Jul 12 2013

1897: The Singleton Dispensary, Collingwood, Victoria,

In 1891 the well known and much respected philanthropist Dr. John Singleton died at his residence in East Melbourne at the age of 84.

A native of Dublin, Ireland, Dr John Singleton (1808-1891) was remembered by the poor of the Collingwood district as their Saviour in times of need.

In February 1897 the public subscribed for a stained glass window to be erected in his memory[1]. The window was created by the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of Franklin Street Melbourne and was unveiled on the 2^nd of April 1897 by the Hon C. J. Ham[2].

The date 1897 also makes this stained glass window amongst the latest surviving windows known by the firm.

The window was originally erected in Singleton’s Medical Dispensary in Wellington-street, Collingwood in 1897 and was donated to the City of Collingwood in 1979, and subsequently installed on the staircase of the Collingwood Town Hall.[3]

As at August 2013, one end of the old dispensary building in Collingwood now hosts “Wet on Wellington“, a business advertised as “Melbourne’s Finest Gay Pool & Sauna”.

Photos of the window were taken 11th July 2012 at Geoffrey Wallace ‘s Studio at Caulfield.

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In 2011 the window underwent heritage restoration and conservation work by Geoffrey Wallace’s stained glass studio and it has remained at the studio since 2011 whilst the Collingwood Town Hall undergoes refurbishment. The window is scheduled to be re-installed in Aug/Sept 2013.

Note: The overall picture of the entire window in the slideshow is a composite image made up of the three individual sections of the window in Geoffrey Wallace’s studio in Caulfield. Geoff also advises that the image of the Singleton Armoral Bearings at the bottom right is not an original piece from Ferguson & Urie era .

The central figurative scene of the window depicts the biblical scene where the Apostles Peter and John refuse the disabled man money and command him to walk in the name of Jesus

The biblical text beneath the image reads:

“THEN PETER SAID SILVER AND GOLD HAVE I NONE BUT SUCH AS I HAVE GIVE I THEE IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH RISE UP AND WALK”.
(King James Bible – ‘Acts 3-6’ – where Peter heals the lame beggar and commands him to walk in the name of Jesus).

The memorial text to Dr John Singleton appears at the base of the window and reads:

“IN MEMORY OF JOHN SINGLETON ESQ, M.D THE FOUNDER OF THIS INSTITUTION AND OF SEVERAL OTHER CHARITIES IN COLLINGWOOD WHO DURING A LIFE OF EIGHTY FOUR YEARS DEVOTED HIMSELF TO THE RELIEF OF HUMAN SUFFERING ESPECIALLY AMONG THE POOR MAKING ALL HIS CHARITIES THE MEANS OF DIRECTING MEN TO CHRIST FOR THE SALVATION OF GOD THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT. HE DIED 30th SEPT 1891, TRUSTING IN CHRIST”.

The bottom left of the window depicts an extraordinarily detailed portrait of the elderly doctor Singleton. So fine is the artistic detail, that practically every hair in his long white beard is visible in intricate detail as well as his facial signs of age. The portrait has been done in one single roundel of glass of about 15cm in diameter which makes it all the more remarkable in fine artistic stained glass talent.

At the bottom right is the heraldic symbol and motto of the Singleton family. It depicts a knight’s iron gloved arm with his hand holding an arrow with the Latin text below:

“CONSEQUITUR QUODGUMQUE PETIT” (“He attains whatever he attempts”)

Photos were taken at Geoffrey Wallace’s Stained glass studio 11th July 2013.

So who was Dr. John Singleton?

Dr John Singleton (1808-1891)

Having received a favourable report of the colonies from his brother, the Rev William Singleton (1804 – 1875) who had arrived earlier in 1849, Dr. John Singleton obtained a position as ships surgeon aboard the ‘Harpley’ and arrived in Australia with his family on the 30th January 1851[4]. He was the founder of the Free Medical Mission Dispensary, the Collingwood Temperance Home for Friendless Women, the Bread Fund, and Night Shelters at Collingwood and West Melbourne and the Widow’s Cottages at Collingwood”[5].

Having personally experienced the effects of alcohol, he deduced that liquor was nothing more than a poison which had no nutritional or medicinal properties and from this he set about to debunk the practice that for centuries saw its wide-spread prescription by the medical profession as a cure for many ailments[6]. This also lead to his successful establishment of Temperance Societies, the Society for the Promotion of Morality, a close association with the Salvation Army, and many other societies and charities associated with the well-being of the poor, destitute, and downcast members of society.

Dr John Singleton died at his residence “Ormiston House”, in Grey-street East Melbourne on the 30^th September 1891 in his 84^th year[7]. His funeral procession travelled the 4.5km journey via his Collingwood Dispensary in Wellington street where it stopped for a photograph[8], before continuing to the Melbourne General Cemetery where he was interred with his wife Isabella (nee Daunt) who pre-deceased him 7^th December 1886[9].

Portraits of Dr John Singleton can be found in the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, and the Singleton Medical Welfare Centre (the original Heritage listed dispensary) in Wellington-street Collingwood[10]. The stained glass window created by the Ferguson & Urie company over a century ago is now located in the Collingwood Town Hall.

The Singleton family grave-site was restored in 2013-14.

Significant or notable transcriptions:

Mercury and Weekly Courier, Vic, Thursday 4^th February 1897, page 3.

“NOTICE Subscriptions will be received in aid of a Memorial Window for the late Dr. Singleton to be erected in the Dispensary.”

Extract from the 28^th Annual Singleton Dispensary Report, Collingwood Sept 1898[11].

“…The Committee had the pleasure, on the 2^nd of April, of unveiling in the Dispensary, a memorial window, erected in honor of the late Dr. Singleton, the founder of the institution and of several other public charities in the district. In its erection they had the assistance of many gentlemen, the friends of the late doctor, and former patients at the Dispensary. It was designed by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie; was unveiled by the Hon. C. J. Ham; and represents on a scale, third of life size, the apostles Peter and John healing the sick at the Gate Beautiful, of the Temple at Jerusalem. Below the picture is a tablet in stained glass recording that Dr. John Singleton, during eighty-four years had devoted himself to the relief of human suffering, especially among the poor, making all his charities the means of directing men to Christ. A medallion portrait of Dr. Singleton is placed on one side of the inscription, and on the other is his crest and motto.”

Illustrated Australian News, Melb, Vic, Saturday 7^th Nov 1891, page 17.

(the original article includes an engraving of Dr. John Singleton. The image is also displayed in the slideshow of images above)

“THE LATE DR. SINGLETON”.

“The announcement of the death of Dr. John Singleton will be received with regret, not only by the class brought immediately into contact with the deceased gentleman, the poor and the suffering, but by the public generally, to whom the figure of the veteran philanthropist was as familiar as it was respected. Dr. John Singleton was born on 2^nd January, 1808. He was one of a family of nine children, six sons and three daughters, and, as he evinced at an early date a decided partiality for the medical profession, attended at the Apothecaries’ Hall, where he passed the classical examination at 14 years of age. He went through the course for matriculation at Trinity College before he was 15, and was articled for three years to a licentiate apothecary, a tenant of his father’s, in Kells, County Meath. It was while he was thus occupied that he felt a spiritual awakening, which influenced all his after life. He was married in 1834, when he was 26 years of age and in the enjoyment of a fair practice as a doctor. After his marriage he and Mrs. Singleton commenced the charitable and missionary work together, which they persistently carried on to the last. In September, 1850, Dr. Singleton accompanied by his wife and seven children left Plymouth for Australia in the ship Harpley, which arrived in Port Phillip on the 30^th January, 1851, from which time this colony has been their home. Since he first set foot in this country Dr. Singletons life has been devoted to one unbroken effort to assuage the lot of the homeless, the friendless, the miserable or the vicious, and in every department of the benevolent endeavour he laboured untiringly. In the early days of the colony, when organised philanthropy had scarcely been thought of, Dr. Singleton devoted himself earnestly to his labour of love, with the result that many of the most flourishing institutions that now exist to alleviate the distress of the unfortunate classes received their first impetus. Although in his 83^rd year, and with a record for sheer hard work that can be boasted by few public men, Dr. Singleton was still active in his benevolent and professional duties till the commencement of this year. Then advanced age and the calls that he had made on his constitution began to tell, and he was seized with a sharp attack of sickness. Directly he was able to, however, he resumed his efforts in the cause of philanthropy, till some four months ago he was again compelled to take to his bed. Several times he rallied, with remarkable vigour and vitality for a man of his advanced age; but a month ago he commenced to sink steadily, and it became apparent to his medical advisers that life could only be prolonged for a few hours. On the 29^th Sept, he became unconscious, in which state he remained till he expired, on the morning of 1^st October. The immediate cause of death was inflammation of the lungs, contributed to by a severe attack of influenza”.

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 2^nd October 1891, page 6.

“DEATH OF DR. SINGLETON”

“Dr. John Singleton, whose name has been known in Melbourne for over 40 years as that of a generous-minded philanthropist, died at half-past 11 o’clock on Wednesday night at his residence, Ormiston, Grey-street, East Melbourne. The deceased gentleman, who was 84 years of age, suffered for sometime past from cystitis, and was attended during his last illness by Dr. Macmillan, Dr. McColl, and his son, Mr. T. Singleton. He was conscious up to the last, and spoke intelligibly to his family gathered round his bedside just before he died.

Dr. Singleton was born on the 2^nd January 1808, at Dublin, and received his early education at the ‘Apothecaries’-hall. He was afterwards apprenticed for three years to a licentiate apothecary in the town of Kells, County Meath, and completing his medical studies under the tuition of a retired navy surgeon, he took his degree of M.D. at the University of Glasgow. He afterwards purchased a dispensary in Dublin, and was in practice there during the ravages of the Asiatic cholera. He was very successful in his treatment of this disease, and having communicated his method to the London Board of Health it was approved by that body, and circulated far and wide in printed form. Dr. John Singleton had during the years of his apprenticeship become a total abstainer, and he remained one to the end of his life, being at all times a sturdy advocate of the principle. It was his experiences of the terrible sufferings of the poor during the cholera season which stirred his sympathetic nature, and gave to his mind that philanthropic bent, which was his distinguishing characteristic in after life. He devoted himself with ardour to the relief of the poor in their sufferings, and was a constant and welcome visitor in the crowded wards of the hospitals. He also extended his sympathy to the criminal classes, and was a regular visitor of the gaols, ardently assisting in the benevolent movements then at work for the amelioration of the condition of the criminals who were confined in them. Amongst others whom he visited in gaol was Mr. (now Sir Charles) Gavan Duffy, who was a political prisoner. Having been from his early years deeply impressed on the subject of religion, Dr. Singleton did much evangelistic work, particularly amongst young people, over whom his entire disinterestedness and manifest sincerity procured him a great influence.

In September, 1850, influenced by the favourable accounts received from a brother who had preceded him, Dr. Singleton set sail with his family for Australia. He procured a position as medical officer on board the sailing ship Harpley, and arrived in Melbourne at the end of January, 1850. [sic] The rush to the gold-fields followed, and for five or six years succeeding his arrival Dr. Singleton had a very extensive practice. He then changed his residence to Warrnambool, where he remained five of six years, but afterwards removed to Maryborough, on account of the failing health of one of his children, who required a change of climate. In the year 1868 he returned to the neighbourhood of Melbourne, taking up his residence in Hawthorn, and he has resided in Melbourne and suburbs ever since. During his residence in the country Dr. Singleton continued the active philanthropic work which he had embraced immediately upon his arrival in the colony. In those early days of the colony money was easily made and quickly spent, and, in consequence, there was a great deal of excessive drinking. Dr. Singleton succeded [sic] in forming several temperance societies, and took an active part in religious movements. The condition of the aboriginals attracted his notice, and finding that many of them were being corrupted by the drinking habits of the white population, and that their numbers were becoming rapidly decreased, he induced the Government to establish the Framlingham Station, where the blacks were cared for and protected. Whilst he resided in Maryborough a camp of Maoris settled there, who had adopted so much of civilised customs as to join in the rush to the new gold-field. One day, on visiting this camp, Dr. Singleton found it attacked by an overpowering force of Chinamen. He rushed between the combatants, and at great personal risk succeeded in separating them and protecting the Maoris. This courageous championship gained him great influence over them, and he made use of it in an endeavour to Christianise them, and succeeded in inducing them to attend classes for secular and spiritual instruction as long as they remained in the district.

In January, 1869, Dr. Singleton established in Perry-street, Collingwood, in the centre of dense population, mostly of the poorer class, a Free Medical Mission Dispensary, on the principles of the British Medical Mission Dispensary. The principal object of the Dispensary was to relieve the necessities of the sick poor of Collingwood, Fitzroy, and the adjacent districts, but Dr. Singleton also used it to bear a public testimony in support of his belief that every form of disease could be more successfully without the aid of intoxicating liquors than with them, and that the use of these stimulants was productive of evil results in fostering a love for them. Whatever may be said as to this special feature in connection with the method of treatment pursued at the Free Dispensary, there can be no two opinions regarding the immense benefits which it has conferred upon the poor of the neighbourhood. Up to the year 1888 145,000 attendants had received free medical relief. Dr. Singleton placed his medical skill and his purse freely at the disposal of the poor who sought relief there, and he always endeavoured to make the mission a means of promoting the social, moral, and religious interests of the poor. The report of the institution for the year 1888 stated that latterly the applications for aid had become much more numerous; almost every form of disease had been treated during the year, but by far the greater number were of a feverish nature, from feverish colds to cases of typhoid in an aggravated form. The results of the treatment, which was simple and non-alcoholic, were decidedly successful. On the 22^nd of June, 1887, the lease of the ground on which the Medical Mission stood having expired, Dr. Singleton purchased the ground at auction, and, having collected £2,250 from the public, the erection of a new and more suitable building has been commenced. So great was the interest felt by Dr. Singleton in the project that, when prostrated by a dangerous illness, he expended what little strength remained to him in writing a letter to the Argus advocating its claims to the support of the charitable, and appealing for co-operation in a plan for raising the necessary money to complete the structure.

Dr. Singleton’s philanthropic efforts were not confined within the limits of the institution referred to. Every effort for improving the condition of the poor, no matter from whence it originated, had his hearty support. In this spirit he accepted the co-operation of the Salvation Army, and worked heartily with that organisation. So far-reaching was his charity that his name is truly a household word almost all over Victoria. Amongst other institutions which owe their origin and support in a great measure to his efforts may be mentioned the Home for Fallen Women, founded about the year 1871, in Islington-street, Collingwood. He it was who first mooted the project to the Morality Society of that day, and very soon after it was opened the management fell entirely into his hands. There is an average attendance there of between 30 and 70 persons. Nearly 3,000 unfortunate women have from time to time found a friendly welcome and shelter within its walls. To very many, indeed, it has been the starting point from which they have set out on a new career, whilst thousands more of friendless and almost hopeless women have found there an asylum from the temptation and a home until some honest employment was found. Attached to the institution a few small cottages have been erected, where from 25 to 30 aged widows are provided with a home. There is another building in connection with the home, but detached from it, where poor women and children can obtain a comfortable bed and a meal the following morning, as a measure of temporary relief. About 13 or 14 years ago Dr. Singleton established with his own funds and organised a sick children’s hospital and dispensary in Exhibition-street, and devoted a great deal of time and attention to it for about 18 months, when, finding that there were others willing to undertake the work, and having many calls upon his time, he resigned his connection with it. A mission to the blind was another agency established by the subject of this sketch. A gentleman is employed who goes all over the colony teaching the blind to read the Bible. The Government now endows this mission with £150 a year, and the teacher is allowed a free pass on the railways. Formerly he was supported by Dr. Singleton and a few benevolent friends whose aid he enlisted. For many years Dr. Singleton was a regular visitor at Pentridge, and he was an active member of a vigilance committee which was appointed to make enquiry into the condition of the prisoners, and through its exertions many forms were instituted in a system which up to that time retained far too much of the barbarity of the old convict days”. Dr. Singleton was married in the year 1834. He had a family of 10 children, of whom six survive – three sons and three daughters. His wife died in the year 1887 [sic].”

The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Friday 2^nd October 1891, page 3.

“Dr. Singleton, the well-known philanthropist, died at his residence, East Melbourne, last night, after a long illness, aged 83. He arrived in the colony in 1851, and for many years had been a prominent figure in charitable institutions. He leaves several sons and daughters, and thousands of poor people to whom he had been as a father and friends to deplore his death. Deceased was the founder of the Free Medical Mission Dispensary, the Collingwood Temperance Home for Friendless Women, Bread Fund, and Night Shelters at Collingwood, and West Melbourne and Widow’s Cottages at Collingwood. He was also identified with other movements for the relief of suffering, and for years devoted his time exclusively to works of charity.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 2^nd October 1891, page 1.

