Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212
December 2015
ISSN 1036-6652
Cover Story (p. 3)
Cost of this Journal: $3.00 + $1.50 postage
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
ABN 43 533 036 199
Contact Information
Mechanics Institute
68 Elder Street, Lambton, NSW, 2299
Postal: The Secretary of the NFHS Inc.
PO Box 233, Lambton, NSW 2299
Telephone: (02) 4957 8296
e-mail: nfhsinc@gmail.com
Website: www.nfhs.org.au
Patron
Ms Sonia Hornery MP, State Member for Wallsend
Ms Nuatali Nelmes, The Lord Mayor of Newcastle
Management Committee – 2015-2016
President
Mrs Kath McRae
Vice President
Dr Brian Engel
Secretary
Mrs Heather Ling
Treasurer
Mrs Helene Shepherd
Librarian
Mrs Margaret Engel
Publicity Officer
Mrs Alison Morris
Membership Registrar
Mr Ron Goodhew
Journal Editor
Ms Jane Ison
General Committee
Ms Melodie Woodford
Mr Glenn Matthews
Mr Colin Hay
Public Officer
Mrs Heather Ling
Library Hours
Thursday
1.00pm – 3.30pm
Saturday
10.00am – 3.30pm
Contents
From your Editor’s Desk ............................................... 3
Cover Story – Ken Shilling............................................ 3
Literal and Figurative Lines – Joy-Elaine Lewis ........... 4
It Happened 100 Years Ago .......................................... 5
Cemetery Iconography – The Waverley Monument ...... 5
Transported … Unconvicted – Mel Woodford .............. 6
Surgeons at Sea .............................................................. 7
From the President – Kath McRae ................................. 8
From Past Files ............................................................ 10
Welcome to New Members ......................................... 10
Members’ Interests ...................................................... 10
Crossing the Line – Colin Fraser ................................. 11
StART Talking ............................................................ 11
Mullavilla House – E.S. Lauchland ............................. 12
Mulla Villa................................................................... 13
The Prime Meridian ..................................................... 13
Better Late than Never – Stan Thompson .................... 14
Research Enquiries ..................................................... 15
Go Online .................................................................... 15
Remembrance .............................................................. 16
Alias Yellow Billy ....................................................... 18
The Line Between Fun and Felonry – Russell Willis .. 20
An Exciting Voyage – Maree Shilling ......................... 21
From the Monica Gibbs Library .................................. 22
Society News ............................................................... 23
Ruler of the Raging Main ............................................ 24
Attention Contributors
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Journal No. 212 – December 2015
$10.00
This Journal has been printed in-house by NFHS Inc.
The following themes have been selected for the next
two issues:
March: Colonials
How did your ancestor arrive in Australia? Has your
family been here for decades? What difficulties did they
experience? How did they live and work? Were they
convicts or settlers or military? There is a lot to work
with if an ancestor was transported although the link to
the convict may be difficult to locate. Women’s lives are
especially interesting but sometimes difficult to put
together. How did you do it? There are many stories to
tell that may interest our readers and other researchers.
June: A Fork in the Road
What choices did your ancestors make that forever
changed their lives? Were they better off coming to
Australia or should they have stayed where they came
from? What decisions have you made in your research to
follow a particular person or family line? Has this
decision helped or hindered your research? You have the
key to family stories that may interest our readers and
other researchers. Could you provide clues for the
research of others that may then in turn help you?
Deadline: Items for the March Journal should be
received by Saturday, 6 February 2016, either in the
pigeon-hole marked ‘Journal Editor’, or by hand to the
editor, Jane Ison, or to Ron Goodhew, or through e-mail
to editor@nfhs.org.au. Those intending to submit an item
should preferably have it typed or in electronic form.
Illustrations are always very welcome.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
From your Editor’s Desk
Cover Story
How many ways to cross the line?
WARNING. This Journal contains an image of an
Indigenous person who has died.
Ken Shilling
There are many ways to
cross a line and quite a
few are investigated in
the variety of tales in this
issue. Just the image on
the cover regrettably
demonstrates that some
people have crossed the
line by contributing their
irrelevant graffiti to the
historical and significant
Thunderbolt’s Rock.
We are continually crossing lines every day. Each
decision we make has a range of consequences, some of
which can be foreseen and others that only come to light
later. When Frederick Ward, later known as
Thunderbolt, chose to steal (or borrow) a horse in his
21st year, he could perhaps foresee that this action might
land him in gaol. However, a sentence of ten years and
the granting of a ticket-of-leave after four, might not
have been considered by him at the time of the offence.
Later, to have a rocky outcrop on the main road north to
the New England district named after him, and a statue
erected in his honour in the small town of Uralla, both
shown combined in our cover picture, would have been
consequences he would never have anticipated. To end
his life in a gun duel at the age of only 35 at the hands
of Constable A.B. Walker, would also have been a
consequence of horse stealing he would not have
considered.
Our contributors describe
how ancestors crossed
lines to get to Australia and some crossed a few more
after they had arrived! But not all those who had to
come to or leave Australia were transported. Two
stories in the Journal deal with those who were exiled.
In disclosing details of a letter written in 1866, no lines
have been crossed but as researchers, we must be aware
that privacy laws are meant to protect and be mindful of
what we publish to ensure our own and the security of
others. The letter was a significant, non-digitised find.
Every researcher becomes an expert in locating
appropriate references to use relevant to their search. By
identifying those references in your contributions to the
Journal you enable others to explore them.
Sometimes we do things which, for some, might cross
the line of accepted behavior. This could be due to a
misunderstanding or a simple breach of manners, but
the results may be long-lasting.
So many fascinating stories are uncovered by ‘digging’
in cemeteries. When you next visit a cemetery please
consider photographing any unusual or interesting
decorations on old headstones. Send these photos to the
editor or investigate the symbolism yourself to have
your investigation included in our regular column,
Cemetery Iconography. This month this column looks at
Irish symbols on the magnificent monument to the Irish
Martyrs in Waverley Cemetery.
The horseman seen above, in an image called the Last
Guest or the Interrupted Supper, might have been guilty
of a serious breach of etiquette or was simply just
demonstrating his skills as an equestrian. His fellow
officers at the French cavalry school at Saumur can be
seen congratulating him for his proficiency and courage.
But in a social situation, and not in the school’s drill
hall, surely such a performance would earn the young
rider at least harsh words of rebuke.
Remember that it is my intention as Editor for the
duration of the centenary of WWI to dedicate at least
one page in each issue to those who served or the events
of the First World War. Perhaps in future issues we may
investigate those important lines – the battlefront and
the salients. Locate our Remembrance page and read the
story of the first AIF enlistment who was buried in
Sandgate in November one hundred years ago. Do you
have an interesting WWI story still to tell?
As an immigrant nation, we all have ancestors who
crossed the line of the equator to reach our shores.
Those who came by air in more recent times escaped the
attentions of Neptune and his associates, but the many
who arrived by sea probably all suffered the scraping of
the sea-god’s razor and endured other indignities as
well, mostly all in good fun. It can be shown then that
not all crossing of lines will necessarily have negative
consequences.
The theme for our March Journal is Colonials. Not
every colonist was transported and their stories of
survival, in what to them was foreign territory, would be
of interest to our readers. Which of your ancestors made
the best response to the challenge of a new country?
How did they deal with the tyranny of distance from
‘home’ and when did they begin to call Australia home?
Jane Ison (Editor)
Ken Shilling (Member 461)
–3–
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
My ancestors’ migration from the British Isles –
England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland – to Australia
spanned over a century from 1817 to about 1919. The
convict, John Hence (c.1785-1851) was the first arrival
aboard the Neptune (2) in 1818 and the conditions
aboard would have been horrendous. His wife and
children followed in 1820 as free passengers on the
Morley. One can only imagine the hardships that were
endured.
Literal and Figurative Lines
Joy-Elaine Lewis
In the relentless pursuit of more data, family stories or
other information about our ancestors, have we
sometimes inadvertently ‘crossed the line’ in that quest?
Have we revealed secrets that our ancestors would have
preferred to keep private? Did they ‘cross the line’ by
flouting social mores of the era? What was once socially
abhorred is now commonplace in our society. For
example unwed mothers, de facto and same gender
relationships, discovering a convict in the family lineage
or inter-racial or inter-religion marriage. Sometimes,
however, we need to take a risk and reveal sensitive
information in order to progress our search which can
provide worthwhile results, as I found with the recent
discovery of previously unknown cousins.
Five years later, a whaling ship crew member,
Thomas Hardes (c.1793-1879) arrived in Sydney in
1823 aboard the Sisters. Thomas, in 1830, would marry
Anne, one of the daughters of John Hence. They moved
to the Newcastle area and were long-time residents on
the Hunter River islands. As a young seaman crossing
the Equator for the first time, he would have most likely
been subjected to the humiliating, cruel and often fatal
initiation ritual – the ‘Crossing of the Line’ ceremony.
How far do we venture before we cross the line – visible
or invisible, tangible or intangible? Who draws the line
in the sand? Who makes the rules and who regulates
them? How do we ascertain if we have intruded or
offended? Who judges the results? What is socially and
morally acceptable in our current world of digital
activity and exposure where the internet is a great and
merciless leveller and spares no-one their privacy or
security? With the sophistication of modern technology
we cannot hide in a manner in which previous
generations could.
The remainder of the known ancestral bloodline arrived
in Australia as free settlers and were skilled in the
coalmining or farming industries. They resided and
worked in the Newcastle region and over the decades
that followed, the majority of their many offspring
remained in the near vicinity of their original forbears.
The final member on the family tree to arrive in
Australia in approximately 1919, was our stepgrandfather, David Lewis, who was born in about 1870
in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. He remains a bit of a mystery
and the exact dates of his birth and his migration are yet
to
be proven.
In my own lifetime I have crossed many lines – both
literally and figuratively. How many different types of
lines did my predecessors cross? Were any of the
female relatives involved in the Suffragette movement
to champion women’s rights? Might my coal-mining
ancestors have crossed the picket lines during the
miners’ strikes, making difficult decisions to feed their
family versus betraying the cause? Did those involved
in politics, community affairs and property development
stay on a straight path? Could my dairy farming
ancestors, who were well-known and respected local
sportsmen and who fielded family teams in cricket and
soccer, have crossed boundary lines in their sporting
endeavours?
I also wonder if any of my
descendants might in the
future, venture out to
explore new frontiers but
this time in outer space.
Could they cross the sonamed Karman Line1? Will
our adventuresome explorers
have a special and/or symbolic
initiation ceremony as they cross this line? How many
celestial and/or galactic lines will they cross to reach
new territories and seek new opportunities?
During the years of the Great Depression and world
wars, how many of my predecessors queued for hours to
be served at a soup kitchen or stood in a long line to
recoup their ration cards? Those ancestors who fought
in times of war would have crossed many battlelines
whilst engaging the enemy. My father crossed the
politically infamous ‘Brisbane Line’ of WWII and, as
an infantry-man fighting to defend Australia, served on
the frontline in the New Guinea Campaigns.
When we eventually crossover into that unknown
dimension at our life’s end, may the purpose of our
existence on Earth be fulfilled and our legacy to our line
of descent be worthwhile. And with our departure, may
we be acknowledged by a final line that says: ‘dearly
loved and fondly remembered.’
