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'The Perry Family of Fowlmere and Thaxted.'
Those mention in Charles and Mary's story...
The Family of Charles and Mary Sherwood nee Perry
THE SETTING
The small English village of Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire
Map showing the location of Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire
Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire
CHAPTER SUMMARY
This is the story of Charles and Mary Sherwood, the author's great, great grandparents. Both were born in Fowlmere, England. Charles in 1812 and Mary Perry in 1813. Charles (1812-1880) was the son of William and Elizabeth Sherwood nee Smith. Mary (1813- 1881) was the daughter of James and Harriet Perry nee Wilson. Their story begins in Fowlmere where they married in 1833. It was there that their ten children were born. In 1856 the family sailed from England with Charles’ mother Elizabeth and Mary’s nephew William Harrip on the ship Amazon. Soon after arriving the couple settled in Bugle Ranges, South Australia where they worked as farmers. Around 1875 they left South Australia and moved to Natimuk Victoria. Charles died there in 1880 and Mary died the following year at Kiata.
Charles and Mary Sherwood nee Perry c.1864
We are fortunate to have a photo of Charles and Mary. For it to have survived for over 150 years is truly remarkable. Written in pencil on the back is 'Mr. and Mrs. C Sherwood, Mt. Barker.'
The rug on the grass suggests the photo was taken outdoors perhaps by a travelling photographer. One such photographer at this time was the young Philip Marchant.
In the Spring of 1864, Marchant and his brother left Adelaide for the Adelaide Hills. He kept a diary of his travels and the places he visited. According to his diary, he spent time in Mount Barker and Macclesfield.1 Charles and Mary were living at Wistow, 4 kilometres from Mount Barker from 1861 to 1873. We have two other family photos that were taken by Marchant. It may have been Philip Marchant who took the photo of the couple when he travelled to Mount Barker. This would date the photo as 1864. Charles would have been 52 and Mary 51.
The photo of Charles and Mary is from an album that once belonged to Allen Sherwood, one of Charles and Mary’s sons. The album was passed down to Eva Chambers, Allen and Melinda’s granddaughter. Eva Chambers, nee Sherwood, lived at Mount Barker South Australia. Eva kindly made a copy of the photo available to me. This same photo also appears in an album kept by Jane Morley's son Samuel. Jane was Charles' younger sister. She married Thomas Morley in Fowlmere in 1835 and later settled in Harrow, Victoria.
1 The Diary of Philip Marchant. https://noye.agsa.sa.gov.au/Photogs/March_dy.htm The Ancestor’s Story: Charles & Mary Sherwood nee Perry
INTRODUCTION
My grandfather Arthur Gordon Sherwood was a keen letter writer. He often wrote to his sister Minnie Kelly who lived in Wodonga, Victoria. Around 1977, Arthur (while in his nineties) wrote to Minnie following a request by her for information on past family members. Arthur's reply is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek account of their ancestry. The letter serves as an interesting introduction to the story of Charles and Mary and appears below.
You ask me if I knew anything about our ancestors. Well, I can enlighten you quite a lot. I won't go too far back as I don't think it will be necessary so I will start with our grandpa (Charles Sherwood). He came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror and there is no need for me to say too much about them, as we all know how quickly they cleaned up the British.
Remember just the two of them on their own they fought with such courage that after five hours of fighting they had split the Britons into two directions but each of them had lost any courage they may have had. One side took to their heels towards the south with grandpa after them. He drove them into Wales where they hid in the mountains and were too afraid to ever come out again. William chased the others north into the Highlands of Scotland
The Ancestor’s Story: Charles & Mary Sherwood nee Perry
6
CHAPTER 6.
where their descendants are to this day. The ones in Wales are known as the really brave Britons.
After it was all over grandpa decided to settle in Cambridgeshire where he married Miss Mary Perry. They reared a large family and then brought them out to Australia. They were Alfred, Charles, Harriet (married John Jarvis a farmer) William, Arthur, Allan, Elizabeth, Mary Ann married Henry Henstridge, Steve, and Fred a private in the Salvation Army.
Although Arthur stretches the truth somewhat in his letter to Minnie, some of the information is quite accurate. Charles did marry Mary Perry. Their children were all born in the order Arthur listed them except for Harriet and William. William was older than Harriet. All ten children, seven boys and three girls were born in Fowlmere.
FOWLMERE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
The parish of Fowlmere lies in the southernmost part of the county of Cambridgeshire. Thirteen kilometres south of the famous university town of Cambridge and ninety-seven kilometres north of London. To the south are the neighbouring counties of Hertfordshire and Essex.
To the west of the village lies the Fowlmere moor. An area of reedbeds, grasslands and water pools fed by underground springs and a chalk stream. It is from this moor or mere (body of water) with its abundance of water birds that the village got its name, Fowlmere. The spelling has changed over time. It was Foulmire up until the end of the 19th century. Today it is Fowlmere.
In the past the village operated as a market town, a place where goods and services were provided. It was also a staging post for travellers to and from Cambridge. Fowlmere’s only pub The Chequers, dating from the 16th Century, provided food and drink for weary travellers.
The village has two churches, the parish church of St. Mary in the High Street, which dates to the 12th century. The other, the Congregational or Independent chapel was built in 1780. Records referring to our family are found in both churches.
The Village of Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire. Photographed: 2000
In 1794 there were around 70 families and 350 people living in Fowlmere. In 1811 this number had risen to 420 and by 1851 it had reached almost 600. It was a village where almost everyone knew everyone else on a first-name basis. A community in which some families had lived for generations, some for hundreds of years.
As is the case in most small villages, peoples’ paths crossed daily on the narrow village streets and lanes. In those times life was short, and sadly infant mortality rates were high. Poverty was all too common among the labouring class of which Charles and Mary’s families came.
And yet village life could offer things those larger towns and cities could not. The proximity to family and friends with much needed support in times of hardship. The freedom to explore the woods and meadows and appreciate the beauty that nature had to offer. Especially the birdlife that lived and thrived since ancient times on the water ponds of the Fowlmere moor.
THE SHERWOOD & PERRY FAMILIES OF FOWLMERE
The Sherwood and Perry families were relatively recent arrivals in Fowlmere. Mary’s grandfather James Perry (c.1753-1834) and his daughter Sarah were the first members of the Perry family to settle there. They left their home in Thaxted, Essex sometime after the death of James’ wife Susannah in 1781. The earliest reference to James in the village is 19 February 1783 when he married Sarah Fyson.2 Thaxted is 32 kilometres south-east of Fowlmere.
The Sherwood name (misspelt Shoewood) first appears in the Fowlmere parish church registers in 1811. Charles’ older brother William the son of William and Elizabeth Shoewood was baptised on 21 June that year.3 Sadly William (an infant) was buried two days later. Eighteen months passed before Charles was born on 5 December 1812. Unlike William, Charles was baptised in the Fowlmere Independent Chapel the second of two churches in the village. The other was the parish church of Saint Mary, the church in which William was baptised and buried. Independents or Congregationalists as they were also known, chose to worship in their church and not the parish church. According to the Independent chapel’s baptism book, Charles’ was baptised 9 May 1813.4 There were two baptisms that Sunday, the other being Mary the daughter of Jas. and Letitia Robinet. Charles’ baptism entry appears below. James. E. Miles was the Pastor who performed Charles' baptism.
