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BUNWORTH : IRELAND TO AUSTRALIA
Richard and Bridget Bunworth were not the first Bunworths in Australia when they arrived in January
1852. Convicts Denis and Peter arrived in 1822 and 1834 respectively and another family of six
children headed by Charles and Ellen arrived in 1841.
Richard was given his father’s name at birth. His mother was Katherine. He grew up in a farming
family when times were far tougher than ever experienced in Australia. It was quite possible that the
family had been caught up in the evictions of Irish families by absent landlords in their pursuit of profit.
Certainly they experienced the series of potato famines which ravaged Ireland. In almost every second
year between 1815 and 1845 the potato crop failed and typhus and similar fevers caused the death of
156,000. In 1845 the potato blight again struck but this time it was continuous for five years. For those
years famine, fever, death and misery were seen on an unprecedented scale. 800,000 perished from
famine and related diseases. These conditions lead to the migration of one and a half of Ireland’s eight
million people. The exact place of birth is not known but from information given at the time of his
death1 we have some indicators.
Richard was born and married in County Cork. Born in 18062, he married Bridget Cronin (sometimes
spelt Cronan) in about 1832 and had eight children before emigrating to Australia. It maybe the case
that the family moved about whilst in Ireland judging by the places of birth of their children were given
by various records. Jane’s place of birth, circa 1839, is given as County Clare3 Denis, circa 1841, is said
to have been born in Newminster4 and Mary two years later in Newmarket5. For the Western district ,
Aust Bunworths; have we any further information on the various children’s birth places? Does anyone
know about Bonshaw? See endnotes. The Bunworths lost two children in Ireland, both named Peter, the
first born in circa 1836 and the second born about ten years later. The remaining two children were
named Richard(1845) and William(1850).
Richard went regularly to church and was described as a zealous member of the Catholic Church. 6
Whether he was born a Catholic or converted under the influence of his wife is unknown as no record of
his birth has as yet been found. The Bunworths came from a long line of English Protestants who the
Irish, even today, would regard as recently arrived. Richard’s ancestors probably include Colonel
Richard Bunworth who fought at the Battle of the Boyne and the Siege of Limerick in 1690. The
Bunworths originally came from Lincolnshire.7 It was in Barkstone in Lincolnshire, in 1534-5, that the
Bunworth family received its coat of arms. They were given to William Bunworth of Barkstone.
1
Richard Bunworth, Death certificate, 1896 no.2737; Hamilton Spectator 15/2/1896.
This is according to the above certificate. However the shipping papers state that he was 37 in 1851 and therefore born in
1814. It is quite possible that Richard lied about his age for his correct age would have made him ineligible for free passage
to Australia. At this time Immigration agents were instructed only to allow married couples under the age of 40.
3
Shipping papers, Joshua, Melbourne 1852, Jane Bunworth
4
Denis Bunworth death notice, Hamilton Spectator 28/4/1903; 30/4/1903 and 23/6/1903.
5
Mary Jane Bunworth, daughter, birth certificate, 1865, no1499. Information for this would seem to be reliable as the
informant who signed the document was Bridget Bunworth, the new born’s grandmother. The shipping papers could have
been mistaken due to a lack of interest by the shipping clerk in the filling out the many pages of tables and Denis Bunworth’s
death notice could have easily been wrong due to a mistake by an informant who did not know any better. After all
Newmarket and Newminster are not too unlike each other.
6
Hamilton Spectator 15/2/1896
7
This information came from a Colonel Richard Bunworth in Ireland via two other Australian Bunworth descendants. No
direct linkage has been established between the current family under discussion and the Bunworths of the Boyne, though it is
established that one of the Australian convicts was a direct descendant. However Bunworth is not a common name and it is
reasonable to assume that the numbers of Bunworths who went to Ireland were even smaller, maybe only one family or one
person.
2
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Richard was not rich! In applying for his free passage to Australia he gave his occupation as an
agricultural labourer. Together with the labourers they made up seventy five percent of assisted
migrants between 1839 and 1850.8
Despite the presence of death and famine, those ‘British’ who wished to migrate to Australia did not do
so without much soul searching. The vast majority of British who migrated, chose America as the price
of a one way ticket was five times cheaper than one to Australia. Very few could ever expect to return
from a place so far away that it was beyond their ability to comprehend. In fact only a few would have
even have seen the sea before. There was to be no return to their place of family, friends and homeland.
The most likely reason for choosing Australia was the existence of friends or relatives already there.