Joy-Elaine Lewis (Member 995)
As for crossing geographical lines – firstly by sailing
ships then via auxiliary steamers and steamships – our
ancestors made the long, dangerous and uncomfortable
ocean voyage half-way around the world and in doing
so, crossed multiple longitude meridians, and parallels
of latitude including the Equator and both the Tropics of
Cancer and Capricorn.
1
There is no firm boundary where space begins, however, the
Karman Line at an altitude of 100km above sea level is
conveniently used as an interface for the start of outer space.
Wikipedia. (Accessed 30 October 2015)
–4–
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Cemetery Iconography
The Waverley Monument
It Happened 100 Years Ago
Overseas:
The massive memorial to the Irish Rebels stands in the
centre of Waverley Cemetery. It is reputed to be the
most beautiful of the many monuments to the 1798 Irish
uprisings anywhere in the world.
From The Age, Melbourne: 30 November 1915
The French President, M. Poincare, attended an
impressive demonstration at the Trocadero, Paris, in
honour of Nurse Cavell’s memory. The auditorium
was packed and many addresses were given,
glorifying the “English martyr”. M. Painleve, the
French Minister of Inventions, in the course of a
speech said: “O little English nurse, you have not been
vanquished! You are victorious for all eternity. The
people of France hail you as the annunciatrice of a
better humanity and right triumphant.”
In Australia:
From The Newcastle Morning Herald: 14 October 1915
The monument is constructed of white Carrara marble
and measures nine metres in length and seven metres in
width. A white marble Celtic cross, decorated with
intricate carvings, rises nine metres above the gold,
blue, brown and green mosaic measuring nearly 30square-metres laid inside the enclosure. Two bronze
Irish wolfhounds guard the memorial which is decorated
in bronze with representations of significant Irish people
and events. The symbols of the Irish – harps, Celtic
knots and shamrocks – that often appear on graves of
those with Irish ancestry in other cemeteries appear.
The shortage of needles in Sydney used for the
manufacture of underwear, which previously came
from Germany, is being relieved by the British
Government allowing the exportation of those made in
Great Britain.
From The Sydney Morning Herald: 30 November 1915
Recent cable messages have referred to the purchase
by the War Office of about ten million pounds of
Victorian jam, with a smaller quantity from New
South Wales and a considerable quantity from
Tasmania. One of the leading jam factories has
applied to the Commonwealth Government for
permission to import sufficient sugar to fill the War
Office requirements of jam.
On Holy Thursday, 19 May 1898, one hundred years
after the 1798 Irish uprising, the bodies of the Wicklow
Chief, Michael Dwyer, and his wife, Mary, were
removed from their vault in the soon to be emptied
Devonshire Street Cemetery. Their coffins were placed
in a cedar casket and were taken to St Mary’s Cathedral.
On Easter Sunday this casket was moved to Waverley
Cemetery in the largest funeral Sydney had experienced
to that point in time. Michael and Mary were placed in a
vault and covered by the monument’s foundation stone.
In Newcastle:
From The Newcastle Morning Herald: 15 October 1915
Four more recruits from the country went into camp at
Broadmeadow yesterday, making the total there 708.
On account of an outbreak of infectious diseases
among the troops, the show ground, on which the
camp is located, has been declared a quarantine area.
Owing to the quarantining, the formal opening of the
soldiers’ club room at the Central Methodist Mission,
Newcastle, which was to have taken place tomorrow,
has been postponed. The room will however, be open
for the use of any soldiers who happen to be in the
city.
The monument’s rear wall contains the names of 76
participants in the 1798 Rising; the names of those
executed after the 1916 Rising and the ten hungerstrikers who died in Maze prison, Belfast, in 1981.
Did You Know?
During 1915, Melbourne chemists, George Nicholas
and H.W. Shmith, discovered how to make asprin, a
German-patented product cut off by the war.
Reference:
http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/1798_memorial_wa
verley_cemetery (accessed 9 November 2015)
Duke Kahanamoku visited Australia from Hawaii
and popularised surfboard riding.
C.J. Dennis wrote The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke.
Text and images Jane Ison (Editor)
–5–
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Transported to Australia …
Unconvicted
As promised, upon arrival the Wicklow Rebels were
each given £100 and 100 acres along Cabramatta Creek,
not far from where Warwick Farm Racecourse stands
today. Each lot bordered the next – perhaps so that the
authorities could keep a watchful eye on the activities of
the Five? And watch they did. It was not long before
trouble stirred. The Irish made up a large contingent of
those in the colony and many had fought at the Battle of
Vinegar Hill in County Wexford, Ireland, during June of
the 1798 Rebellion. The Castle Hill Rebellion of March,
1804 led by Phillip Cunningham, a veteran of Vinegar
Hill, was still fresh in everyone’s mind. Whilst those
involved in what was commonly called the Second
Battle of Vinegar Hill had either been executed or sent
to Coal River (later Newcastle), the arrival of the five
Wicklow men must surely have sparked interest
amongst the Irish and perhaps thoughts of another
revolt. Governor Bligh, no lover of the Irish, had the
Five rounded up the moment murmurs began in the
colony. They were tried in May 1807 but found not
guilty. Bligh, unhappy with this result, had the verdict
overthrown and the Five dispersed to distant places.
John Mernagh may well have spent his time at Coal
River, although little is known of this period of his life.
It was not until the arrival of Governor Macquarie in
the aftermath of the Rum Rebellion, which was the
downfall of Bligh, that the Five were allowed to return
to their farms along Cabramatta Creek.
Melodie Woodford
The line had been crossed and there was no going back.
The five United Irishmen known as the Wicklow Rebels
had been expelled from Ireland and would never return
to her shores. They had taken ‘voluntary’ exile rather
than be tried for crimes against the Crown in the Irish
Rebellion of 1798. Martin Burke, Arthur Devlin,
Hugh ‘Vesty’ Byrne, Michael Dwyer, and the last to
be captured, John Mernagh, arrived in Sydney aboard
the convict transport, Tellicherry, on the morning of
Friday, 14 February 1806, having left Cork the previous
year on 31 August. The Sydney Gazette of 16 February
reported the ship’s arrival in detail.2
These men, also known as the Tellicherry Five, were
members of the Society of United Irishmen which had
formed in the early 1790s with the view in mind of
reforming the parliament and achieving religious
equality in Ireland. Change was in the air worldwide.
The latter part of the 18th Century brought reform, often
via revolution, to such countries as the United States of
America and France, as well as other nations globally.
The Irish Rebellion of 1798, in which the Tellicherry
Five from County Wicklow were involved, sought
similar reform for Ireland.
The Wicklow Mountains were the last stronghold of the
rebels who had held out for some years following the
defeat of the 1798 uprising. It ended with the Rebellion
of 1803, the execution of Robert Emmet, and the
disintegration of the Society of United Irishmen. One by
one the Tellicherry Five were captured, or surrendered.
My 5x-great-grandfather, John Mernagh, held out in the
mountains with support from the locals until 1805 and
was the last to be taken. All five Wicklow men were
included in the surrender deal struck with the
authorities. They would not be tried, but rather, sent to
America. This was later changed to Australia and they
were duly placed on the convict transport, Tellicherry,
leaving Cork as free men. They were to be given money
and land in the new colony but they were never to return
to Ireland. Those with wives and children were
permitted to bring them along, but John, in his mid-30s,
had no such ties as yet.
For a time things ran smoothly for John. He had taken
up with Mary Johnson. Two daughters, Elizabeth, born
in 1810, and Bridget, born in 1812, were born to them.
His inn at Parramatta, as well as the farm near
Liverpool, must have been a welcome change from the
cold, uncomfortable life he had led as an outlaw in the
hills of County Wicklow. Sadly, the harsh Australian
climate soon put paid to his run of luck. Drought
consumed his farm, like so many others and it was
necessary for him to borrow money privately and later
from the Bank of New South Wales. Unable to repay his
debts the farm was lost.
The paper trail on John Mernagh is often hard to follow.
We do know that the Wicklow Rebels continued to have
contact with one another. After all, there were blood ties
amongst them. John’s mother had been a Byrne before
her marriage to his father. Hugh Byrne and Michael
Dwyer were first cousins. We also know by studying the
documents available to us that many of those on board
the Tellicherry continued to have contact with one
another once in the colony. They were bound by
nationality, religion and experience as well as by blood
ties in some cases.
On the 167 day voyage, bonds were formed and
friendships made amongst those on board. John made
one such connection which was to figure significantly in
his future life in New South Wales. Also on board was
Mary Johnson, a female convict from Meath who had
been convicted and sentenced to seven years
transportation. Mary was to become John’s partner and
the mother of his two daughters. Neither John nor Mary
ever married, or at least no documentation has ever been
found to confirm they did. Both went on to form other
relationships and have other children in the colony.
The NSW Government Musters help keep track of the
Wicklow Men although, in John’s case, his broad Irish
accent and the pronunciation of his surname often leads
to it being written mistakenly as Mariner, Murnagh,
Manner and other variations making difficult the job of
tracking him at times. He appears in the 1828 Census as
John Mariner (Entry number 98 on page 112). His
place of residence is given as Cabramatta and his
2
The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 16
February 1806, p. 1
–6–
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
occupation as shoesmith. He is not as obvious in other
musters. The fact that he, like the other Wicklow
Rebels, was not a convict per se but rather a ‘Guest of
His Majesty’ in a more literal sense, often hinders
efforts to trace him.
and justice with fitting monuments such as the two
which follow.
In 1828 we find that his daughter, Elizabeth, had wed
Daniel Canvin, a convict who arrived from Bristol on
the Elizabeth in 1820. In the early 1840s John, now in
his seventies, accompanied the Canvin family to
Braidwood as his son-in-law, Daniel, continued to work
for Mrs Elizabeth Badgery as a trusted employee. John
Mernagh died at the grand old age of 87 on 2 July 1857
and was buried in the Catholic section of the Braidwood
Cemetery. Sadly, his grave and headstone were
vandalised during the 1960s and all that remains to
mark his final resting place is a plaque recently attached
to the memorial of his daughter, Elizabeth Canvin, in
Braidwood Cemetery by Mernagh descendants keen that
he be remembered as the freedom fighter that he was.
Both Wicklow Gaol and Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin,
where the rebels were incarcerated prior to their voyage
on the Tellicherry, boast an excellent display and
history of the 1798 Rebellion with particular reference
to the Wicklow men. Their memory lives on in the
hearts and minds of not only their descendants but also
those of Irish heritage worldwide in recognition of their
selfless sacrifice for the betterment of their fellows all
those years ago.
Plaque for John Mernagh attached to the headstone
of his daughter, Elizabeth Canvin, in Braidwood Cemetery.
His grave lies next to hers.
Melodie Woodford (Member 936)
Images used courtesy of Robyn Burke
The Five Wicklow Rebels from the 1798 uprising in
Ireland are remembered in the history books and in the
memorials which have been erected to them by the Irish
community worldwide. There stands a fitting tribute to
Michael Dwyer and the Wicklow Men in Waverley
Cemetery.