Baptism entry. Charles the son of Elizth & Wm Sherwood.
Transcript
The same day Charles the son of Elizth. & Wm Sherwood aged 22 weeks
Fowlmere Independent Chapel (white facade) Photographed: 2000
Charles' parents and siblings
Mary was also born in Fowlmere. She was the oldest of James and Harriet Perry’s five children. According to Mary’s bible, she was born on 16 January 1813. The 16 of January was a Saturday. It was mid-winter and very likely snow had fallen in the village around the time of her birth.
Five months later preparations were well underway for Mary’s baptism. Her young parents James and Harriet both about 23 years old, chose to have her baptised in the parish church of St. Mary. She was baptised Sunday 6 June5 which just happened to be the first week of Summer. Summer brought with it the promise of warmer days. A pleasant time for walks along the village High Street or to venture further into the nearby fields and woods. Where dragonflies and damselflies hovered above the wild orchids and red poppies growing in the meadows. Where turtle doves foraged in the berry bushes and barn owls with their heart-shaped faces perched in trees, waiting for the cover of darkness to hunt their prey. And then of course there was the nearby moor with its abundance of water birds and crystal-clear pools fed by underground springs. It was an idyllic mix of fields, woods and marshes that surrounded the tiny village and its occupants.
Living in the village were Mary's grandparents James and Sarah Perry, and her great aunt Elizabeth Cooper née Fison. Then there were her aunts, Elizabeth Perry later Course and Sarah Perry later Sarah Sayer.
Mary was a week or so shy of five months old. The baptism was performed by John Dawson Wrigglesworth, a visiting curate to the parish.
Mary was a week or so shy of five months old. The baptism was performed by John Dawson Wrigglesworth, a visiting curate to the parish.
Baptism entry for Mary daughter of James and Harriet Perry
Transcript
6 June (1813) Mary daughter of James and Harriet Perry, Foulmire. Labourer. J.Wrigglesworth, Curate.
Saint Mary's Church, Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire. Photographer: R J Sherwood 2013
There was one other infant baptised that day. Henry the son of Elizabeth and William Pearse, a wool sorter from the village. On a visit to Fowlmere in 2013, a photo of Saint Mary’s baptism font was a priority.
Baptism Font, Saint Mary’s church, Fowlmere. Photographer: R J Sherwood.
The font was used in Mary’s baptism and dates to the 15th century. It was made by medieval English craftsmen who cut the font from a soft chalky limestone known as clunch. The bowl is octagonal, lined with lead, and sits on an octagonal base. When not in use it is enclosed with a wooden cover. Mary’s siblings along with her father James (c.1790-1864) and Grandmother Sarah Perry nee Fyson (1758-1820) were also baptised in the ancient church font.
THE MARRIAGE OF CHARLES & MARY
There are no further references to Charles and Mary until their marriage in Saint Mary’s church Fowlmere on 24 December 1833.6 It was a Tuesday and Christmas eve. With December being the first month of winter, there was the possibility that snow had fallen in the village. The service was performed by William Metcalf. He was the Rector of Fowlmere from 1814 to 1850. The couple’s marriage entry reads...
Charles Serwood (signs as Charles Sherwood) of this parish single man and Mary Perry of this parish single woman were married in this church by banns this twenty fourth day of December 1833. By me W. Metcalfe Rector of Foulmire. In the presence of John Law X his mark and Sarah All.
The two witnesses to the marriage were John Law and Sarah All. John was about the same age as Charles and may have been a friend of his. Sarah could well have been a friend of Mary. Sarah All/Alln was also a witness at Jane Sherwood's marriage to Thomas Morley in 1835.
We can speculate as to those who were present on the day. Mary's parents James and Harriet Perry, and quite possibly Mary's 80-year-old grandfather James Perry senior.
Mary’s only sister Susan, and her husband Rayner Harrip along with Mary’s five brothers; William, Thomas, James, John, and Frederick.
Then there were those representing the Sherwood family who were present. Charles' parents William and Elizabeth Sherwood and his grandmother Elizabeth Sherwood, later Dixon (c.1760-1850). The twice-widowed Elizabeth was living with her son William Sherwood in Fowlmere in 1841. She was most likely living in the village much earlier than this date. No doubt Charles' sister Jane and her husband Thomas Morley and Charles’ younger brother William were also present at their older brother’s marriage.
Then there were those representing the Sherwood family who were present. Charles' parents William and Elizabeth Sherwood and his grandmother Elizabeth Sherwood, later Dixon (c.1760-1850). The twice-widowed Elizabeth was living with her son William Sherwood in Fowlmere in 1841. She was most likely living in the village much earlier than this date. No doubt Charles' sister Jane and her husband Thomas Morley and Charles’ younger brother William were also present at their older brother’s marriage.
The following year, 1834 was an eventful period in Mary's life. A little over two weeks after she married, her new husband Charles was convicted of assault and threatened with imprisonment. Her grandfather James died in April and her first son Alfred was born in June and baptised in December. Her sister Susan married in October and her mother Harriet died in November.
Timeline: Mary Sherwood, nee Perry.
Very little else is known of Charles and Mary’s life in Fowlmere apart from an incident involving Charles. It took place not long after the couple married. Charles was charged with assaulting a boy by the name of Shadrach Hopwood. The assault took place on 10 January 1834. Shadrach was about 13 years old. Charles was 21. Shadrach was the son of Ann and Barton Hopwood, a labourer of Fowlmere. What Hopwood did or didn't do to provoke the assault will probably never be known. The case came to court exactly one month to the day later at the Rose Inn in neighbouring Melbourn. Charles was convicted by Henry Hawkins and William Metcalfe, two justices of the peace. William Metcalfe was at the time the rector of the Fowlmere parish church.
He held this position from 1814 up until his death in 1850. It was the same Rev. Metcalfe who married Charles and Mary 17 days earlier in the parish church. Charles was fined 9 shillings and 6 pence, the equivalent of a week's wages for a farm labourer. This amount was to be paid to Hopwood for 'costs'. In addition, sixpence was to be paid to Thomas Nash the overseer of the poor of the parish. Failure to pay the fine would have seen Charles placed in the Cambridge jail for a month.
BE It Remembered,
That on the Tenth day of February in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty four at the Rose Public House in the Parish of Melbourn, Charles Sherwood is convicted before us, Henry Hawkins Esquire and the Reverend William Metcalfe two of his Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the said County for that he the said Charles Sherwood did on the Tenth day of January last at the Parish of Fowlmere in the said County unlawfully Assault and Beat one Shadrach Hopwood contrary to the Form of the Statute in such case made and provided: And we, the said Justices, adjudge the said Charles Sherwood for his said offence, to forfeit and pay the sum of sixpence and also to pay the sum of nine shillings and sixpence for costs, and in default of immediate payment of the said sums to be imprisoned, in the House of Correction at Cambridge for the space of one calendar month unless the said sums shall be sooner paid : And we direct that the said sum of sixpence shall be paid to Thomas Nash of Foulmire aforesaid one of the Overseers of the poor of the Parish in which the said offence was committed, to be by him applied according to the directions of the Statute in that case made and provided: And we order that the said sum of nine shillings and sixpence for costs, shall be paid to Shadrach Hopwood the party aggrieved by the said offence. Given under our Hands and Seals the Day and Year first above mentioned.
