Family Background
Joseph Harding was the second son of Joseph Harding (born 24 June 1778, died Friday 23 September 1814) of Sturton Farm and Mary Yeoman of the Great House, Wanstrow. The Harding family had originally come from Pewsey, Wiltshire where they had farmed for five generations. Joseph Harding's siblings were:
- Alonzo Harding, born on Friday 13 October 1802 (who died on Friday 7 February 1806)
- Joseph Harding born on Friday 22 March 1802 (of Cheddar Cheese fame, but clearly year of birth differs from that in introduction)
- John Harding, born on Saturday 18 March 1807
- Richard Harding, born on Sunday, 7 May 1809. Became a missionary to Jamaica.
- George Harding, born on Thursday 21 February 1811
- Mary Yeoman Harding, born on the 18 December 1811 and mother of Rev. Henry Hayes Vowles. She had "a life of much sadness, but her sweet disposition, like her mother's, made her a favourite with everybody".
- Isaac Harding born on Monday 20 February 1815. Isaac became a missionary in Australia at the time of the great gold discoveries. There "he led a very active and adventurous life until he died in 1897. It is said that he was stoned from one town and stopped the cricketers' Sunday play in another by pocketing their ball". He also became a missionary in New Zealand and had many descendants there.
Joseph Harding married Rachel Wimboult in St. Mary's Redcliffe, Bristol in 1824. They lived at Compton Dando and Marksbury. She was active in his teaching of cheese making techniques.
Joseph Harding was related to the family of Richard Hardinge (c1593 - ) Groom to the Bedchamber to Charles II and Member of Parliament in 1640 for Great Bedwyn.
The Victoria County History of Somerset says: "In 1856 the Joseph Harding system of cheese-making was made public as the result of a deputation of Scotchmen coming south to investigate the originators of the system. To Mrs Harding, Marksbury, and her nephew, Joseph Harding, of Compton Dando, is due the institution of a definite procedure in cheese-making for mere rule of thumb. For twenty years the Harding system was the model, though nearly every maker had his or her variations in detail. The main feature, as we view it now, was the insistence on absolute cleanliness. The milkers were not allowed to bring the milk in direct from the farmyard. They had to pour it into a receiver outside the dairy wall, whence by means of a pipe it was conveyed inside to the cheese tub... . this was founded the real Cheddar cheese of modern commerce. The name of Harding must go down with it for all time. It will be noticed that he did not use either the acidimeter or sour whey, but he lifted the make out of the old ruts of mere practical chance and introduced to it the more definite methods of science. Indeed, he must be rightly termed the first scientific instructor in Cheddar cheese-making". .
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