Tag Archives: 1855

Apr 13 2012

31-08-1855: James Urie marries Grace Hardie Young.

At North Melbourne, in 1855, the twenty two year old James Urie married eighteen year old Grace Hardy Young.

James arrived in Victoria in late April or early May of 1853 from Scotland and in partnership with James Ferguson (1818-1894) started the the ‘Ferguson & Urie’ company from premises in Curzon Street in North Melbourne.

The Argus, Melbourne, 12th September 1855, page 4.

“On the 31st ult, at Curzon-street, North Melbourne, by the Rev. William Millar, Mr. James Urie, formerly of Ayr Scotland, to Grace Hardie, youngest daughter of the late Mr. Benjamin Young, Clackmannan, Scotland”.

Based on historical dates and the assumption that they married in the Curzon street Presbyterian Church in North Melbourne, the church building would have been the first temporary prefabricated iron church in North Melbourne. The first permanent structure wasn’t constructed until 1859. In 1879 the current Union Memorial Presbyterian Church was built on the same site, opposite the Ferguson & Urie stained glass workshops. Unsurprisingly this church would later have stained glass by the firm erected in it that were made in the workshops on the opposite side of the street.

Related posts:

20-07-1899: The death of Grace Urie.

29-08-1890: Letter of Condolence from the Borough Council to Grace Urie.

23-07-1890: James Urie (1828-1890)

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Feb 12 2012

30-10-1855: Advertisement, Wanted, 5000 Duchess Slates.

In late 1855 Ferguson & Urie are still concentrating on the plumbing, slating and glazing trade, despite their minor dabble in stained glass, and they advertise locally for roofing slates. A considerable amount of these products arrived on ships as ballast.

The Argus, Melbourne, Tuesday 30 October 1855, page 7.

“WANTED 5000 Duchess Slates, in the Bay. Ferguson and Urie, plumbers, Curzon-street, North Melbourne.”

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Feb 11 2012

29-09-1855: The ‘Sticking up’ – James Ferguson is held up at gunpoint.

On Thursday evening, 27th September 1855, James Ferguson was held up at gun point in the vicinity of the Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The thieves threatened to shoot him if he resisted and stole  £50 pounds from him, a letter addressed to his business partner James Urie and some contracts for work. This event could have changed the course of history in many ways. If he had been shot I might not be here writing this history at all! The other thing that begs an answer is ‘what was he doing with five ten pound notes’? That was close to carrying around about $10,000 AU in your wallet [amount updated based on some great comments to this post].

 

The Argus, Melbourne, Saturday 29th September 1855, page 6.

“STICKING UP – On Thursday evening, between ten and eleven o’clock, Mr. James Ferguson was attacked by two men, -one of whom was armed with a pistol, and threatened to shoot him if he made resistance, -between Queen and King streets, near the Exhibition Building, and robbed of a pocket-book, containing five £10 notes and several memorandums of contracts for work. The men also took from him a letter addressed to James Urie.”

No further information is known subsequent to this regarding the offence or perpetrators.

1855 The Sticking up 001a

Melbourne Exhibition Building in 1855

Melbourne Exhibition Building in 1855

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Feb 11 2012

28-02-1855: The 1855 Victorian Exhibition, Melbourne.

At the Victorian Exhibition in Melbourne in late 1854, the Ferguson & Urie company were awarded certificates for exhibit 69, Plumber’s work, and exhibit 455, for stained windows. This appears to be the earliest indication of the companies foray into the art of stained glass windows. The extraordinary rate of the erection of churches in the colony, and the Gothic revival in art and architecture, now becomes the driving force in the companies future direction and its part in the formation and history of the colony.

Unfortunately no further articles of significance appear in relation to the company dabbling in stained glass between 1855 and 1860. The gold rush was well under way and practically every able bodied builder and craftsman had left for the central Victorian Goldfields with a shovel over his shoulder.

The company’s next significant breakthrough and change of direction would begin in late 1861.

The Argus, Melbourne, Wednesday 28th February 1855, page 8.

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