H Hawkins. W’m. Metcalf.
The Rose Inn, High Street Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. 2019
To find out more about the incident, inquiries were directed to the County Records Office, Cambridge. Unfortunately, they were unable to offer much assistance. Their reply appears below.
The photocopy you enclose is one of the convictions filed amongst the Cambridgeshire Quarter Sessions Fowlmere Easter Term 1834. The case was actually tried in the Melbourn Petty Sessional (police) Court, records of which do not survive until 1913. We have checked with Cambridge Central Library which has an index to the local newspaper, The Cambridge Chronicle, for the period but this contains no reference to the incident.
THE FAMILY OF CHARLES & MARY SHERWOOD
In 1841 the first true population census for Great Britain was introduced. Previous attempts were no more than population counts. The census was treated with a great deal of suspicion in many quarters. Some saw it as a threat to individual privacy, while others regarded it as a prelude to the introduction of new taxes. Others still, felt it would be used to resettle the poor who had left their place of birth and had settled elsewhere.
To encourage cooperation from the public, local people were used as census officials or enumerators. One of the Fowlmere enumerators was the plumber, Joseph Mowbray. The census was taken on the night of Monday the 7 of June 1841. Recorded on the returns were the names of every person who stayed in the house the previous night, Sunday the 6 June. This included family members, boarders and any visitors.
1841 Fowlmere Census
According to the census(7) Charles was 29, Mary 28, Alfred 7, Charles 5, William 3, Harriet 2, and Arthur the author's great grandfather just 4 months old. The family was living in High Street Fowlmere, and Charles was working as an agricultural or farm labourer. Appearing next to the Sherwood family on the census was William and Mary Course and their two young daughters, Eliza, and Mary. William Course was Mary's cousin.
According to the 1851 Fowlmere census, the family was still living in High street and had grown to eight with the birth of Allen, Elizabeth and Mary Ann. This census was taken on the night of Monday the 31 March. The census collectors were Richard Johnson a 32-year-old draper and grocer and William Godfrey a 24-year-old wheelwright. This census contained additional information. The relationship of those present in each household was given as well as the exact age of each person. Small babies were quite often unnamed. This may account for why Stephen Sherwood who was 8 months old at the time, was not recorded.
Those at school or not employed were listed as scholars. Two of Charles and Mary’s children, Allen and Elizabeth are so described. Medical conditions were noted. Anyone who was ‘blind, deaf or idiot’ was to be recorded as such. Eight-year-old Allan Sherwood is listed as deaf. In 1851, the population of Fowlmere was 597. There were 128 houses in the village and 129 families. The number of families involved in agriculture was 80.
Apart from Stephen Sherwood the baby of the family, four other members of the family don't appear on the Fowlmere census for 1851. They were Charles’ mother Elizabeth, his brother William and wife Sophia and Charles’ son Alfred. No mention of them could be found in any of the parishes or towns in Cambridgeshire. I initially felt that they may have been part of an estimated 10 percent of the population who were missed on census night. There was also the possibility that they were living in another English county or had emigrated, possibly to Australia. While it took many years, we were able to locate all four. Alfred’s whereabouts on census night remained a mystery until 2005.
That year a complete list of the 1851 census was published on the internet. This made searching for Alfred Sherwood a lot faster and a lot easier. Alfred was located working as a ‘footboy’ in Maldon, Essex. Maldon is about 55 kilometres south-east of Fowlmere. A footboy was a young male, who along with other duties would run errands for his employer.
It’s interesting that Alfred pretty much continued this line of work when he lived in Australia. He appears in South Australian Post Office Directories as a bank messenger in Adelaide. According to the census, Alfred was 16 years old and born in Foulmire (Fowlmere.) He was working for Mary Wedd. Mary was a 59-year-old spinster. She was a land owner and living in High street Maldon. Also working for Mary Wedd at this time was Mary Ann Dyson. She was 27 and single and worked as Mary’s house servant. Mary Ann was born in Castle Hadingham, Essex. On the 1861 census Mary Wedd was still living in the parish of All Saints in Maldon. She was listed as the owner of a house and lands and a fund holder. Visiting Mary on census night 1851 was her 20-year-old niece, Elizabeth P Wedd. So, who was Mary Wedd and how was it that Alfred found himself working for her? According to the census Mary was born about 1792. Most importantly, she like Alfred was also born in Fowlmere. A check of the Fowlmere parish church baptism records reveals that a Mary Wedd was born there October 16, 1791. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth Wedd nee Crakanthorp. Elizabeth’s ancestor the Rev John Crakanthorp was the Rector of Fowlmere from 1667 to 1719. The Wedd family were wealthy land owners in the parish. Mary appears to have either purchased or inherited her property in Maldon, Essex. The Wedd family were also prominent members of the Independent church in Fowlmere. In fact, they played a large part in its establishment in the village. According to Dennis Hitch in his book “A Mere Village, A History of Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire.”
As early as 1758 a house belonging to the Wedd family was used as a meeting house for the Independents in Fowlmere. The present Chapel which still stands was built in 1780. The promoter of the new meeting house for the non-conformists of the village was Benjamin Wedd.
The Sherwood family were also members of this church as early as 1812 when Alfred's father Charles Sherwood was baptised there. So too was Alfred in 1834. It may have been because both families were members of the Fowlmere Independent chapel that Alfred was able to find work with Mary Wedd.
From information sent to me by Marika Borlase in 2011, I learned why Charles' younger brother William and wife don't appear on the 1851 Fowlmere census. According to Marika, William had left his wife Sophia and made his way to South Australia with Sarah Hayles. They landed in Port Adelaide in 1847. At some stage, William’s wife Sophia returned to the town of Great Chesterford, Essex where she was born about 1818. She died there in 1850. More about this later.
It wasn't until September 2012, that I learned where Elizabeth Sherwood spent census night in 1851. An online search of the census was made restricting the search to include only those counties which shared a border with Cambridgeshire. In no time the search produced the outcome I was hoping for but never quite expected. I found that Elizabeth Sherwood spent Sunday 30 March 1851, in Chrishall, Essex. The village of Chrishall is about 9 kilometres southeast of Fowlmere. On census night Elizabeth was staying with Tom and Lydia Creek and their infant daughter Laura. Elizabeth, a nurse according to the census, appears to have been attending to one of the Crick family members. As can be seen from the above, both the 1841 and 1851 English census returns are invaluable tools for making discoveries about our long, passed ancestors.
An interesting entry appears in the Cambridgeshire Quarter Sessions Book for 1855. A man by the name of John Scott was convicted at Foulmire, (Fowlmere) of having assaulted Mary Sherwood. I do not know if the entry above refers to Charles' wife Mary or their daughter Mary who was seven years old at the time. At this point, I have no further information on the assault.
1855. Scott John. Convicted, at Foulmire, assaulted Mary Sherwood.8
PART 2: LEAVING ENGLAND
brief overview
This part of the story can be found in the section The Ancestors' Journey- From England to Port Adelaide
The reasons behind Charles & Mary's decision to emigrate will never be known for certain.
