1864; Sutton Poyntz and wedding celebrations.

The surrounding areas to Weymouth were and still are prime farm land, and as such they had been worked throughout the centuries.

In the Victorian era, and of course before even then, rural life was very much divided into 2 groups. You had those who had the lot… land, money and prestige…and then those who had very little! The harshness of the life of a simple farm labourer and his family often depended on how well his boss and often landlord, treated them.

Such was the case for the village of Sutton Poyntz.

John Allen Pope, along with his wife Mary were the proud owners of Sutton Farm, (part of the vast Weld estate) working a total of 1950 acres of land in and a round Sutton Poyntz, which pretty much covered the whole area. The wealthy couple  had a large family, 7 sons and 4 daughters.

On the 9th June 1864 the bells of the village church in Preston rang out their joyful peals.

Their notes of merry ringing carried down through the valley, they marked the marriage of two of John and Mary’s daughters.

Charlotte, aged 22 was being wed to 25-year-old Thomas Hill, a gentleman, whose parents worked Came farm, and 27-year-old Harriet was marrying another Winterbourne Came resident and gentleman farmer , 37-year-old William Frank Ellis. Rather oddly, the banns for Harriet and Williams marriage had been called over a year earlier in the parish of Winterbourne Came.

This was to be  a day of joy and fun for the farm labourers too, they were not to be left out of  the families plans for the happy celebrations. Nearly 90 workers and their families were invited to the farm to raise a glass to the happy couples. At five o’clock they all sat down to a real feast, and afterwards one and all were treated to what was euphemistically referred to as ‘strong beer’ , and for those that smoked a pipe, it was tobacco all round. Of course, no country wedding, rich or poor,  would have been without it’s stirring music and dancing. The youngsters, and probably more of the mature revellers enjoyed the lively musical entertainment, many going on to have “tripped the light fantastic toe.” 

The family and the labourers celebrated side by side, the two newly married daughters mingling with one and all at their wedding feast day, it appears that a great deal respect was mutual on both sides of the divide.

Festivities went on until darkness fell, when one by one the families staggered their way home to their cottages, filled with good food, ale and great cheer.

Both women, along with their husbands were destined to leave for pastures new, a life in South Africa.

If the name Pope rings a bell, that’s for a very good reason.

Two of John and Mary’s sons brought into an established  Dorchester brewery, which at the time was named  Eldridge, Mason & Co, soon to be renamed Eldridge Pope. A decade or so later, the brothers purchased the site neat to the station at Dorchester, which became the large brewery that was familiar to one and all. The overpowering aroma of the hops in the air would be unmistakable as you climbed down from the train.

 © Copyright Dr Neil Clifton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Alas, that giant of a local brewery now gone, the

buildings redeveloped into luxury apartments, a cinema, shops and restaurants.

Such is life!

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http://suttonpoyntz.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=285&Itemid=715

http://www.weymouth-dorset.co.uk/sutton-poyntz.html

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