Yeovil People
Thomas Frost
Yeoman and licensee of the Red House and Pen Mill Inn
Thomas Frost was born in Yeovil in 1792 and baptised at St John's church on 4 March 1792. He was the son of John Frost (1758-1817) and Mary née Yeatford (1753-1825). John and Mary's children were - John (b1782), un-named daughter (b1785), Ann (b1787), Ann (b1789), Thomas, and Jane (1794-1800).
Nothing is known of Thomas' early life, but on 10 August 1816, at St John's church, he married Frances Mary Bonner, known as Fanny (1793-1848). Thomas and Fanny were to have four children, all born in Yeovil - Fanny Bonner (1819-1882), Elizabeth Bonner (1819-1889), George (1822-1881) and John Bonner (1831-1890).
George was baptised at St John's church on 20 June 1822 and in the parish register Thomas was recorded as a thatcher of Vicarage Street. However, in its edition of 20 December 1830 the Western Flying Post reported that Thomas "of the Red House Inn" had his premises burgled (see Gallery). The St John's parish register's entry for the baptism of Thomas' son John Bonner on 5 November 1831, recorded Thomas as living at the Red House Inn on the Dorchester Road where he was the landlord.
In its edition of 10 December 1838, the Western Flying Post reported that in the Yeovil Agricultural Society's Great Cattle Show, Thomas won the prize of £2 for showing the best cart colt.
Thomas was listed as the licensee of the Pen Mill Inn as early as 1840 in the Somerset Gazette Directory. The 1841 census listed him as a yeoman living with his wife, Frances, two daughters; Elizabeth and Frances, and son George. He was still listed as the occupier of the property in the 1846 Tithe Apportionment with William Jones Prowse listed as the owner of the property (he also owned the Red House Inn on the Dorchester Road, where Thomas had been landlord in the 1830s). By the time of the 1851 census he was living next door at Pen Mill Farm and was listed as a 58-year old widower (Fanny had died in 1848). He gave his occupation as farmer of 100 acres employing five labourers. Living with him was his 21-year old son, John, who gave his occupation as a farmer of 70 acres employing three labourers.
In the Yeovil Tithe Apportionment of 1846 the Pen Mill Inn and Garden (Parcel 863) were owned by Captain William J Prowse of Enham House, Southampton, son of George Bragge Prowse of Kingston Manor House and Lord of the Manor of Kingston and was occupied by Thomas Frost. Frost not only ran the inn but also farmed the surrounding area comprising some fifteen separate parcels of land. The Pen Mill In was also the de facto farmhouse of Pen Mill Farm.
By the time of the 1851 census, Thomas was living at Pen Mill Farm and was listed as a 58-year old widower (Fanny had died in 1848). He gave his occupation as farmer of 100 acres employing five labourers. Living with him was his 21-year old son, John, who gave his occupation as a farmer of 70 acres employing three labourers.
Thomas Frost died on 19 June 1851 at Pen Mill. He was aged 58.
As a postscript, Thomas' son George took over the license of the Pen Mill Inn on the demise of his father and is listed as licensee in Slater's Directory of 1852. One snippet of information that caught my eye was that in 1854 the landlord of the Pen Mill Inn, George Frost, was fined the grand sum of ten shillings for keeping his bar open until 4pm on a Sunday afternoon. George was probably the last licensee of the Pen Mill Inn and it would have been during his tenure that the road was raised resulting in the demise of the establishment as a cider house.
Gallery
Courtesy of
Brian Kersting
The Red House and the Dorchester Road - I'm guessing in the 1920s. Thomas Frost was one of the first landlords here in 1830.
The report in the 20 December 1830 edition of the Western Flying Post reporting on the activities of a gang of burglars who were active in the area and included the break in at Thomas Frost's Red House Inn.
This photograph
features in my
book "A-Z
of Yeovil"
That part of the building at left, the original cider house and later Pen Mill Inn, had been semi-buried like this for a hundred years! The right-hand part was the farmhouse of Pen Mill Farm - certainly during the 1840s, when Thomas Frost was the farmer of the farm and also the licensee of the Pen Mill Inn.
This report from the 30 January 1847 edition of the Western Flying Post records how Thomas' Pen Mill Inn premises had been broken into. It appears the gang got away with farm produce rather than any liquor from the inn.