“SINGLETON.- On the 30^th ult., at his residence, Ormiston, Grey-street, East Melbourne, John Singleton, M.D., in his 84^th year. “In Thy presence there is fullness of joy.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 2^nd October 1891, page 1.

“THE Friends of the late JOHN SINGLETON, M.D., are respectfully informed that his remains will be interred in the Melbourne General Cemetery. The funeral to move from his late residence, Ormiston, Grey-street, East Melbourne, on Saturday, the 3^rd inst., at 3 o’clock p.m. HERBERT KING, Undertaker, Lennox-street, Richmond; 157 Swan-street, East Richmond; Burwood-road, Hawthorn; and Hopkins-street, Footscray. Telephone 912.”

Note: “Ormiston” (129 Grey-street East Melbourne) was between 1877 and c.1900, partially used by two of Singleton’s unmarried daughters (Elizabeth 1844-1932, and Anna 1846-1934), as “Ormiston Ladies College”. The building had many other later name changes and incarnations, including being a boarding house. It was demolished in the 1930’s.[12]

Riverine Herald, Echuca, NSW, Wednesday 7^th October 1891, page 3.

“A woman 100 years of age attended Dr. Singleton’s funeral on Saturday…”

Kilmore Free Press, Vic, Thursday 8^th October 1891, page 2.

“Dr. Singleton, the well-known philanthropist, died on the 30^th ult in his 84^th year. The gentleman named was brother to the late Rev. Wm. Singleton, at one time and for many years the incumbent of Christ Church, Kilmore. Dr. Singleton enjoyed a long life and most assuredly it was a useful one – may he have the reward of the just.”

Mercury and Weekly Courier, Vic, Thursday 8^th October 1891, page 3.

“…The remains were interred on Saturday afternoon in the Church of England sections of the Melbourne General Cemetery, the coffin being placed in the same grave with that of the deceased gentleman’s late wife. Every demonstration of respect was made along the line of route taken by the funeral procession, and Wellington-street, in particular, was thronged by members of the poorer classes by whom Dr. Singleton’s many good deeds are held in grateful remembrance. The cortege left the late residence of the deceased, Ormiston, Grey-street, East Melbourne, shortly after 3 o’clock, and proceeded to the cemetery through Clarendon street, Victoria Parade, Wellington street, Collingwood, and Johnston street. A halt was made at the deceased’s dispensary in Collingwood, where a photograph was taken. The coffin, which was of plain oak, with a simple inscription, was borne to the grave by the son, nephews and brother of the deceased, while the following were the pall bearer’s, viz, the Rev. Mr. McCutcheon, Messrs. F. H. Baker, J. Bosisto, J. Gamble, W. Threlfall and Derbin Willder. The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. H. N. Wollaston, assisted by the Revs. A. Forbes and Goodwin. Amongst those present were clergyman of all denominations, leading citizens, members of the Salvation Army and numbers of poor persons. Mr. A. King, of Lennox-street, Richmond, carried out the funeral arrangements. One fact which was very noticeable in connection with the funeral was the absence of medical men, the only medical men, who were present being Dr. Singleton’s own assistants. This appears to indicate a lack of that respect which is due to an old veteran – more especially to one who had the self-denial to devote the whole of his life to the alleviation of the sufferings of the poor…”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 8^th December 1886, page 1.

“SINGLETON.- On the 7^th inst., Isabella, wife of Dr. Singleton, Ormiston House, Grey-street, East Melbourne, in her 79^th year. “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”

Family tree notes:

John Singleton, born 1808 in Dublin, Ireland, died 1891 in East Melbourne.

He married Isabella Daunt of Cork, Ireland, in c.1834 (1808-1886).

Children: William Daunt (1835 –1901); John Wesley (1838–1924); Mary Quinn (1840–1929); Robert Henry Thomas (1851-1927); Frances Matilda Victoria (1849–1867); Isabella (1841–1869); Eliza (1844–1932); Anna Lewis (1846–1934).

External Links:

Australian Dictionary of Biography: Dr John Singleton (1808-1891)

Footnotes:

[1] Mercury and Weekly Courier, Vic, Thursday 4^th February 1897, page 3.

[2] The 28^th Annual Dispensary Report was tabled on the 6^th of September 1897.

[3] Anne Holmes, Collingwood Historical Society, email – 27^th June 2013.

[4] Illustrated Australian News, Melb, Vic, Saturday 7^th Nov 1891, page 17.

[5] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Friday 2^nd October 1891, page 3.

[6] “Alcohol as a Medicine” – the “Australian Medical Journal”, Dr John Singleton, November 1874.

[7] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 2^nd October 1891, page 1.

[8] Mercury and Weekly Courier, Vic, Thursday 8^th October 1891, page 3.

[9] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 8^th December 1886, page 1.

[10] http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/singleton-john-4584

[11] From Anne Holmes, Collingwood Historical Society, email – 1st June 2013.

[12] http://emhs.org.au/history/buildings/east_melbourne_grey_street_129

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to Geoffrey Wallace for the invitation back to his studio to photograph the Singleton window (11th July 2013). And, many thanks for his extraordinary unexpected gift of a piece of his artwork for which I am most grateful for.

Thanks to Anne Holmes from the Collingwood Historical Society for her research that unveiled the 1898 Dispensary report mentioning Ferguson & Urie by name as the makers of the window.

Cite:
Brown, Ray 2013, ‘1897: The Singleton Dispensary, Collingwood, Victoria’, Ferguson & Urie, Colonial Victoria’s Historic Stained Glass Craftsmen 1853-1899, accessed dd/mm/yyyy, <http://wp.me/p28nLD-21i>.

Short link to this page: https://wp.me/p28nLD-21i

Jul 9 2013

1867: St Peter’s Anglican Church, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, New South Wales

The foundation stone of St Peter’s Anglican Church was laid on the 1^st of May 1866[1] on the corner of Anne and Bourke streets at Woolloomooloo (now Darlinghurst) by the Governor Sir John Young (1807-1876) and was officially opened on the 25^th of July 1867[2] by the Bishop of Sydney, Frederick Barker (1808-1882).

The great east window of St Peters is a 16ft high triple light window of Gothic design with the centre light taller than the outer two. The window was the gift of the ministers Church Warden and Treasurer of the building fund, James Gordon[3], to commemorate the installation of the first incumbent of the church, the Rev George Harman Moreton (1826-1902).

The window was made by the “Ferguson, Urie, and Lyon”[4] stained glass company of Melbourne for £182[5] and was placed on display at the company’s workshops in Curzon-street, North Melbourne. Between the 20^th and 22^nd of June 1867 the public were invited to view it until 4.p.m on the Saturday before it was to be shipped to Sydney[6].

St Peter’s was deconsecrated in 1993 and subsequently purchased by the Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School (SCEGGS) and is now known as the “Great Hall” of the School at Darlinghurst.

Photos taken 6th May 2011.

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The window is described as follows:

The base of each window bears the following inscriptions:

“PRESENTED BY JAMES GORDON, ST PETERS DAY A.D. 1867”.

“TO BEAUTIFY THE HOUSE OF GOD AND TO COMMEMORATE THE”

“INSTALLATION OF THE REVd G. H. MORETON AS FIRST INCUMBENT OF THIS CHURCH”.

There are nine biblical scenes and three symbols depicted in the windows. Each of the nine figurative scenes has the text reference below it to a chapter and verse from the King James Bible.

Left light:

“John – 1:42” – “And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.” This refers to Peter, also known as Simon Peter.

“Luke – 9:32” – “But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him”.
The depiction is of the ‘Transfiguration’ which is one of five major milestones in the life of Jesus.

“Matw – 8:25” – “And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.” The scene depicts the disciples pending shipwreck in the rough seas calling for the Lord to save them.

Centre Light:

The apex of the centre light window contains the Hexagram symbol, more commonly recognised as the Star of David.

“Matw – 26:36” – “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder”. The scene depicted is commonly recognised as ‘The Agony in the Garden’.

“SALVATOR MUNDI.” – (Meaning, “Saviour of the World”). This is the central image of the centre light and depicts Christ standing and wearing crimson robes. In his left hand is the “Globus Cruciger” (representing the world or earth) which is surmounted by a cross. His right hand depicts the early Byzantine hand gesture of the benediction or blessing.

“P X” – Below Christ is the stylized letters P & X which are the Greek for Christ.

“Mark – 14:22” – “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.” The scene depicted is commonly recognised as “The Last Supper.”

“IHS” – Below the Last Supper Scene is the letters “IHS”, the 8th century abbreviation for “IHESUS,” the way Christ’s name was spelled in the Middle Ages.

Right light:

“Matw – 14:29” – “And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” The image depicts Peter walking on the water towards Jesus who had sent the disciples to the Sea of Galilee, but their ship became caught in a storm. Jesus was seen walking upon the water and gave Peter the courage to walk upon the sea towards him.

“John – 19:26” – “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!” The scene depicted is the Crucifixion where Jesus is nailed to the cross and says to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.”

“John – 21:17” – “He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd with his sheep and Peter is seen kneeling before him with his key.

Significant historical newspaper transcriptions:

The Argus, Melbourne, Thursday 20^th June 1867, page 5.

“There is now in view at the stained glass manufactory of Messrs. Ferguson, Urie and Lyon, Curzon Street, North Melbourne, a memorial window for St. Peter’s Church, Woolloomooloo. The window has been presented by Mr. James Gordon, on the occasion of the installation of the first incumbent, and bears an inscription to that effect. It represents five episodes in the history of St. Peter, and is designed in the early English style of art, the execution of the figures and the harmony of colours reflecting great credit on the artist employed. The window is divided into three lights, and is 16ft by 7ft in size, the middle division containing a well executed figure of our Saviour, with the motto, “Salvatore mundi”. The public will be admitted until Saturday next.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Saturday 22^nd June 1867, page 3.

“NOTICE – The STAINED GLASS CHANCEL WINDOW for St. Peter’s Church, Woolloomooloo, will be ON VIEW, at the premises of Ferguson, Urie and Lyon, Curzon-street, North Melbourne, from Wednesday, the 19^th, until Saturday, the 22^nd inst, at 4 p.m. All interested in stained glass and church decorations are invited to inspect it.”

Empire, Sydney, Friday 12^th July 1867, page 4.

“CHANCEL WINDOW IN ST. PETER’S CHURCH, WOOLLOOMOOLOO – A beautiful stained window has just been erected over the chancel at the eastern end of St Peter’s Church, Ann-street, Wooloomooloo. This window is the gift of Mr. James Gordon. It is the workmanship of Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, glass stainers, Melbourne. The colouring is rich and the general effect striking. In the centre of the window is a large figure of the saviour, with the robes and insignia of royalty, and underneath the inscription “Salvator Mundi”. At the top is the agony in Gethsemane, and at the foot the Lord’s Supper. The other lights represent scenes in which St. Peter had part. On the left hand, at the top, is the calling of St. Peter and St. Andrew; and under it, the Transfiguration and the storm on the Lake of Gennesaret. On the right hand, at the top, is represented Christ walking on the water and rescuing St. Peter from the waves; below this is the Crucifixion, and then, under, the delivery of the keys to St. Peter. Along the foot of the window is the inscription:-“Presented by James Gordon, on St. Peter’s Day 1867, to beautify the House of God, and to commemorate the installation of the Rev. G. H. Moreton as first incumbent of this Church”.

The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW, Tuesday 6^th August 1867, page 5.

“…Mr. JAMES GORDON, the minister’s churchwarden, then rose, as the treasurer of the building fund, to make a statement of the moneys received for and expended on the building…”

“…the chancel window, which cost £182…”

The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW, Saturday 5^th July 1902, page 9.

“THE LATE CANON MORETON”

Here passed away shortly before midnight on Thursday the venerable Canon George Harman Moreton, one of the early ministers of the Church of England in this State. The late Canon was born at Highway Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, in 1826, and his early history as a minister was one of indomitable perseverance and zeal. At the age of 17 Mr. Moreton announced to his guardian that he desired to enter the ministry. His intention was thwarted at every turn, and at last the youth left home and walked to London. He presented himself to the London City Mission, but his youth was considered a bar to his engagement. Young Moreton however, asked that he might be allowed to enter for the examinations, and after some time his request was granted. The youth passed the examinations with great credit, and was one of the youngest missionaries accepted. He received an appointment in the eastern mission field, and after his marriage went to Loo Choo, on the island of Lapa, Japan, in 1853. He laboured there three years, and was invalided home after a paralytic seizure. While at Japan, Mr. Moreton received new of British success in the Crimea from a Russian man-of-war. Mr. Moreton was ordained deacon at Trinity Church, Shanghai, by the first Bishop of Victoria, on October 9, 1853, and raised to the priesthood at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall, by Bishop Tait, of London, on December 20, 1857. He became curate of Pertenhall, Ely, in 1857, and in that year received an invitation from Bishop Barker to visit Australia. The long voyage of six months to Australia restored the young clergyman’s health, and Sydney was reached in 1858. Mr. Moreton preached in St. Philip’s Church the evening after he landed in Sydney, and was then appointed curate at St. James’ under Canon Allwood. This position he held till 1867 when he was asked by the late Mr. Charles Kemp to start a Church at Woolloomooloo. Mr. Moreton immediately set to work to found the Church of St. Peter’s, and in a short time the church, schools, and parsonage were built. In 1878 Mr. Moreton was elected a canon of St. Andrew’s Cathedral. The duties of the parish being rather heavy Canon Moreton left St. Peter’s in 1882, and went to St. Like’s, Burwood, which was then vacant. The debt on St. Luke’s was at that time 600, but in a little time this incubus was wiped out and a parsonage was built. With the aid of Miss Fadith [sic?] Walker a parish hall was built and an organ was placed in the church. During Canon Moreton’s incumbency at St. Luke’s two district churches connected with the parish were built. These were St Mary’s, Mortlake, and St. Peter’s Croydon, and they were erected free of debt. In 1897 Canon Moreton resigned his position at St. Luke’s, failing health having weakened his mental vigour. Canon Moreton was a ripe scholar, particularly in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. On Thursday night the Canon succumbed to an apoplectic seizure at his residence, Holchester, Burwood-street, Burwood. He had been confined to his room for many months. To-day shortly after 1 o’clock a funeral service is to be conducted by the Rev. A. E. Bellingham at St. Luke’s, Burwood, after which the body will be conveyed to Rookwood by rail when the Rev. H. Bryant will conduct the burial service. Mrs. Moreton died in 1896. Mr. P. H. Moreton is the only son of the late canon.”

Footnotes:

[1] The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW, Wednesday 2^nd May 1866, page 5.

[2] The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW, Friday 26^th July 1867, page 5.

[3] The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 6^th August 1867, page 5.

[4] John Lamb Lyon (1835-1916) was a partner in the firm from 1866 to 1873.

[5] The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW, Tuesday 6^th August 1867, page 5.

[6] The Argus, Melbourne, Saturday 22^nd June 1867, page 3.

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Jul 6 2013

1869: William Hornby & the Artillery Brewery, Williamstown, Victoria.

An unusual pencil sketched design for a stained glass window exists in the State Library or Victoria. Amongst a collection of drawings, on fragile torn tracing paper is the design and associated sketches for a stained glass window intended for William Hornby’s historic Artillery Brewery at Williamstown in Victoria. The design is by the hand of the English stained glass artist David Relph Drape (1821-1882) who came to Australia in 1858 and worked as Ferguson & Urie’s senior stained glass artist from 1863 until his death in 1882.

The central picture depicted in the windows design is a coastal artillery gun taken from the exact depiction of the Sir William Armstrong Rifled Muzzle Loading Fortress Gun. Two of these historic old guns still exist along John Morley Reserve on The Strand at Williamstown across the bay from Melbourne. The guns date from 1867 and were originally installed at Fort Gellibrand circa 1867 where there are still two guns.

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Despite significant research, to this day it’s not known whether the stained glass window was ever actually created, and if so, what was its fate? Did it get destroyed or, like many historical artefacts, is it hidden away in an old garage or attic somewhere ready to be found again in years to come?

So who was William Hornby?

William Hornby (1821-1898) was the son of Anthony Hornby and Catherine Kelly. As a 22 year old Iron Moulder from Liverpool, he would begin his life in the Australian Colonies as a convict in Van Diemens Land.