Certainly in Melbourne there was another Bunworth family, but it appears that that Richard and Bridget
did not stay with them on their arrival. There were also two Bunworth convicts who were transported to
New South Wales( Peter and Denis) the last one dieing in 1846. In the Hamilton area there was a
Catholic priest by the name of Cronan, Bridget’s maiden name. However it has not been established
whether they were related. Their decision to go was made possible by the colonial government desire to
attract good labour that were young and healthy and so had the Bunworths had their entire voyage paid
for by the government.
The shipping papers9reveal quite an amount of information about the Bunworth family. At the time of
departure Richard was 37 and Bridget was 36. Richard is recorded as being able to both read and write
which was well educated given that at the time the rate of illiteracy was well over 70% in Ireland.
Bridget could read but the two eldest daughters Catherine and Jane, were able to both read and write.
Yet some eleven years later at the signing of her sister’s wedding certificate10 Jane witnesses the event
with an ‘X’ for her name. Younger brother Denis on the other hand signs his name. It would have been
a rare agricultural labourer who could both read and write in Ireland in 1850. At that time both Jane and
Catherine had been working as domestic servants, an occupation common to 84% of all female migrants
to Port Phillip in the years 1839-1850. Also accompanying the family of Richard and Bridget was a
member of another branch of the Bunworth family by the name of Peter11. He was 16, a labourer from
Cork who records his father as being Richard but his mother as being Ellen Tolmey. He was therefore
not a first cousin to either Richard or his children.
The leaving of their home and their birth place would have been traumatic. Bidding goodbye to their
friends that they would surely never see again, their local parish priest would have given his blessing.
They would have tramped through unfamiliar country to get to the port of embarkation for their journey
to England where it is assumed that Irish migrants met their ship in Liverpool. They would have
clambered to the rails for one last look, as the ship left the shores of their Ireland. One emigrant’ Henry
Brinton, wrote in his diary “ The pang of parting was very severe. I now felt that I had left everything
that was most dear to me and that I was now alone in the world.”12
The ship Joshua was a modern ship built in 185113 and was highly commended at the time the
Bunworths boarded the ship. “A fine ship with excellent accommodation.”14wrote the visitor at the time
of the ship’s departure. There was plenty of activity as the correspondent continues. “Large numbers of
8
Broome R., The Victorians Arriving. Fairfax, Syme and Weldon Associates, Melbourne 1984, P 43.
Shipping Records of the ship Joshua sailing from Plymouth on the 5/11/1852
10
Marriage certificate of Mary Bunworth and Daniel Farmer, 14/11/1863, Catholic Church, Hamilton.
11
I have concluded Peter to be a cousin due to the fact that two earlier Peters were born and died prior to the voyage. This
has been queried by others.
12
Broome, R. Arriving, Fairfax, Syme and Weldon Associates, Melbourne 1984. P.50.
13
Chuk, F.
14
Emigrants’ Penny Magazine. Vol. 2. Pp. 285-6.
9
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people arriving prevented the reporter from a longer investigation due to the bustle and confusion.
(There was a ) very small proportion of Catholics, (and) the English and Scotch (were) very respectable.
The matron was very energetic, previously a governess and music teacher. Mr. Lever was teacher and
had conducted a public school at Agra. He was keen to conduct services. The young men were a very
satisfactory party.” The correspondent made no mention of the weather but for the Bunworths it was a
little chilly. It was only 57(14C) with a chilling wind as they left Gravesend. As the Joshua entered
the Straits of Dover the temperature dropped to 47(9C) and the emigrants knew that they had left the
shelter of the shore. They spent five days shivering at Plymouth and the Joshua sailed for Victoria on
October the thirtieth, 1851.
If the Bunworths had not seen the sea before there would have been many times when they prepared
themselves to meet their creator. Regular prayer would have been a source of great strength. However
just off the Canary Islands, west of Portugal the Joshua ran into severe storms. Confusion reigned.
William Bunworth, the two year old, was probably lucky not to comprehend but eight year old Mary
would have lived her worst nightmare as she listened to the snapping and crashing of the fore and main
topmasts. Broome describes similar scenes on other ships as people ran half naked through the night
mad with fright.15 Some groups sang hymns and held hands. Many were violently ill. Others still sat in
their cabins sitting amongst chaos as they watched their possessions flung about them. The carpenters
set to work and repaired the masts though in a much shortened fashion.