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
For many emigrants, leaving home must have been one of the hardest decisions they
ever had to make. All left family and friends behind with little or no prospect of ever returning. We can barely imagine how difficult it was when it came time to leave. It would have been very difficult for Mary as she left behind her father James, her siblings, cousins and nephews and nieces. Those last goodbyes must have been especially hard for Mary's 66-year-old widowed father James Perry. He would eventually farewell three of his children, Mary, Susan, and Frederick and his grandchildren, knowing full well that he would never see them again.
And so it was, on a day in early December 1855, that our family left Fowlmere for the last time. It was more than likely a cold day as December was the start of winter. They made their way south to Portsmouth where they would set sail for Australia. Fourteen family members made the journey. Mary and Charles, their ten children and Charles’ widowed mother Elizabeth. With them most likely was Mary's nephew William Harrip age 20.
Charles and Mary were both 43 when they first stepped ashore. Their oldest son Alfred was 21, and their youngest child Frederick was just 2 years old. The ages of the other siblings were Charles Jr. 20, William 18, Harriet 16, Arthur 15, Allan 13, Elizabeth 10, Mary Ann 7, and Stephen 5. Charles’ mother Elizabeth Sherwood was either 67 or 68 years old. * Mary’s nephew William Harrip was 20. William was the son of Susan and Raynor Harrip and had sailed with the Sherwood family
FAMILY REUNION
Where the family went immediately after disembarking is not known. They may have secured employment at the Port and started work with their employers soon after. There is also the possibility that they chose to catch up with Charles’ younger brother William and his family. William arrived in South Australia in 1847 with Sarah Hayles on
the ship the British Sovereign. It had been at least nine years since the brothers had seen each other.
According to a very old family story, a reunion did take place between the two families. The story is one of several that were passed down through the family over several generations. All have proven to be remarkably accurate. Perhaps the story that has intrigued me most is the one that refers to the reunion with William’s family. It happened more than 160 years ago as I write. It had its beginnings in South Australia in 1856.
The story was told to me by my aunt and uncle Jean and Pat Sherwood. It was told to them by their father and my grandfather, Arthur Gordon Sherwood. He in turn would have heard the story from his father Arthur Sherwood Sr. (1841-1903) Arthur was 15 years old when he arrived in Adelaide on the Amazon with his parents, siblings, and grandmother Elizabeth Sherwood. The story up until this point has never been written down. It was instead passed on by word of mouth for four generations.
According to Arthur Gordon Sherwood...
His grandfather’s brother was the first member of the family to arrive in Australia. (Arthur’s grandfather was Charles Sherwood 1812-1881) After settling here, the brother is said to have encouraged Charles and his family to join him. When Charles arrived, he was reunited with his brother’s family but not his brother. Again, according to my grandfather, Charles’ brother had, ‘Run off with the parson’s wife.’
The story proved to be remarkably accurate. Charles did have a brother, his name was William. William was the first member of the Sherwood family to come to Australia. Just six weeks before Charles and his family landed in Port Adelaide, William disappeared. He didn't run off with the Parson's wife, but he did run off with his wife's younger sister. Leaving his wife Sarah and their son Charles William Sherwood age 8 to fend for themselves. William left for Melbourne with Sarah’s sister Rachel Hayles.
If the family did decide to meet up with William soon after they landed, then they did so blissfully unaware of what had happened.
When and where the reunion took place is not known. We do know that William and Sarah were living in Morphettville in February 1856. It may have been there that the two families met. William was the publican of the Queens Arms Hotel in 1855 and early 1856. Clearly, William and Sarah were struggling financially with their new business venture, the Queens Arms.
On 2 February 1856, the following notice appeared in the South Australian Register...
TO be LET, the Unexpired LEASE of Two Years of the QUEEN'S ARMS INN, BRIGHTON ROAD, with Stockyards and Stables; together with 40 acres of good land, all fenced in. Good water (the Sturt running through all the year) For further particulars, apply to Mr. W. Sherwood, on the premises.
With overdue rent payments and mounting debt, selling up and moving on (quite literally) was the option William chose. William and Rachel made their way to Port Adelaide where they bordered the Firefly and set sail for Melbourne. An understandably upset Sarah made her displeasure well known when she placed the following notice in the newspaper16.
Sarah's Sherwood
Transcript: SARAH SHERWOOD, of the Queen's Arms, near Brighton, will be glad to hear of her Husband, WILLIAM SHERWOOD, and her Sister, RACHEL HAYLES, who suddenly disappeared together on Monday evening, February 18, and have not since been heard of. February 20, 1856.
Sarah was living at the Queens Arms on 20 February 1856, according to her notice. Charles and his family arrived in Port Adelaide six weeks later 9 April. It is quite conceivable that Sarah and her child were still living at the hotel when the reunion took place.
We can surmise as to who may have been at the reunion. Apart from members of the Sherwood family and Sarah, also present may have been Sarah’s father Onesiphorus Hayles, her stepmother Ellen and her sisters and brother. The Hayles had sailed on the Star Queen arriving on 30 December 1854. Several years later Onesiphorus was the publican of the Morphettville hotel, about three hundred metres from the Queens Arms. The family story got it wrong when it said that William had run off with the parson’s wife. He did though, run off with the publican’s daughter.
We are fortunate that a photo of the Queens Arms has survived. It is held by the State Library of South Australia. The photo was taken in 1900 and appears below.
Queens Arms. Photographed 1900.
According to information included with the photo, the Queens Arms stood on 80 acres known as Section 150, Morphett Road, Morphettville. The hotel was built by Mr Anthony Best, and most likely completed sometime before his death in March 1850. It was described as an excellent stone-built structure with five rooms, which could if needed, be converted to seven. It was said to equal any in the colony, with unlimited views and conveniences. It had excellent cellar space and storage. The Sturt River ran through the centre of the section. There was also a comfortable cottage on the property. The hotel operated from 1851 to 1855. The building was demolished in either 1951 or 1952.
The news of William’s sudden departure on the evening of Monday 18 February must have come as a surprise not only to Charles, but also William’s mother Elizabeth. She was no doubt expecting to be reunited with her youngest son after almost ten years. William’s disappearance must have caused her considerable distress. And then of course, there was the added pain William caused his own family when he abandoned his wife and son. Whatever plans the family may have had that involved William were now in tatter
The next we hear of Sarah is in April 1868, twelve years later. At a meeting of the Glenelg Corporation on 3 April 1868, attended by the Mayor and five councillors, the following matter was discussed…
Report from police-constable referred to complaints of a stench from the premises of Mrs. Sarah Sherwood, near the Adelaide-road, where he found a pigsty in a very filthy state. Town Clerk to give Mrs. Sherwood notice to remove the nuisance.
A little over one month later, on the 6 May 1868, Sarah age 45 died.
Death notice Sarah Sherwood
Transcript
DEATH.
SHERWOOD. On the 6th May, at her residence, Glenelg, Sarah, wife of
Mr. William Sherwood, in her 45th year.