Hornby was tried and convicted at Lancaster, Liverpool, on the 25^th July 1842 for housebreaking and was sentenced to ten years in Van Diemens land (Tasmania) for his crime.

The convict ship ‘Cressy’ departed Plymouth on the 28^th March 1843 and arrived off the coast and into Lagoon Bay on the 17^th August 1843, having ‘overshot’ the entrance to Storm Bay. Coincidentally the new Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony, Sir Eardley Wilmot (1783-1847) was on the same ship[1]. Hornby was immediately sent to work with the convict gangs at Fingal for a period of five years.

In 1848 the Convict Department granted him a ticket-of-leave[2] and in July 1849 Lieutenant Governor, Sir William Thomas Dennison (1804-1871) made recommendation for Hornby’s conditional pardon[3] which wasn’t granted until October 1850[4]

At the age of 29 he married 22 year old Frances Hopson in Hobart on the 21^st of June 1852[5]. Their first child, Fanny Hopson Hornby was born in Hobart on the 30^th March 1853[6], followed by William Anthony in 1855[7], Alfred Arthur in 1856[8], Emily Maria in 1859[9], and Walter John in 1862[10].

At a Publican’s Licensing meeting at Hobart in August 1852 William Hornby was granted the transfer of the victuallers licence, vice Joseph Riches, of the “Oporto Wine Vaults” in Liverpool street Hobart[11].

By 1856 he has established himself as a respected businessman in Hobart and had taken an active role amongst the publicans and innkeepers of the town in the reforms of the Licensing Act,[12] and is by 1858 a brother of the Hobart Macquarie-street Masonic Lodge No.345[13]

Shortly before two o’clock on the 10^th January 1862, a fire broke out between the Oporto Wine Vaults and the adjacent Salier’s drapery store. The stock from both premises was saved but the upper floor and roof of both buildings was destroyed. A later inquest[14] determined that the fire broke out in the roof of Hornby’s premises but the cause was unknown. Both premises were fortunately insured[15] The damage to both properties was eventually repaired but lengthy legal disputes continued into 1864 as to who was liable to pay certain amounts for the repair of the party walls and other damage between the two premises[16].

Only two days after the fire Hornby’s son Walter John was born on the 12^th January 1862[17]

Hornby continued in the liquor trade despite some confusion which arose regards his use of the appointed liquor licence to operate from another temporary premise as a result of the fire[18].

On the 30^th October 1864 he undertook a short trip to Melbourne aboard the Southern Cross[19] and returned via the same on the 10^th November. This would be one of many trips to the mainland in the next three years as he plans his exit from Tasmania to Melbourne. Less than six months later tragedy would strike the family. His eldest, Fanny Hopson, was struck with a serious illness and after suffering a mere two days she died on the 7^th April 1865 at the age of twelve.[20]

In July 1865 Hornby conducted a sweep for the Melbourne Cup which was to be drawn at 8 o’clock on the evening of 3^rd July at “Hornby’s Hotel” (the Oporto Wine Vaults) in Liverpool street[21]. The sweep was so popular that it increased the patronage at his hotel significantly. Deciding to expand on the idea, he again offered a second sweep in August with a prize of 100 sovereign’s[22]. The individuals or syndicates, who had drawn “Torboy”, the Cup winner, would receive handsome rewards. Later in December he again offered another sweep of 300 sovereigns on the Melbourne and Launceston Champion Races[23]. Not content to stick to horse racing he offered a sweep in the Champion Rifle Match competition held on the 26^th February 1866[24].

He chose not to restrict his business ventures to the publican’s arena and in August 1865 he decided to expand his interests to gold mining. In accordance with the “Gold Fields Regulation Act”, he was granted a one-month lease of 60 acres of land in the district of Fingal[25]. Further financial interests in the stock market were included amongst which was a shareholding in the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company in March 1866 [26].

In April 1866 he offers a £5 reward for the conviction of the malicious person who fired a shot into his property at Battery Point, breaking several panes of glass[27].

By 1867 he was earnestly planning his exit from Tasmania and in February of 1867, he transferred the licence of his Oporto Wine Vaults to John Hanson.[28]

On the 16th of October 1867[29] he made another short trip to Melbourne and presumably, this is one of the last ventures to the mainland to secure accommodation and establish future business ventures in Melbourne. In an attempt to reign in debts owed to him, numerous legal proceedings are initiated in Hobart, one of which, in March 1868, included one of a sizeable sum of £250 owed to him by the insolvent William Hurley[30]

On 27^th Feb 1868, the Hobart auction agents Roberts & Co were“… favored with instructions from Mr. Hornby, who is about to leave the Colony, to sell by public auction, on the premises, Liverpool-street, on FRIDAY, 6^th March, at eleven o’clock…”[31]

William Hornby and his family departed for Melbourne aboard the ‘Southern Cross’ on Saturday 7^th March 1868[32], which arrived at the Port of Melbourne two days later on the 9^th – “Mr. and Mrs. Hornby and family (four)…”[33]

The family’s household furniture and effects at Melville-street Hobart went up for Auction on Friday 13^th March 1868[34].

December of 1868 appears to be the first indication of Hornby’s exploits as a brewer at Emerald Hill (now known as South Melbourne). Publican George Sefton was taken to court by Hornby because he had paid ten percent less for goods supplied to him by Hornby, a practice which Sefton claimed as the accepted practice between Publicans and Brewers. The court awarded in favour of Sefton[35].

By 1869 Hornby had partnered with another brewer named William John Disher and together they took over the existing brewing business of John Breheny who had established himself making “Artillery” beer in the former volunteer Artillery Drill Hall (near the Steam Packet Hotel) at Williamstown. The old drill hall was at that time quite famous in its own right as the former stockade building which had accommodated the convicts working on the Gellibrand pier in the early 1850s.

Intent on updating the brewing equipment, on the 20^th May 1869 “Hornby & Co” advertised the “second hand brewer’s plant for sale” from premises at Williamstown[36]

The partnership with Disher only lasted a short period and on the 12^th Aug 1869 a notice was gazetted advising of the dissolution of partnership between him and Disher in the “Williamstown Brewery”. [37] [38]

By 1875 the Hornby and his brewing operations are very well known and the Williamstown Chronicle published a lengthy article about the Hornby Brewery, its operations, and the history of the old convict building it was erected in.

On the 8^th of May 1878 his second son, Alfred Arthur Hornby married Sophia Victoria Hall at St John’s Church in Colac Victoria[40].

In 1886, at the age of 65 William Hornby is still making improvements to the brewery and machinery, although his son Alfred is by this time taking a managerial position in the company[41].

On the 28^th of January 1898 William Hornby died destitute at the Masonic Home in Prahran at the age of 77.[42]

Numerous failed investments and an overly generous purse would seem to have been the reason for his fall from prosperity. On his death he was described as:

“Charitable to the core, he endeared himself to those who knew and respected him in his days of affluence, and regret remains that the unkind hand of fate or fortune should have stricken him in the latter days of his career… ”

“…no man could say that his purse was closed when an appeal for help was made; yet, the man who was the friend of many found himself not deserted in his own hour of need, for Masonic brethren smoothed his quickly downward path. As a man, his one fault was that he possessed a generous heart which ultimately led to his impoverishment…”[43]

His son Alfred Arthur Hornby continued to run the brewery briefly but it eventually fell into the hands of the Carlton Brewery conglomerate.

The historic convict stockade building that housed the brewery was demolished in the 1950s. Another piece of history was lost to the wrecker’s ball.

No evidence of the stained glass window has ever been found other than the original design sketches by the artist David Relph Drape from the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company.

Significant Article Transcriptions & Sources:

Victorian Government Gazette, 40, Friday August 20^th 1869, page 1275.

“DISOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP

NOTICE is hereby given that the partnership heretofore carried on by us, the undersigned William Hornby and William John Disher, at the Williamstown Brewery, Williamstown, under the style of “W. Hornby and Co.,” has this day been dissolved by mutual consent, and that all debts and liabilities owing to and by the said partnership will be received and paid by the undersigned William Hornby.

Dated this twelvth day of August, 1869.

WM. HORNBY

WM. JOHN DISHER

Witness-

H. HEDDERWICK,

Solicitor, Melbourne.

No. 1712”.

Williamstown Chronicle, Vic, Saturday 20^th March 1875, page 3.

“HORNBY’S BREWERY”

“Amongst the recognised institutions of Williamstown, one of the most popular is “Hornby’s beer.” We find it literally “in the mouths” of all classes of the community, and the establishment from which it emanates takes rank with the foremost of our local industries. The brewery is not of recent origin, and although all along it has boasted of the pretentious title of the “Artillery Brewery,” the townsfolk have ignored the martial designation in preference for the name of the spirited proprietor, and so long as he has anything to do with it, it is likely to be known only as “Hornby’s brewery.” Everyone knows its location – near the Steampacket hotel. The building has a history of its own, and is one of those old-day landmarks which assist the early residents of Williamstown in recapitulating the infantile circumstances of the “village.” The building was originally erected for the accommodation of the prisoners employed o the works at Gellibrand’s point, and indeed its sturdy proportions would lead the most casual spectator to attribute its design to a Government architect. The transfer of the prisoners to the penal hulks rendered the building available for other purposes, and when the Rifle Corps was established, the recruits of the “grey brigade” were put through their facings on the first floor, where fermenting vats, &c., now reign supreme. For many years the building continued to reveal its primitive character in its name, but it has long since lost its appellative “Stockade” and become known to us only as Hornby’s brewery. There are few purposes for which it is better adapted than that to which it is now devoted. Bare, spacious, unpartitioned rooms, indifferently lighted, massive walls, iron barred windows, and a very retired position are qualifications which do admirably for a brewery, although not appropriate for most other business uses. The premises cover half-an-acre of ground, which of course affords ample accommodation for the multifarious out-buildings, &c., essential to such and establishment. The building is so high that there is no necessity for pumping or raising the liquid to higher levels by any other means, during the process of brewing – the water is first boiled by steam in a vat at the very top of the building, and from that time till the beer is casked it passes from one vessel to another by gravitation, travelling from roof to cellar. The “hot liquor vat,” of which we have made mention as being at the top of the building, is some 30 feet from the ground. Into it the aqua pura is supplied by a Yan Yean supply pipe. The water is heated by means of a tubular worm lying in the vat, through which passes a current of steam direct from the boiler. A thermometer hung under a tap in the vat enables the brewer to ascertain when the water has attained the requisite temperature. From the hot liquor vat, the water is turned into the mash tun, where the mashed malt has already been deposited. The malt is crushed or mashed between iron rollers, worked by a ten-horse horizontal engine; and after being so crushed the grain without the flour is lifted by a series of cups or elevators (such as are seen in flour mills) to a hopper on a higher level near the mash-tun. The ensure the thorough saturation of the malt in the mash-tun, an ingenious contrivance known by the brewer as a “sparging machine” is employed. It revolves by centrifugal force, throwing out innumerable jets of water, so that the grain in every part of the tun is thoroughly soaked. After the liquor has remained in the mash-tun a sufficient length of time – and in determining this, the judgement of the brewer is relied upon – it is filtered off through a perforated false bottom into the copper, great care being taken to prevent any of the grains getting away with the liquor. This grain is afterwards taken out, and sold to dairymen and others for fattening cattle, pigs, &c. The “copper” is a large vat, constructed of wood, in which is another copper worm tube, charged with steam for the purpose of boiling the liquor, as is done in the hot liquor vat. Before the liquor is boiled this time, however, the hops is added, and during the process another ingredient – sugar – is introduced. The sugar is boiled before being used, the necessary heat being obtained by steam as in other cases. Leaving the copper almost at boiling heat, the worts is carried over the refrigerator – a number of pipes kept cool by an incessant stream of cold Yan Yean passing through them – and enters the “gyle,” or fermenting vat, at the very mild temperature of 74 degrees. To keep down the heat generated by the process of fermentation, a temperator is used. This is a framework of piping lowered into the “gyle,” through which a stream of Yan Yean passes. The hops does not accompany the liquor into the fermenting vat, but is retained in the copper, any virtue which might remain in the hops is extracted by its being “squozen” in a hop-press, and the extract added to the liquor in the fermenting vat. The liquor remains in the fermenting vats – there are two, each 7 feet deep, by 7 feet in diameter, made of Kauri pine staves, 3in thick – for from 30 to 50 hours, according to circumstances, and from these it is carried by piping to hogsheads ranged up and down the cellar. Each brew is marked, and no liquor permitted to go out till it has remained at least eight days in the cellar, and sometimes nearly three weeks. When we paid our visit there were nearly 200 hogsheads in the cellar, which is 30 feet by 66ft in extent. The floor is bricked, and gas and water laid on. Adjoining there is another cellar of almost equal proportions. There is every requisite for such an establishment. The patronisers of Hornby’s brew would derive considerable satisfaction from seeing the care taken to ensure cleanliness in each operation. The casks are scoured by steam everytime they are wanted; and the very best materials are employed in the manufacture of the ale. Excellent sugar is used; the best Kent or Gipps Land hops; and the best malt purchasable. And the skill and attention devoted to the operation of brewing are attained by the excellent results obtained. We are informed that Mr Hornby purposes increasing his establishment by building a kiln, and doing his own malting on the premises.”

Williamstown Chronicle, Vic, Saturday 11^th December 1886, page 3.

“IMPROVEMENTS AT THE ARTILLERY BREWERY, WILLIAMSTOWN.”

“THE present is an age of improvement and progress, and we are glad to observe that Williamstown tradesmen and business people are no exception to the rule. This may be gathered from the excellent external appearance of our shops and the amiable arrangement for the accommodation of the public when making their purchases. Amongst; others we notice Messrs. Hornby and Co., of the Artillery Brewery, are endeavouring to keep pace with the times, by the introduction of improved machinery into their works…”

Williamstown Chronicle, Vic, Saturday 29^th January 1898, page 3.

“OBITUARY

AN OLD FREEMASON”

“INTIMATION of the decease of Mr Hornby, who departed this life in the Masonic Home yesterday, will be received with deep regret by all those in Williamstown who knew him in his palmiest days. Charitable to the core, he endeared himself to those who knew and respected him in his days of affluence, and regret remains that the unkind hand of fate or fortune, should have stricken him in the latter days of his career. For over 45 years he conducted a prosperous business in our midst, and no man could say that his purse was closed when an appeal for help was made; yet, the man who was the friend of many found himself not deserted in his own hour of need, for Masonic brethren smoothed his quickly downward path. As a man, his one fault was that he possessed a generous heart which ultimately led to his impoverishment, but when the Great Architect of he Universe comes to cast up his account, may the record read – “Thus mote it be; go thou and receive thy reward.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 7th February 1898, page 1.

“HORNBY.-On the 28th January, at his late residence, Punt-road, Prahran, William Hornby, brewer, late of Williamstown, aged 77 years.”

Family:

William Hornby (age 29), married Frances Hopson (age 22) at Hobart 21st June 1852, Tas BDM:675/1852.

William Hornby:

Died: Prahran, Victoria, age 77, 28th January 1898. Vic BDM: 4331/1898.

Parents: Anthony Hornby & Catherine Kelly.

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 7th February 1898, page 1.

Children:

Fanny Hopson Hornby:

Born: Hobart, 30 March 1853, Tas BDM: 2248/1853

Parents: William Hornby & Frances Hopson.

Died: Hobart, 7th April 1865, age 12, Tas BDM: 4945/1865.

“After a brief illness of only 2 days”

The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Saturday 8th April 1865, page 1.

William Anthony Hornby:

Born: 20 Jun 1855, Tas BDM: 191/1855.

Alfred Arthur Hornby:

Born: 1856 TAS BDM: 1861/1856

Alfred Arthur Hornby married Sophia Victoria Hall in Colac, Victoria in 1878.
VIC BDM: 1373/1878

Married at St John’s, Colac, Vic, 8th May 1878.

The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Saturday 1st June 1878, page 1.

Emily Maria Hornby:

Born: Hobart 4th Sept 1859, Tas BDM: 2770/1859

The Hobart Town Daily Mercury, Tas, Friday 9th September 1859, page 2.

She died: 1st July 1881 at ‘Atherstone’, Albert Park (reg as Eastern Hill), Melb, in 1881 aged 21, VIC BDM: 7244/1881

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 4th July 1881, page 1.

Walter John Hornby:

Born: 12 Jan 1862, Tas BDM: 4973/1862

The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Tuesday 14th January 1862, page 2.