Although by contemporary standards it was a swift voyage of only 85 days it must have seemed a long
and often boring voyage. There were some lessons for the children and time would have been passed
talking and scanning the horizon for passing ships of which there were many and other items of interest.
Other wrote letters home, fished or played cards. Some with guns blasted at anything that moved. At
night the voyagers of this period read, held debates, sang and danced. Yet by the end of the voyage
many would have felt as J.B. Were when he wrote of his voyage “We were all tired of each other’s
company (with but few exceptions) tired of the ship, and of the voyage, and very nearly tired of
ourselves.”1617 Tongues wagged. The ships surgeon, Doctor Walsh employed a single female emigrant
as his servant and encouraged the ship’s master Captain Varian to officiate at a so called sanctification
of marriage between the schoolmaster, Mr. Lever and a female emigrant. This he did but the Levers
were urged to legitimise the marriage on arrival.
Worse still was the talk about the matron whose job it was to supervise the single women. Mrs. Lewis
was said to be the natural daughter of George the Fourth her appointment being a convenient way of
removing her from England. On arrival in Victoria she was charged with not fulfilling her duties and
gratuity was not paid. She was said not to have cared for the women whom she regarded as being below
her in status. She called the girls by foul names and used bad language to them. The surgeon was not
consulted when the girls were sick and she made no attempt to supervise the cleanliness of the girls or
their quarters. Florence Chuk suggests that this neglect of her duty may have been due to the illness of
Mrs. Lewis during much of the voyage and to lively nature of the seventy young women she had to
supervise.18
Unlike some voyages the rations of food and water were capably and honestly provided and the
passengers generally enjoyed good health. Only five deaths occurred and three babies were born. The
15
Broome, R. op. cit. P.52.
16
17
ibid. P.53.
Chuk, F. op.cit. P. 154
18
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Bunworths arrived at Hobson’s Bay, Melbourne on January the thirtieth 1852. They left the ship on
their own account which meant that they did not wait for an employer to engage them.
Melbourne was mad. Gold was the word that excited everyone. Governor LaTrobe’s dispatch
proclaiming that society had been turned upside down had not travelled half way to England when the
Joshua carrying the Bunworths had left England. The town that greeted them was no ordinary one.
Able bodied males had deserted their families, shops had closed, and the police force had deserted en
masse to join the gold rush. The first rush had occurred 6 months earlier and now the many successful,
and the not so successful, diggers were retreating from the burning temperatures of the inland. Racing to
take their place came excited diggers from the nearby colonies and California. The sights to greet the
Bunworths’ eyes must have been very foreign to these migrants fleeing the deprivations of a famine
ravaged Ireland.
For one migrant W. Craig who had only learnt about the gold rush from the pilot who boarded the ship
as it is entered the Heads, the first impression was an eerie one.19 About 50 ships were lying deserted in
the bay and, despite enormous sums offered, no crews could be found to sail them. As he walked up the
centre of town he saw one drunken digger giving away free champagne from a number of cases that lay
beside him. From others he heard tales of successful diggers using five pound notes to light cigars and
others eating expensive sandwiches consisting of ten pound notes! These scenes must have been more
than disturbing for the quiet Richard Bunworth with his heavy responsibility of the wife and six
children. As was remarked a half century later he was known for his “uprightness and straight
forward character.”20 Younger Cousin Peter was impressed and he after a time headed for the diggings
himself. The eldest boy of the family was Denis but being only 12 it was probable that he stayed under
the protective wing of his father. Their movements on their very first days in Australia are not known.
It is quite possible that the had a contact in Melbourne, maybe Charles Bunworth who, with his family,
had settled here ten years earlier and was a dealer in Russell Street. After all Richard had been confident
enough to leave the Joshua on his own account. Whatever the case Richard spent “a very short stay in
the metropolis, he entered the employment of .........Mr. Kennedy, then of Bald Hills, near Mount
Sturgeon, where he remained two years.”21 I have now found an advertisement for this job.
Whilst the earliest diggers made good gains on the goldfields the vast majority of the latter ones
just made enough to live reasonably. Cousin Peter spent “a time stockriding” before going on
the Victorian and New South Wales gold diggings for three or four years. Here he did “fairly
well”22Whilst it was good news for Peter it was also good news for Richard and his family. The
influx of migrants into the colony created a demand for food and goods that outstripped supply.
Often the goods could be obtained but the labour was not there to deliver it. The London Times
correspondent in Australia commented that squatters now had to pay ten shillings a day for
shepherds instead of 14 shillings a week. More money was to made off the gold fields than on
them especially for the hard workers of the calibre of Richard Bunworth.