SHERWOOD. On the 6th May, at her residence, Glenelg, Sarah, wife of
Mr. William Sherwood, in her 45th year.
Sarah was survived by her son Charles William Sherwood. He was 19 years old when Sarah died. Charles married Margaret Patterson, 24 May 1873. He was 24.
EARLY DAYS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Elizabeth senior was living in Kermode Street, North Adelaide in December 1856, just seven months after leaving the ship. We know this from an advertisement she placed in the South Australian Register.
WANTED, by a respectable Female, who has had 10 years’ experience, a SITUATION as NURSE. Apply to Mrs. Sherwood, Kermode Street, North Adelaide.
Elizabeth had previously worked as a nurse in Fowlmere after the death of her husband William in 1843.
On 2 October 1858, Alfred married Jessie McInnes in Adelaide. By 1860 he owned a house in King William Street and was working as the steward for the Adelaide Club.
The family is next heard of in September 1859. According to an item in The South Australian Advertiser, they were working as tenant farmers in Bugle Ranges. M. Sherwood (Mary) was the leaseholder of section 3897, 50 acres of farmland in Bugle Ranges.
The satellite image below of Section 3897, Bugle Ranges shows the road running through Charles and Mary's leasehold.
Satellite image of Section 3897, Bugle Ranges
In 1859, the Land Board decided that part of section 3897 was to be used for a road that would pass through the property. Mary was paid three pounds and three shillings compensation. The owner of the property M. O’Brien was compensated for the loss of an acre of his land.
Section No. 3897, M. O'Brien, owner for land taken 1a 0r 11p. 13s. 9d. Section No. 3897. M. Sherwood, leasehold, for land taken, 3L. 3S. Approved and adopted.
M. Sherwood, leasehold section 3897
I suspect that not long after the family left Port Adelaide, they made their way to Bugle Ranges. A small rural community 40 kilometres southeast of Adelaide in the picturesque Adelaide Hills. On the grassy plains that spread from the base of Mount Barker, small farming communities evolved growing wheat and grain. The farm the family established on Section 3897 was four kilometres west of Mount Barker.
ANOTHER REUNION
Joining the Sherwood’s in the Adelaide Hills in October 1856 was Mary’s nephew Arthur Harrip. Arthur's parents Susan and Rayner Harrip arrived in March 1857. Susan was Mary's younger sister. They too had left Fowlmere for South Australia for what promised to be a better life. Soon after disembarking, the Harrip’s made their way to Strathalbyn. Unfortunately, Rayner died about five or six weeks later. Family folklore says that his daughter Elizabeth worked for the undertaker until the funeral debts were paid. He was buried at Strathalbyn.
Map showing the districts of Wistow and Bugle Ranges
Mary's youngest brother Frederick arrived in March 1858 on the ship Sir Thomas Gresham. Soon after he was reunited with his two sisters Susan and Mary and brother-in-law Charles. The reunion of the Sherwood, Perry and Harrip families was no doubt an important time for catching up on news from home about friends and family. Frederick would have brought news from his father James and his brothers William, Thomas, James and John.
Timeline showing the arrival of other family members.
By 1860, Elizabeth Sherwood had moved from Kermode Street North Adelaide and was now living in Cornwall Street. She was once again advertising for work.
EMPLOYMENT WANTED. WANTED, by a respectable person, a situation as PLAIN COOK or GENERAL SERVANT. Good references. Apply to Mrs Sherwood, Cornwall Street, North Adelaide.
September 1860. Elizabeth's advertisement for work .
With Elizabeth and Alfred living in Adelaide, I suspect that they both stayed in contact. Elizabeth was now 71 and most likely still supporting herself.
THE MOVE TO WISTOW
Ten kilometres southeast of Charles and Mary’s leasehold at Bugle Ranges is Wistow. In 1861, the couple leased section 2918, from the farmer John Eddy. The lease, dated 16 April 1861, was for 5 years, with a yearly rent of 40 pounds sterling. Charles was given the option of purchasing the land when the lease expired. The map below shows land leased by Charles & Mary. Section 3897, Bugle Ranges. Sections 2918 & 2897 Wistow.
Map shows land leased by Charles & Mary. At Bugle Ranges and Wistow.
The family remained at Wistow from 1861 to 1873. I assume that Elizabeth 15, Mary Ann 12, Stephen 10, and Frederick the youngest of the family age 7, were still living with their parents when they first moved there.
INSOLVENCY
By early February 1863, Charles was in dire financial circumstances, and unable to pay his debts. He was still living at Wistow and working as a farmer on land leased from John Eddy.
He had liabilities of £158 1s. 6d. which was owed to a dozen local creditors. Charles was required to appear at the local courthouse, Victoria Square, Adelaide 2 February 1863. He was declared insolvent and unable to meet his obligations to his creditors. Charles was represented by his counsel Mr William Wigley of King William Street. In the photo below on the left is the Local Court and Police Court Charles was required to attend. On right is the Post Office, King William Street Adelaide. 1851-1854.
Local Court and Police Court King William Street Adelaide. 1851-1854.
An order for bail was lodged on a surety of 50 pounds. This enabled him to avoid jail and be discharged from custody. It also ensured that he would appear at the next court hearing. The surety was posted by his son Alfred and James Hubble of Unley, coachbuilder.
Subsequent public meetings of the court were scheduled. They were to take place at the Local Court House on Monday 9 February and Monday 9 March at 11 am. At the first of these meetings, Charles was required to make disclosures of his estate and effects. Creditors were to come prepared to prove their debts.
PERSONAL AND REAL ESTATE
At the 9 February meeting, Charles was required to hand over all papers, books, documents relating to his estate. According to his accountant, Charles didn’t keep a book of his accounts, instead, he produced ‘A packet of papers.’ related to his financial transactions. This combined with statements from him, enabled the accountant to put a figure to his liabilities and assets. He had liabilities of 158 pounds 1 shilling and 6 pence. His and Mary’s assets were a mere 7 pounds and 18 shillings.
Accountant's report in the matter of Charles Sherwood, Insolvent
"Liabilities, £158 1s. 6d. Assets valued at £7 18s.0 £150 3s. 6d.
''The insolvent was a small farmer at Mount Barker. He has not kept books, but his transactions having been on a very limited scale, I have been enabled to prepare a tolerably clear account from his papers and statements. Loss on farming through bad crops and low price of produce is the cause of insolvency."
Henry Wood. Accountant
As far as real estate was concerned, the couple owned no land or buildings. Their estate (assets) which amounted to 7 pounds and 18 shillings was made up of...
Haystack about 3 and a half tons, worth say...2 pounds. 4 pigs 1 pound 8 shillings, About 10 hundredweight (500kg) of grapes on the vines, 2 pounds 10 shillings. Tools, 2 spades, shovel, rake, 2 hoes, pick, grindstone, 2 axes, wheelbarrow, 2 casks and one bag of corn and plough, 2 pounds. (Assets) 7 pounds 18 shillings.
Accountant's report in the matter of Charles Sherwood, Insolvent.
The family's living expenses were...
'About 25 shillings per week exclusive of produce consumed in the house.'
Articles claimed to be re-assigned were 'Furniture and wearing apparel under the value of 10 pounds.'
As to the causes of insolvency Mr Wood the accountant wrote ...
