Here are the further newspaper cuttings featuring the Trask family in Weymouth and Merriott, as promised in the year-end round-up {1} which included a section on press appearances of George Trask in the archives.
George (about 1863 to Feb 1950) became the second husband of two times great aunt Margaret ‘Annie’ Osborne (1874-1941) in 1905.
The cuttings range from the seemingly insignificant to rather more serious reports.
Damaging Grass, from Western Gazette 21st May 1880, has Uriah Bell, George Rendall and George Trask, young fellows of Merriott, summoned for doing malicious damage to grass, with a police constable seeing them jumping in the field in question on Sunday April 18th. Later on in the same column, under Merriott Clubites, Ann Trask, daughter of Isaiah, appears as a witness to assault.
Our George would be about 17, so he may or may not be one of the “young fellows” in question. Isaiah is his father.
Of cabbages and credit
Next there is a long piece, spread over 2 columns (hence 2 images here) in 5th Aug 1881, again from Western Gazette. Isaiah Trask, a market gardener, is claiming payment for a large quantity of cabbage plants. This must be the older Isaiah, age about 54, rather than his son of that name (about 26) who appears in the records as a fishmonger, or sometimes a horse dealer. “Our” George Trask also gets a mention.
The jury found for the plaintiff, for the amount claimed – £6 12s 6d for 53,000 plants.
Drunk on the sands
Back with George Trask, Western Gazette 6th October 1916, but in Weymouth now. He was fined 7s 6d for being drunk and incapable on the sands on 24th September.
The newspaper cutting from 1938 which is in the 2013 review finds a George Trask again on Weymouth beach, breaking by-laws on hawking (selling) in the prohibited area. This person is living at 1 Hartlebury Terrace, where eldest son William George is known to be in 1941 (when Annie Trask dies {2}), so quite possibly the news item relates to that step-cousin instead of his father. George senior dies earlier in 1950 in Wardcliffe Road, Weymouth.
Waggons and woundings
Isaiah Trask appears twice in the Gazette in connection with fatalities involving his waggon (although the later one could just about involve his son instead).
The clipping on the left, from 25th September 1868, clearly states ‘a fatal accident’, with the deceased being John Haynes. About 11 years later, Isaiah’s cart allegedly knocked down a man, William Clarke, at Uplyme, when returning from Lyme Fair (Lyme Regis) on 1st October 1879. It goes to Assizes, January 1880, but reporting of this hasn’t been found yet. Presumably he wasn’t imprisoned, or if so only for a short while, otherwise he wouldn’t have been selling cabbage plants in summer 1881.
Hope you enjoyed the groan-worthy headings in this article – fortunately old newspapers didn’t indulge much in this common modern media practice.
Notes
1. Other articles featuring press cuttings:
- The Cutlock review for 2013
- Making the news makes family history – mainly American clippings, but also on Feek relations in Norfolk.
- There’s no news like old Welsh news – Phoebe Watkins nee Griffiths.
- Getting excited by an obituary – Cullum line.
2. Thanks to Karyn for copies of various BMD registration certificates for the Trask/Taylor crew. More on Annie Taylor/Trask’s offspring on the Osborne family page.
3. All clippings sourced from the British Newspaper Archive via FindMyPast website.
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