For the Bridget the times would have indeed have tested her to breaking point. The trip
overland from Melbourne into the area of Hamilton with a three year old and five other young
children would have been difficult in the heat of January whether it was by cart or walking. The
19
W. Craig, My Adventures in the Australian Goldfields (London, 1903), pp. 2-3 in J.T. Gilchrist et. al. Eye Witness, Rigby,
Adelaide, 1971. P.86
20
Hamilton Spectator, 15/2/96
21
ibid
22
A. Sutherland’s Victoria and its Metropolis, Vol IIA, McCarron, Bird and Co., 1888.
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brown, dry hot surrounds would have contrasted greatly with the cold green meadows that they
had left behind. Still the thought of the freedom and the possibility that one day they could own
some of the thousand of acres that appeared before them would have filled them hope compared
to what they had left behind. There was a good possibility that Bridget was pregnant with her
ninth child, her seventh to survive. John was probably born in either 1852 or early 1853 on Bald
Hills, a station far removed from what security a mid nineteenth century town could have given.
Richard and Bridget had two other children . One wonders what the oldest children of the
Bunworth family were doing. Has anyone obtained any information on this early period? No
doubt that Catherine, now aged about 18 and Jane about three years younger would have been
employed as they were already working in Ireland as domestic servants and the shortage of
female workers was often bemoaned by the squatters of the time. Catherine now met and
married James Woodhart in 1854. Denis aged about 13 would also have been employed,
possibly by Mr. Kennedy, as a shepherd or stockman.
After two years of working for Mr. Kennedy he moved to the run called Nareeb Nareeb and then
to Skene. It was on these stations, probably Nareeb Nareeb that Peter was born in about 1855.23
Read the footnote. Has anyone got some thoughts on this? One of the driving forces of the
majority of Irish migrants was the desire to own land. The dispossessed Irish had not forgotten
the link with their land but many had retreated with horror when seeing the comparative
barrenness of the Australian countryside. Not so the Bunworths who fired with the vision of
being land owners had been saving all the money they could. In March of 1857 they were drawn
to land sales on the South side of Hamilton. There was to be a two day sale of land in the
Muddy Creek and along the road running towards Penshurst.24 It must have felt strange to
Richard for the most predominant language that day was German. Many Germans brought
blocks stretching into the German town of Hochkirk. Richard however managed to purchase
three blocks and there would have been wild jubilation in the household the day the news came
home. It became known as Pierrepoint, a family home that was to last for more than a half
century. The three blocks totalled just over 387 acres and cost three hundred and eighty nine
pound, one shilling and four pence.25 Was the money borrowed or saved? The wages of the day
varied but they would not have been much more than three pounds per week. How much of this
was saved is difficult to say, with a large family, but one that often provided for their own needs
in the pioneering fashion. Richard and Bridget had some German neighbours including
Willhelm Hartwick and Messrs Maffnen and Hoffman..26 As one person said “There are about
40 English and 50 German agricultural farmers in the area within 3 or 4 miles.” There was no
mention of any Irish families.27
23
There is a birth certificate for a Peter Bunworth in 1856(no. 2137). I assume that this is the one belonging to our Bunworths
as there is probably no other Bunworths that fit the details. There are a few problems with the information contained on the
index. The father is given as Richard Bunworth but the mother is given as Bridget Couper. The town of registration is
Hexham. This is almost 80 kilometres away from Hamilton where I would have expected the birth to be registered. It is the
case that Nareeb Nareeb is closer to this town being eight kilometres south east of Dunkeld. As there is no other Richard
Bunworth in the colony old enough to be a father I have concluded that this must be the correct Peter we are discussing. The
birth of Bridget is a little more perplexing as there is no birth certificate at all. This is despite being three years after Peter
and with registration becoming legally compulsory.
24
Garden, D Hamilton, A Western District History, Hargreen 1984. P.54.
25
Land Purchase Titles nos. 45606-8.
26
District land Maps for the parish of Monivae. The land is now situated on the south side of Pierre Point Rd. and is now
owned according to Pat Ruciman in 1994 to a Mal Brinkman. It is called Mt. View and is a protea farm. The blue stone front
was originally built by the Bunworths. Whether it was built by Richard or by his sons I do not know.
27
Taken from Early catholic pioneers book. Need to get details.