1851 will of thomas frost
This is the last Will and Testament
of me Thomas
Frost of Yeovil
in the County of
Somerset Yeoman
I give and
bequeath unto my
Son John Bonner
Frost the sum of
one hundred
pounds sterling
Also I give
devise and
bequeath all my
live and dead
stock monies and
securities for
money goods
chattels and
effects and all
the
rest residue and remainder
of my personal
estate unto my
friends Thomas
Pearce of
Whitelackington
in the said
County Yeoman
and Thomas
Samways of
Yeovil aforesaid
Plumber and
Glazier and the
survivor of them
his executors
administrators
and assigns upon
trust to sell
dispose of
collect in and
convert the same
respectively
into money as
soon as may be
convenient after
my decease in
such manner as
they or he shall
in their or his
discretion think
proper and stand
possessed of the
monies arising
therefrom In
Trust in the
first place [thereout?]
to pay and
discharge all my
just debts and
funeral and
testamentary
expences and the
said legacy of
one hundred
pounds and after
payment and
discharge
thereof
respectively
upon trust to
pay and divide
all the residue
of the said
trust monies and
the dividends
interest and
annual proceeds
due thereon unto
and equally
between my said
Son John Bonner
Frost and my two
daughters
Elizabeth Frost
and Fanny now
the wife of
Dominic Stone of
Weymouth in the
County of Dorset
Innkeeper or
their respective
executors
administrators
and assigns as
tenants in
common for their
own respective
use and benefit
and I do hereby
declare that
there are not
any accounts
subsisting
between me and
any of my
children except
that I have
joined with my
Son George Frost
as his Surety to
Mr Matthew
Bartlett of
Stoford in the
said County for
the sum of three
hundred pounds
and interest and
I do also
declare that the
reason why I
have not given
any legacy to
him by this my
Will is because
he will become
entitled on my
death to some
freehold houses
in Yeovil which
belonged to his
Mother Also I
give and devise
unto the said
Thomas Pearce
and Thomas
Samways and
their Heirs All
the real Estate
which at the
time of my
decease may be
vested in me as
a Trustee upon
trust to carry
into effect the
trusts and
purposes
affecting the
same And I also
give and devise
unto the said
Thomas Pearce
and Thomas
Samways and
their Heirs All
the real estate
which at the
time of my
decease may be
vested in me as
a mortgagee upon
trust to stand
seized thereof
subject to the
equity of
redemption
subsisting
therein and upon
the receipt or
discharge of the
monies secured
by any mortgage
or mortgages to
execute such
assurances of
the legal estate
of the mortgaged
hereditaments as
the nature of
the case may
require Provided
always and I do
hereby authorize
and empower my
said trustees
and the survivor
of them his
executors and
administrators
to adjust settle
and compound all
accounts
reckonings
matters and
things
whatsoever which
shall be
[depending?]
between me and
any other person
or persons
whomsoever at
the time of my
decease upon any
terms my said
trustees or
trustee may
think proper and
to accept any
security real or
personal for any
debt or debts
owing to me and
to allow such
time for the
payment thereof
as they or he
may think
reasonable and I
do also direct
that it shall be
lawful for my
said trustees
their heirs
executors and
administrators
respectively by
and out of the
monies which
shall come to
their respective
hands by virtue
of this my Will
to reimburse
themselves
respectively all
such costs
charges damages
and expences as
they shall
respectively
sustain or be
put unto in or
about the
execution of the
trusts hereby in
them reposed and
that neither of
them shall be
chargeable for
the receipts
payments acts or
defaults of the
other of them
nor for more
monies than
shall actually
come to their
respective hands
by virtue of
this Will
(notwithstanding
their joining in
any receipt or
receipts or
doing any act
for the sake of
conformity) nor
with or for any
loss or damage
which may happen
of or to the
same or any part
thereof so as
such loss happen
without their
respective gross
and wilful
default And
Lastly I do
hereby nominate
and appoint the
said Thomas
Pearce and
Thomas Samways
joint
Executors
In Trust of this my Will In Witness whereof I the said Thomas Frost the
Testator have at
the foot or end
of this my last
Will and
Testament
contained in two
sheets of paper
and at the foot
or end of the
first sheet
thereof set my
hand this
sixteenth day of
June in the year
of our Lord one
thousand eight
hundred and
fifty one
Thos Frost
Signed and
acknowledged by
the said Thomas
Frost the
Testator as and
for his last
Will and
Testament in the
presence of us
present at the
same time who at
his request in
his presence and
in the presence
of each other
have hereunto
subscribed our
names as
Witnesses
Wm Shorland
[word illegible]
Yeovil
HM Watts
Solicitor Yeovil
Proved at London 30th Dec[embe]r 1851 before The Judge by the oath of
Thomas Pearse
(in the Will
written Pearce)
and Thomas
Samways the
Executors to
whom Adm[inistrati]on
was granted
having been
first sworn by
Com[missi]on
duly to
administer
Transcribed by Bob Osborn