References and further reading:
Sheedy, Kieran, The Tellicherry Five: the
transportation of Michael Dwyer and the Wicklow
Rebels, Dublin: Woodfield Press, c1997.
Sheedy, Kieran, Upon the mercy of government: the
story of the surrender, transportation and imprisonment
of Michael Dwyer and his Wicklow comrades, and their
subsequent lives in New South Wales, Dublin, Ireland:
Radio Telefis Eireann, 1988.
Symes, James G. The Castle Hill Rebellion of 1804,
Castle Hill, NSW, Hills District Historical Society, 1981
In February 2006 a reunion was held for descendants of
those who arrived on board the Tellicherry in 1806 at
the Catholic Club in Campbelltown, Sydney, to mark
the 200th Anniversary of the arrival of the convict ship
in Australia. The day paid particular attention to
Michael Dwyer and the other Wicklow Men and was
enjoyed by a large number of participants. Old friends
renewed acquaintances. New friendships were forged.
Those on board the Tellicherry would have been pleased
that they had been remembered 200 years on and would
no doubt have been proud of those who were descended
from them. The Tellicherry Five would also have been
amazed to see the changes which had taken place
around the area they had once called home.
Surgeons at Sea
There has been a great amount of interest in our latest
publication, Surgeons at Sea, since its release. The
Federation of Family History Societies in the United
Kingdom has published a review which can be found at
www.ffhs.org.uk/news/cdreviews.php.
In County Wicklow, Ireland, the people remember the
heroic efforts of the rebels in their pursuit of freedom
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Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
RIOT AT FEMALE CONVICT DEPOT, CORK.
From the President
On Sunday morning about eight o’clock the Female
Prisoners to the amount of two hundred confined in the
depot of this City, under the rule of transportation, had
a difference with the Dublin Convicts, whose number
were not at all equal, and made a desperate attempt to
get at them for the purpose of putting them to death; but
through the timely interference of the Governor and his
Officers, they were most fortunately separated and
obliged for the preservation of their lives to be removed
to the City Prison. The Munster Convicts, disappointed
in their plans made every exertion to destroy the Prison,
broke every pane of glass in this extensive building and
bid defiance to the Guards, having prepared themselves
with every-other weapon that could be had, they would
not allow their removal to the lock wards for the night;
and on the Governor and his attendants entering made
a most violent attack on them, and wounded several of
the Guards, and, unfortunately from the darkness of the
night, these wretched creatures, before they were
submitted, received some severe wounds.3
Greetings.
My, how the year has
flown!
Here
it
is
November and Christmas
2015 is almost upon us.
I would like to take this
opportunity of thanking
all of our volunteers who
work tirelessly during the
year,
the
Secretary,
Heather
Ling,
all
members
of
the
Management Committee
and all members for their
continued support during
the year. I wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas
and an enjoyable New Year.
Crossing the Line, the theme for this edition of the
Journal, was in fact a bit of a challenge to me as there
was a selection of my ancestors who could tell an
interesting story, of not only WHY, but HOW they
crossed the line. However, I had to select one and now
introduce Eleanor Cobb, my maternal 3x-greatgrandmother, who was a convicted convict and was
transported from Ireland at the age of 17 along with her
15-year-old sister, Letitia.
As humble and tough as the two sisters’ young lives had
been in Geashill, nothing could have prepared them for
what had occurred or what lay ahead of them. The
following is a report from the convict ship Elizabeth II
which left Cork on 27 August 1827, for Sydney,
Australia. On embarkation in Cork, Ireland it was noted
in the Ship’s Medical Journal that some of the women
had bayonet wounds and other injuries related to unrest
that occurred in the gaol during the previous week.
It was 1827. Geashill, Kings County, Ireland, was the
only home Eleanor Cobb had ever known. She was born
and baptised in Geashill at the Church of Ireland
situated in the middle of the village. Geashill is now a
tiny village in County Offaly, formerly known as King’s
County, Ireland. Geashill is situated between the towns
of Tullamore and Portarlington.
The ship’s Surgeon Superintendent, Joseph Hughes,
kept a medical journal on the voyage dating from
16 July 1827, to 30 January 1828. The surgeon found
his charges as being pale, sickly, recalcitrant women,
worn down by poverty and dissolute lives and
exhibiting injuries from the recent affray in the depot. 4
A kitchen hand, Eleanor was sixteen years old, the
eldest child of Thomas and Martha Cobb. According
to a study titled Geashill Public Realm Study conducted
for the Department of Arts Heritage and Gaeltacht by
the Paul Hogarth Company it is noted that the native
Irish of the village of Geashill existed in misery. The
Cobb family, like many of the families in Kings County,
Ireland, were poor.
The Surgeon had written of the extreme filthy
disposition of the women and their reckless character;
the consequences of their squabbles had often produced
wounds, bruises and contusions by falls, requiring the
formality of dressings and bandages. Their waste and
destruction of clothes, bedding and blankets deplorable,
throwing them overboard in our very faces and shortly
after becoming ill for want of the same through cold.5
In 1827 Eleanor and her sister came upon a cow.
I cannot begin to speculate as to how this occurred other
than to say that the encounter with the cow is only the
beginning of their story. What were they thinking?
Perhaps a milking cow or food on the table at long last!
Satisfaction over their discovery was short-lived for
Eleanor and her sister, Letitia, as consequentially on
17 March 1827, they were tried and convicted of
stealing the cow. Despite their tender age they were
sentenced to seven years transportation. They were
more than likely taken to the newly established Cork
prison awaiting transportation.
When the ship arrived in Sydney Cove on 12th January
1828 only 192 Women Convicts were landed and the
Surgeon Superintendent noted in the Muster records
that two Convict’s died and there was a lot of unrest
amongst the Prisoners during the voyage.
3
Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser Cork
Saturday, 4 August 1827. Cited by Kae Lewis PhD, The
Historical Records of the County and City of Cork, Ireland.
http://www.corkrecords.com/MaryConnor/Connor.htm
accessed 14 October 2015
4 The Ship's Medical Journal, as recorded by the Surgeon
Superintendent, Joseph H. HUGHES. Cited by Kae Lewis
Ph.D, ibid.
Records show that prior to the departure of the ship
Elizabeth II bound for Sydney a riot occurred at the
Cork convict depot as outlined below:
5
–8–
Willetts, Jen, Free Settler or Felon: http://www.jenwilletts.com
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
“[Regarding] the conduct of the Prisoners, while on
board … towards myself as Surgeon Superintendent and
the ship [as well as] their acts of depredation upon one
another, their private Quarrels, their waste of
provisions, clothes, as served out to them, their beds
[and] blankets … was at all times so systematically
contrived amongst themselves, and swearing other to
Secrecy, that I never could get at the bottom of their
plots or mischief, to punish in an exemplary manner any
offender. My expression of general ‘Conduct’, I
requested to be taken in a very limited sense, for
collectively, I can say but very little in their favour.’
On Tuesday 15 January, the Honourable the Colonial
Secretary Alexander McLeay accompanied by the
Principal Superintendent of Convicts, mustered the
women on board the vessel. There were fifty-one
married women and the rest were widowed or single
women. The youngest on board was Letitia Cobb who
was 15 years old.7 The voyage took 138 days. The ship
embarked 194 females. There were two deaths before
reaching Sydney on 12 January 1828.
For Eleanor Cobb crossing the Line was not a choice
but an imposition. Her remarkable journey and those on
board the ship Elizabeth II is well documented. I have
no doubt that given a choice she would have remained
in or around the now idyllic village of Geashill,
currently described as Irelands most tidy village. She
may have been buried in the grounds of the historic
Church of Ireland grounds amongst the many unmarked
graves.
Signed: Jas. H. Hughes.”
Also the Rev. Vincent lodged a lengthy and scathing
attack against the Ship’s Senior Officers.
As a result of this, a Naval Inquiry was held into the
conduct of the Prisoners and Crew during the voyage.
The Articles of the Inquiry were:
My husband and I crossed the line recently tracing the
footsteps of our ancestors including Eleanor Cobb to the
tiny village of Geashill. Whilst at the nearby town of
Tullamore I heard a very sad tale of a female Cobb
ancestor as told by the monumental mason who
designed her headstone. It was impossible not to be
touched.
1. That regulations were not followed for the purpose
of preventing improper intercourse between the Women
Convict’s and the Crew of the Ship.
2. The death of the Convict Eliza Robinson.
3. The disrespectful treatment that the Rev. Vincent
and his Family were subjected to.
Eleanor, referred to as Ellen, was sent to the Hunter
River District and Letitia to the Liverpool District. Ellen
was assigned to a Mr W. Brooks of Newcastle.
According to the 1828 Census Ellen was located at
Dalziel, Hunter River, ‘inmate’ to William Brooks who
had selected 1280 acres in the Kahibah Parish in 1828.
The findings of the inquiry were extensive. On the first
article, it was found that some irregularities occurred
which allowed certain Women Convicts to associate
with the Crew in a manner not FITTING. It found that
this happened because someone had tampered with the
prison locks. This was not the fault of the Surgeon
Superintendent or the Ship’s Master. On the second
article, there was no satisfactory reason why the convict
Eliza Robinson deliberately jumped overboard. The
third article concerning the VINCENT Family found
that proper respect was not afforded to Rev. VINCENT
and his wife and that the Ship’s Master was lax in
enforcing discipline among the Convict Women.
However the Board stated that because the Surgeon
Superintendent was very deaf, it was possible that he
was not aware of the rudeness being directed at the
VINCENT’s.
Ellen married Joseph Henry Winchester on
29 May 1829. They had 14 children. She died on
14 September 1887, in West Maitland, New South
Wales, having lived a long life of 77 years.
Kath McRae (President)
Vessel or Voyage?
Distinguishing between different ships with the same
name may be indicated by either adding Roman
Numerals or by writing the year of construction in
brackets after the name. Each different voyage may then
be added in brackets after the vessel’s name. Roman
numerals were used for transports to Australia in the
publication, The Convict Ships 1787-1868, written by
Charles Bateson. These names may not match the
identification specified on the indent.
During the inquiry, evidence was given that the women
were not very pleasant and it was stated:
In the course of this inquiry it has come to the
knowledge of the Board that the Women on board the
Elizabeth II generally were the worst and most
troublesome Female Convict’s ever embarked at Cork.
It appeared in evidence that previously to their
embarkation it was found necessary to call in a Military
Force to quell a disturbance in the Penitentiary where
they were confined.6
The transports Elizabeth and Elizabeth II, are usually
identified as Elizabeth. The ship arriving in 1828 made
only one voyage to NSW. She was built in Calcutta in
1816 and her indent had the number, Elizabeth (4). The
earlier transport, Elizabeth, built in Chepstow in 1809,
made three earlier voyages – Elizabeth (1) in 1816;
Elizabeth (2) in 1818 and Elizabeth (3) in 1820.
6
The Ship's Medical Journal, recorded by the Ship Surgeon
Superintendent, Joseph H. Hughes. Cited by Kae Lewis Ph.D. The
Historical Records of the County and City of Cork, Ireland .