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Within a year the family expanded for the last time with the birth of Bridget in about 1858. 28
There was no registration of Bridget. This may have been because the town of Hamilton was
still small. Bonwick, a colonial tourist noted that the Catholics had a wooden chapel29 on the
hill but that there weren’t any masses said unless there was a chance visit of a priest.30 A
Fransican from Ireland had arrived in 1856 for the area of Belfast about 90 kilometres to the
South. His name was Father John Bernard Cronin, a young but sick priest. He frequently
visited Hamilton staying at one time for three months. However his poor health forced him to
go to Melbourne in August of 1857 and within the year he was dead. Whether there was any
family ties between him and Bridget is not known. Richard and Bridget now had nine children
and cousin Peter had returned from the goldfields.
Peter married Bridget O’Connor and appears to have lived in the Hamilton area until 1865
whereupon he moved about 40 kilometres south to the area of Macarthur. They had eleven
children but it appears some disaster occurred in 1878 when three children died. A young Peter
aged nine, Johanna, six, and John Joseph four all had their deaths recorded at Macarthur. To
lose three young ones would have been a great sorrow. Prior to moving again they had another
son whom they named Peter. The family sold out and moved to the Wimmera, near Mount
Araphiles, where he selected 102 acres and his sons 960 acres.31 Further purchases meant he
had 17 and a half square miles of mallee country. In 1882 their last child was born, another son
John Joseph at Natimuk. By 1887 Peter, and his family, were cropping over 300 acres and
running 1500 sheep besides cattle and horses.
The area of Hamilton was also prospering. By 1861 there were 2,390 in the Hamilton district of
which 1,197 were in the town.32 The area had a more settled appearance. Roads and tracks had
been formed and cleared . Houses and huts were scattered over the rolling hills and along the
waterways and especially near the town there were pockets of cultivation in neatly fenced fields,
one of which was the Bunworths. The aborigines were no longer strong enough to oppose the
taking of their lands and therefore ceased to be a threat. How easy it was for Richard and
Bridget to start farming In this environment I am not sure. I assume, with little certainty, that
the family started to grow potatoes. However in less than a year later Richard sold one of his
three blocks. He sold to J. Egan 130 acres for 150 pounds cash in hand in April of 1858. This
represented just under 20 pounds profit. I doubt this was done just to make a profit but more
likely he needed the money to support the family until the farm became profitable.
One of the first jobs that had to be done was to build a dwelling for the young family. It must
not have been very durable for about ten years later the Bunworths built a blue stone house that
continues to last past the century mark. It consisted of five rooms, one of which was of wood.33
It had an iron roof. They also built a three stall stable with slab walls and a straw roof. As time
28
There is no birth certificate but Bridget lists Pierrepoint as her place of birth on her marriage certificate.
29
30
J. Bonwick, Tour of the Western District, more details needed
A. Sutherland. Op. Cit. Vol. II A.
32
D. Garden, Op. Cit. P. 55
33
Probate on the Will of Richard Bunworth 13/7/1896.
31
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went on a shed and a fowl house were added, the latter being built as late as 1890. A dam was
also constructed on the property.
TOWER HILL
I know little as to what happened to all the children. Mary, my direct ancestor, was the next to
be married. She married a stockman, Daniel Farmer, in Hamilton in 1863 moving on various
properties between Tower Hill, Hawkesdale and Caramut. They eventually settled in Caramut
successfully operating a butcher/ baker business and having nine children. A year later Jane
married an Arthur Adair Brice and had eight children. Denis maintained his family’s farming
tradition by farming in the area of Byaduk to the south of Hamilton. He had married Ellen
Buckley, had two children in Hamilton, before having another nine at Byaduk two of whom
gave their lives in World War One. Uncertainty surrounds Richard. He may have married a
Catherine Benjamin, but that person is more likely to have been the first born of cousin Peter.
Another possibility is that Richard may have settled in New South Wales around Wilcannia.34
William married Margaret Walsh in 1882 and moved to Donald. They had a family of nine.
Bridget married John Kelly in 1894, John married Honorah Walsh in 1896 and Peter is very
much a mystery. It is likely that Peter ended in Ballarat where he died in 1919. Yet Peter is
buried in the same grave as his parents. In the first will of Richard dated 1880 Richard
bequeaths the large sum of 100 pounds to Peter( with money or property also going to daughter
Bridget and son John). However Peter is only to be granted this sum if he returns to Hamilton
within five years of Richard’s death. The will was changed twice, the last as late as 1896, but
the clause remained unaltered. Either Peter had a quarrel with his father or he took to roving
Australia.