He died: 17th July 1951, aged 89, at 14 Melrose-street, Richmond Victoria. Vic BDM: 7932/1951.

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 18th July 1951, page 14.

Wife: Bertha?

Footnotes:

[1] The Courier, Hobart, Friday 18^th August 1843, page 2.

[2] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 2^nd September 1848, page 4.

[3] Launceston Examiner, Tas, Saturday 7^th July 1849, page 8.

[4] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 18^th October 1850, page 7.

[5] TAS BDM:675/1852

[6] TAS BDM: 2248/1853

[7] TAS BDM: 191/1855.

[8] TAS BDM: 1861/1856

[9] TAS BDM: 2770/1859

[10] TAS BDM: 4973/1862

[11] The Courier, Hobart, Tas, Wednesday 4^th August 1852, page 3.

[12] The Mercury, Hobart, Monday 25^th February 1856, page 1.

[13] The Hobart Town Daily Mercury, Tas, Tuesday 15^th June 1858, page 3.

[14] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Saturday 18^th January 1862, page 3.

[15] The Mercury Hobart, Tas, Saturday 11^th January 1862, page 2.

[16] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Friday 8^th January 1864, page 3.

[17] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Tuesday 14^th January 1862, page 2.

[18] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 2^nd August 1862, page 3.

[19] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, 1^st November 1864, page 2.

[20] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, 8^th April 1865, page 1.

[21] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Monday 3^rd July 1865, page 2.

[22] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Thursday 3^rd August 1865, page 2.

[23] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Thursday 28^th January 1864, page 2.

[24] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Monday 26^th February 1866, page 2.

[25] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 5^th August 1865, page 3.

[26] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Tuesday 13^th March 1866, page 2.

[27] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Tuesday 10^th Apr 1866, page 2.

[28] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Tuesday 5^th February 1867, page 2.

[29] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Thursday 17^th October 1867, page 2.

[30] The Mercury, Hobart, 5^th March 1868, page 2.

[31] The Mercury, Hobart, Thursday 27^th Feb 1868, page 4.

[32] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Friday 6^th march 1868, page 2.

[33] Bendigo Advertiser, Vic, Wednesday 11^th March 1868, page 2.

[34] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Tuesday 10^th March 1868, page 2.

[35] Record, Emerald Hill, Vic, Thursday 10^th December 1868, page 1s.

[36] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Thursday 20^th may 1869, page 1.

[37] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 16^th August 1869, page 7.

[38] Victorian Government Gazette, 40, Friday August 20^th 1869, page 1275.

[39] Williamstown Chronicle, Vic, Saturday 20^th March 1875, page 3.

[40] The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Saturday 1^st June 1878, page 1.

[41] Williamstown Chronicle, Vic, Saturday 11^th December 1886, page 3.

[42] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 7th February 1898, page 1.

[43] Williamstown Chronicle, Vic, Saturday 29^th January 1898, page 3.

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Jun 13 2013

1884: St John’s Anglican Church, Bairnsdale, Victoria.

St John’s Anglican Church in Bairnsdale contains a stained glass window dedicated to the memory of Bairnsdale solicitor, Edward George Gregory Sandford (c.1852-1882), who died of Tuberculosis aged 30 at Albury on the New South Wales Border, 16^th of May 1882[1].

The window was erected at the east end of St John’s behind the altar and was presented by his wife Florence (nee Kirkpatrick)[2] in June 1884. St John’s Church was officially opened in the same month, on the feast day of St John the Baptist, 24^th of June 1884[3].

The window is attributed to the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of North Melbourne and depicts Christ as “The Good Shepherd” and has the inscription at the base; “In Memoriam – Edward George Gregory Sandford, Obit, May 16^th, 1882”. [4]

In 1980 the window was restored by Philip Handel of Sydney in 1980 and now has an additional memorial which appears below the original inscription:

“THIS WINDOW RESTORED 1980 IN MEMORY OF MRS E.M.W JONES”

Photos taken: 24^th April 2011. (historic B/W images from State Library Victoria Collections)

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Edward George Gregory Sandford (1852-1882) was the son of Edward Sandford, a former barrister of the Supreme Court of NSW, and Eliza Catherine Gregory. His parents married in Sydney in 1849[5] and circa 1852 they moved to Newtown (Melbourne’s first suburb, now known as Fitzroy) where Edward was born in 1852, and then later moved to St Kilda. Edward followed his father in the legal profession and on the 20^th January 1880 he married Florence Kirkpartick (1855-1945) at All Saints Church in St Kilda[6]. Edward and Florence then returned to Bairnsdale where he had been practicing as a solicitor since circa 1877. A daughter, Mary Maitland, was born at Bairnsdale on the 3^rd of November 1880[7], and a son, Edward Herbert, born 3^rd January 1882[8]. In circumstance of his failing health from Tuberculosis, they traveled to Albury shortly after his son’s birth, where he died five months later on the 16^th of May 1882 aged 30. Florence never remarried and she died on the 8^th June 1945[9] aged 90. She was buried with Edward in the St Kilda cemetery[10] 63 years after Edwards death.

Gippsland Times, Vic, Friday 21^st December 1883, page 3.

“The foundation stone of the above church was laid on Wednesday last, in the presence of a large concourse of people, by the Rev. W. G. Hindley, Incumbent of the parish. Copies of the local and town papers, current coins, and a parchment document, were placed in the cavity of the stone. During the ceremony W. A. L. Elston, Esq., read a copy of the document as follows:-

In Nomine Dei, Amen.
Colony of Victoria, Australia.
Diocese of Melbourne, Archdeaconry of Melbourne.
Parish of St. John’s, Bairnsdale, County of Tanjil, North Gippsland.
Anno Domini MDCCCLXXXIII
Being the 47^th year of the Reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria.
Bishop of Melbourne, Right Rev. J. Moorehouse, D.D.
Archdeacon Very Rev. H. B. Macartney D.D.
Incumbent of St. John’s, Rev. W. G. Hindley.
Board of Guardians:
H. Besley, M. W. Bower, E. Bull, B. Johnson, W. L. A. Elston, H. Goodenough, J. Jackson, J. Tipping.
Trustees:
C. C. Greene, Alex Smith, J. D. Smith.

The first foundation stone of this church was laid by John Davidson Smith on the 8^th October, 1866, but the design was never completed, and the building being inadequate for the growth of the district, it was decided to erect the present more commodious structure in its place. Architect, J. Ibler; contractor, W. J. Yates.

The Rev. W. G. Hindley laid the stone and briefly alluded to the history, present position, and future prospects, of the church in Bairnsdale. The old church, which was a monument of their earlier struggles, had been pulled down, and the one of which they had laid the foundation stone would meet the wants of their growing town, and be a memorial of a most prosperous season, and an acknowledgement that God is the giver of all good. He hoped soon to see the church completed and out of debt.

The Rev. Canon Watson congratulated the people of Bairnsdale on their bright church prospects, and said how gratifying it was to see such evidence of success in church and other work. In Sale, he could tell them, they were doing a similar work, and were preaching what he, as a Sale man, hoped would be the Cathedral Church of the future. There was a great deal of rivalry among the towns of Gippsland, and this provided a wholesome emulation in church matters, which was productive of good.

The Rev. J. Hollis followed, and said he was glad the old church had been demolished, it was like our ambition too narrow and too high, he trusted that the new church would be broad in the test, and every sense of the word, but thoroughly evangelical. Referring to what Canon Watson had said he humorously said that the Bairnsdale Church would be finished and paid for before the Sale church.

The Rev. T. Walker spoke of foundations from from [sic]an architectural and spiritual point of view.

About £20, 10s was laid on the stone. The building is cruciform with nave, transepts, chancel, vestry and organ chamber, and will when completed, be an ornament to the town.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 20^th January 1880, page 1.

“SANDFORD-KIKPATRICK.- On the 13^th inst, at All Saints’ Church, St. Kilda, by the Rev. J. H. Gregory, Edward George Gregory Sandford, of Bairnsdale, solicitor, eldest son of Edward Sandford, of Alma-road, St Kilda, solicitor, examiner of titles, to Florence, only daughter of the late William Maitland Kirkpatrick, formerly of Caulfield, Victoria.”

Bairnsdale Advertiser & Tambo & Omeo Chronicle, Vic Thursday 18^th May 1882, page 2.

“The painful news was received in Bairnsdale by wire on Tuesday, stating that Mr. E. G. G. Sandford, who has been practicing in this town between four and five years as a solicitor, had died at Albury that morning. The event was not unexpected, as it was generally known that the deceased gentleman had been ailing from pulmonary consumption for a long time past, and had removed to Albury for the benefit of his health, and the news lately received from him was such as to induce his friends to be prepared at any moment to hear of the sorrowful event of which they were informed on Tuesday. During his residence in Bairnsdale the late Mr. Sandford married Miss Kirkpatrick, and during his sojourn here he took an active part in all social and religious movements, and in public matters, and was respected and esteemed by all. He leaves a widow and two young children to mourn his loss.”

Bairnsdale Advertiser & Tambo & Omeo Chronicle, Vic Thursday 18^th May 1882, page 2.

“BAIRNSDALE CIRCUIT COURTS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 17^TH
(Before His Honor Judge Nolan.)

DEATH OF MR. SANDFORD

When the General Sessions Court was opened, Mr. Kelleher, who was greatly affected, and who spoke very feelingly, observed that he had been requested by his brethren in both branches of the profession, and he spoke for himself, to refer sorrowfully to the absence of a young solicitor who had been practicing before the court during the last four or five years, and whose absence was occasioned by death. He (Mr. Kelleher) knows that the late Mr. Sandford was esteemed by the public of Bairnsdale, and was respected by his brother professionals: he was a good citizen, a good husband, and a good father, and his demise was generally regretted. He (Mr. Kelleher) did not apply to his Honor for an adjournment of the court, but on behalf of the professional gentlemen – and he spoke for himself – he solicited and expression from his Honor touching the painful circumstance.

His Honor feelingly remarked that he had heard a few minutes previously of the death of Mr. Sandford, and he felt very much shocked. The deceased gentleman had practiced before him for years, and his conduct in court had been most exemplary and courteous. He (his Honor) had known of he late Mr. Sandford’s illness some time ago, and had frequently inquired of he deceased gentleman’s father concerning his health. The court expressed deep sorrow at the loss of so esteemed a gentleman who had practiced before it.”

Bairnsdale Advertiser & Tambo & Omeo Chronicle, Vic, Saturday 20^th May 1884, p2.

“SANDFORD.- On the 16^th inst., at Albury, N.S.W., Edward George Gregory Sandford, of Bairnsdale, solicitor, in his 30^th year.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 22^nd May 1882, page 1.

“SANDFORD.- On the 16^th inst., at Albury, New South Wales, Edward George Gregory Sandford, late of Bairnsdale, solicitor, examiner of titles, in his 30^th year.”

Gippsland Times, Vic, Monday 16^th June 1884, page 3.

“A handsome In Memoriam window has just been erected in the new Church of England, Bairnsdale. It is the gift of Mrs Sandford, and is in memory of her late husband, formerly a solicitor, practicing in Bairnsdale. The subject is “The Good Shepherd,” representing Christ carrying a lamb in his arms, and is very beautifully finished, reflecting great credit on the firm by whom the order was executed. The window bears the following inscription:-

In Memoriam – Edward George Gregory Sandford, Obit, May 16^th, 1882”.

Bairnsdale Advertiser & Tambo & Omeo Chronicle, Vic, Thursday 26^th June 1884, p2.

“OPENING OF ST. JOHN’S CHURCH”

On Tuesday last the new Church of England, which has been erected by the Episcopalians of Bairnsdale, was opened for divine worship, special services being conducted on the occasion. There was a very large congregation both morning and evening, and not withstanding that the edifice has been constructed to seat 400 persons, chairs and forms had to be placed in all available places, in the morning and in the evening every nook and corner of the building was densely crowded, and may persons being desirous of gaining admittance were unable to do so. The guardians of the church had evidently been busy for some days past, as all arrangements for the services were most complete, and the large congregation were seated without the slightest confusion. A musical treat was provided for the occasion, the choir being of unusual strength as their ranks were augmented by several well known amateurs, and Mr. Plaisted, the talented and well-known organist of Melbourne presiding at the organ, the splendid instrument belonging to the Catholic Church having been kindly lent for the occasion by the Rev. Father O’Donohoe. Bridgewater’s morning and evening services were rendered by the choir, the anthem in the morning being “Rejoice in the Lord,” and in the evening “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” both being from the Campbell’s selection of anthems. The solos were contributed by Mrs. Cole and Messrs. Bower and Winkelmann, all of whom are to be complimented on their efforts, as also must be the choir generally, for the musical portion of the service has never been excelled in Bairnsdale. Before, however, proceeding to notice the other features of the opening ceremony, we must refer to the appearance of the church, more especially during the time the rite of confirmation was being administered. The bright sunlight streaming in through the many colored windows, cast a varied tint over the whole edifice, and falling on the white apparel of the ladies presented to the Bishop for confirmation, was most impressive in effect, and when combined with the solemn supplication of his Lordship as each couple took their kneeling positions before the communion rails, could not fail to produce an impression on the congregation present which will last for many a day. The magnificent altar cloth was presented to the church by Mrs. Moorehouse, wife of the bishop, and was much admired by all present, and the stained window facing the east, as has previously been mentioned by us, is the gift of Mrs. Sandford, in memory of the late Mr. E. G. G. Sandford, who during his life in Bairnsdale was a prominent member of the congregation. At the conclusion of each service a collection was taken up in aid of the building fund of the church, the result in the morning being £14,10s,9d. and in the evening £22. At each service the officiating clergymen were the Bishop, Dr. Moorehouse, The Rev. Canon Watson, of sale, and the rev. W. G. Hindley, the incumbent of St. John’s, Mr. H. R. Kelsall, the lay reader, also being present. The opening ceremony was appropriately fixed for the day set apart by the Anglican Church for the feast of St. John the Baptist, to whom the church is dedicated, and this fact was referred to by the young people before proceeding to administer the rite of confirmation, as his Lordship remarked that there some significance in the fact that the church dedicated to St. John should be opened on the feast day of that saint. His lordship referred to the teachings of St. John in the wilderness to the Israelites to repent, and as that saint taught in the olden times, so did the ministers at the present time. He charged them to repent – to change their lives – in order to be prepared to receive the rite of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, and in a most eloquent address, admonished those about to receive the rite of Confirmation that they were to ask themselves whether they were prepared to crucify the lusts of the flesh, to renounce the evil influences of the world. He asked them if they were so prepared, and if so, he invited them to accept the full privilege of the blessings bestowed, and to be constant attendants at the Communion table. The rite of confirmation was administered to over thirty candidates. The evening discourse delivered by the bishop was an earnest and eloquent one, and was listened to with wrapt attention by the large congregation.

The ceremony of Tuesday marks an epoch in the history of Bairnsdale which must have an interest for all in the community, marking as it does the rise and progress of the town. The highly esteemed and much respected incumbent, the rev. W.G. Hindley, has taken a very active and earnest interest in having a church erected adequate to the requirements of the congregation, and being ably supported by the guardians the present building stands as a very substantial proof of their labours. They have taken a great responsibility upon themselves, taking upon their own shoulders the burden of seeing debt on the building paid off, and in this the congregation should join heartly in seeing the building unencumbered. We may be pardoned for throwing out one suggestion, and that is, having a fine edifice in which to assemble for public worship, they should not rest content until all their appointments are complete, and such cannot be the case until they have an organ suitable for the building, for it must be apparent to all that the little musical instrument which has hitherto done service will not be adequate to the requirements of the new church.”

Bairnsdale Advertiser & Tambo & Omeo Chronicle, Vic, Tuesday 1^st July 1884, p 2.

“…The building was designed by Mr. J. Ibler, lately and architect practicing in Bairnsdale, and the contract for the erection of eh church was let to Mr. W. J. Yates, builder of Bairnsdale, and it is very evident that he has discharged his duties in a most faithful manner, the entire building being a masterpiece of the builder’s and decorator’s art; and while eulogising Mr. Yates and the workmen engaged by him, we must congratulate the congregation on the substantial and artistic manner in which their church has been erected, and the appreciable addition it forms to the architecture of Bairnsdale.”

Ellen Maria Watts Jones [nee Kemp] (1887-1979)

The east window was restored in 1980 in memory of Ellen Maria Watts Jones.

Ellen was the daughter of Arthur Kemp and Harriet Elizabeth Watts and was born in 1887. She married John Jones (c.1884 – 1961) and she died on the 2^nd May 1979 at Clifton Waters Village at Bairnsdale aged 92.