7
Willetts, Jen, Free Settler or Felon: http://www.jenwilletts.com
accessed 13 November 2015
http://www.corkrecords.com/MaryConnor/Connor.htm
–9–
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
At nine o’clock our mail top sail, main fore sail, and for
top sail was carried away and we had four feet of water
in the Hold. All the female part of the passengers were
at that time, was down below and all the men that was
able called to the pumps and by great exertion, through
the will of God, we got the water down to fourteen
inches. By eleven o’clock the wind had then a good deal
abated, but still a heavy sea running, at twelve the
weather more clear so that our Captain was able to make
observations, being then distance from Cape of Good
Hope 200 miles. By one o’clock the ship was laying to
one side with her head to the wind in which state we lay
for two days, binding new sails and fitting up temporary
Bulworks. On the third day the wind being fair we were
again enabled to proceed on our voyage.
From Past Files
Ed.: This item was contributed by Nell Berriman. The
original spelling, punctuation and grammar are intact.
An Extract from a letter home from a settler
May 31st, 1836
Dear Father,
I hope this through the will of Divine Providence will
arrive safe at its destined port, and find you well with
my ever dear mother and sister in good health, as it
leaves me with my wife and family. We have still but
two children, but had the misfortune to lose one, Fanny,
in five weeks after we landed, she died in convulsive
fits in a very few hours, we have another little girl born
October 17th, 1835, we call her Mary Hellen. Richard is
getting a fine boy, he often talks about you, also is very
forward at learning and of the most quiet and excellent
disposition. In obedience to your wishes I write you an
account of our voyage out, and also an account of this
colony at least as far as I am able, but what I state of
Husbandry Agriculture and Manual Labour in general,
may be took as fair criterion to go by.
This is just one fifth of the letter Thomas Birkly wrote to
his father – as well as describing the journey out, he
goes on to describe conditions and costs in the colony,
ending by asking for bulbs of all kinds to be forwarded as
soon as possible. More of this interesting letter will be
published when space permits.
From Bulletin No.34 – July 1986.
First of our voyage out. We left London on 18th July,
1834 and on the 15th lost sight of land, with a fair wind
for the Bay of Biscay which we entered on the ………
with a stiff breeze and very heavy sea running, which
being the first, made most of the passengers sick. We
reached the Island of Madiera on the morning of the
24th. Distance of 70 miles with fine weather and a
pleasant breeze. We had a run of fine weather up to the
17th of August on which day we crossed the line and
from that till the 27th when we experienced a gale wind
from the sth.W. and from that till the 12th of September
we experienced little else, but thank God we had little or
any sickness among us. On the 14th in the morning it
came on a heavy gale of wind, which kept increasing in
violence till the evening of the 15th when the sea ran
mountains high and night so dark that one could scarce
see half length of the ship, on the morning of the 16th
about 4 o’clock, a sea struck the vessel a midships
taking with it all Larboard and part of the Larboard
Bulworks, and everything on the Deck fore and aft, that
was not lashed down, tearing way the cover and battings
of the main hatch, and filling the Guns Dock where the
family slept in three or four feet depth of water, and as
the vessel rolled to and fro scores of them was washed
out of their beds. Then to here the screams and prayers
and promises maid by some and the oaths and curses
uttered by many was shocking to here, but still a great
deal of the …….. in it some that passed off as as single
women calling out for their husbands and famylyes and
wishing they had never left them, and others confessing
to things that they never intended doing, but Death
staring us all in the face at the time, maid many pray in
ernest that seldom did, but still the storm kept
increasing. When daylight came it was some relief from
the horrors of the storm, which then increased more than
abated.
Welcome to New Members
The following members have joined us since the last
Journal was printed. We heartily welcome them:
1006 Mrs Jennifer CRICHTON
5 Koala Close, Waratah NSW 2304
Email: :jencrichton@gmail.com
1007 Ms Elizabeth PEARSALL
Email: elizabethpearsall@me.com
1008 Mr Colin FRASER
36 Allandale Street, Kearsley NSW 2325
Email: colin.fraser4@bigpond.com
1009 Mr Ernest & Mrs Christine BROOK
56 Blanch Street. Shortland NSW 2307
Email: brookewl48@bigpond.com
1010 Mr Robert GILMOUR
24 Eskdale Close. New Lambton Hts 2305
Email: builderbob234@yahoo.com
Ron Goodhew (Membership Registrar)
Members’ Interests
This member has submitted his research names since the
Members’ Interests Directory 2015 was published.
BROWN Thomas J; Marrickvile NSW AUS; 1890+
FRASER Charles Robert; Kiltearn SCT; 1884+
FRASER John; Kiltearn SCT; 1840+
SMITH Harriett; Marrickvile NSW AUS; 1890+
1008 Mr Colin FRASER
36 Allandale Street, Kearsley NSW 2325
Email: colin.fraser4@bigpond.com
– 10 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Thankfully this disaster was an impetus for the use of
emergency breathing equipment. The Royal Humane
Society bravery medal and illuminated certificate
awarded to my great-grandfather were the objects of
which he was most proud according to the lengthy
district news obituary appearing on page five in the
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, on
Tuesday, 13 December 1927. I have the medal in its
case, a gleaming silver triumph of the spirit over the
sepulchral darkness and despair from whence it came.
Crossing the Line
with my Great-grandfather
Colin Fraser
He was dead before my
mum and her two sisters
were born. His daughter,
my nanna, was 17 and
I came 27 years later.
However, like a moth to a
flame, you begin to sense
his vitality the more you
flutter round the lit candles
of his past. There were
plenty of them too, for he
was, first and foremost, a
man enmeshed in the fabric
of his new community,
having come with his
family to Wallsend in 1885
from Motherwell outside
Glasgow at the age of 19.
Peter Davidson was an active member of the Cockle
Creek Boating Club – don’t laugh, there are multiple
hits on Trove – which was essentially a bloke thing,
although to be fair its members did involve family and
the public at regattas and social events. In 1898 when
the club began and when Pasminco was a latter day
menace waiting in the wings, the waterways around
Boolaroo and Speers Point were close to pristine. The
inaugural club meeting enrolled over 60 members and
grew from there. Of course club meetings were initially
held at Watson’s Colliery Inn Hotel, and then at other
Wallsend pubs as well.
Peter Davidson, seated
Peter Davidson, my great grandfather, was awarded a
New South Wales Government Ambulance medal
inscribed P. Davidson, Wallsend, 27 March 1899,
which was his enlistment date. It is silver in the shape of
a Maltese cross, bears the state government crest and is
in my possession. I will soon make a silver chain for it
at my local gem club seeing that it was meant to be
worn on a fob chain or such like because of the ring
attached to it. The medal was started in 1936 for
diligent, long serving ambulance members, so my great
grandmother heard the postie sing out and came down
to the front gate past the heady scented treasury of roses
growing both sides of the path. She opened the small
parcel containing a relic of her husband dead nearly a
decade, who now ripped the day asunder, crossing the
line with the swift, silent blooming of his presence.
Where else could a poor bloke go? Members practised
sculling (the nautical term) and sailing. They had their
own boat sheds and wharf. On the King’s Birthday
holiday on Monday, 10 November 1902, the lake
steamer Rose visited the Cockle Creek Boating Club
regatta, leaving Cockle Creek wharf at 9.45 am and
returning at 6 pm.
Peter was there on 4 July 1896, when a gob fire from
the furnace in old Stockton colliery claimed the lives of
eleven. He was one of four Wallsend miners working at
the colliery who ventured into danger, crossing the line
of lethal carbon monoxide and trying in vain to bring
their brother miners out alive. Other rescuers lost their
lives in the attempt.
StART Talking
And you know what? From what I’ve read crossing the
line wasn’t as important to club members as having a
jolly good time. Nothing wrong with that. Good for you
great-grandfather.
Text and images Col Fraser (Member 1008)
Our Guest Speaker for November was the passionate
and inspiring Kathie Bowtell who spoke of the
difficulties faced when helping those people having
thoughts of suicide. Kathie founded the StART Talking
project where she worked with ten local families who
had lost children to suicide. Her portraits of their
children were painted specifically to raise valuable
money to help Lifeline but were also a stimulus to raise
awareness of suicide in the community and to encourage
everyone to start talking about suicide.
Further details of the charity, Lifeline, may be found on
the Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/lifelinenewcastlestarttalking/
The contact details for Lifeline are 13 11 14, or online at
www.lifelinehunter.org.au
(Both sites accessed 14 November 2015)
P. DAVIDSON, Row 2 Column 3, below ‘Medal Recipients’
– 11 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
[“Mullavilla” is] the home of Mr. Geoffrey Andrews.
The family were at play on the tennis court but came
over to greet the guests – who had stopped for a look
round by courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews.
Constructed on stone quarried right on the spot,
“Mullavilla” is, in truth, “a house builded on a rock.” …
Mullavilla House
E. S. Lauchland
Ed.: This article, written by Effie Stewart LAUCHLAND
who died in Brisbane in 1965, was published in the
Newcastle and District Historical Society Journal in
January 1950. It details visits to the historic houses,
Mulla Villa and Laguna. NDHS have kindly given
permission to abridge and republish the original account.
Reading the complete article is recommended as it
outlines historic information and details important
descriptions of the lower Hunter 65 years ago at the time
that the ‘coalfields’ acquired the name and just after the
1950 floods. All journals are shelved in our reading room
and are arranged alphabetically by state. Additionally,
our library volunteers index surnames in Journals so a
visit may help you with family too.
The excursion to Wollombi was the longest undertaken
by the Newcastle and Hunter District Historical Society
for some years, and the two ‘buses which left Newcastle
at 10 a.m., passed en route, through the recently flooded
Maitland district … [on the] switch-back route between
St. Peter’s and East Greta, [Heddon Greta, Kurri Kurri,
Cessnock, Bellbird, Millfield and Sweetman’s Creek].
Not far from Sweetman’s Creek the ‘buses were halted
to allow of inspecting a grave in a bush clearing
alongside the roadway. The tombstone testified that it
was “erected in memory of Thomas Budds, Sergeant,
4th Foot Regiment, who died on September 12th, 1833,
aged 42 – Drowned in his own well.”8
Mulla Villa (2015)
“Mullavilla” was built by Mr. [David] Dunlop as his
residence. The only available labour at the time was
assigned labour, so that the house was convict built, and
exceedingly well built too. In the cellars below the two
front rooms the floors are of solid rock. (In 1924 they
were concreted over). The walls are two feet thick right
up, and the solid hardwood doors measure four inches
through. There are rings in them, and locks weighing
sixteen pounds are still in use. Oval shaped apertures,
approximately fifteen inches by nine inches, in the
upper portion of the masonry supply ventilation. The
cellars are remarkably free from dampness, even though
the recent floodwaters reached eighteen inches up the
verandah supports which are in front of these cellars.
False ceilings were constructed over the cellars.
Between these ceilings and floors of the upper rooms
sawdust was laid to provide a means of soundproofing.
The timbers were pit-sawn ironbark and, with the
exception of the renewals of floorings, these original
timbers are still there. … “Mullavilla” is a stone
structure with four main rooms. All doorposts and
architraves are of solid masonry, window supports too.
Three of the main rooms have stone fireplaces, but there
is only one chimney. The chimney has a marvellous
spiral flue – a type not seen these days and smoke from
the three rooms feeds into it. There are ten tons of stone
in the chimney itself between the ceiling and the rook,
immediately above the hall arch.
