a week later, on 13 April.[5]

The children leave home

Their third child, Elizabeth, was raised by her grandmother, Elizabeth Jeans. The first of their other children to leave home was Frances, who became a housemaid at Globe House, Haselbury, by April 1861. Four more children left during the 1860s, leaving Augusta as the only child still at home.

Move to Hill End

By April 1881, William, Mary and their daughter, Augusta, had moved to Hill End. The 1891 census lists their address as 372 Hill End, a three-room house.

Mary died in 1890, at the age of about 79. After her death, William lived alone for ten years until he died in 1900 at the age of 92.[6]

Children

William and Mary had seven children:

1838- Rebecca (a shopkeeper at Hardington in 1859; married Abraham Garrett, a farm labourer, in 1863; resided at East Chinnock; died in 1892);

Circa 1840- Lot (died aged 8);

Circa 1843- Elizabeth (lived with her grandmother, Elizabeth Jeans; a cook in Crewkerne in April 1871);

Circa 1844- Daniel (became a carpenter and builder at West Coker; died in 1919);

1846- Frances Jane (married Robert Miller, a gardener in 1874; resided at Evershot for many years; died in 1936);

1848- Augustus (worked at home as a glover; spent her later life in lunatic asylums; died in 1912);

Circa 1850- Lot (a domestic servant at Melbury Osmond in April 1871; later worked as a labourer in South Wales; died in 1928).

References

[1] The 1851 census states that James was formerly a gamekeeper.

[2] Hardington baptism register.

[3] 1841 census; death certificate of Lot Hallett, 1848;1851 census.

[4] Trade Directory of 1859.

[5] Death certificate of Lot Hallett.

[6] The Civil Registration Death Indexes record William’s age as 87 and Mary’s as 76.