The Bricklayer's Legacy

The research for this blog post comes mostly from Carmel Peek, descendant of Francis Lawless. Carmel wrote for the Gunning History blog, the website of which my post has taken extracts from.

St Peter's Anglican church has stood proudly in the centre of Campbelltown's CBD for almost 200 years. Planning has already begun for its bicentenary next year. Built in 1823, it is the oldest building in the CBD and believed to be the third oldest church in the country. The church holds a special place in the hearts of the Campbelltown population. But who built and designed this wonderful old building and what is their story? Thanks to meticulous research by a descendant, we can provide a clear answer to both questions.

Francis Lawless was baptised on 6 March 1786 in County Meath, Ireland. In 1807 at the age of 23, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Dublin for highway robbery. In March 1809 he was transported to the Colony to serve out the rest of his life sentence. Francis was described as being a bricklayer "Height 5ft 10 and a half inches, Hair Brown, Complexion Fair/Ruddy, Eyes Grey".

Francis' skill as a bricklayer was probably about to save his life, not long after he arrived in the Colony. In 1810, he was charged with forging and uttering a paper purporting to be a Paymaster note for the sum of two pounds. Francis along with another man named Dalton pleaded not guilty. Dalton was freed but Francis was committed to stand trial. He was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. Fortunately for Francis, his sentence was commuted and he was sent to Newcastle "to replace Edward Young in the lime burners". It was likely his bricklaying skills and the use that would bring to the settlement that saw him reprieved. 

In 1816, Francis married Catherine Kearns at St Phillip's Church of England in Sydney. They lived at 10 Pitt Street, formerly known as Pitts Row. The happiness gained from the marriage was continued a few years later when Francis was granted Conditional Pardon in 1819. This, along with secure employment as an overseer for the Government, meant Francis Lawless was probably in a good space at this time in his life. Further happiness arrived in the form of an Absolute Pardon in 1821.

The building and designing of St Peter's Church at Campbelltown was one of a number of constructions Francis worked on whilst living in Sydney. Other buildings included the convict barracks at Parramatta and the Benevolent Society for Sydney. Building work commenced in 1821 and was completed in 1823. The design and solid construction of the church demonstrates the competency of Francis.

Francis (better known as Frank) and Catherine eventually moved from Pitt Street after Frank received a land grant in 1826. The grant was in the Gunning district and the locality of their property was named Lade Vale. Frank lived until 1874 at his son John's property at "Erindale".

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Gunninghistory.blogspot.com

Robert Lack

Compiled by Barry Lack using sources from Alan Shaw.

 

Most of what we know about the early life of Robert Lack comes from his still-extant enlistment form, dated 7-7-1795, on the occasion of his entry into the British Army at Waverley Camp (a temporary military camp set up in 1742 in Great and Little Warley, Essex, at Warley Common, an area used for several later camps, of which the 1778 one was visited by George III and by Dr Samuel Johnson). This document states that he was aged 21, had a brown complexion, brown hair, black eyes, was five foot six inches tall on admission, and could neither read nor write. Most importantly for research, he stated that he was born in the Parish of Lynn (now “King’s Lynn”) in Norfolk, England, and was by trade a shoemaker. 

 

Researching baptisms in 1773 and 1774 at the few churches then operating in King’s Lynn, we have identified two Robert Lacks, born in 1773 within a few months of each other. In the village of Syderstone, Robert Lack, son of John Lack and Sarah Freezer, was baptised at St Mary’s Church on July 10, 1773. In the township of Gaywood, Robert Lack, son of Robert and Ann Lack, was baptised at St Margaret’s Church on September 7, 1773. While no firm conclusion can be drawn regarding which Robert eventually enlisted at Waverley Camp, most researchers record Robert and Ann as the more-likely parents, as there was a strong tradition for Robert and his New South Wales descendants to name their first son after the father, perpetuating the name “Robert” for several generations. 

 

On enlistment, Robert was placed under the command of Colonel Sir Charles Asgill. By May, 1797, he was a gunner in the Fifth Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the Company's Commander being Captain Edward Wood. He received nineteen shillings in pay for the month of May, 1797, at which time his army career came to an abrupt and inglorious end.