Nearer to Wollombi, “Hanging Rock”, so named
because of its appearance and position of suspension
some fifty or sixty feet up in the air, was passed. Near
here ‘Yellow Billy’s Cave” was pointed out, the hideout
of a half-caste Chinese [sic]9
The road was practically parallel to the river, the North
Arm of the Wollombi Brook. Everywhere were
considerable deposits of sand left by the recent floods –
orchards and paddocks smothered in it; long stretches of
the river banks pitted by the feet of cows tracking to the
water since it subsided. … On reaching Wollombi the
historians drove straight to the picnic-ground, to where
Mr. O’Brien had a big fire and lots of hot water ready
for tea-making. … In days gone by this picnic-ground
bore the strange name of “The Convincing Ground,” for
here the young men of early Wollombi settled their
arguments in a bout of arms. … Wollombi is a native
name meaning “The Meeting of the Waters.” The
township stands where the two arms of the Wollombi
Brook junction, and go forward as Cockfighter’s Creek.
The opening of Wollombi was linked to the
Hawkesbury [and the construction of] the different
roads in the Hunter River District. These roads were
planned to unite at Wollombi, then called Corrabare.10
At the back of the house can be seen the rocky ground
where the stone, of which “Mullavilla” was constructed,
was quarried. The rear portion of the house consists of
servants’ quarters, which have been newly faced, and
the kitchen, which still holds an old-time fireplace as
well as modern conveniences. The dairy and farm
outbuildings are also conveniently situated. … Mr. and
Mrs. Andrews were heartily thanked for the privilege
extended the Historical Society in thus allowing their
historic home to be visited.
8
For more information on Thomas Budds see NFHS Journal
207 p. 16
9 For details of Yellow Billy see this Journal, pp. 18 & 19
10 Images of the Great North Road may be viewed on p. 24 of
NFHS Journal 206
– 12 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Mulla Villa
The Prime Meridian
On Tuesday, 22 September 2015, Society members with
some partners and friends ventured to Wollombi and
beyond to visit the historic home, Mulla Villa. Forty
visitors travelled by car to the tourist village of
Wollombi and visited both the town, with its colonial
buildings, and the cemetery, with its historic graves.
Mulla Villa, built on the rise above Wollombi Brook
and on the road to the south of Wollombi, was next.
Dates
Land Purchase
Signed 5 January 1841
and 5 February 1851
Indenture
Signed 14 December 1881
Indenture
Signed 21 January 1900
Title
Signed 20 August 1912
Title
Signed 28 October 1914
Transfer
18 March 1926
Application by Transmission
18 November 1929
Transfer
16 June 1948
Title
11 May 1962
Title
14 August 1986
Title
28 September 1988
Purchaser
David Dunlop
Police Magistrate
David Ambrose Milson
Robert Kirk Milson
Grazier
Robert Kirk Milson
Grazier
Alfred John Preston
Arthur Reuben Andrews
Eliza Margaret Andrews
Gregory Maxwell Andrews
Dairyman
Harold James Sternback
Dairyman
Kenneth and Nancy Brown
Farmer
Brian and Francisca Maui
Electrician
The Prime Meridian and laser at the
Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, England
The world is covered in lines of latitude and longitude
but few have been made visible. One exception is the
Prime Meridian – 0° longitude. This line separates east
and west and terminates at the poles. Time and distance
of every location on earth is measured from here. The
decision to locate the prime meridian at Greenwich was
made at an international meeting in 1884. Since 1993 a
laser has also marked the path of the Prime Meridian at
night. The newest laser was installed in 1999 to
celebrate the new millennium.
Transcribed from the roadside marker at Mulla Villa.
Mulla Villa has new owners and is now predominantly
used as bed and breakfast accommodation with en-suite
guest rooms in both the original home and out buildings.
The cellars, presented as convict accommodation
beneath the house, remain in their original condition.
Modifications to the house and grounds have
incorporated the new restaurant with the original family
home which is largely unaltered. The house also
operates as a restaurant for travellers using the Great
North Road. After an enjoyable two-course lunch, staff
led visitors on a tour of the convict built property.
Left: The convict
accommodation
beneath the house
The Prime Meridian and toes
Access to further information about the Royal Museums
at Greenwich:– The Royal Observatory; The National
Maritime Museum; The Queen’s House and Cutty Sark
may be found at http://www.rmg.co.uk/researchers
The RMG site provides not only information but access
to many databases. One notable database is the digitised
Crew Lists of the British Merchant Navy between 1915
and 2015 where it is possible to search and then
download original records.
Right: Ron let out for
exercise by Colin
– 13 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
There had been rain the previous night, and the river
was high. About a mile from the river they had met two
or three persons who told them that they would find the
water pretty high, but did not say that it would be
dangerous to cross. Mr. Davies and Mr. Blatchford on
examination determined to attempt the passage at the
usual crossing, Pitty recommending to go a little higher
up the stream. They went right till within a few yards of
the bank, when one of the traces became disengaged,
and on urging forward the horses another also. Each
horse was now held only by a single trace, the inner
trace of the one and the outer of the other. All this time
the water was rising with extreme rapidity.
Better Late Than Never
Stan Thompson
Despite constant warnings by the authorities when there
has been heavy rainfall and flooding, that venturing into
flood waters is foolhardy and likely to end in tragedy,
people still die attempting to cross flooded rivers and
streams in vehicles and on foot.
Ever since colonisation many lives have been lost in this
manner. In 1874 an old resident of Goulburn
commented that about a dozen lives had been lost trying
to cross the Wollondilly River on the Goulburn to
Crookwell road and warned more would be lost until a
bridge was built.11 That particular warning was voiced
following the death of my maternal great-grandfather’s
sister’s father-in-law, Robert Huxham Blatchford.
After consultation, Pitty, who is an excellent swimmer,
took of his coats, crept along the pole, swam ashore,
and ran to Rossiville, distant about three or four
hundred yards, for assistance. Davies and Blatchford
remained in the buggy, and being now very cold
removed only their overcoats, retaining the under ones.
The horses plunged and gradually faced down-stream.
One of them got his leg over the pole; and the animals
then became unmanageable. The buggy was now on the
point of being turned over by the force of the water, and
the occupants, commending themselves and their
families to God, sprang into the stream as their only
chance. Mr Blatchford is said to have been able to
swim, and Mr Davies could do so a little; but
encumbered as they were with their clothing and having
to contend with such a current, they were at once swept
away. Mr Davies heard Blatchford shouting for help,
and for a moment succeeded in getting hold of him; but
he was swept from his grasp. He then remembers seeing
a rope thrown to him two or three times and attempting
to lay hold of it, and fancies that he succeeded at last.
But if so, he must have let go again directly. He then
became insensible, and on waking found himself on the
river bank with the stars shining above him. …
Robert Blatchford was born in 1821 in Devon, United
Kingdom, the son of Robert Blatchford and Ann
Huxham. There is no record of Robert’s arrival in
Australia but as he was apprenticed to Mr Bourne,
draper, of Pitt Street, Sydney,12 it is possible he arrived
about 1835 as a cabin boy or crew and jumped ship.
In 1846 Robert married Mary Saxby, the daughter of
well-known Sydney floriculturist, Henry Saxby, and
then moved to Goulburn where he started business as a
storekeeper and raised a family of ten children. A man
of considerable enterprise, he opened a store at the
Major’s Creek goldfields in 185513 and in later years
was a manager of the Goulburn Company’s gold-reefing
operations at Junction Point.
Robert Blatchford was a leading member of the
Wesleyan Church and was a local preacher for many
years. It seems he had travelled to Crookwell on church
business with William Davies, another leading member
of the Wesleyan Church and a well-known Goulburn
citizen. They were returning to Goulburn in the
afternoon of Friday, 4 September 1874, when a tragic
accident brought about Robert Blatchford’s death.
[Pitty hastened back and on] … reaching the bank Pitty
saw one of the persons … sufficiently near for him to
throw the rope to, which he did, two or three times; but
as he did not succeed in grasping it, Pitty plunged in,
succeeded in reaching him, caught him by the shoulder,
and brought him safely to land. …
The Goulburn Herald and Chronicle posted a report of
the accident on 9 September, which reads in part:
About one o’clock on Thursday Mr. William Davies,
Mr. R. H. Batchford, and Walter John Pitty, one of Mr.
Davies’s employes, left Goulburn for Crookwell in a
buggy with pair of horses, Pitty driving. They found the
road in a most terrible condition, and got bogged and
had one of the bars broken before reaching Crookwell.
They started to return on Friday, and when within a few
miles of Goulburn were again bogged, and again had a
bar broken. Having replaced this they continued their
journey, and reached the Wollondilly River at the
crossing known as Rossi’s about six o’clock.
The following morning many of the townspeople went to
the scene of the disaster. The river had then gone down
somewhat since the accident. A boat and a … punt …
were obtained, and dragging the river was commenced.
… About eleven o’clock Mr. Henry Blackshaw …
succeeded in securing the body about a quarter of a
mile below the scene of the accident … There were two
severe wounds on the top and back of the head … and
there were also one or two cuts on the face. … The body
… was then conveyed to the house of the deceased in
Clifford-street. The distress of the family was
overwhelming, and deserves, as it certainly receives, the
deepest sympathy of all.
11
The Evening News, Sydney, on 10 September 1874, in
their report of the drowning said in part: It is only right
Evening News, 10 September 1874
The Goulburn Herald and Chronicle, 9 September 1874
13 The Sydney Morning Herald 11 October 1856
12
– 14 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
to say that in the trying position in which he was placed,
[Pitty] behaved most courageously, and that his conduct
is deserving of the highest praise.
Research Enquiries
Dorelle Anderson <jim.and.dorelle@bigpond.com.au>
sought information about William CAHILL. We found
very little – William seems to be one of our elusives.
Blatchford and Davies failed to take Pitty’s advice to
make a three mile detour upstream and safely cross the
swollen river at Marsden’s Bridge and their decision to
attempt to ford the river at Rossi’s Crossing, being the
shortest and quickest route to their homes, resulted in
this unfortunate drowning. Marsden’s Bridge over the
Wollondilly River had been built earlier in 1867 and has
since been replaced by the pre-stressed concrete
Mummel Bridge.
Judi Harris <judiharris@bigpond.com.au> was seeking
information about William Barclay WALLACE and the
mansion Rohallion, now demolished, in Church Street,
Newcastle. WALLACE was a prominent Newcastle
businessman.
Melanie Willis <heavyhorse@bigpond.com> sought
information about the LOWERY and HUGHES families
of Wallsend. At one stage the HUGHES family had a
connection with Woodlands on Lake Road where they
operated a chicken farm. Woodlands was originally built
as the mine managers’ home for the Newcastle
Wallsend Coal Company. Over time it was used as a
boys’ home and it is now an aged care facility.
A timber truss bridge was built at Rossi’s Crossing, in
about 1880 but was closed in 1893 due to its poor state.
A new Allan timber truss bridge utilising the original
piers was completed in 1899.
Yvonne Seaman (Phone: 49524861) is researching on
behalf of her uncle and looking for information about
Ernest RENSHAW and his family, including his wife,
Rhoda MILLINGTON.