Ellen left a bequest to St John’s church, part of which was used for the restoration of the historic east stained glass window created by the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of North Melbourne. The dedication of the restored window and other items purchased via the bequest was planned for 25th May 1980 by Bishop Graham Richard Delbridge.

Records from Parish Council minutes revealed the following information:

4th February 1980:

“A bequest from Mrs Jones, late of C.W.V., is considered being used in part to restore the east window”.

17th February 1980:

“East window which is unique will be restored by bequest for $1,000”

The restoration work on the Ferguson & Urie stained glass window was completed by Philip Handel (1931-2009) of Sydney, in 1980. [11]

Footnotes:

[1] Bairnsdale Advertiser & Tambo & Omeo Chronicle, Vic Thursday 18^th May 1882, page 2.

[2] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 20^th January 1880, page 1.

[3] Bairnsdale Advertiser & Tambo & Omeo Chronicle, Vic, Thursday 26^th June 1884, p2.

[4] Gippsland Times, Vic, Monday 16^th June 1884, page 3.

[5] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Thursday 12^th October 1899, page 1.

[6] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 20^th January 1880, page 1.

[7] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 8th November 1880, page 1.

[8] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 10th January 1882, page 1.

[9] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Saturday 9th June 1945, page 14.

[10] St Kilda Cemetery, CofE, Compartment C, Grave 764A.

[11] Research by Archdeacon Ted Gibson. (email via Mrs Judi Hogan 24 Sep 2013).

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Jun 12 2013

1875: St Peter’s Anglican Church, Akaroa, New Zealand.

St Peter’s Anglican Church in Akaroa contains one of only seven rare examples of Ferguson & Urie stained glass found in New Zealand to date.

The window in St Peter’s was erected circa 1877 in the east sanctuary as a memorial to two young men, C. Allan Nalder a Solicitor, and Randal Sayle a district surveyor, who both drowned as a result of a boating accident when their yacht “Ripple” capsized in Tikau Bay on the 12^th January 1875.

Photos taken 2^nd October 2010 and kindly contributed by Errol Vincent, NZ.

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The first Anglican Church at Akaroa was built c.1852 in Church street to the designs of Samuel Charles Farr (1827-1918). Circa 1863, the Resident Magistrate at Akaroa, John Watson[1], donated the land for the new Church at Rue Balguerie, Akaroa, and builders Checkley, Bates and Newton began construction of St Peter’s in 1863. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Christchurch, Henry John Chitty Harper (1804-1893), on the 27^th of November 1864[2].

In response to the need for more room, in 1876 architects Cane and Drewett (Thomas Cane 1830-1905 & John W. Drewett) presented the plans for the enlargement of the church, which included transepts and extended sanctuary, and on completion of these extensions, it was officially re-opened for services on St Mark’s day on the 25^th April 1877[3].

In relation to the date the Ferguson & Urie window was erected, noted historian Dr. Fiona Ciaran records that the following was reported in the Lyttelton Times of 1875:

“…The LT records the studio and the arrival of the window [(6 April 1875, p2]…”[4]

In April 1877, two years after the arrival of the window, a statement of subscriptions and expenditure was published with mention of an amount paid to Ferguson & Urie:

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Vol 1, Issue 78, 17th April 1877, page 3.

“ACCOUNT OF SUBSCRIPTIONS AND EXPENDITURE MEMORIAL WINDOW…”
“…Paid Ferguson and Urie…£46-3-1…”

Transcriptions of some significant source records:

Colonist [NZ], Volume 1861, issue 1861, 12 January 1875, page 3.

“Monday.

“Mr. Randall Sayle, late of Nelson, was drowned on Saturday afternoon, at Akaroa, during a trial trip of the yacht Ripple, which he had just purchased. Mr Nalder, junior, a lawyer, was also drowned. A squall struck the yacht, which sank in deep water”.

Star, [NZ] Issue 2133, 12 January 1875, page 2.

“THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT AKAROA”.

“The following is a detailed account of this sad accident, of which a brief telegraphic account was published yesterday.
As has been already stated, the yacht Ripple, which was built at Port Chalmers, was brought to Lyttelton to compete at the late regatta in the yacht race, which she won. Mr Sayle, who was at the regatta as captain of the Akaroa four-oar crew, taking a fancy to the yacht negotiated for and purchased her, got her unrigged and sent down to Akaroa by the Bruce on Jan. 7. The day following her arrival at Akaroa, Mr Sims, one of the survivors of the accident, commenced to re-rig her, and finished his work on the morning of the 9^th. Mr Sayle was very anxious and excited to get the work done so that he could have a trial trip of his purchase, and, accordingly, in the afternoon, himself, Mr C. Allan Nalder, Mr A. Westenra of the bank of New Zealand, and Mr W. Sims started for a cruise. The yacht was narrowly watched at starting and for some time afterwards by different persons on shore as she appeared to some who understood those matters not so stiff under canvas as she had been represented to be. At starting, two reefs were taken in the mainsail, and, subsequently, another one, the jib being also replaced by a smaller sail. The wind at the time was from the north-east, blowing rather gustily and fresh on the Akaroa side of the bay; on the opposite side it appeared as if the wind was stronger. The first part of the cruise was run down the harbour past the buoy of Green’s point, then a tack was made to winward, when the yacht fetched near Tikau Bay, she was then again put about. Mr Sayle was at the tiller and holding the main-sheet in his hand, when Mr Sims, noticing that she was heeling over too much, called out to Mr Sayle to let go of the sheet. As this was not done, Mr Sims twice more made the same request, but Mr Sayle was as one paralysed, looking at the others, but apparently unable to do what was required of him. The vessel heeling over more, the ballast shifted, and the yacht immediately filled and went down at, about a mile from the shore, in some six fathoms of water. The four, who were all swimmers, having got clear of the vortex caused by the sinking vessel, at once struck out for the shore. Mr Westenra and Mr Nalder being near each other, and Mr Sims and Mr Sayle a little distance from them. As they swam, Mr Nalder addressed Mr Westenra more than once, and wished he could get his coat off, which Mr Westenra told him was impossible, but kept cheering him up with hopes of their reaching shore safely. Mr Westenra supposes they must have swam nearly half way to shore when he heard a call from his fellow swimmer. He turned round and found he was alone, Mr Nalder having sunk to rise no more. At this time the beach was not to be seen, but struggling on, Mr Westenra at last reached the shore, exhausted and almost insensible. In the meantime, Mr Sims had kept near Mr Sayle, and they had been swimming some time, when Mr Sims noticed his companion apparently losing strength, and faltering and saying that he was afraid he could not keep on. Mr Sims then swam behind him, and catching hold of the serge coat which Mr Sayle wore, held him up whilst still swimming toward the shore, until he found they were both sinking, and that unless he let go, they must both go down together. Thoroughly exhausted, but reluctantly, Mr Sims let go his hold, and shortly afterwards Mr Sayle must have sunk. At this time, Mr Sims knew nothing of the others. He had heard a cry which he thought came from Mr Nalder, but whether it was of encouragement or despair he could not tell. Resting a little, and getting himself free from his boots, he again commenced swimming towards shore, which he ultimately, with great difficulty reached, and there found Mr Westenra. After taking off and wringing their clothes, they started for the Maori pah, and when on the hill, they noticed that Mr Bridge’s yacht, the Scud, had started from Akaroa, and was making for the scene of the accident. The Maoris treated them very kindly and hospitably, making them tea, and wanting them to change their clothes, which both declined to do; the Natives volunteered also to take them to Akaroa in a dingy. A fire was then lit to draw attention of those on board the Scud, but, owing to the peculiar haziness of the atmosphere, it could not be seen. However, the Natives getting out their dingy, took them, and, succeeding in drawing attention, put them safely on board. Mr Nalder was well known throughout the province, but Mr Sayle was not so well known. Both gentlemen were single, and the latter held the appointment of district surveyor at Akaroa. The fatality occurred about five o’clock in the evening, and, when known, caused quite a consternation in Akaroa, both gentlemen being held in more than ordinary esteem and respect.”

Lyttelton Times [NZ], Volume XXII, issue 1325, 1 December 1864, page 4.

“CONSECRATION OF ST. PETER’S AKAROA

On Sunday morning, the 27^th day of November, the Bishop of Christchurch was met at the usual hour for divine service by the minister, churchwardens, and some of the inhabitants of Akaroa after the form prescribed, when the Rev. William Aylmer, M.A., the incumbent, read the petition praying his Lordship to consecrate their building, to which petition, consent was given according to the prayer therein contained. The ceremony of consecration and the dedication immediately followed. The Bishop having received the instrument of conveyance, presented to him, by which we learnt that the area of ground upon which the church was erected had been the gift of Mr. John Watson, the Resident Magistrate at Akaroa, declared the same to be dedicated to the use of the Episcopal Church, and henceforth to be known by the style of St. Peter. Being the first Sunday in Advent the psalms and Lessons for that day were read instead of those usually chosen at a consecration in this diocese; the second Lesson, containing the narrative of the cleansing of the Temple by our Redeemer. His Lordship afterwards preached from Matthew ix. Chapter and 29^th verse – “According to your faith, be it unto you.” His sermon was a plain, but forcible explanation of the nature and quality of a saving faith, remarkable for the earnest tone in which he strove to bring home the necessity of such a faith to his hearer’s apprehension while he dwelt strongly upon the privileges which they would henceforth enjoy in making public prayer and supplication unitedly to Him who had promised that wheresoever two or three were met together there to be present with them. After the conclusion of the sermon, the Holy Communion was administered. The choir had prepared a musical treat, and sang Jackson’s noble Te Deum in F – in a manner which, if it left anything open to regret, was only that so inspiring a composition should not be the rule instead of the exception. The chants and hymns chosen for the day, were also well sung – the congregation joining throughout, intelligibly bearing their part in the service. After evening service, the Bishop administered the rite of confirmation, and addressed in his happy, affectionate, and impressive manner, those upon whom he had laid his hands, exhorting them, and all those who had preceded them, to help one another to fight the good fight and never be ashamed of he glorious calling whereunto they had been called. If another regret again obtruded, it was only that his Lordship was not able to be a more frequent visitor to the district of Akaroa.”

Akaroa Mail &Banks Peninsula Advertiser [NZ], Vol VII, Issue 704, 13 April 1883, page 2

“OBITUARY NOTICE

On the authority of a letter received by the last mail from England, we hear from Mr. A. H. Westenra of the decease of Mr John Watson, for many years the Resident Magistrate of Akaroa, and for some years the only Stipendiary magistrate in all of what is now Canterbury. It appears almost like going back to pre-historic times to write of the deceased gentleman, and his connection with Akaroa and the public service of the Colony, more especially, too, as but few who are now among us had the opportunity of hearing from his own lips the reminiscences of his earlier Colonial career.
From what we remember and have heard of our deceased fellow-colonist and former kindly neighbour, we understand that he was born at Ballydarton, in the County of Carlow, Ireland, his father being John Watson, Esq., who was then considered the first and best master of foxhounds in the United Kingdom[5]. This love of sport and horsemanship has descended, the present master of the Melbourne pack, which position he has honourably held for many years, being a half brother[6] of the deceased; while every old Akaronian must well remember the late gentleman’s pride in horses, even to breaking them in, the last one, we believe, that he owned and broke here being a horse named by him Blarney.
Mr Watson, we believe, came to this colony in November or December, 1843, with Captain – afterwards Admiral – Fitzroy, but in what capacity we do not know. It is a matter of colonial history that he distinguished himself at Kororareka, in the Bay of Islands, at the contest with the then redoubtable chief Heki. Shortly after this he must have been sent to Akaroa, succeeding Mr C. B. Robinson, the first R.M. here. From that date until 1869 or ’70 Mr Watson was one of us, strict in his duties and straightforward in his intentions, Like other men, he had his official peculiarities, but for unostentatious kindness, in which his widow was always a ready and eager helper, and more than aid, his name was in those days proverbial. The site of St. Peter’s Church section was a present from the deceased gentleman, who always, while he was amongst us, took a deep interest in Church matters, and otherwise interested himself in the advancement of the town and district; in fact, his and Mrs Watson’s aid and advocacy, combined with the Rev. W. Aylmer’s efforts, resulted in the present Church being built. Many and very many of the “old identities” of this district will be very sorry to read of Mr’s Watson’s bereavement, and though she is far away will still sympathise with her as a friend, although out of sight, but not out of mind to them. Most of us know that although a non resident the deceased gentleman still held property among us, notably the residence or Mr H. C. Jacobson, and a freehold on the German Bay hill. To quote Mrs Hemans:-

“Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers wither at the North wind’s breath, And stars to set; but all Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death!”

Stained Glass windows of Canterbury, New Zealand, Ciaran, Fiona. Dunedin, N.Z.: University of Otago Press, 1998, p153.

“W370. E sanctuary, 3L, 2740mm x 1630mm.
The Risen Christ Blessing in Majesty.
Unsigned: [Ferguson, Urie, and Lyon, Melbourne].
Undated: 1875.
Commemoration: C. Allan Nalder and G.R.F. Sayle, drowned in Akaroa Harbour, 9 Jan 1875 [plaque]. Both worked in Akaroa, Nalder as a solicitor and Sayle as a surveyor [MDCB N3, S74].
Donor: Public subscription.
Documentation: The LT records the studio and the arrival of the window [(6 April 1875, p2]. NZCN reported that more money was needed for the window which would cost approximately £60 [5, no. 9 (July 1875), p.103]. At a vestry meeting on 29 Sept 1877, which he attended while on a visit to the parish, Bp Harper noted that this window had been installed without a faculty. A formal request for a faculty was to be made [VMB (unpaginated)], but there is no faculty entry in the BR.
Note: This window may have been obtained from this studio as a result of an advertisement first placed by Ferguson, Urie and Lyon in NZCN, 1, no 5 (Feb 1871), p.16.”

(Abbreviations: BR: Christ Church Anglican Bishop’s Register. NZCN: New Zealand Church News. MDCB: Macdonald Dictionary of New Zealand Biographies. LT: Lyttelton Times. VMB: Vestry Minute Book).

Footnotes:

[1] Akaroa Mail &Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Vol VII, Issue 704, 13 April 1883, page 2

[2] Lyttelton Times, Volume XXII, issue 1325, 1 December 1864, page 4.

[3] http://www.akaroa.com/places-worship/saint-peters-anglican-church-1864

[4] Stained Glass windows of Canterbury, New Zealand, Ciaran, Fiona. Dunedin, N.Z.: University of Otago Press, 1998, p153.

[5] Press [New Zealand], Volume X, Issue 1162, 30 July 1866, page 3

[6] George John Watson (1829-1906)

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to Errol Vincent for contributing the photos and for his and Ann’s enthusiasm for the history. Errol is a great great grandson of James Ferguson of the stained glass firm ‘Ferguson & Urie’.

Thanks to Dr. Fiona Ciaran for signing my copy of her book ;-), ‘Stained Glass windows of Canterbury, New Zealand,’ which has been an invaluable resource for this article.

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Jun 6 2013

1878: St John’s Aboriginal Mission Church, Lake Tyers, Victoria.

St John’s Anglican Church at the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Mission was built in 1878 to the designs of architects Terry and Oakden and formally opened on Sunday 26^th October 1878[1].

Photo of the chancel window was taken 17th Dec 2012 and kindly contributed by Bruce Hutton of Almond Glass, Oakleigh.

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The first minister of the Aboriginal Mission at Lake Tyers was John Bulmer (1833-1913). Bulmer arrived in Australia aboard the ‘Emigrant’ on the 12^th Jan 1853 with his employer John Eggars and his family (Eggars died on the voyage)[2] For the first three years in the colony Bulmer worked as a carpenter to repay his passage and assist the Eggars family to return to England.

In 1855, having witnessed the maltreatment of the Aborigines, Bulmer offered himself for the Church of England Aboriginal mission being planned for Yelta near the Murray River. He was accepted by the Church, despite his Methodist background, and in 1858, with the assistance of the Rev Friedrich Hagenauer, was invited to open a mission in the South Gippsland region and in 1862 he and his second wife Caroline began the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Mission[3].

Eighteen years later Bulmer sought to have a suitable house of god on the mission estate and in 1878 a wooden church was “erected by the blacks under the able superintendence of Mr Bulmer”[4]

In the presence of the Rev. Canon Stuart Lloyd Chase, who was the donor of the stained glass windows, the church was formally opened on the 26^th October 1878.

