Born: 1775, baptised 24 Jul 1775 at South Barrow, Somerset. NB in the 1841 and 1851 census returns Samuel gave his age as 60 then 70 years, so prior to baptismal records being available his birth year had been calculated as 1781.
Parents: James Bartlett c1750-1800 and Mary Shean c1746-1809
Siblings: James Bartlett 1772–1791, William Bartlett 1779–1781, Susannah Bartlett 1782–1838, William Bartlett 1784-?
Married: 1. Mary Lye 1780-1808 on 26 Feb 1805 at Corton Denham, Somerset
2. Lucy Braine c1790-1866 on 12 July 1809 at Corton Denham, Somerset
Offspring: 1. Lucy Lyde Bartlett 1806-?, Susanna 1807-probably by 1810, as next child called Susanna.
2. Susanna (or Susan) Bartlett 1810- ?, James Bartlett 1812-1895, Mary c1816-?, Hester 1816-1896, Eliza or Lisa c1821-?, Elizabeth c1821-?, Samuel 1825-1906, Abraham 1827-1896, Daniel 1830-1866
Died: 1851, buried South Barrow on 6 May 1851
See map of locations for places mentioned on this page
Samuel’s two marriages
Samuel’s first marriage was to Mary Lye at Corton Denham on 26 Feb 1805 witnessed by Thomas Lye and Ann King. Samuel and Mary had two daughters, Lucy Lyde baptised 9 February 1806 and then Susanna baptised when she was a few days old on 8 November 1807. A few months later their mother Mary died was buried in South Barrow churchyard on 9 April 1808.
On 12 July 1809 Samuel returned to Corton Denham to marry Lucy Braine, witnessed by Thomas Warr and Hester Bartlett. Susanna, born to Samuel’s first wife must have died in infancy as Samuel and Lucy called their first child Susanna who was baptised in October 1810. Their next child was James who was baptised as an 8 day old on 24 May 1812. The South Barrow parish baptismal records stop in 1812 but the census records show that Samuel and Lucy had more offspring while they were living in South Barrow.
At the time of the 1841 census Susanna (30yr), James (25yr), Hester (20yr) were at South Barrow, while parents Samuel and Lucy were in Babcary with Mary (25yr), Lisa (20yr), Elizabeth (20yr), Samuel (15yr), Daniel (12yr). In the 1851 census Susanna is referred to as Susan and Abraham, an extra offspring appears who would have been 14yrs old at the time of the 1841 census.
Please see this page for a tree of Samuel’s descendants.
Why did Samuel Bartlett 1775-1851 move from South Barrow to Standerwick, Foddington, Babcary?
The family roots of Samuel’s father James Bartlett c1750-1800 were in Babcary. James may have come to own the farm in South Barrow through his marriage to Mary Shean.
Samuel’s moved from South Barrow to Babcary can be dated as about 1826. Census returns show that his elder offspring had been born in South Barrow and then the last three in Bacary. In 1826 Samuel would have been about 50 years old. The South Barrow farm (48 acres in 1851) had been owned and worked by his father James but the best Bartlett farm, though either fully or partially rented would have been Standerwick Farm (200 acres in 1851) at Foddington, Babcary.
In 1826 Samuel’s eldest son James 1813-1895 would have been thirteen years old. This James was living in South Barrow during the 1841 census with two of his sisters. Did James move to Babcary with his father and then later return to South Barrow, leaving another member of the family to run the South Barrow farm?
The 1832 South Barrow voters list includes Samuel Bartlett whose place of abode was Babcary. This means that Samuel was a ‘forty shilling freeholder’ as his ‘house and lands’ had an estimated annual rental value of £2 or more. In 1832 about one in six of the adult male population were enfranchised. In 1798 Samuel’s father James had been assessed to be taxed on land in South Barrow worth over £2. In pre-1971 English currency there were 20 shillings to the pound.
So Samuel owned the South Barrow farm while he was living in Babcary, probably with one of the Bartletts mentioned in the 1832 Babcary voters list. It is impossible to tell whether he was with one of the two Williams or John Bartlett. One of the Williams died in 1830 aged 74 and was buried in a chest tomb in Babcary churchyard. This suggests that William was farming the successful Standerwick Farm and that Samuel had moved from South Barrow to help William in his old age.
Samuel may never have relinquished complete control of the South Barrow Farm during his lifetime as the 1846 South Barrow voters list includes: ‘Bartlett, James’ who qualified as he was an ‘occupier of lands’ owned by ‘Bartlett’s estate’. At the same time the 1846 voters list for Babcary included: ‘Bartlett, Samuel’ who qualified as he owned ‘freehold lands’ that he farmed himself.
Was Samuel the natural heir to Standerwick or did he take it over by stealth and against the extended family’s wishes? The outcome was that his eldest son James spent most of his life at Parsonage Farm in South Barrow while his second son Samuel farmed at Standerwick.