Introduction
William Purchase was a prominent figure in village society. He was the son of Henry Purchase, who was the village schoolmaster in the 1840s. After initially working as a weaver, William developed the technical skills needed to repair looms and make loom components. In his forties, he began running a beerhouse named the White Horse, located at the foot of Pig Hill. Following the early death of his first wife, he married a woman half his age, with whom he had nine children.
Birth
William was born at Hardington around 1798, the second of four children born to Henry and Sarah Purchase. His father, William, was a schoolmaster in June 1841 and a weaver of canvas by March 1851.
First marriage
On 16 March 1835, William married Charlotte Parsons at West Coker. At the time, William was about 37 years old, and Charlotte was about 26. Both signed the marriage register.
They settled at Hardington, where they had two sons, Henry and Alfred John. In June 1841, the family lived in Lyatts Lane. William’s occupation in the 1841 census has been obliterated by an ink smudge, but the baptism entries for his two sons record his occupation as a weaver.
Charlotte died on 17 January 1843 from inflammation of the brain at the age of 34.[1]
Beerhouse keeper
The tithe survey lists William as the occupier of a cottage at Lyatts owned by Jonas Delamont (number 74) and a cottage at the foot of Pig Hill owned by Benjamin Chandler (number 89A). According to Rev. Sawyer’s unpublished history of Hardington, the latter cottage was the White Horse Inn, and William was the last publican.
On 7 July 1858, William Purchase was summoned for two offences: being open too early on Sunday, 23 May and remaining open too late on Monday, 14 June (Club Day). The magistrates fined William 10s for the first offence and £1 plus costs for the second.[2]
On 1 September 1858, Yeovil magistrates rejected his application for a spirit licence due to opposition from Mr Hoskins.[3]
Loom mender
In addition to running the inn, William repaired looms. The baptism register records William’s occupation as ‘repairer of looms’ in 1847, ‘mender of looms’ in 1848 and ‘sleighmaker’ in 1850. The 1851 census recorded his occupation as a “Sleymaker.”
Second marriage
On 4 September 1845, William married Sarah Partridge, the daughter of Abraham and Joan Partridge. William was about 47, and Sarah was about 23 and heavily pregnant with their first child. Both signed the marriage register.
William and Sarah had nine children together.
Death
William died on 21 October 1859 from an abscess of the prostate gland at the age of 61.[4]
Sarah’s later life
Sarah took over running the inn and continued until about 1868. The 1861 census shows her living at the “Public House” with eight children aged from one to fifteen years old. William’s two sons by his first wife had left home, as had her eldest daughter, Mary Jane.
In April 1871, Sarah was a glover living in the High Street with five children.
Sarah suffered from chronic heart disease and died on 1 May 1877 at the age of 54.[5]
Children
William and Charlotte had two sons. With Sarah, he had six sons and three daughters.
William’s sons from his first marriage included Alfred John, while his sons from his second marriage included James Morris and Richard Inkerman.
References
[1] Death certificate of Charlotte Purchase.
[2] Sherborne Mercury 13 July 1858 p. 5.
[3] The Western Flying Post 7 September 1858 p. 5.
[4] Death certificate of William Purchase.
[5] Death certificate of Sarah Purchase.