Amongst the description of the building and its furnishings was the mention of the stained glass windows:-

“…painted glass in the three light window of chancel (presents by the Rev. Cannon Chase), as well as that of all other windows, were sent up from Melbourne…”

The three light chancel window is identified as the work of the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of Curzon Street, North Melbourne. It has the typical Ferguson & Urie stained glass border design of alternating red and blue, but in this window it has a small depiction of a majestic crown separating each colour instead of the usual yellow or white flower. In the left light is the Greek symbol of Alpha (the beginning) and in the right light the symbol of Omega (the end). The diamond in-fill quarries in each light are of a repeat depiction of the passion flower in grey, gold and pink. The centre light comprises a scrolling ribbon on a crimson background with biblical text:

“THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVETH HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP”
(John 10-11, – King James Bible).

The three light chancel window has recently undergone restoration and conservation by Bruce Hutton of Almond Glass, Oakleigh, Victoria, in 2012.

Gippsland Times, Vic, Friday 1^st November 1878, page 3

“NEW CHURCH AT LAKE TYERS.

The ceremony of opening a new church in connection with the Church of England Missions to the natives at Lake Tyers’ Aboriginal Station was celebrated on Sunday with unusual éclat. On Saturday, the Tanjil conveyed to the Lakes Entrance a party of visitors, among whom were the Rev. Canon Chase, W. E. Morris, Esq., Deputy Registrar of the Diocese, and hon. Sec. of the Mission, H. Henty, Esq., and other gentlemen, who were joined at Sale by the Rev. Canon Watson, the Rev. Mr. Hagenauer, and other friends. Several ladies were of the party. Bairnsdale was reached in the afternoon, and the steamer then went on to the Entrance, the party walking to the station, where they found accommodation. On Sunday, after a preliminary service conducted by the Rev. Mr. Hagenauer in the school-room, the congregation assembled in the new church. The opening sermon was preached by the Rev. Canon Chase. During the afternoon a missionary meeting was held, Mr. Henty in the chair, at which addresses were delivered, service in the evening being conducted by the Rev. Mr. Hagenauer. On Monday the programme was diversified by a most enjoyable pic-nic. During the evening several aboriginals were baptized. On Tuesday, the Rev. Canon Watson delivered an address in the Church, and on Wednesday morning the party left in the Tanjil, reaching Sale in time for the afternoon train for Melbourne, all exceedingly delighted with the excursion, and loud in their praises of the Tanjil. The occasion was one of great delight among the 120 natives at the station, the arrangements of which were the theme of general commendation. The following is a description of the new building:-
The Mission Church has a nave 40 feet long by 20 feet wide and about 16 feet high from floor to roof, which has a Gothic pitch. The chancel is 12 feet by 10 feet deep. The tower is square, rising well above the Church roof, is terminated by a stunted spire, crowned by a gilt weathercock vane. The lower stage of the tower forms a spacious porch, with double doors at each side window in front; above the porch is a ringing chamber, and over it a belfry, with lowered lights. The structure is of hardwood, and erected by the blacks under the able superintendence of Mr Bulmer. It is covered with painted weatherboarding outside, and lined inside, including also the roof, with slightly stained and well-varnished boarding. The roofs of nave, chancel, and spire, are covered with galvanised corrugated iron. The doors, windows, painted glass in the three light window of chancel (presents by the Rev. Cannon Chase), as well as that of all other windows, were sent up from Melbourne. The chancel arch is the full width of the Church, and is to have illuminated text round it. The Church ceiling is of a neat pierced wood-work executed on the station; the pulpit was a present from Melbourne; the pews of good solid character of polished deal, made in Melbourne. The plan was furnished gratuitously by Messrs Terry and Oakden, architects, Melbourne.”

Gippsland Times, Vic, Friday 12^th March 1880, page 4

“…If the exterior of the Church pleased us, we were more than delighted with the interior. As the doors swung back, the glories of a large stained glass window, placed over the chancel, burst suddenly upon us…”

ATNS – Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements Project (Accessed 04/06/2013)

“The Lake Tyers Mission Station was established in 1861 by the Church of England Mission. In 1863, the Victorian Colonial Government set aside 2000 acres of land as the Lake Tyers Reserve. In the early 1900’s, residents from Ramahyuck moved to Lake Tyers as did those from Lake Condah and Coranderk after these stations were closed. By 1962 the State Government had announced plans to close Lake Tyers. In 1971, the Government returned the Lake Tyers Reserve, including 4000 acres, to the local Aboriginal community under the Aboriginal Lands Act 1970.”

“…In 1858, Bulmer married a young school teacher, Miss Stocks, and shortly afterwards was invited to open a mission in Gippsland. Mrs Bulmer died in Melbourne in 1861. Bulmer went to Gippsland where, with the help of local Aboriginal people, he chose a mission site on Lake Tyers. Returning to Melbourne Bulmer married Caroline Blay. Together they commenced the Lake Tyers Mission in 1862, with both church and government support…”

Traralgon Record, Vic, Tuesday 19^th August 1913, page 2

“The Rev. John Bulmer, associated with the Lake Tyers Mission Station for over 50 years, died last Wednesday, in his 81^st year.”

The Bairnsdale Advertiser, Friday 15^th August 1913, page 3.

“BULMER.- The friends of the late Rev. John Bulmer are respectfully informed that his remains will be interred THIS (Friday) AFTERNOON. The funeral is appointed to leave St. Nicholas’s Church, Cuninghame, at 2 o’clock for the Cuninghame Cemetery. W.SHARROW, Funeral Director, Phone 27.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 10^th July 1918, page 1.

“BULMER.- On the 2^nd July, at Lakes Entrance, Caroline, widow of the late Rev. John Bulmer, formerly of the Lake Tyers Mission Station, in her 80^th year.”

After John Bulmer’s death in 1913 the Victorian Board for the Protection of Aborigines sought to have his wife Caroline and his daughter Ethel evicted from the Lake Tyers station. With the support of the Aboriginals, she petitioned the board to be allowed to stay on the station but after numerous failed attempts, she and her daughter were forced to leave[5]. Caroline Bulmer died five years later at Cunninghame near Lakes Entrance aged 80.

Footnotes:

[1] Gippsland Times, Vic, Friday 1^st November 1878, page 3

[2] ‘Aboriginal Mission Stations in Victoria’, Aldo Massola, Hawthorn Press, 1970

[3] Biography: John Bulmer (1833-1913), author – John Harris

[4] Gippsland Times, Vic, Friday 1^st November 1878, page 3

[5] The Journal of the Public Records Office Victoria, September 2008, Number 7

Acknowledgements:

Many thanks to Bruce Hutton of Almond Glass for the correspondence, his contribution to the preservation of the historical stained glass, and for contributing the photo of the chancel window.

Short link to this page: https://wp.me/p28nLD-1Wa

Jun 3 2013

1869: St Katherine’s Church, St Helena, Victoria.

St Katherine’s Church, also known as the “Rose Chapel” and the associated heritage listed cemetery, is located at St Helena, twenty eight kilometres north of Melbourne.

A two light stained glass window in the chancel of St Katherine’s was erected to the memory of Anthony & Katherine Beale and a single light window in the south wall to the memory of Luther Maplestone. These windows were originally created by the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of Curzon street North Melbourne in 1869.

The Church of England Messenger, Melbourne, Vic, Thursday 12th August 1869, page 8.
“The little church at St. Helena Park, near Eltham, built by the late Mr. Beale to the memory of his wife, and which, together with three acres of land, including a cemetery, has recently been presented by the family to the Bishop, was re-opened on Sunday, 4th ultimo. A new chancel and vestry have been built and other improvements affected, and two beautiful stained-glass memorial windows, by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, have also been added.”

Photos taken 26^th May 2013. Historical photos from the State Library, J. T. CollIins collection, dates, pre 1957.

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St Katherine’s was originally built as a small private chapel by Major Anthony Beale, a retired paymaster of the East India Company who was formerly stationed on the historic island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is infamous as the place that Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was exiled to after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The British Government took over the administration of the Island of St Helena in 1836 and Anthony Beale and his family returned to England for three years, surviving on his yearly £500 pension from the East India Company.

Anthony, Katherine, and ten of their surviving children left London in early 1839 aboard the ‘Cecilia’, arriving at Launceston, Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), on the 29^th July 1839[1]. Two of the elder sons, Edward and Anthony, remained in England to pursue military and medical careers[2]. Edward Charles Beale (1816-1877) reached the rank of Major-General (posthumously) in the Bombay Army having died aged 61 in London in 1877[3]. Anthony Beale (1817-1880) became Surgeon-Major of the Bengal Army and died aged 63 at Cheltenham, England, in 1880[4].

Two weeks after the Beale’s arrival in Launceston, at about 10 o’clock on the evening of the 14^th August 1839, Beale’s eldest son Onesiphorus James Beale left their house and disappeared without a trace.

On the 18^th August, in desperation, his father Anthony Beale offered a reward of 50 guineas for his recovery[5]. Nearly a month had passed with no news of his whereabouts and on the 12th September 1839, Anthony Beale and one of his sons (possibly the 15 year old Adam) departed Launceston for Port Philip aboard the “Perseverance” [6]. This may have been an early reconnaissance trip to secure a home near the newly proclaimed (1837) township of Melbourne before returning to collect the remainder of his family from Launceston.

Only a day after his departure for Port Philip, the body of Onesiphorus was found.

Just before 7 a.m. on the 13^th of September, a fisherman named John Snailhurst found the body on the left bank of the North Esk River, a month after he had disappeared. An inquest was held on the 14^th of September and his sister Catherine, and fellow traveller named Catherine Monk, who came from London with the family on the Cecilia, identified his body via his clothing, a handkerchief and the tattoo of an anchor on the right arm, and two hearts and a dart on the left. It was revealed that he had drowned on the evening of the 14^th August 1839[7] whilst attempting to board[8] the ship Cecilia via a dangerously narrow plank, intending to visit Captain Waddell of the Cecilia, who was good friends with the Beal family.

The Beale family departed Launceston, aboard the “Perseverance,” on the 4^th of November 1839 bound for Port Phillip[9]. The eldest daughter, Katherine Ann Sibella Beale (1821-1907), remained in Launceston where she married John Burt, also of the East India Company, at St John’s Church at Launceston in January 1840[10]

Originally settling in the outskirts of Melbourne at New Town (now known as Fitzroy)[11], Anthony Beale later took up land in north east of Victoria near the River Plenty c.1841 where he built his home which he named after the island of St Helena where he was born and had spent 46 years of his life.

His wife Katherine Rose (nee Young) died at the St Helena estate on the 5^th August 1856 and in 1858 Beal resolved to build a small private chapel in the garden next to his home in memory of his beloved Katherine. Known as the “Rose Chapel,” it was small one room building with a fire place and made of hand made bricks produced on the estate[12].

After Katherine’s death, his diaries fall into despair and paint him as lonely defeated man who spent much of his time in the tiny chapel he built. He died at St Helena on the 4^th of September 1865 and was buried with his wife and other family members in the adjoining Church cemetery.

The chapel was later altered from being a private family chapel to a parish church by Beale’s son in law Charles Maplestone[13].

In 1869 the two light stained glass windows in the apse and a single light window in the centre of the south wall were erected as memorials to the Beal family. These windows were created by the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company of North Melbourne for a cost of £18/10/ [14].

The Memorial text at the base of the two light Gothic chancel window reads:

“IN MEMORY OF ANTHONY BEALE, WHO BUILT THIS CHURCH DIED 4 SEPT 1865 AGED 75 YRS”

“IN MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED WIFE KATHERINE ROSE. DIED 5 AUG. 1856, AGED 61 YEARS”

Another decorative single light memorial window, also by Ferguson & Urie, was erected in the centre of the south wall in memory of Luther, the son of Charles Maplestone.

The memorial text at the base reads:

“TO THE MEMORY OF LUTHER, THIRD SON OF CHARLES MAPLESTONE OF IVANHOE LODGE, WHO DIED AT ANNISKILLEN, QUEENSLAND, 18TH FEB 1869 AGED 23 YEARS”

Note: Mount ‘Enniskillen’ is between Longreach (in the north) and Charleville (in the south) in the Queensland outback.

A tablet in the church is in memory of Onesiphorus James Beale who drowned at Launceston on the 14^th August 1839.

After Anthony Beale’s death, the Rose Chapel was left to the Church of England and was consecrated as “St Katherine’s” by Bishop Thornton of Ballarat on the 16^th May 1876[15]. The nearby church of St Margaret’s, at Eltham, was also consecrated by Bishop Thornton on the same day and St Margaret’s has the earliest extant stained glass window by the Ferguson & Urie Company which was created in November 1861.

A century later St Katherine’s Church was destroyed by a bush fire which occurred on the 28^th February 1957[16]. The local inhabitants of St Helena resolved to reconstruct their historic church and under the direction of architect Kenneth Crosier it was faithfully restored from old architectural diagrams and photographs and re-dedicated on the 7^th November 1957.

Historical black and white photos of the interior of St Katherine’s, taken prior to the 1957 fire, show the Ferguson & Urie chancel window, the window on the south wall, and to the left of the chancel a WW1 memorial window, depicting St Michael, which was created by stained glass artist William Montgomery and unveiled on the 6^th December 1919[17].

None of the original windows survived the fire but as part of the reconstruction effort, detailed replicas of the original Ferguson & Urie windows, and the St Michael window by William Montgomery, were re-created in 1957. The most likely firm to have undertaken this work at such high quality may have been the Brooks, Robinson & Co stained glass company of Melbourne. This firm started creating stained glass windows in the late 1870’s and was taken over by Email Pty Ltd in 1963. The company’s stained glass department was closed in 1967.

TRANSCRIPTIONS OF THE HISTORICAL NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.

Launceston Advertiser, Tas, Thursday 22^nd August 1839, page 3.

“A FAMILY recently arrived in the Cecilia from London, named BEALE, has been plunged into the greatest affliction by the sudden disappearance of their eldest son, a gentleman of about twenty-four years of age, who left his home about ten o’clock on Wednesday evening, the 14^th instant, and has not since been heard of. His absence is the more distressing, as there is reason to fear he has perished by drowning. It is supposed that he left home with the intention of proceeding on board the Cecilia, lying at the wharf, and may have fallen from the stage leading on board that vessel.

Bills have been posted throughout the town, offering a reward of 50 guineas for the recovery of his body, if he be dead; or for information (if he be alive) which shall lead to his discovery. He is described as about 5 feet 9 inches, and as [sic] wearing a white hat, blue pilot cloth coat, brown and blue stripe trowsers, and colored stockings. We understand he is the eldest of a family of ten children, Mr. and Mrs. BEALE, senior, being advanced in years, which renders the affliction doubly distressing”.

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 31^st August 1839, page 3.

“FIFTY GUINEAS REWARD.
WHEREAS, about 10 o’clock on Wednesday night, the 14^th inst. A young Gentleman, named Onisipherous James Beale, late a passenger by Cecilia, left his father’s house for the purpose, as it is supposed of going on board that vessel, but has never since been heard of, having it is feared fallen from an insecure plank into the River.
This is to give notice, that the above Reward will be paid to any person who will give such authentic information to his afflicted relations, as shall be the means of recovering his body, and upon their obtaining possession of the same. Or, should he be alive, a like reward will be paid to any person who will give me immediate intelligence where he may be found.
ANTHONY BEALE.
His dress when last seen, was a White hat, blue pilot cloth Coat, brown blue-striped Trowsers, coloured Stockings, and shoes. Age 24 years, height about 5 feet 9 inches.
August 18, 1839”.

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 14^th September 1839, page 2.

“DEATHS.- …”
On the 14^th August, Onisiphirous Beale, aged 24 years”

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 14^th September 1839, page 2.

“An Inquest was held this day upon the body of the late Mr. Beale, the report of which reached us too late for insertion. Verdict – Found Drowned”.

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 14^th September 1839, page 2.

“SEPTEMBER 12.- …” “…Passengers per Perseverance, for Port Philip, A. Beale, Esq., Master Beale…”

Note: ‘Master Beale’ was his son, possibly being the 15 year old Adam Beale.

Launceston Advertiser, Tas, Thursday 19^th September 1839, page 3.

“On Saturday last, before P. A. Mulgrave, Esq., Coroner, on view of the body of Mr. Onesiphorus James Beale, who it will be remembered was missed from his home, on the evening of the 14^th ultimo, and for whose discovery the reward of 50 has subsequently offered. The body was found on Friday morning, by a fisherman, about two miles above Launceston, in the North Esk, and was fully identified by witnesses to whom deceased was known. From the evidence there could be no doubt that the deceased had fallen from a plank, going on board the Cecilia, late at night of the 14^th July. The jury returned a verdict of Found Drowned”.