The farm account shews an actual loss, while the debts are increased by the necessary expenses of housekeeping and incidental charges.
FARM ACCOUNT
The second and final insolvency examination took place on 9 March. James Macdonald commissioner of the court of insolvency made his finding...
'I did award the said insolvent a second-class certificate on the ground that he has carried on his business without keeping proper books of account.'
As a result of his insolvency, Charles' lease at Bugle Ranges may have ended. He owed 8 pounds 5 shillings in rent. This was owed to his landlord Daniel O’Brien on 13 March 1863.
During and following Charles’ insolvency the family remained at Wistow as tenant farmers on Section 2918. This was 40 acres owned by John Eddy, one of his creditors. We can be quite certain of this as Charles appears in Post Office Directories for the years 1864, 1865 and 1867 as ‘farmer Section 2918, Macclesfield.’ Wistow is a small settlement in the Hundred of Macclesfield.
TIME TO FLY
During the family's time at Wistow, (1861-1873) Alfred and Elizabeth were well established in Adelaide. Elizabeth now in her early seventies was still working and supporting herself. The remaining older siblings either married or found work elsewhere. Charles the younger was working on Bowman's station at Crystal Brook with his younger brother Arthur, the author's great grandfather. William was twenty-three and living at Wistow when he married Jane Nisbit in 1861. They married at the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Mount Barker. By 1870, William and Jane had moved to Meningie a small town near Lake Albert, where they established themselves as farmers. William supplemented his income by driving the mail coach along the Coorong, from Meningie to Kingston.
Harriet the oldest daughter married John Duffield Jarvis at the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Mount Barker, 27 March 1862. On the marriage certificate Harriet, John Jarvis, and Charles senior, all gave Wistow as their residence. Harriet's father Charles was one of two witnesses to the marriage, the other was Elizabeth Sherwood. Whether this was Charles’ mother Elizabeth or his daughter Elizabeth who was 16 at the time, is not known. Harriet and John Jarvis established a dairy farm at nearby Mt. Barker Springs where five of their children were born. In 1864 and 1866 John Jarvis appears in The Adelaide Almanack and Directory as a farmer, section 3833 Macclesfield. Their farm was four kilometres from the Sherwood farm at Wistow.
Allan the couples sixth child married Melinda Hancock at Port Gawler in 1867. He went on to become a successful farmer at Dalkey. Elizabeth Sherwood a witness to the marriage gave her occupation as domestic servant and address as Norwood, Adelaide. This was either Elizabeth senior Allen’s grandmother or his younger sister Elizabeth. She was 21 years old at the time.
Mary Ann married Henry Henstridge in Mount Gambier in 1870. Her sister Elizabeth signs as a witness. Both gave Mount Gambier as their residence.
In August 1873, Stephen Sherwood age 23, was working for the baker Mr Sprenger, as a manager at the 'Railway works' near Naracoorte.
SECTION 2897 WISTOW
In 1869 and 1870 Charles is listed in The Adelaide Almanac Town & Country Directory as a farmer on section 2897, Macclesfield. This was an adjoining piece of land to section 2918. (See the map above.) Whether or not he continued to lease section 2918 is not known.
In August 1869, Mary's niece Susannah Harrip married Joseph Mitchell at her cousin Alfred Sherwood’s home in Melbourne Street North Adelaide. One of the witnesses to the marriage was Elizabeth Sherwood. She gave North Adelaide as her residence. It is not known if it was Charles’ mother Elizabeth who witnessed and signed the marriage certificate or his daughter Elizabeth. I suspect it may have been the younger Elizabeth. I say this because both Elizabeth and Susanna were cousins and about the same age. Elizabeth was 23 and Susanna was 24 years old.
DEATH OF ELIZABETH SENIOR
Sometime before July 1873, Elizabeth senior left Adelaide and moved to Wistow. A disturbing item appeared in the Southern Argus on 6 June 1873. Charles and three of his sons Charles Jr., Allan and Stephen were charged with neglecting to support Elizabeth.
Neglect of Elizabeth Sherwood 6 June 1873.
LAW COURTS. LOCAL COURT, MOUNT BARKER. Monday, June 2, 1878. ['Before Capt. Dashwood, S.M., the Hon. J. Dunn, J.P., and Mr F. May, J.P.] MAGISTRATES' COURT.
Charles Sherwood, Sen. and Charles Sherwood, jun., Allan Sherwood, and Stephen Sherwood, grandsons of Elizabeth Sherwood, were charged on the information of F. J. Smith, Clerk of the District Council of Mount Barker, with neglecting to contribute towards the support of the said Elizabeth Sherwood, an aged invalid. The defendants did not appear, and an ex parte hearing was had, upon which the defendants, Charles, Sen. and jun., were ordered to pay 2s. per week each, and the defendant, Allan Sherwood, Is. per week, with costs £1 each, no order being made against Stephen, he being only an apprentice 17 years of age.
The charges were brought on the information of F J Smith, the Clerk with District Council of Mount Barker. They were heard in the Mount Barker Magistrates Court, on Monday 2 June. None of the defendants appeared. Charles, Charles Jr. and Allan were ordered to make weekly payments towards the support of Elizabeth.
It is unlikely we will ever know the circumstances surrounding the matter. At face value, it would appear to be a sad case of neglect. Because we don’t know the whole story it would be unfair to pass judgement. I can speculate as to what may have happened. Before her death, Elizabeth was still living in Adelaide and because of her age 84, and her health was unable to support herself.
Sadly, she passed away a little over a month after the court hearing. Elizabeth died at Wistow on 11 July 1873. She was 84 years old according to information provided by her grandson Alfred. Elizabeth was buried in the Bugle Ranges cemetery, Archers Hill Road, Bugle Ranges. The cemetery is now overgrown and hardly recognisable. No headstone or marker identifies Elizabeth’s gravesite. It would appear to be a lonely end to a long and productive life. Part of that life was spent caring for others as a nurse. She was laid to rest in a remote grave a world away from where her life began. And yet, most importantly her memory lives on. She was still remembered all those years later by my grandfather as ‘Granny Smith’ even though she died before he was born. (Elizabeth’s maiden name was Smith) She must have made an impression on her descendants to be remembered.
Soon after Elizabeth's died in 1873, Charles and Mary moved to Penola, 350 kilometres southeast of Wistow. According to a Victorian Lands Department application in August 1875, Charles Sr. states that he was living in Penola in 1874.
Below is part of Charles Sr. application for land at Natimuk, Vic. 7 August 1875. Charles says that he lived in Penola (South Australia) during the past 12 months.
Part of Charles Sr. application for land at Natimuk, Vic. 7 August 1875
Living there at this time was his son Charles and his wife Charlotte. Their farm was on the Naracoorte Road, close to the township of Penola. The younger Charles appears in Boothby's Directory, as a farmer at Naracoorte Road Penola from 1872 to 1875. According to the publication Victoria and Its Metropolis, Charles Sherwood junior spent 3 years farming in Penola before coming to Victoria. Also living at Penola at this time was another of Charles and Mary’s sons Steven. Steven appears in Boothby’s Directory as a baker in 1875. He also appears in the Border watch newspaper as a baker & Confectioner in October 1875.