Kristine Howard <kristinemhoward@hotmail.com> is
looking for any information about William SMALE,
and his wife, Jane.
Marion Wilson (Research Officer)
Go Online
The Prosecution Project
The Rossi Bridge over the Wollondilly River
[Image used courtesy of Roads and Maritime Services]14
The Prosecution Project is a developing site and is
supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC
Laureate Fellowship, 2013-18) and Griffith University.
It is investigating the history of criminal trials in
Australia between approximately 1850 and 1960 and
began with digitising the registers of the Supreme
Court. Cases record the names of those accused, their
offences and the outcomes of their trial. Future plans are
to use other archival sources, supplemented by the
Trove digitised newspapers http://trove.nla.gov.au/ to
analyse patterns of crime, prosecution and punishment.
It is hoped that a greater understanding of how crime
was prosecuted will result but the database will also
provide information about Australia’s history and how
people lived, behaved, dealt with conflict and tragedy
and how legal and political institutions responded to
crime and its consequences. This is a site where
individuals may volunteer to assist with digitisation and
data entry of historical court records. It may be of use to
you in your research but may also just be of interest.
Stan Thompson (Member 826)
Snippers’ Snippets
Tail-lights for horses and cows were more or less
seriously discussed by the conference of the Royal
Automobile Club of Victoria (says the Melbourne
Herald). One speaker said that horsemen were
dangerous obstacles at night, and should wear a disc, as
used in the army. Another delegate referred to the
danger of wandering cattle, and quoted the suggestion
of a London judge that
a cow which caused an
accident should have
been furnished with a
tail-light!
NMH & MA:
26 September 1931
Not as silly as it sounds!
https://prosecutionproject.griffith.edu.au/
Jane Ison (Member 801)
14
http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/key-buildprograms/maintenance/timber-truss-road-bridges/timber-tussstrat-approach-appendix-1c.pdf - accessed 26 October 2015
– 15 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
he made the decision to join the Australian Imperial
Force. His successful application was dated
1 September 1915 and he nominated his father as his
next-of-kin with the contact address of Carrol Gap, a
location between Tamworth and Gunnedah. Private
Albert Stewart was allocated service number 5551 and
entered Broadmeadow Training Camp on 15 September
1915 for the required period of basic training. This
Camp was established on the Showground area at
Broadmeadow. It is believed Albert Stewart is standing
on the left of the group at Broadmeadow Camp.
Albert Leslie Stewart
Maree Shilling
Some time ago I was reading a family history magazine
when I came across a story which made me stop and
think. That story was written by Mr Harry Willey,
historian and researcher from Scone, and told of one
young man who had volunteered for service in World
War I. He, and some others like him, had been quite
willing to do their duty for King and Country, but
circumstances had intervened. The young man, of
whom I speak, was Albert Leslie Stewart whose
service was acknowledged on 10 November at his
graveside.
Although I have no
connection to Albert
Stewart, I kept Harry
Willey’s story as my
husband, Ken and I,
together with some
members from our
Society, had embarked
on a project in early
2014 to locate and
record as many World
War I Memorials and
Honour Rolls in the
Newcastle
Council
Area as possible. Each
memorial located had a randomly selected soldier
researched and written up for the project, but nowhere
in our work was there mention of someone who had
enlisted, and for whatever reason, had not embarked
from Australian shores. I felt this was an oversight, and
recalling Harry Willey’s story, decided to investigate
further.
However, almost eight weeks after enlisting for duty
overseas, Private Stewart became ill and was admitted
to Newcastle Hospital. It was there that he died on
9 November 1915, the result of pneumonia and acute
dilation of the heart.
Albert’s funeral on the afternoon of 10 November was
far from the usual affair. He was accorded a conjoint
military funeral with Joseph Mitchell, reportedly a
returned serviceman who had lost an arm, the result of
duty as a Signaller at the first landing on Gallipoli. At
least that was the story told by Joseph which earned him
many a shout at a local hotel in Carrington. His
fondness for drink may have played a part in his death
on 8 November when he fell from a train travelling
between Adamstown and Cardiff. As no relatives could
be located for Joseph Mitchell, members of the local
Red Cross Society, believing his sorry tale, feared he
would be given a pauper’s burial and agreed to pay his
funeral expenses. However, further research has
uncovered that Joseph Mitchell’s real name was
Francis William Corlette, and the Singleton Argus
paper dated 18 December 1915, reported an accident
involving a chaff-cutter where Joseph, or Francis, lost
his arm. Perhaps it was a case of starting with a little lie
which grew into one which could not be pulled back to
the truth without losing face and of course, the free
beers.
According to the New South Wales Birth, Death and
Marriage records, Albert Leslie Stewart was born in the
district of Greta in 1888, the fifth of ten children born to
John Stewart and his wife, Jane Matthews. The place
of registration for each birth indicated the family moved
around from Rothbury to Gunnedah, then to Greta,
Nundle and Tamworth, but as Albert’s father was a
farmer, it is understandable that the family moved to
wherever work was to be found. No doubt Albert and
his six brothers would have been called upon to help
with farming chores on regular occasions.
The advent of World War I changed many lives
including that of Albert Stewart. He was working as a
stockman on the well-known property of Belltrees when
– 16 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
According to the Newcastle Morning Herald and
Miners’ Advocate of 11 November 1915, the two oak
coffins covered with a Union Jack flag, were placed side
by side on a gun carriage drawn by representatives of
the Naval Reserve, the 16th Infantry Regiment and
Broadmeadow trainees. The streets were well crowded
to watch the cortege move from the Hospital, down
Telford, Hunter and Watt Streets to the Newcastle
Railway Station where it is reported, three to four
thousand people stood waiting. The combined bands
from the Newcastle Municipality and the 16 th Regiment
preceded the cortege with the relatives of Private
Stewart, members from the Broadmeadow Camp, Boy
Scouts, returned soldiers and veterans following. The
coffins were placed in the rear compartment of the
funeral train and upon arrival at Sandgate Cemetery a
short combined service was conducted. Joseph Mitchell
was interred in the Anglican section of the cemetery and
Private Stewart in the Presbyterian portion. The military
funeral concluded with the sounding of the Last Post at
each gravesite.
It was 100 years to the day that another memorial
service was conducted at the gravesite of Albert Leslie
Stewart on 10 November 2015. The ceremony was
organised by our member, Gary Mitchell, and a
number of representatives from our Society were in
attendance. President Kath McRae laid a wreath on
behalf of our Society and Maree Shilling spoke of
Albert’s story to those present.
A rather unique medallion
was presented to Albert’s
parents by Mr H.L. White
of Belltrees with the words,
He Answered the Call
engraved on the front and
In Memory of Pte. Albert
Stewart, Died in Camp on
the reverse and is held by
his niece, Mavis Ebbott,
who kindly allowed access
to the medallion and the
two images on page 16.
Often when walking past a list of names on a Memorial
or Honour Roll, we give little thought to those that may
not be there – men and women who, for whatever
reason, did not see service overseas. Albert Leslie
Stewart was one such man. Although willing to do his
bit, Fate had taken a hand in his destiny, leaving his
family to mourn what might have been.
Private Albert Stewart is acknowledged as the first
enlisted man for World War I to be buried in the
cemetery, his grave having been marked by the wellrecognised headstone of the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission. His name is recorded on the
Jeffries – Currey Memorial Wall in Sandgate as well as
on several memorials in the Scone district.
Mavis Ebbott and her son, Ian, pause for a moment’s
reflection at Albert’s grave.
Images: Ken Shilling and
Text: Maree Shilling (Members 461)
– 17 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
William’s skin colour was described in various reports
as saffron or lemon coloured. In 1867 Darlinghurst
records identified his complexion as yellow. Maitland
records in 1863 describe that it was dark sallow but in
1876 his skin was identified as black. William was
about 5’ 10” tall. Over the years of his imprisonment his
many descriptions identified scars on his upper right
arm and forearm and also on his left wrist and upper left
arm. He had birth marks on his chest and back.
Alias Yellow Billy
Jane Ison
Yellow Billy was an extremely popular alias used
during the 19th Century especially, but not exclusively,
among Aboriginal people with European ancestry.
During the 1860s Yellow Billy, the bushranger
remembered in the Cessnock and Wollombi area, was
the most infamous of these men. Once the Wollombi
bushranger became notorious, some people seem to
have carried out crimes using his alias.
Yellow Billy was not a very successful bushranger but
in the Wollombi and Cessnock districts where his
robberies terrorised the inhabitants, he has not been
forgotten. Billy was more inclined to threaten those he
robbed rather than injure them and was probably more
of a nuisance to police than a major threat. He carried a
double-barrelled gun and pistols during his robberies
but never shot anyone. In 1866 after one hold-up, he
released his victim and his belongings when Billy was
told that the money was being taken home to the
victim’s mother. Billy threatened that he’d cut his throat
if the police were told of the unproductive hold-up.
Yellow Billy was the alias adopted by William White.
William had been been born in about 1842 but his place
of birth is unclear. Records indicate that he had been
born at either Big River or on the Hunter River. Big
River may refer to an area close to the Goulburn River
or around Yango. Some reports suggest that he may
have been born on the Namoi River. 15 It was known that
William was brought up by Mrs Cobcroft of Bulga. 16
William’s mother was an Aboriginal woman and his
father was European. Letters by Joseph Eckford
written on 29 August 1866, indicated to the Colonial
Secretary that William’s father was Abel Cobcroft17
In his early career Yellow Billy became infamous for
two successful escapes in quick succession from the
original, timber lock-up at Wollombi. In 1862, after
being caught and gaoled for robbery, Billy made his
first escape by burning the door post of his cell with a
match, probably smuggled into the lock-up by an
acquaintance.18 The fire loosened the metal bolt. Billy
left the cell, removed bricks from a chimney to reach
the prison yard and scaled a three metre slab fence to
escape. He was re-captured soon afterwards after
committing a series of hold-ups but again escaped the
lock-up by removing a timber slab from the gaol wall.
These escapes are believed to be the reason that the
replacement Wollombi lock-up and courthouse, built
four years after the escapes, were constructed of
sandstone. After Billy’s recapture he was tried at the
West Maitland Quarter Sessions on 30 September 1863,
where he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.
Billy served this sentence in Darlinghurst gaol but in
1864, some months before his release, he was
transferred to Bathurst gaol.
On 6 October 1865, after his release from Bathurst,
Billy returned to the Wollombi district in the Hunter
Valley where he had a support network and knew the
area well. Before the end of the month he had held up
the Warkworth Hotel, stolen one horse and eventually
exchanged this exhausted animal with another taken
from the Cobcroft family at Bulga. 19 He continued to
terrorise the neighbourhood from this date and his
infamy almost certainly caused police to hunt him using
Aboriginal trackers. By the end of January 1866 a
reward of £25 had been offered for his capture and by
September 1866, that reward had been increased to £50.