Richard and Bridget prospered. He was a quiet man who did not get involved in public affairs.
He preferred to look after his farm and enjoyed good health that often accompanies hard
physical work. He regularly attended church and was said to be a zealous member of the
Catholic church. Richard was highly respected for his uprightness and straight forward
character. Bridget was made of strong material. She involved herself in the matters of her
families appearing on the various certificates of birth for her grandchildren and was present at
the birth of the first born of her daughter Mary. She commanded respect for her kindliness of
34
A Richard married Elizabeth Hart and later Maggie Crawford in 1871 and 1883 respectively. Both weddings took place in
Wilcannia. I have looked at the first certificate and Richard was born circa 1842 in Ireland, was a blacksmith but otherwise
no other relevant details were given.
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heart. and for her strict integrity.35 Richard lent 420 pounds to Daniel Farmer probably in 1876
for the purchase of a butcher /baker business in Caramut36. Such a loan would indicate that the
Bunworths were well off.
The nineties were tough times with a devastating depression. It may be the case that this
affected the Bunworths. In the Probate papers of 1896 the description of the property is of one
that is very rundown. Fencing and stables are “very much out of repair”. The following items
were all recorded as nil: crops , livestock, furniture and tools. It may have been possible that all
possessions had been transferred to either John or Bridget to escape estate duty. John seems to
have taken over the main burden of managing the farm when Richard was in need of passing it
on. Richard’s health was excellent until the age of about 89 when it gradually went downhill.
His eyesight gave way becoming totally blind.37 Richard still was able to move about until
about a week before his death when he was confined to his bed. He died at 4.45 am on 13th of
February 1896. He did leave provision for Bridget, “his dear wife” in his will, as well as for
daughter Bridget and son Peter. John was left the property and responsibility of looking after his
mother. Bridget’s health had been poor for some time. She died on the 17th of April 1901. She
left 5 sons and 4 daughters, 60 grandchildren and 41 great children.38 How many great
grandchildren were born after her death is still to be counted.
INFORMATION NEEDED
For anyone reading this writing it is subject to correction or addition by anyone. It is definitely
not the final word by any stretch of the imagination and I regard it as only a starting point for
me, or anyone else, to improve upon. I wote this in 1995. The aim of it is primarily to respond
to those people who are interested in our family history but who found my bits and pieces of
notes unintelligible. As I progress I am starting to use it as a way of showing those more
actively involved in looking into our past exactly what I have done. It is for these people that I
try to explain my sources in my footnotes and also to share my uncertainties.
Several years ago Pat Runciman sent me what appears to be a reasonably comprehensive list of
names for the descendants of Denis and Ellen, over 60 in total and spanning 7 generations.
Here are some questions that I hope to find the answers to.
What was the relationship between cousin Peter and the Bunworths since both cousins and Peter
had a father named Richard but not the same person.
Who was Mr. Kennedy of Bald Hills(M.L.C.?) and what sort of property did he have? Sheep,
size?
What were the early jobs of the children? Were they with the family? What details can be
found off Catherine’s wedding certificate?
What did Richard do with his farm at Pierrepoint? Potatoes?
35
Obituary, Bridget Bunworth, Hamilton Spectator 18th and the 23rd of April 1901.
Probate on the will of Richard Bunworth 13/7/96. The date and purpose of the loan is mere guesswork. In fact the loan was
not paid back at the time of Richard’s death. It is feasible that a loan should be outstanding for so long?
37
Obituary, Richard Bunworth, Hamilton Spectator, 15/2/1896
38
Obituary, Bridget Bunworth, Op cit.
36
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Some thoughts written in July2001
Lauris Farnham’s mum, Lucy Maryanne Pitman (deceased), wrote a history of the Bunworths around 1980. She had talked
to elderly family members and used family bibles. In it she says that the family immigrated to Aust around 1838 from
Bonshaw Ireland.
She also names Agnes as part of the famiy who arrived with these Bunworths. She marrried a -- Baudinette of Donald.
She has a 5 pages of names mainly of the Richard B (eldest son on Rich and Bridg) Family tree. There is also 2 pages of
interesting information on the Sier family background. I have not transcribed it but I have copies for anyone who has an
interest.
I have anecdotal evidence that the Richard of Wilcannia is associated with the Western district Bunworths.
I would love to get feedback, corrections, additions or theories on the above
Regards,
Joe Moore
joemary@vicnet.net.au