Charles and Mary’s stay in Penola was brief. By 1875 they moved again, this time across the border to Victoria. They made the move with their son Charles and his young family.
THE MOVE TO VICTORIA
According to Victorian Lands Department records, Charles Sherwood Jr. selected 320 acres of Crown land at Natimuk, Victoria. His license for the land was approved in October 1874. In 1875, Charles Sr. selected 235 acres at Natimuk and an adjoining 51 acres in the parish of Mt. Arapiles. Both father and son's properties were directly opposite each other, divided by the Apsley to Horsham Road, now the Wimmera highway.
Charles Sherwood Sr. selection at Natimuk, Victoria
The land Charles Sr. chose lay at the base of Mt. Arapiles. The mountain stands nine kilometres west of Natimuk and a further thirty-five kilometres or so west of Horsham. It rises 230 metres above the flat Wimmera plains. Its ancient cliff walls catch the suns light, exposing the rich colour, texture, and beauty of the rock surface. From the mountain in all directions, the plains were covered with the vegetation referred to as Mallee scrub. Dotting the landscape were stringybark, stunted oak and box, honeysuckle, and wattle. Gray kangaroos, echidnas, ring-tailed possums, sugar gliders, scrub-robins and white cockatoos were just some of the numerous species of birds and animals present.
A few kilometres to the north were Mitre Lake and Grass Flat. It was here that the early settlers found grass highly suited for thatching the roofs of their houses.
To this picturesque setting came other members of Charles & Mary's family. Their son Arthur and daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth at the time was single. She married Samuel Meek at Mt. Arapiles in 1877 and later settled at Kiata, a rural district not far from Nhill.
At about this time Arthur Sherwood was working in the Mt. Arapiles area as a farm labourer. Several statuary declarations, lease applications and correspondence between Arthur and the Lands Department, dating from 1877 through to 1879, show Mt. Arapiles, Natimuk, and Kiata post office addresses. As Arthur moved throughout the West Wimmera, working as a shearer and labourer, he used his parents' home at Natimuk and his sister Elizabeth's home at Kiata as a base.
It's not known why Charles and Mary left South Australia at a relatively late age (both were in their early sixties) and decided to settle in the Wimmera. Perhaps they were influenced by the fact that Charles’ sister Jane and her husband Thomas were living at Harrow, Victoria, some 60 kilometres from Mt. Arapiles.
Another factor that I'm certain played a key role in their decision to leave South Australia was the Victorian Land Act of 1869. This Act required large areas of Victoria previously occupied by squatters as pastoral runs, to be made available for agricultural settlement. Farmers were able to select up to 320 acres under the conditions of the Act. To select land, each selector studied maps of the district looking for sites. When an available site was found, he or she was required to mark out the selection. This was usually done by digging a trench 2 feet long, 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep in the direction of the containing sides. Pyramids of stone or posts were placed with notices on them at the corners of the allotment.
At 10 am, 7 August 1875, Charles complied with the conditions of the Act. The land Charles pegged out was described on a Lands Department Survey Map as "Good grazing land wooded with oak and box." His selection consisted of two allotments, which were divided by a road forming the parish boundary. Allotment 1 was in the parish of Arapiles and consisted of 51 acres. Allotment 10 was in the parish of Natimuk and was 235 acres.
The west boundary of his selection was boarded by the Arapiles timber reserve and Mt. Arapiles. The Apsley to Horsham Road (now the Wimmera Highway) formed the southern boundary of his land. Directly across the Apsley to Horsham Road was Charles’s son, Charles junior's selection. The occupiers of adjoining lands were Charles’s neighbours, Messrs. Jones, Wyatt and Keyte. Once Charles had selected, it was necessary to obtain a license to occupy the land. On 11 August Charles applied for a license on his selection. The license was granted on 1 November.
One of the conditions to be met after a farmer had selected land was to within two years of the license being issued, erect a fence around his property. The fencing enclosing Charles’s selection consisted of 37 chains of stub or picket, 72 chains of log, 79 chains of log and brush and 50 chains of brush fence. The cost involved in fencing in his selection was 96 pounds and 15 shillings.
A second condition of the license was that the licensee cultivates one acre out of every ten acres held within the first two years of taking up the license. Charles first crop was wheat, twelve acres in all with a yield of six bushels per acre. The following year he had ploughed and cultivated an additional 23 acres of wheat with a yield of 5 bushels per acre. The total cost involved in ploughing and cultivating the 35 acres was 70 pounds.
Before the land could be ploughed and the wheat is sown, Charles’s selection had to be cleared of the oak and box trees. By 1879, 3 years after being granted a license, 200 acres had been cleared at a cost of 7 shillings an acre.
While the first years on the land were taken up with fencing and clearing the selection and planting crops to meet the conditions of the license, it was also necessary to build a house in which to live. The house built by Charles with the help of his son Charles consisted of two rooms and measured 12 x 24 feet. The walls were of mud plaster and the dwelling was covered with a thatched roof. The plaster for the walls was composed of clay, sand and chopped straw. The timber frame of the house would then be daubed or coated with mud plaster. The cost involved in building the house was 25 pounds. According to the Shire of Wimmera Rate Books, Horsham District, Charles built his house at Mt. Arapiles sometime between March 1877 and March 1878. Other improvements were a yard and garden. The cost involved in establishing the garden was 5 pounds. The selection also had a dam which cost £10.00 to construct and a well 60 feet deep. There were also several troughs that were most probably used for watering the horses.
COUNCIL ROAD
From reading correspondence between Charles and the Wimmera Shire Council, it appears that the road which formed the boundary between the Parishes of Arapiles and Natimuk caused some concern as it ran through the centre of his selection. Charles wrote to the Council asking that the road be changed. By June the Council had failed to reply. This prompted the following letter.
Natimuk Creek, June 30, 1877. President and Councillors, Wimmera Shire.
Sir, I beg to draw your attention to petition sent in by me for changing roads which I pray you to take some action. Your obedient servant. his mark Charles X Sherwood
On 24 July 1877 the Council wrote to the Minister of Lands and Survey recommending the closure of the road.
"The Council find that the road if fenced in would be impassable owing to a large rock several feet high being right across and about halfway through."
The Council suggested the closure of the existing road would be offset by taking land elsewhere from Charles’ selection.
The map below shows the road running through Charles' selection in yellow.
His son Charles' property is shown at the bottom, right of the map.
His son Charles' property is shown at the bottom, right of the map.
Map shows the road running through Charles' selection
The Council proposed that the new road form the boundary between Charles selection and the Mt. Arapiles timber reserve. The new road would according to the Council, be in the public’s interest and that Charles had consented to the alteration and exchange of lands. The Council's recommendation to close the road and build another along the west boundary of Charles’s selection was accepted. The road is now known as Centenary Park Road.
It is not known what Charles objections to the existing road were and why he asked that it be changed. Perhaps he objected to fencing in the road. This would not only have been time-consuming and costly but also because it ran through the centre of his selection, it would have caused inconvenience and reduced the area of his land.