William White alias Yellow Billy
Darlinghurst gaol January 1876
State Records NSW: NRS 2138,
Photographic Description Books [Darlinghurst Gaol]
[5/1696 pp.108-108a]
[Used with the permission of State Records NSW]
15
18
The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General
Advertiser, 12 September 1863, p. 4
16 Sydney Mail, 29 August 1863, p. 1
17 SRNSW: CSIL: 66/6065 [4/584]
The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General
Advertiser, 15 August 1863, p. 5
19 The Armidale Express and New England General
Advertiser, 6 January 1866, p. 4
– 18 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
We beg to remain yours, &c.,
Captain Thunderbolt
Lieutenant Berriman
Yellow Billie, witness his
George Berryman
+ mark
Alexander Ward
Thomas Winsey
Sydney Robert
Highwaymen and housebreakers, Adelaide, S.A.
Billy was finally arrested at Howes Valley near
Wollombi on 2 November 1866. It took nearly a year
but after a series of trials for of horse stealing and
highway robbery, during which time he was very ill,
Yellow Billy at the age of 25, was convicted on each
count at the Maitland Circuit Court on 21 October 1867,
and was sentenced to 20 years’ labour on the roads.
Billy began his imprisonment in Maitland but was
moved to Darlinghurst, then Parramatta, then on to
Berrima where he was mentioned in the inquiry into
mistreatment of prisoners and finally back to
Darlinghurst before being returned to Maitland in
January 1876 where he was released after serving only
ten years of his sentence. Gaol records indicate that he
had learned to read and write while in gaol and was
punished by seven days in the ‘dark cells’ for writing on
the wall of the water closet.21
The second reward offered for the capture of Yellow Billy20
Some erroneous newspaper reports suggested that police
were tracking Yellow Billy in December 1865 and
identified him as the ‘half-caste’ hiding in company
with the notorious bushranger, John Dunn, at the time
of Dunn’s capture. More accurate reports identified that
this man was George Smith alias Yellow George.
In February 1876, ‘in accordance with the decision
given by His Excellency the Governor on the schedule
of prisoners convicted of robbery with arms,’ Yellow
Billy was recommended for a conditional pardon. The
government had made the promise that if Billy behaved
in prison and if he agreed to leave the country, he would
be released.22 So Billy, like Frank Gardiner who had
been released in 1874, was exiled.
In an act of protest and bravado, it may be that Billy
was one of the seven signatories of an impudent letter,
sent to the Governor of South Australia, H. B.
Strangways. The letter was reproduced in the Sydney
Morning Herald on 6 October 1866. Captain
Thunderbolt was the principal author but the letter was
also signed by Sydney Robert, Thomas Winsey,
George Berryman, Alexander Ward, and Lieutenant
Berriman. Billie [sic] made his mark.
Two books about Yellow Billy, The Millfield Terror
(1994) by the Kurri Kurri historian, Brian Andrews,
and an earlier publication, Bandits on the Great North
Road, by Cliff Hanna, are mentioned in the 2003 article
by Mike Scanlon, Houdini of the Hunter.23 Hanna
described Billy as ‘a minor outlaw, no better or worse
than scores of others on the Great North Road in the
1850s and 1860s’ and also identified that a letter held in
Cessnock Library concerning the Wollombi resident,
Charlie Dean, confirmed Billy’s arrival in the USA.
Charlie was supposedly shanghaied in Newcastle to
crew a ship and the first person he met in America was
Yellow Billy.
Sir, – I see by the reports of your proceedings in
Parliament that you are trying to bring in a law for the
flogging of highwaymen in gaol. Now, you downright
bloodthirsty scoundrel, do your best. No one but such a
cursed vagabond as you would propose such a thing.
Now, Sir, do you think you have got a lot of women to
contend with, like your poor mother, whom you
imprisoned for five years? No, Sir, Allow me to inform
you that you have got men to deal with – men who defy
both you and the cursed Government of South Australia,
which is only composed of a parcel of bloodthirsty
villains, lagged pickpockets, and body-snatchers like
yourself. Now, Sir, there is a number of such cowardly
scoundrels as you who want a bullet though them; and if
ever it is our good fortune to fall across you, you may
depend upon it that if we do not give you a most
miserable death you may depend upon the Almighty
God forsaking us. Does such a paltry Government think
to put us down? No, Sir, they are not able, nor ever will
till we are all shot; and it is not such villains that can do
it. I do not wish you to think such a thing as flogging
alarms us, for it is nothing to some hardships we have
had to go through – so that will not make us better. I
can assure you a copy of this will be kept, and posted all
over the town and suburbs.
20
Jane Ison (Member 801)
Note: Not everything is online. Always consider
locating and viewing undigitised records. The Colonial
Secretary ‘In’ Letters (CSIL) are amongst records that
can only be accessed in original form by visiting
Kingswood. NFHS is currently the only Newcastle
location that holds a copy of the CSIL index.
21
SRNSW: CSIL: 68/1794 [4/622]
SRNSW: CSIL: 76/2736 [1/2328]
23 Scanlon, Mike, ‘Houdini of the Hunter,’ Newcastle Herald,
22 May 2003
22
NSW Government Gazette, 1866 No. 170 p. 2067
– 19 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
arrived in Van Diemen’s Land per Neptune (1),
18 January 1838, and appeared to have been unhappy
suffering time in the stocks and many lashes.
The Line Between Fun and Felonry
Russell Willis
A pleasant afternoon and evening playing cards and
partaking of a few ales was spent by my great-greatgrandfather,
Joseph
Hollinshead
and
three
companions, George Martin, William Elliott, and
Thomas Bentley at the George and Dragon in
Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, three days before
Christmas 1836. In the evening a dispute arose over a
card game which was referred to Thomas Linter for
adjudication. Linter, a music teacher homeward bound
to Shelton, carried a double-barrelled gun for selfprotection which he placed on a table while looking at
the cards.
Hollinshead, was the only villain to have had legal
representation and a witness to his good character being
his former employer, Zachariah Boyle, and a petition
with fifty names also to good character. The benefit
received for good character was to be transported per
Waterloo (5), arriving in New South Wales
8 February 1838, where he was assigned a position at a
pottery beyond Raymond Terrace where he joined a
number of Staffordshire potters likewise employed. His
time at Irrawang was interrupted for one month due to
insolence, this time being spent exercising on the
treadmill. He received a ticket of leave 18 March 1846,
and permission to marry a gentleman’s daughter,
Elizabeth Rotton, 12 November 1847.
The gun mysteriously discharged. The report could have
caused some involuntary discharges from the boys after
many ales. Linter took the gun outside and discharged
the second barrel to ensure that no more accidents
occurred.
Elizabeth’s father, John, had, due to financial
difficulties, sold his grant at Whittingham and moved to
the Lochend estate near Maitland around 1847. He was
able to find acceptable husbands for two of his
daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah, before another move to
the old Threlkeld estate, Ebeneeza, at Lake Macquarie.
Joseph Hollinshead worked with his father-in-law and
remained at Lochend until his first son, William Alfred,
was born 23 October 1848, and baptised at the West
Maitland Presbyterian Church. Joseph and Sarah’s
husband, Benjamin Solomon, joined John at Ebeneeza.
Edward Bartlett soon joined the family when he
married
John’s
third
daughter,
Anne,
29 December 1848. Alas the extra hands could not
produce enough to prevent John’s bankruptcy.
The boys plotted a surprise for Mr Linter in return.
Elliott and Bentley left the inn ahead of Linter and hid
behind a hedge along the road. Hollinshead and Martin
followed and passed Linter then paused until he caught
up. Some jostling and some stones thrown from behind
the hedge had the desired effect. With fear induced
adrenaline Linter took flight up Rogues Lane. At the
top, exhausted, he drew the now uncharged gun and
challenged the four boys not to rob him. Lubricated with
alcohol the four practical jokers slipped across the line
between fun and felonry. Martin grabbed the gun and
knocked the music teacher to the ground, then to pass
the blame to some unknown robber they removed and
carried away the gun, his hat, watch, silver pencil case
and 14 shillings. Linter, now much bruised and
bleeding, called at the Queen’s Head at Bashford Bank
where two persons assisted his return to the Newcastle
police office to report the assault and robbery.
At this time the rush to the Bathurst gold fields began
and those in desperate need, like John and his relatives,
packed their wagons and headed to the Turon in search
of hope. John found nothing but the cold river water, the
cold, lung affecting weather and the cold hard burial
plot. The family returned disheartened and with little
benefit. Joseph possessed with gold fever travelled to
Victoria’s Castlemaine district where he was much
more successful.
Elliott saw the error of his part and confessed,
implicating those involved. Bentley was soon taken in
charge by W.C. Davis, head constable of Stoke. Davis
attended the home of Hollinshead in Stoke Lane on the
23rd and took him into custody. Hollinshead denied all
knowledge of the robbery but when being transported to
the county gaol on the following Wednesday he was
heard to speak of the robbery and believed that they
would only transport him and he would sing a song for
old England on the Rock of Gibraltar, where upon he
began to sing. Joseph had realised that he had crossed
the line of respectability.
Joseph was now able to begin a new life with his
growing family in Newcastle, building a home and shop
on the site where the Westminster Apartments now
stand. He stocked the shelves with china, glassware,
boots and shoes imported from his family’s enterprises
in his native home, Staffordshire. He established
himself as a Newcastle businessman and remained a
good citizen.
References:
After an extended search Martin was taken into custody
23 January 1837, being present for the trial on
10 March 1837. All four were found guilty, Elliott and
Bentley were sentenced to seven years transportation.
Elliott arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on the
Coromandel II, 26 October 1838. Bentley’s destination
is unknown. Hollinshead and Martin were sentenced to
death but this was altered to life transportation. Martin
The Staffordshire Advertiser, Saturday, 18 March 1837
Convict Indents
National Archives UK
Archives Office of Tasmania
National Library of Australia – Trove
Russell Willis (Member 562)
– 20 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
Contribution from the Writers’ Group
Christmas Day on board was celebrated with a quiet
morning followed by an afternoon of fun, eating, and
for those who wished, drinking, culminating in an
evening fireworks display that put the moon to shame. It
was almost dawn before we drifted off to our bunks, a
good time having been had by all.
An Exciting Voyage
Maree Shilling
The paper streamer tensed and suddenly parted as
M.V. Tjiluwah moved slowly away from the dock. I
stood at the ship’s rail looking at the remnant
connection to home in my hand and a feeling of
anticipation and freedom surged through me. This was
my first overseas trip and although I was travelling with
two friends, I now had complete control over what I did,
where I went and with whom. There were no parents
around to raise an eyebrow.
Two hours later, we were awakened by loud banging
and shouting. There was no siren or people calling,
‘Abandon ship,’ so we assumed everything must still be
safe. But what was all the noise? Dressing quickly we
emerged into the bright sunlight and beheld a parade
moving majestically around the deck. King Neptune and
his entourage had arrived on our ship from the depths of
his Kingdom to challenge all landlubbers on board. We
were crossing the Equator!
King Neptune, looking remarkably like one of our
fellow passengers, despite the make-up and wig, dealt
out his challenges to unsuspecting subjects which
ranged from being shaved (he must have gone through
dozens of cans of shaving cream) to being forced to
walk the plank (not into the ocean but into the
swimming pool) and on to seemingly horrific operations
which deprived the patients of their intestines [aka
sausages]. That was a Boxing Day to remember.
