William White, carpenter and sub-postmaster

Introduction

William White was the sub-postmaster at Hardington from about 1920 until his death in 1939. He combined this role with running a shop and working as a carpenter. He spent his early life at Hardington but moved to East Coker for about ten years after marrying Annie Mullins. Annie lost her father at the age of seven and was then raised by her mother, who ran a small shop. The family valued education; Annie became a schoolmistress, and one of her aunts married a schoolmaster. William and Annie had two daughters: one married Arthur James Ascott, a farmer, while the other remained single and sadly died young.

Childhood at Hardington

William was born at Hardington in 1862, the sixth of eight children born to William and Emma White. He was probably born at Romsey Farm.

In 1865, William’s parents moved from Romsey Farm to Vale Farm, Hardington Marsh.

On 24 August 1874, William and Emma had their four youngest children—Susan, William, Walter, and Theophilus—baptised together at Hardington Church.

After leaving school, William became a carpenter, following in the footsteps of his older brother, George. The 1881 census recorded him at Hardington Marsh with his parents, two older sisters (Frances and Susan) and two younger brothers (Walter and Theophilus). Susan was the first to marry, followed by Frances, and then William.

Marriage

On 22 December 1886, William married Annie Mullins at East Coker. At the time, both William and Annie were 24 years old, and both signed the marriage register. The witnesses were all from Annie’s side, consisting of her siblings Robert, Emily and Bessie, as well as Samuel Baker, the husband of her sister Sarah Ann.

Annie Mullins

Annie was the fifth of eight children born to James and Maria Mullins. Her birth was registered in the Yeovil district in the second quarter of 1862 under the name “Anna Maria Mullings.”

Her parents were married at East Coker on 8 February 1851, and came from very different backgrounds. Her father, James, was born at East Coker and worked as a stonemason. Her mother, Elizabeth, was born at Harberton in Devon as the daughter of a farm labourer and probably moved to East Coker to work as a domestic servant.

James belonged to a close-knit family. After their marriage, James and Maria initially settled in the hamlet of Atherstone at East Coker, where James’s family made up a large proportion of the inhabitants. His parents, along with two unmarried sisters, lived in one house, a married sister in another, and an aunt in a third.

Two of James’s siblings improved their social position through marriage. His older brother, Robert, moved to Yeovil to work for Reuben Pedwell, a master baker, and married Pedwell’s sister, Leah. His younger sister, Sarah, married a schoolmaster named Richard Rodwell, who later ran schools at Bourton, Mere and Gillingham.

Encouraged by Robert’s example, James and his family moved to Yeovil in about 1857, and by April 1861, they were living in Belmont Street. However, both brothers soon faced serious health problems.

In 1861 or 1862, James returned to East Coker with his wife and three children.[1] After their return, they had four more children. Tragically, their son Isaac died on 27 July 1866, aged five, after suffering ten days of convulsions.[2]

James’s brother, Robert, died on 8 March 1866 from tuberculosis.[3] He was only 42 at the time of his death, foreshadowing what would later happen to James.

James’s health continued to deteriorate, and he died on 8 December 1869 from tuberculosis and heart disease, also at the age of 42. His death left Maria as the sole guardian of six children under 14 years of age.

Maria supported her family by running a shop at Hewhill, East Coker. By April 1881, all her children had left home except for Robert, who worked as a stonemason, and Annie, who served as an Assistant Teacher. Two years after Annie married William White, Robert married Mary Eastment of Hardington, the daughter of Reuben and Jane Eastment.

Early married life at East Coker

For about the first ten years of their marriage, William and Annie lived at Hewhill, next door to Annie’s mother. While living there, they had two daughters: Elsie Ella, born on 27 November 1888 and Alice Minnie, born in 1893.

Return to Hardington

By 1897, William had returned to Hardington with his family, living in a six-room house near the church. William continued to work as a carpenter while Annie ran a grocer’s shop. Annie’s mother lived with them until her death in January 1906.

In the estate sale of 1920, William bought the property he occupied as the sitting tenant.

The 1921 census describes William as a carpenter employed by Viscount Portman’s estate.

Following the death of Francis Purchase, the village sub-postmaster, in 1920, William saw an opportunity. By 1923, he was officially in charge of the village Post Office. However, it was probably his wife, Annie, and his daughter, Alice, who managed the day-to-day operations.

Around 4 May 1923, Annie developed acute bronchitis, which led to heart failure just seven days later. She was 60 years old.

After Annie’s death, Alice probably assumed responsibility for running the Post Office.

Alice died intestate on 24 May 1939, at the age of 45, leaving an estate valued at £120 3s 3d.

William died intestate on 21 July 1939, at the age of 77, leaving an estate valued at £841-4s-7d.

By September 1939, William’s granddaughter, Dorothy Legg, had taken over the running of the Post Office.

On 6 December 1946, the Post Office was sold by auction at the Half Moon Hotel, Yeovil. The property was described as “a charming 16^th Century Stone-built Thatched Roof Detached Country Cottage” in the “picturesque village of Hardington Mandeville.” The house had six bedrooms, two receptions, a shop and a Post Office, and was equipped with electric light and mains water. The property extended to one acre, 21 perches, which included a garden, orchard, cowstall and outbuildings.^[4]