Shoemaker
of the Parish Of Linkinhorne
I came across a fascinating extract from this diary
in the Devon and Cornwall Notes & Queries Volume XXXII 1971-1973 . According
to my research, Joseph was probably born in 1788 and married Elizabeth sometime
around 1810-1812 as their first child was born in 1812. Another four children
followed and on each baptism entry Joseph is described as a shoemaker or cordwainer. In October 1829 he was admitted to the Devon and Exeter Hospital
with a ‘complaint in his back’. On the 4th December he noted the
common diet for patients of the hospital:-
Mon. Wed. Fri.
Breakfast. One pint of water gruel. Bread for day 15oz.
Dinner. One pint of rice milk.
Supper. One pint of milk pottage on Monday. Cheese 2oz on Wednesday and One oz
butter on Friday.
Tues. Thur. Sat. Sun.
Breakfast. One pit of water gruel with 11oz of bread for day.
Dinner. One pint of broth, 4 oz. Mutton, 1lb potatoes.
Supper. Cheese 2oz.
And we complain about the National Health Service………..!
An entry in 1831 states that he had sent a certificate to the Callington Amicable Society to certify that he was incapable of following his employment in consequence of an inflammatory fever from 21st October to 8th November. For these 17 days confined they paid out 18s 8d.
There is also a list of the various persons in the parish to whom he submitted an annual account in the summer of 1817.
The short article concludes by saying that Joseph Bennett’s diary is in the possession of the author Mr K Goodridge. I have been unable to trace a Mr Goodridge in Cornwall or Devon and sadly it looks as if the diary has not been deposited in any of the usual places in either Cornwall or Devon. Does anyone know of Mr K Goodridge and the whereabouts of this diary?
Lynda Small
1st April 2002
ADDENDUM
As mentioned above, Joseph was probably born in 1788, the son of John & Joan Bennett. At some
point he married Elizabeth (but not in Linkinhorne) and there is a record of four baptisms in Linkinhorne
for Mary 1814, Joseph 1815, Elizabeth 1817 and John 1823.
The illness that he was suffering from above probably caused a premature death
as in the St Melor burial ground we have the following headstone
Sacred
to the Memory of
JOSEPH BENNETT
of this Parish Shoemaker
Who Died Sep 22nd 1832
Aged 44 Years
Also ELIZABETH his wife
Who Died Jan 29th 1855
Aged 70 Years
Go to St Melor Burial Monuments for a picture of the headstone.
There is however, no record of this burial in the register, this could mean that he was actually buried near the hospital he died in, or it could be an omission.