When a farmer had occupied his selection for 3 years and had complied with the conditions of his license, he could apply for a lease on his selection. The term of each lease was 7 years. The leasee paid a yearly rent of 2 shillings an acre. Under the New Land Act of 1878, the rent payable was reduced to 1 shilling an acre.
In April 1879, a letter was written on Charles behalf (on which his signature appears) was sent to the Lands Department requesting a lease under the New Lands Act. The letter appears below.
By May the following year, Charles had not received a reply to his application for the lease. This prompted the following letter to the District Surveyor at Horsham.
The District Surveyor, Horsham. 30/5/1880. Natimuk.
Sir, I beg to inform you that I applied upon two occasions for lease but suppose my application was mislaid. Charles Sherwood Senior.
Approval for the lease was eventually granted and advertised in the Government Gazette on 30 July 1880. By this time Charles’s health had deteriorated and he was close to death. On 31 July Charles junior sent a telegram from Horsham to the Lands Department Melbourne. The telegram read "I want lease as gazetted sent up at once, leasee dying of old age." Charles never received the lease. He died four days later age 67. He was buried at Natimuk on 7 August 1880.
MARY'S APPLICATION FOR LAND
Two and a half months after Charles died, Mary while still living at Natimuk wrote to the Office of Lands and Survey in Melbourne. The letter was written on November 16, 1880, on Mary’s behalf. In the letter, she asked that her son be allowed to ‘Peg’ land for her.
Natimuk October 16/80
The Secretary of Lands Melbourne.
Dear Sir, I would take it a great kindness if the government would allow my son to peg ground for me. Some land will be open for selection in a few days which I am anxious to peg. If you will allow me this concession, I shall be grateful. Kindly reply at once.
Yours Respectfully
Mary Sherwood.
Mary's letter to the Secretary
of Lands, Melbourne.
The land was in the parish of Woorak and amounted to 320 acres. It had previously been ‘Martins forfeited selection.’ According to the application for the licence, the land was on the west side of D. (David) Bone’s selection. The land was pegged out at 9 am on November 5, 1880. In a letter of support for the application, David Mitchell the local Justice of the Peace wrote...
Natimuk.
November 8/80
I have known Mary Sherwood for some years and as she is anxious to make a Home for herself near her children. She is a most respectable person and I trust the government will give her case their kind consideration.
Yours respectfully,
Daniel Mitchell. J.P
Mary was unsuccessful with her application. At a hearing of the local land board held at Dimboola on November 25, 1880, it was recommended that her land application be refused. The land was instead recommended to W Lynch. Some thirty years later Mary’s granddaughter Mary (Polly) Sherwood married W (William) Lynch’s son Bill. The couple took over the running of the Lynch farm at Woorak West after William Lynch died.
After Charles' death, his and Mary's selection was sold. Their son Charles also sold his property. Charles junior selected land at Tarranginnie close to the township of Nhill. According to Arthur Gordon Sherwood his grandmother, Mary Sherwood went to live with his aunt Elizabeth at Kiata. Mary died at Kiata a little over 12 months after Charles' death. She is buried in the Methodist section of the Woorak cemetery. No headstone marks the gravesite. The location of the grave being, Row number 1, grave 8 on the cemetery plan.
Mary Sherwood's obituary notice, 1881
Mary’s sister Susan died in 1887, at the home of her daughter Susannah Mitchell, in Mount Barker.
BEAMES. - On the 17th October, at the residence of her son-in-law, Joseph Mitchell, Pioneer Cottage, Mount Barker, Susannah Beames, the beloved wife of George Beames late of Crafers and Frewville, aged 68 years. Leaving a husband, 7 children, and 31 grandchildren to mourn their loss.
Mary’s brother Frederick died suddenly in 1890 under unusual circumstances.
A fatal case of sunstroke occurred at Milang on Wednesday. 5th inst. A labourer named Frederick Perry in the employ of Mr. A. H. Landseer, M.P., was taken ill during the afternoon. He was conveyed home when it was found that he had received a severe sunstroke. Dr. Moore, of Strathalbyn, was wired for, and everything done to relieve the un-fortunate man, but without avail, and in a few hours, he died. Perry never regained consciousness after receiving the stroke, which must have been of a most severe character. A word of caution (says our correspondent) may not be out of place here in regard to the headgear worn by both sexes. Many do not seem to have thought enough to make them provide suitable covering. Women are wearing tiny hats with scarcely any brim, thus laying themselves open to cases of the above kind. Men wear caps and endanger their lives in a most reckless way. A little fore thought would save much suffering.
Frederick died at the age of 62. He died at Milang, a small town on the edge of Lake Alexandrina. His wife Frances died there in 1911.
MARY'S BIBLE
When Stephen Sherwood and Jane Arnold married in Port MacDonnell, South Australia in 1876, they presented Mary Sherwood with a bible. The bible is 34 centimetres x 26 centimetres. Published by William Collins, Sons and Co. Glasgow, London, and Edinburgh.
Mary Sherwood's Bible
Written on the first page (flyleaf) of the bible ...
Presented to Mary Sherwood by her son and daughter Stephen and Jane Sherwood, February 28th, 1876.
Inscription on the first page of Mary Sherwood’s Bible.
Parent’s Names.
Husband: Charles Sherwood. Born: December 5th 1812
Wife: Mary Sherwood Born: January 16th 1813
Married: December 24th 1833
Mary and Charles were living at Natimuk, Victoria at the time. When Charles died in 1880, Mary stayed with her daughter Elizabeth Meek at Kiata, Victoria. Elizabeth had married Samuel Meek, farmer at Mt. Arapiles, Victoria in 1877.
How the Bible was passed down the female line of Mary’s descendants.
When Mary died in 1881, the bible remained with her daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth in turn left the bible to her daughter Maude Meek, later Sherwin. The second page of the bible reads...
Presented to Maude Mary Meek by her affectionate mother.
From Maude, the bible passed to her daughter May Ellen Sherwen. From May Ellen the bible went to her daughter Joan Richards. Joan was kind enough to let me photograph the bible when I visited her in 1996.
POSTSCRIPT
In 1875, some 590 families from Victoria and South Australia settled in the Wimmera. Many of the early South Australian selectors came from Mt. Gambier and Penola. The trip often lasting weeks was made in German wagons, buggies, drays, and carts. The selectors brought with them their horses, cattle, agricultural equipment and personal effects. Having selected they began the arduous years of making a living with crude implements from their 320 acres...Cultivation was primitive, with single-furrow plough drawn by two horses, one man holding the plough and the other driving the horses. The wheat when finally bagged was carted 100 kilometres to Stawell in a German pole wagon drawn by a pair of horses. The grain was sold to a miller, some of it being used for the farmers yearly supply of flour.
Charles and Mary must have experienced considerable hardship in those early days at Natimuk. In 1875 the year they took up their selection, wheat prices fell due to a sudden increase in wheat acreage. The following years, 1876 and 1877 were drought years in the Wimmera. In 1876 wheat yields fell to about 10 bushels to the acre and in 1878 wheat prices fell again. Many families were said to have sold out while some simply abandoned their land as debts accumulated.
When Charles died in 1880 a considerable amount of money was owed on his land. A total of 59 pounds and 8 shillings was due in rent repayments alone.
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'The Perry Family of Fowlmere and Thaxted.'
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