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 21^st September 1839, page 1.

“An inquest was held on Saturday last, the 14^th instant, at the Ferry House, at the Bridge, before P. A. Mulgrave, Esq., Coroner, on the body of Mr. Onesipherus James Beale, a young gentleman who came out in the Cecilia, and has been missing for the last month, and for whom a reward of 50 guineas has been offered by his disconsolate father, who has just left the colony for Port Philip. The following is the evidence adduced:-
Catherine Monk – I came from England in the barque Cecilia, with Mr. Beale’s family; we landed at Launceston on the 29^th July. The deceased Onesipherus James Beal was 24 years of age, always in good spirits, and on the best terms with his family; I never heard him express any intention of leaving them. He was quite well an in his usual good spirits on Wednesday, the 14^th ult; Captain Wadell, of the Cecilia, spent a part of that evening at his father’s house, he left about 10 o’clock; I saw the deceased about 9 o’clock that evening; he wore the same clothes that are now on the body, as viewed by the inquest; I can speak positively as to the coat and trowsers and I know, by the marks on his arms, viz., an anchor on the right arm, and two hearts and a dart on the left arm, that they are the remains of Onesipherus James Beale; The handkerchief now produced was the property of the deceased, and I know he had it in his pocket on the 14^th August last; I know he left his father’s house about a quarter of an hour after Captain Waddell that evening, I supposed he had gone into the gardens; some time afterwards search was made for him, and it was discovered he was absent; we supposed he had followed Captain Waddell, to whom he was much attached, and who he knew purposed leaving the port next morning.

Captain Bateman – I am Harbour master at Launceston. The barque Cecilia was lying alongside the wharf on Wednesday, the 14^th ult.; the stage from the wharf to the Cecilia had been taken to pieces preparatory to her sailing next morning, and there was only a plank on the evening of that day from the wharf to the vessel; it was a very narrow plank, and required great caution in passing over it; I came on shore on it after dark that evening. The Cecilia was about a fathom and a half from the wharf; It was low water between 10 and 11 o’clock that night; there was only three feet and a half water between the Cecilia and the wharf; the mud was very soft and deep. Captain Waddell left Launceston about three weeks ago, and before he went the deceased was missing, and he (Captain Waddell) told me that he passed part of the evening of the 14^th ult. in company with the deceased at his father’s house, and that he (the deceased) said he should call and see him on board that night, it was a dark night.

Miss Catherine Beale – I am sister to the deceased Onesipherus James Beale; the last time I saw him was on Wednesday evening, the 14^th ult., in my father’s house; he was in very good spirits that evening; captain Waddell spent part of the evening with us; the deceased wished to accompany him on board; Captain Waddell advised him not to do so; about 10 minutes after Captain Waddell left the deceased wished us all good-night; we supposed he had gone to bed; a few minutes afterwards I heard him go out the back door, and shortly after, as he did not return, he was sought for, and it was discovered he had left the house, and had taken his hat with him from his bed room. He had the mark of an anchor on one arm, and two hearts and a dart on the other; he had not had any difference with any person that evening, and was not labouring under any depression of spirits.

Dr. Pugh – I have examined the body of the deceased Onesipherus James Beale. There is not any mark of violence upon it, and I have no doubt his death was caused by suffocation from drowning; the body appeared to have been lying in the water for a month or upwards.

John Snailhurst – I am a fisherman; I found the body which has been viewed by the inquest about ten minutes before 7 o’clock yesterday morning, on the left bank of the North Esk river, about two miles from Launceston by water; the head was upon the mud on the bank; the other part of the body was in the water, except the upper part of the back; it was then in the same state as it is now. Joseph Firkin * was with me in the boat when I first saw the body; he was alarmed, and would not allow me to take it into the boat; we immediately returned to Launceston, and reported the circumstance to the Police.

* This man was called Joseph Dudley by the man Snailhurst, while giving his evidence, but this is merely a bye name which he has, his proper name being Joseph Firkin, in which he was tried and convicted, and by which he is known to the Police.
– REPORTER.

Joseph Firkin corroborated the former witness, as to finding the body.

Constable Webster – In consequence of information I received from John Snailhurst, I went yesterday morning up the North Esk river in a boat, and found the body which has been viewed by the inquest in the same place and position as described by the two previous witnesses.

Verdict – Found drowned”.

From the evidence given at the inquest of the death of Onesipherus James Beal, it was identified that his cause of death was drowning, having fallen off the thin plank in the dark[18] leading from the Launceston wharf to the ship Cecilia on the evening of the 14^th August 1839.

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 9^th November 1839, page 2.

“EXPORTS…” “NOVEMBER 4. – Perseverance, (schooner,) 45 Tons, Dryden, master, for Port Philip…”

“…Passengers per Perseverance, for Port Philip, Anthony Beale, Esq., Mrs. Beale, Miss Isabella Beale, Miss Elizabeth Beale, Miss Rose Beale, Miss Margaret Beale, Master Adam Beale, Master Lindsay Beale, Master Young Beale, Master Haliburton Beale…”

Passengers are identified as: Anthony Beal Snr 1790-1869, Katherine Rose Beal (nee Young) 1795-1856, Isabella 1822-1840, Elizabeth Maria 1823-1899, Rose Ellinor 1826-1856, Margaret Lindsay 1827-1914, Adam 1829-1909, John Lindsay 1830-1911, James Young 1831-1905, Halliburton 1833-1899

The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 18^th January 1840, page 2.

“MARRIED – By special licence, by the Revd. Dr. Browne, at St. John’s Church, Launceston, John Burt, Esq., late of the East India Company’s Service, to Katherine, Ann, Sibella, eldest daughter of Anthony Beale, Esq., late Paymaster to the East India Company’s Establishment at St. Helena.”

Note: The Church of St John’s at Launceston has a stained glass window by Ferguson & Urie, but it wasn’t created unntil 1866.

The Australian, Sydney, NSW, Friday 4^th November 1842, page 2.

“SEQUESTRATION OF INSOLVENT ESTATES.- The following persons have sequestrated their estates since the 1^st of September:-…” “…Anthony Beale, settler, River Plenty…”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 10^th December 1852, page 8.

“In the Insolvent Estate of Anthony Beale, of the River Plenty, in the Colony of Victoria, Settler.

NOTICE is hereby given, that Edward Courtney, Esq., of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, has been hereby elected and confirmed a Trustee, for the collection, administration, and distribution of the estates and effects of Anthony Beale, the above-named insolvent, in room of Archibald Cuninghame, Esq., who has been removed from his office of trust on said estate, on account of absence from this colony.

Dated at Melbourne, this 9^th day of December, AD, 1852,

FREDERICK WILKINSON,

Chief Commissioner of Insolvent Estate’s”.

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 13^th August 1856, page 4.

[Katherine Rose Beale (nee Young) 1795-1856]

“On the 5^th inst., at St. Helena Farm, River Plenty, Katharine Rose, the beloved wife of Anthony Beale, Esq., aged 61.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 6^th September 1865, page 4.

[Maj Anthony Beale 1790-1865]

“BEALE.- On the 4^th inst., at his residence, St. Helena, River Plenty, Anthony Beale, Esq., of the Hon. E.I.C.S., and formerly Paymaster-General of the Island of St. Helena, aged seventy-five years”.

Note: E.I.C.S – East India Corps Service

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Saturday 1^st May 1869, page 4.

“MAPLESTONE.- On the 18^th February, at Mount Enniskillen, Queensland, Luther, third son of Mr. Charles Maplestone, of Ivanhoe-lodge, and No. 8 Elizabeth-street, Melbourne, aged twenty-four years.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 22^nd May 1876, page 5.

“On Tuesday last the churches of St. Margaret’s, Eltham, and St. Katherine’s, St. Helena, both being in the same parochial district, were consecrated by the Right Reverend Dr. Thornton, Bishop of Ballarat, who was assisted by the Vicar-General, Dr. Macartney, and the Revs. Canon Vance and A. J. Pickering. At the former place the rite of confirmation was also administered to 54 persons, being the largest number that had ever assembled together in the district for that purpose. Large congregations were present to witness the ceremonies. A collection, which was made at the two places, realised the sum of £5. 5s. It is worthy of note that the St. Helena church was erected at the sole expense of one individual – the late Mr. Anthony Beale; and that the Eltham church, together with a commodious parsonage (though situated in a very poor district), were, when completed at a cost of over £1,600, entirely free from debt, a circumstance upon which the resident in that locality pride themselves greatly.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 1^st March 1878, page 1.

[Major General Edward Charles Beale 1816-1877]

“BEALE.- On the 31^st December, 1877, at 66 Lansdown-road, Notting-hill, London, Major-General Edward C. Beale, Bombay Army, aged 61 years, Second son of the late Anthony Beale, Esq., H.E.I.C.S., and of St. Helena, River Plenty.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 21^st December 1880, page 1.

[Surgeon-Major Anthony Beale 1817-1880]

“BEALE.- On the 25^th ult., at 12 Royal-crescent, Cheltenham, England, Anthony Beale, aged 63, late Surgeon-Major Bengal Army, third son of A. Beale, Esq., H.E.I.C.S., St. Helena, River Plenty”.

Northern Star, Lismore, NSW, Friday 12^th December 1924, page 12.

“…There are tablets to the memory of Onsephesoris James, son of Anthony and Katherine Rose Beale, drowned in Tasmania on August 14, 1839[19], and to three of their great grandsons who fell in the Great War. A fine brass tablet, given by the mothers, commemorates the supreme sacrifice made by local soldiers…”

“…There are stained glass memorials to Margaret Lindsay Beale, who was born at St. Helena in 1827 and died in 1914, and to Luther, son of Charles Maplestone, Ivanhoe Lodge, who died in 1869. A nice stained glass window is a tribute to the district’s contribution to the A.I.F…”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Saturday 15^th March 1926, page 8.

“ST. HELENA

VICTORIA’S LINK WITH NAPOLEON.

By R. H. CROLL

Very far from Australia – a mere speck on the map of the South Atlantic – lies the lonely island of St. Helena, famous for the fact that it served as prison for Napoleon. Close to Melbourne – within the outer-suburban area, in fact – is another St. Helena. It, too, unlikely as the tale may seem, links up directly with the “eagle of Corsica.”
Major Anthony Beale, sometime paymaster-general to the East India Company’s forces in the British possession of St. Helena, supplies the association. Napoleon died in 1821. The East India Company resigned its interests in the island in 1834, and a few years later Major Beale retired on a pension of £500 a year, packed up his household goods, and transported them to Australia. Those were early days in Victorian annals, and when he established a home near where now stand the townships of Eltham and Greensborough he was a pioneer in the wilderness. Later he erected a chapel next to his house. That chapel stands to-day as a place of public worship, and the jubilee of its consecration for general service will be celebrated to-morrow 9Sunday). All values are relative; this shrine represents antiquity to Victoria. No reason has been advanced for Major Beale’s preference in all the wide world for this remote and scarcely known portion of the British dominions. In 1839, the year he arrived in Melbourne, the Port Philip settlement was still in swaddling clothes. The township had had its first land sale. It had escaped with a decent title after being threatened with such names as Bearbrass, Barchurp, Bearburp, Yarrow Yarrow, The Settlement, Glenelg, and Batmania, all of which were in actual use; and though, as Bonwick remarks, its affairs were a source of much merriment to the people of Sydney, the settlement was still a part of New South Wales.
So it was a tiny clearing in the bush that the newcomers saw when they arrived at the spot noted by Batman, four years before, as “the place for a village.” The party had come by way of Van Diemen’s Land, and while waiting in Launceston for a vessel to cross the Straits the eldest son of the Beale’s, Onesiphorus, was drowned in the Tamar. Beale kept a diary – still in the possession of the family – and he records therein his highly unflattering opinion of the land agents of the day, including John Pascoe Fawkner, who were united in their endeavours to unload upon the stranger some undesirable holdings. It is interesting to reflect to-day upon the possible value of even the worst of those old-time properties. Eventually Beale went as far afield as the Plenty River, then hopelessly out in the bush – he mentions being lost where now the City of Collingwood has replaced with houses the scrub and timber and on the brow of a pleasant hill, near where the ancient lava flow failed, he put in the foundations of his home. The house, built of imported weatherboards, with chimneys of hand made bricks, is intact to-day. Beale evidently had an eye for beauty. The outlook is over wooded hills, past Kangaroo Ground and Ringwood, to the blue lift of the high mountains at the back of Healesville.
A patriarchal life began. That was in 1842. The first break occurred when, as shown on a memorial window in the church, his wife died in 1856. The building dedicated to her memory he named Rose Chapel. It is a handsomely proportioned building of Gothic type. Stained glass windows shed delicate tones through the interior, and one reads there, and in the little graveyard without, much of the simple history of the place. The two leadlights beside the altar are in honour of the founder and his wife; at the south end are two more bearing inscriptions relating to the dedication of the chapel and the death of the eldest son. The dwelling-house is close at hand, and the family name is still represented by grandchildren and great grandchildren. In the churchyard, in true old-world fashion, the forefathers of the hamlet are buried.
Since the church building has been handed over to the Church of England for public use it has been renamed “St. Katherine’s,” and the graveyard has been opened as a general burying-place. But as portion remains sacred to the Beale family and its connections, and here may be learned the fact that Anthony Beale was born in 1790 and died in 1865. Here, too, lies a well-remembered identity in Charles Symons Wingrove, who was for 46 years secretary of the shire of Eltham. He died in 1905. In the outer portion lie the remains of Walter Withers, whose “Tranquil Winter” and other pictures in our National Gallery are perpetual delight. He loved this countryside. And it is fitting that this should be his resting place. An outstanding monument – outstanding from the nature of its inscription – is to Graham Webster, once a police magistrate, in Victoria. Born in Essex, England, in 1830 he died at Greensborough, Victoria, in 1903. The epitaph makes a remarkable claim. It reads:- “Here lies Graham Webster, the last of his race, who descended in one unbroken line from father to son for a period of 779 years.” That first forefather possibly saw the Crusaders! It recalls Gray’s line:- “The paths of glory lead to the grave.”

Note:

England terminated its interest in the island of St Helena in 1836.

The Beale’s returned to England for about three years after leaving St Helena and departed London in 1839, arriving in Launceston 29 July 1839 aboard the ‘Cecilia.’ The family departed Launceston, aboard the “Perseverance,” on the 4^th of November 1839 bound for Port Phillip.

Advertiser, Hurstbridge, Vic, Friday 27^th September 1929, page 1.

“A CHAPEL IN THE HILLS.
WHERE EARLY SETTLERS WORSHIPPED

(By E. J. T. Oliver in the “Argus” Camera Supplement)

“A few miles beyond Greensborough, and about 15 miles from Melbourne, on top of a grassy hill, stands a small church known as St. Catherine’s [sic] Chapel. It was built nearly 90 years ago by Major Anthony Beale, a retired paymaster of the East India Company, who had been at St. Helena during part of Napoleon’s exile.
Major Beale set out in a sailing ship in 1835, and by way of what was then Van Diemen’s Land he reached Victoria four years later. After having sought a suitable spot for a residence, he selected this breezy hillside, and here he built a substantial mansion, which still stands there, and which, in memory of his former island home, he called St. Helena. The house has also given its name to the district, which is still but sparsely populated.
Major Beale imported the timber with which to build his house, and it is in admiration and astonishment that visitors look at the stout beams and weatherboards that have withstood storms and defied decay for nearly 90 years. The house is built with the boards laid horizontally instead of upright, and the bricks of the huge chimneys are hand-made. Major Beale built some kind of brick kiln on the estate. The bricks are thin and narrow, and of a different color from that of the machine-made bricks of to-day. The dining-room fireplace is almost the size of a small room, with seats built on either side so that husband and wife might sit opposite to each other on winter nights.
The chapel, which was later added as a private place of worship, is indeed charming, with its gothic windows of stained glass. Through them beams of purple and gold light up the quiet interior. A beautiful little etching of the building hangs in the wall, “a gift from the etcher.” Church of England service is held there weekly, and the folk of the surrounding district file in to fill the old-fashioned pews, where the early settlers worshipped so long ago.
The church is surrounded by a graveyard, after the fashion of the land of Major Beale’s birth. Here lie the pioneers and their sons, and here we may read of one Graham Webster, descended in a direct line for more than 700 years and now sleeping, “the last of his race,” beneath Australian skies. Here also we may see the stone to the memory of Major Beale and his wife and several members of their family.
The roads that lead to this spot of interest are good, and motorists will enjoy the journey through Ivanhoe and Heidelberg. It is a delightful journey for a Saturday afternoon, with a picturesque objective for all who love quiet and beautiful places.”