Tjiluwah was a Dutch-owned ship but she was crewed
by sailors from Hong Kong. Cabin 99 held four bunks
and little else but we were located close to a bathroom
so all was well. Meal times were scheduled in two
sittings, ours being the second which was good as you
didn’t have to hurry your meal. There was always plenty
of beautifully presented food allowing for those who
had worked up an appetite jogging around the deck or
swimming in the pool to return for a second helping.
We were two days out from our destination, Tokyo,
when sun-filled skies suddenly grew dark and the wind
whipped up waves that came crashing over our bows.
We were caught in a typhoon. Venturing briefly on
deck, I was soaked with salty spray but found the power
of the ocean to be exhilarating. Nature’s furore subsided
just as quickly as it had arisen and Tjiluwah brought my
exciting journey to a happy ending.
This cake, due for demolition at the Captain's Buffet,
was a remarkable replica of the Tjiluwah.
Our northward passage along the Queensland coast was
often escorted by playful dolphins racing before
Tjiluwah’s bow and at night, with the moon’s reflection
dancing on the water, it was easy to see how a shipboard romance could start.
The blue-green of Queensland’s waters gave way to
blue-black as we headed further north, the now-familiar
throb of the ship’s engines reassuring us that Tjiluwah’s
heart was strong.
The menu for the Farewell Dinner on board M V Tjiluwah
was printed in gold on silk fabric and
presented to each passenger as a fan.
Maree Shilling (Member 461)
– 21 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
 NMH 1931 Apr-Jun: Newcastle news [2015]:
Snippers. NLP/05/1931b
 NMH 1931 Apr-Jun: Sport reports & results [2015]:
Snippers. NLP/08/1931b
 No bar to time: the hotels of the Newcastle Local
Government Area [2015]: Tonks, Ed. AH7/36/17
 Novocastrian: magazine of Newcastle Boys' High
School 1962; 1963; 1965; 1966; 1968; 1969; 1970;
1971: NBHS. AH9/63/07e-l
 Off to war: WWI 1914-1918 [2014]: Dowson, John.
A7/81/17 [Karilyn Pawley]
 Old Salt: [the fishing industry in the Myall Lakes]
[2014]: Clarke, John. AH8.324/01/13 [Karilyn
Pawley]
 People of the Valley: writings from the Hunter
[2009]: Gibberd, Margaret et al. AH2/21/02
 Pioneers and history of the Myall River and Lakes:
an insight into the river we live on [2014]: Winn,
Janis. AH8.324/01/14 [Karilyn Pawley]
 Recollections of the Central Coast New South Wales
[2004]: Daly, Phil. AN8.250/01/04
 Ships from Scotland to Australasia 1820-1860
[2005]: Dobson, David. P5/40/01
 South Coast story: a history of Goolwa, Port Elliot,
Middleton and the Murray Mouth, [South Australia]
[2nd edn 1990]: Tolley, J C. AS8.214/01/01
 The Aboriginals of Lake Macquarie: a brief history
[1995]: Turner, John & Blyton, Greg. AH7/06/04
[Karilyn Pawley]
 The Herald 2015 Apr-Jun: domestic notices and
index of deaths, funerals, in memoriam & probate
notices only [2015]: Walker, Val, comp.
NLP/03/2015b
 The Noosa story: a study in unplanned development
[1979]: Cato, Nancy. AQ8.567/01/01
 The Royal: a castle grand, a purpose noble: the Royal
Newcastle Hospital 1817-2005 [2005]: Marsden,
Susan & Hunter, Cynthia. AH7/32/16
 The Windeyers: chapters of family history [1992]:
Windeyer, Victor. A4/WIN/01
 This is Parramatta: pioneer city of a nation [2nd edn
1970]: Parramatta City Council. AN8.150/01/09
 Thomas Hughes, my Jack Ketch: the ‘finisher of the
law’ [2011]: Cooper, Dorothy. A4/HUG/01 [Dorothy
Cooper]
 Tracing your Scottish ancestors: a guide for family
historians [2nd edn 2013]: Maxwell, Ian. P2/10/01
 Where do I start? A brief guide to researching your
family in Australia and New Zealand [2015]: Hicks,
Shauna. A2/10/19
From the Monica Gibbs Library
Recent Acquisitions: [Donors in brackets]
Books:
 A short history of the Anglican Church of Saint
David, Teralba: to celebrate the Ninetieth
Anniversary of the dedication, 21 August 1915
[2005]: Sheean, Father Wayne et al. AH7/85/24
 Bibliographical record of the University of
Newcastle as at 31st December 1971 [1971]:
University of Newcastle. AH9/40/01
 Boats, blokes and whatever of Lake Macquarie
[2003]: Thomas, Fred. AH7/30/31
 Canowindra in sketches for Canowindra and District
Historical Society [1979]: Balcolm, D & Jenkins, R.
AN8.804/36/01
 Charles Henry looking back 1901-1990 [1990?]:
Henry, Charles. A4/HEN/01 [Gail Goddard]
 Clark and Jackson [families from Lanarkshire,
Scotland and forbears of the Cooper Family,
Bellbird, Cessnock] [2014]: Cooper, Dorothy.
A4/CLA/05 [Dorothy Cooper]
 Cooper Family: [Couper/Cooper from Ayrshire,
Scotland] [2013]: Cooper, Dorothy. A4/COO/05
[Dorothy Cooper]
 Descendants of Jeremiah and Jane Willis of Bendage
Farm, Rob Roy [1994]: Wallis, Roberta, comp.
A4/WIL/03 [Wendy Kearney]
 Family secrets: living with shame from the
Victorians to the present day [2013]: Cohen,
Deborah. L2/20/01 [Estate of Nancy Tayler]
 Hidden Newcastle: urban memories and architectural
imaginaries [2007]: Moore, R John & Ostwald,
Michael J. AH7/36/18
 Historic buildings of Dubbo [1966]: Milling, Tonette
& Searl, Phillip. AN8.830/36/01 [Alison Morris]
 Kurri Kurri Public School 1904-2004 [2004]:
Sheedy, Cathy & Cook, Ray. AH7/48/11
 Lambton: a nineteenth century mining town [with
photos by Ralph Snowball] [2015]: Keating, Julie,
comp. AH8.299/01/04 [Margaret Engel]
 Lieutenant Charles A F N Menzies R.N., first
Commandant at Newcastle, NSW 1804-1805 [1981]:
Gregory, Fred M & Raymond Terrace and DHS.
A4/MEN/02 [Karilyn Pawley]
 Lord Howe Island 1788 to 1988 [1998]: Lord Howe
Island Board. AN8.898/01/01
 Magpie 1961: magazine Maitland Boys' High School
[1961]: Maitland Boys' HS. AH9/63/09c
 Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate 27
October 1975: copies of newspaper articles and index
[2015]: Tollard, Julie, comp. AH9/74/04
 Newcastle: heart of the Hunter [2007?]: Morrison,
Ron & Elizabeth. AH7/01/63
 Newcastle: new century, new horizons [2000]:
Kirkwood, Ian & Ford, Christopher. AH7/01/62
 NMH 1931 Apr-Jun: miscellaneous news from
Australia & overseas [2015]: Snippers.
NLP/02/1931b
CD-ROMs
 Berkshire [Anglican] baptisms [pre-1974] [Feb
2013]: Berkshire FHS. NBer5/12/CD01 [Peter
Madden]
 Berkshire marriages transcriptions 1538-2006 2nd
edn [2012]: Berkshire FHS. NBer5/12/CD02 [Peter
Madden]
– 22 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015
 Convict arrivals in NSW 1828-32; 1833-34 [n.d.]:
Public Record Office [UK]. AN5/50/CD17 [Brian
Walsh]
 Pastoral possessions of New South Wales 1889
(William Hanson) [2006]: Archive CD Books
Australia. AN5/81/CD01
 Pugh's Almanac & Queensland Directory 1888
[2008]: Archive CD Books Australia. AQ9/35/CD02
 Queensland Police Gazette 1879-1880 [2007]:
Archive CD Books Australia. AQ5/61/CD01
 Queensland Post Office Directory 1894-95 [2007]:
Archive CD Books Australia. AQ5/80/CD02
 Queensland State Electoral Roll 1911 [2010]:
Archive CD Books Australia. AQ5/25/CD07
 Wiltshire Nonconformist Index [n.d.]: Wiltshire
FHS. NWi5/12/CD04 [Peter Madden]
 Wiltshire Parish marriages to 1837: Wiltshire North
[2012]: Wiltshire FHS & Nimrod Research.
NWi5/12/CD01 [Peter Madden]
 Wiltshire Parish marriages to 1837: Wiltshire South
East [2012]: Wiltshire FHS & Nimrod Research.
NWi5/12/CD02 [Peter Madden]
 Wiltshire Parish marriages to 1837: Wiltshire South
West [2012]: Wiltshire FHS & Nimrod Research.
NWi5/12/CD03 [Peter Madden]
 Wiltshire, Berkshire and Dorset marriage licence
bonds: Wiltshire FHS. NWi5/12/CD05 [Peter Madden]
On 26 September Jude Conway, Mel Woodford and
Jane Ison represented our Society at the Society of
Australian Genealogists (SAG) at Richmond Villa in
Sydney. SAGs provided the opportunity for
presentations about Newcastle. It was decided to
concentrate on the women of Newcastle so the morning
session began with Jane presenting an overview of
Newcastle’s history. This was followed by Mel
explaining the Society’s research project, Female
Convicts in Newcastle. Jude then gave a detailed
account of one of those convicts, Molly Morgan. After
lunch Jane outlined her research on the Newcastle
Industrial School for Girls and Jude presented details of
her database of significant Newcastle women prior to
the year 2000, paying particular attention to the
Reverend Joan Hore whose story was outlined in
Jude’s article from June 2014 in Journal 206.
Morning Tea inside the villa
Society News
Opportunities for members to hear these individual
presentations will occur during meetings to be held in
2016 so keep an eye on newsletters to find out when
each will be. A staunch group of supporters travelled to
Sydney to provide support at SAGs. The day was
another opportunity to increase the profile of the
Society.
The last few months –September especially – have been
busy for members of the Society. During September
celebrations of 125 years of continuous service to the
communities of Wallsend and Lambton occurred.
Plattsburg Public, Wallsend, and our local school,
Lambton, began operating in 1890. Sharon Boyce,
Jane Ison, Nola Passlow and Margaret Robson
represented the Society at the two fetes that were held at
the schools on 19 and 26 September. This type of
representation advertises our presence and location so is
a further avenue for publicity. Society publications
about Lambton were popular and many were sold. Over
the two separate days these representatives met with
hundreds of visitors who visited the celebrations.
Richmond Villa is
located
in
Kent
Street beside the
southern access to
the Harbour Bridge.
The
house
had
belonged
to
the
Colonial Architect,
Mortimer
Lewis,
and was constructed
in 1849 facing the
Domain.
It
was
dismantled to make
way for extensions to
Parliament
House
and was rebuilt on its
present location in
1975.
Richmond Villa’s stone verandah
(L to R) Margaret Robson, Sharon Boyce, and Jane Ison
keeping cool at Lambton’s 125th celebrations
– 23 –
Newcastle Family History Society Inc.
Journal No. 212 – December 2015