The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 25^th July 1944, page 3.

“ST HELENA PIONEER’S FUNERAL IN FAMILY CHURCHYARD.

“A link with early Melbourne was broken yesterday by the death of Mr Anthony Beale, of St Helena, near Greensborough. Mr Beale, who was 86, was a grandson of Major Anthony Beale, a pioneer settler of Greensborough district, who came with his family to Port Phillip settlement in 1839, from the island of St Helena, where he had been stationed as paymaster-general of the British East India Company for many years, including the period of Napoleon Buonaparte’s exile in captivity on the island. After living for a few years in a home built at New Town (now Fitzroy), the Beale family moved to a selection about 12 miles to the north near the Plenty River, in what is now the Greensborough district, and named their new home St Helena. The major’s wife, Katherine Rose Beale, died in 1856, and to her memory her husband erected the miniature chapel which still stands in a cluster of cypress trees by the St Helena home, a mile or so off the main Greensborough road. Originally it was named the Rose Chapel, but after Major Beale’s death it was given to the Church of England, and became known as St Katherine’s Church. The little churchyard has been used as a private burial ground for members of the Beale family, and it is there that Mr Anthony Beale will be buried on Wednesday after a service conducted in the little church by Rev. A. J. Barford, vicar of Greensborough. The home, from which the casket will be carried, is the fourth house built by the Beale family on the St Helena property.”

Footnotes:

[1] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 21^st September 1839, page 1.

[2] Bryan James; http://www.ozgenonline.com/~mytwigs/beale_a.html; accessed 29 May 2013.

[3] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 1^st March 1878, page 1.

[4] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 21^st December 1880, page 1.

[5] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 31^st August 1839, page 3.

[6] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 14^th September 1839, page 2.

[7] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 14^th September 1939, page 2.

[8] Launceston Advertiser, Tas, Thursday 19^th September 1839, page 3.

[9] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 9^th November 1839, page 2.

[10] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 18^th January 1840, page 2.

[11] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 25^th July 1944, page 3.

[12] The Australian Women’s Weekly, 6^th November 1957. Page 12-13. (Vic edition)

[13] The Australian Women’s Weekly, 6^th November 1957. Page 12-13. (Vic edition)

[14] The Australian Women’s Weekly, 6^th November 1957. Page 12-13. (Vic edition)

[15] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 22^nd May 1876, page 5.

[16] The Canberra Times, ACT, Friday 1^st March 1957, page 1.

[17] Eltham & Whittlesea Shires Advertiser & Diamond Creek Valley Advocate, Vic, Friday 19^th December 1919, page 2.

[18] Launceston Advertiser, Tas, Thursday 19^th September 1839, page 3.

[19] The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston, Tas, Saturday 14^th September 1939, page 2.

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May 9 2013

1863: St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Collingwood, Victoria.

In late 1867 James Urie, of the Melbourne stained glass firm Ferguson & Urie, toured Tasmania with a catalogue of the firms designs for stained glass. On the 13^th August 1867, the Hobart Mercury reported a detailed account of commissions he had received for stained glass windows and mentioned some that the firm had already executed in Victoria. Amongst those listed was “…St Josephs Roman Catholic Church, Collingwood…”[1]

The foundation stone of St Joseph’s Church & School was laid on 16 December 1860[2] and formally opened on Sunday the 1^st of February 1863[3]

The Victorian Heritage Database indicates that St Joseph’s contained stained glass windows by Ferguson & Urie, Rogers & Hughes, and William Montgomery[4].

At about 6am on the 2^nd of April 2007, fire broke out and destroyed the majority of St Joseph’s leaving just the shell [5]. None of the historic stained glass windows survived.

Early photos taken in the 1990’s and kindly contributed by Dr. Bronwyn Hughes, 01/06/2013.

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The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 2nd February 1863, page 5.

“The Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph, situated in Otter-street, East Collingwood, was formally dedicated for public worship yesterday morning, by the Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese, Dr. Goold. High pontifical mass was performed, the Rev. H. England acting as deacon, and the Rev. W. Donovan as sub-deacon. The discourse was delivered by the Rev. E. Scully. The church which is of neat brick erection, was opened for the first time yesterday. It was commenced about three years ago, but a great deal of work still remains to be done, both with regard to the internal and external fittings. The building has been erected with the view of being used as a school-house as well as church. It accommodates about 400 people, and its cost (about £1,000) has been already subscribed. A numerous congregation assembled upon the occasion of the dedication, and many of the most influential Catholics of the neighbourhood were present. Imperial Mass, No. 8, was beautifully given by a choir, which included Mrs. Tester, Miss Julia Matthews, and Messrs. Power and Ewart.”

13-08-1867: James Urie visits Tasmania on Ferguson and Urie business.

External links:

YouTube Video, St Joseph’s fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecIH37XquCM

Footnotes:

[1] The Mercury, Hobart Tasmania, Tuesday 13th August 1867, page 5.

[2] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 17th December 1860, page 5.

[3] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Monday 2nd February 1863, page 5.

[4] Victorian Heritage Database, Heritage Overlay HO118.

[5] The Age, Melbourne, Vic, 2^nd April 2007.

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Apr 30 2013

19-02-1874: The Hotham (North Melbourne) School of Art.

In 1873 the Hotham School of Art[1] has been established and operates from premises in Chetwynd Street North Melbourne. Prominent figures from the stained glass firm Ferguson & Urie are involved in its inception.

Ferguson & Urie’s senior stained glass artist, David Relph Drape (1821-1882), lends his expertise as a teacher in the field of “Ornamental and Figure Drawing” as well as being a member of the Board of Advice. The principals of the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company, James Ferguson (1818-1894) and James Urie (1828-1890) are also members of the Board of Advice. In 1877 the school moved to more suitable accommodation within the North Melbourne Town hall and at that time maintained an average of 95 scholars during the terms[2].

In 1877, Drape’s eldest sons, Isaac Selby Drape (1866-1916) and John Campbell Drape (1866-1920), are mentioned amongst the recipients of prizes in the category of “Ornamental Outline”[3]. Neither continued a career in art.

In 1879, Ferguson & Urie apprentice Frank Clifford Lording (1860-1944) was awarded a prize as a senior student in the category of “Ornamental Shaded”[4]. After the closure of Ferguson & Urie in 1899, Lording joined another fellow employee of Ferguson & Urie named Charles William Hardess (1858-1949) to form ‘Hardess & Lording’ as lead-lighters. Hardess’s father, George Matthew Hardess, was also treasurer of the Hotham School of Art and Chairman of the Board of Advice in 1874[5].

In 1883, Ferguson & Urie apprentice George James Coates (1869-1930), was awarded a prize in the senior class for Landscape drawing[6]. Coates was apprenticed to Ferguson & Urie at the age of 15 and later became an accomplished artist in his own right as well the unofficial war artist to the Australian Government during WW1.

The photos of Frank Clifford Lording, Charles William Hardess and George James Coates appear amongst the photo collage of the employees created for the company dinner held at the North Melbourne Mechanics Institute on the 22^nd of June 1887.

Principal partner in the Ferguson & Urie stained glass company, James Urie, continued the promotion of the arts as a founder and committee member of the Flemington and Kensington School of Art founded in 1884[7].

Ferguson & Urie members.
Sepia photos dated June 1887, photo of Drape circa late 1870’s.

North Melboure Advertiser, Vic, Thursday 19^th February 1874, page 3.

“Under the Auspices of the Commission for Promoting Technological Education.

HOTHAM SCHOOL OF ART, held AT ST. MARY’S SCHOOLROOM, Chetwynd street. Terms: two shillings per quarter. The following classes meet every THURSDAY EVENING, at eight p.m. :- Practical Geometry, Teacher, J. Ingamells; Mechanical Drawing, J. Buncle and R. Bodycombe; Architectural Drawing, T. Caine; Ornamental and Figure Drawing, D. R. Drape; Landscape and Elementary Drawing, J. M. Kennedy. The committee consists of the following gentlemen:- The Mayor of Hotham, Mr. Cr. Carroll, Mr. Cr. Thomas, Mr. Cr. White, Mr. Cr. Barwise, Mr. Cr. Clarke, Mr. Cr. Laurens, Mr. Cr. Ryan, Mr. Cr. Paton. The following Members of the Board of Advice:- Mr. G. Hardess (chairman), Mr. Alcock, Mr. W. Clarke, Mr. Beasley, Mr. Cook, Mr. Laurens, and Mr. Buncle, Mr. Bodycombe, Mr. Drape, Mr. Caine, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kurz, Mr. Walker, Mr. White, head, Mr. C. E. Randall, Mr. Marley, Mr. Gilchrist, Mr. McGrotty, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Kirkus, Mr. Atkin, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Urie, Mr. Chrystal.

Mr. G. M. HARDESS, Treasurer.
Mr. H. WARNER, Secretary.”

Footnotes:

[1] North Melbourne Advertiser, Vic, Wednesday 22^nd October 1873, page 3.

[2] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 2^nd March 1877, page 10.

[3] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Friday 2^nd March 1877, page 10.

[4] The Argus Melbourne, Vic, Wednesday 30^th April 1879, page 6.

[5] North Melboure Advertiser, Vic, Thursday 19^th February 1874, page 3.

[6] The Argus, Melbourne, Vic, Tuesday 8^th May 1883, page 7.

[7] North Melbourne Advertiser, Friday 24^th September 1886, page 3

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Apr 25 2013

1867: The Royal Visit – The Illuminations and decorations throughout Melbourne.

On the 31st of October 1867, Prince Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in Australia to begin the first tour of the Colony by a member of the British Royal family. By the time the Duke had arrived in Melbourne, the city had decorated shop fronts and streets throughout the city and suburbs in anticipation of the historical visit.

The most popular decorations, and undoubtedly the most expensive, were the decorative transparencies on glass which were illuminated at night by various methods of gas and kerosene lighting. There were many reports in the tabloids of the time which described these various decorations in great detail and the company name Ferguson & Urie appeared many times as the makers of these ‘transparencies on glass‘.

The Argus, Melbourne, Wednesday 27^th November 1867, page 1.

“…Insolvent Court – Transparency on glass by Ferguson & Urie, representing the star of the garter, the Duke’s shield, with anchor and coronet, with star and anchor. The Australian Mutual Provident Society had a star in gas-piping, size 6ft. 6in, by 6ft. and within it a transparency in glass, painted by Ferguson and Urie, representing a union jack. Crown law Offices – Transparency on glass, painted by Ferguson and Urie, 9ft x 6ft, an Imperial crown; all the windows filled with pyramids of candles. Audit Office – Transparency on glass, by Ferguson and Urie, the Royal arms; all the windows illuminated with pyramids of candles…”

Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers, Melbourne, Friday 20^th December 1867, page 6.

“At the warehouses of Messrs James McEwan and Co“. were to be seen several transparencies on glass, prepared by Messrs Ferguson & Urie and Lyon. One contained a large figure of Britania, with an anchor, supported by sea horses, below and above cherubs carrying scrolls, with the word “Welcome”. The whole surrounded by a border of flowers. In another, the Duke’s shield, and in another, the star of the Order of the Thistle”. The Crown Law Offices also had a Ferguson & Urie transparency of the Royal Arms.

The Telegraph, St Kilda, Prahran and South Yarra Guardian, Vic, Saturday 30^th Nov 1867, p2.

“THE ILLUMINATIONS, &c. PRAHRAN AN SOUTH YARRA”

“We are confirmed in our opinion that it was a mistake to have the suburban illuminations on the same night as those of Melbourne. There was a really excellent show made in Prahran, which, if it had been given separately, would have proved very attractive. As it was, it was witnessed by comparatively few persons. We hear the Town-hall is to be lighted up again to-night, and it will no doubt prove a great attaraction. We subjoin a list of the most prominent sights:-

CHAPEL STREET.

Town-hall – Three painted glass transparencies between the pillars in front of the building, painted by Messrs. Ferguson & Urie, and consisting of Scotch thistle with circle containing the motto “Nemo me impune lacessit,”[1] with fluted rays in white; royal crown, Irish shamrock, and cross, encircled with motto “Quis separabit,”[2] and white fluted rays from edge of circle. Four main windows painted in various designs, and lit with kerosene lamps having powerful silver-plated reflectors. The windows in the tower coloured and ornamented with various designs. The faces of the clock were illuminated with a subdued light, and the lantern, or top most part of tower, lighted with a brilliant ruby colour. The whole of the internal arrangements were under management of Messrs. Ridoutt and Sons, to whom great credit is due for the success attending their efforts…”

The Telegraph, St Kilda, Prahran and South Yarra Guardian, Saturday 28^th Dec 1867, page 3.

“…Councillor Crews moved –
“That the following sums be paid by this council for illuminating the Town-hall on the occasion of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to the colony:- Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, for transparencies, £23 10s.; Ridoutt and Sons, for illuminating, £20; Mr. Dobie, erecting scaffolding for illuminations, £11 14s. That a loan of £100 be granted to the Prahran Royal Reception Committee until that amount be paid by the Royal Reception Commission as promised…”

Apart from the Duke witnessing the many public decorations made by Ferguson & Urie which decorated the streets of Melbourne and suburbs, his visit to Tasmania would have undoubtedly afforded him very close inspection of one of Ferguson & Urie’s most prominent secular stained glass windows in Tasmania. In January 1868 the Duke was to be a guest of the Hon Robert Quayle Kermode at his Mona Vale mansion near Ross in Tasmania:

“…Mona Vale, where His Royal Highness stayed on his upward and downward journey, and where every provision was made for his comfort, which the real genuine hospitality of an English gentleman could devise, or Princely munificence accomplish. The mansion of Mona Vale is, I have no hesitation in saying, one of the most splendid and magnificently furnished residences in the whole of he Australian colonies, and it is replete with every comfort and conveniences that modern art has yet suggested” [3]

When Kermode commissioned the architect Henry Hunter to build Mona Vale, Hunter included stained glass windows as part of the designs and he selected these works from Ferguson & Urie during a visit to Melbourne:

“…beautiful windows of stained glass, which surround the front door. The fanlight is especially worth mention, having in the centre Mr. Kermode’s crest, an arm and dagger surrounded by a handsome design. The side lights have a stained glass bordering, with centre pieces in frosted glass of floral design. Arrived at the foot of the grand staircase, I observed that the whole of the windows by which it is lighted were also of stained glass, showing groups of flowers most tastefully arranged. The whole of these windows are in the style known as enamel painting, and were executed by Messrs. Ferguson and Urie, of Melbourne…” [4]

Although the Duke’s visit to the Antipodes was a highly successful moral boost to the colony’s, it was not without incident.

His visit to Sydney was marred by an assassination attempt on the 12th of March 1868 by an Irishman named Henry James O’Farrell who shot the Prince. Although seriously wounded, the Prince made a fast recovery.

Justice was swift and decisive and O’Farrell was convicted and hanged six weeks later on the 21st April 1868.

Decoration of Princes Bridge Melbourne for the Royal visit in 1867.

Unfortunately there are no known existing examples of these transparencies on glass by Ferguson & Urie.

1887: The Royal Visit – Illumunations & Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.
20-01-1868: Mona Vale Mansion, Ross, Tasmania, Australia.

Foot notes:

[1] “No one attacks me with impunity”: Latin motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army.

[2] “Who will separate (us)?”: Latin motto of many British & Irish Regiments .

[3] The Mercury, Hobart, Monday 20^th January 1868, page 3.

[4] ibid

Ferguson and Urie

Colonial Victoria's Historic Stained Glass Craftsmen 1853-1899

Tag Archives: Ferguson & Urie

1897: The Singleton Dispensary, Collingwood, Victoria,

1867: St Peter’s Anglican Church, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, New South Wales

1869: William Hornby & the Artillery Brewery, Williamstown, Victoria.

1884: St John’s Anglican Church, Bairnsdale, Victoria.

1875: St Peter’s Anglican Church, Akaroa, New Zealand.

1878: St John’s Aboriginal Mission Church, Lake Tyers, Victoria.

1869: St Katherine’s Church, St Helena, Victoria.

1863: St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Collingwood, Victoria.

19-02-1874: The Hotham (North Melbourne) School of Art.

1867: The Royal Visit – The Illuminations and decorations throughout Melbourne.

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