 

He was discharged from the army on May 27, 1797, charged – along with another gunner, John Halbert, both men being stationed in the Park of Artillery in the parish of St. Peter and St. Mary, near the town of Lewes, in the county of Sussex, England –  on the confession of William Akine, that, in April 1797, he “did steal with force and arms in the company of others, 250 lbs of gunpowder, 3 barrels made of wood and copper (value 6 shillings), 4 tents made of hemp, linen, cotton, wood and tin (value 3 pounds), 1 marqee made of same materials (value 30 shillings), the goods and chattels of Lord King George III”. 

 

Committed to Lewes Gaol on June 7, 1797, by William Green Esquire, Robert was found guilty at the Sussex Assizes and sentenced, in August, 1797, to be transported “beyond the seas for the term of seven years to such place, etc.”.

 

He was transported, along with 103 other males, to the colony of New South Wales, departing from Spithead, England on June 21, 1801, on the ship Canada, in company with two other transport ships, Minorca and Nile. The Canada (393 tons) was built at Shields, Northumberland in 1800. It was under the command of Captain Wm Wilkinson, and the surgeon was Jn Kelly.

 

While three males died on the journey (which took 176 days, arriving in Sydney December 14, 1801), fortunately for Robert, his journey to Australia was in more humane and favourable conditions than other fleets and ships. This is reinforced by the following extract from page 93 of Frank Clune's book, 'Rascals, Ruffians and Rebels of Early Australia': "On 1st March 1802 Governor King wrote to the Duke of Portland saying, "All the settlers and convicts arrived by the Canada, Minorca and Nile in good health, and were by far the best conditioned that have ever arrived here....."".

 

Robert recognised his new home offered him a ‘second chance’. He was granted his Certificate of Freedom in 1804.  However, on August 18 that year, five men employed in a Government boat, viz. Peter Ware, Edward Loug, Robert Lack, George Howell, and Henry Hart, were taken before a Magistrate, and charged with stealing a quantity of corn out of a boat; which offence being clearly proved, they were severally ordered to be corporally punished, and the last named four sent to hard labour at Castle Hill. Governor King had begun a government farm there, on July 8, 1801, referring to it as ‘Castle Hill’ on March 1, 1802. In 1804, the convicts rebelled in the ‘Castle Hill convict rebellion’, also known as the second 'Battle of Vinegar Hill'. I am unable to confirm whether Robert was involved in this rebellion.

 

In the NSW General Muster of 1806, Robert was described as Free By Servitude, and a self-employed shoemaker. He joined the Loyal Sydney Volunteers under Governor William Bligh (1806-1808). In 1810, by his good conduct and behaviour, he was granted 50 acres of land at what is now Riverwood, NSW, by Colonel Paterson, the grant confirmed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie (emancipists figured prominently in Macquarie’s plans for the colony. As a result, he readily issued them with land grants of good farmland around Airds and Appin).

 

Robert was one of the early grantees in the Riverwood area, for, from 1788 to 1810, the area was inhabited by aboriginal tribes with an occasional visit by escaped convicts or hunters in the government’s employ. White settlement officially began in this area with land grants such as Robert’s.

 

On February 1, 1811 Robert was granted his Certificate of Emancipation and entrusted by Macquarie with keeping “in good perfect Substantial and proper repair” the road from “the Toll Gate Opposite the Factory in Parramatta to the Howes Bridge Windsor”, for which he was paid in rum (a contract – dated 28-2-1815, signed with an ‘X’ by Robert Lack, and witnessed by four government officials, including D’Arcy Wentworth -- and authorisations of payment -- dated 2-6-1815, 4-9-1815, and 16-4-1816, and signed by ‘L.M. His Excellency, Governor Macquarie’-- still survive).

 

Robert subsequently became an employer of convicts, for which service he was granted additional land, as is evidenced by a surviving letter (29-11-1825) from Robert Lack to Surveyor-General John Oxley requesting “one such quantity of Land as I may be entitled to” in return for maintaining convicts “free of expense to the Crown” (researcher Shirley White mentions a grant “of 60 acres at ‘Botany Bay’, later Peakhurst”). 

 

The 1822 Muster records William Eggleton as being an employee of Robert Lack in Liverpool; he also employed William Thompson on this site, and William Dyson on still more land, in Campbelltown, of which Shirley White notes that “he must have bought, because he didn’t receive it in the form of a grant” ). 

 

As Robert’s land grant was insufficient to maintain his stock and carry on cultivation, he requested (September 4, 1824) a further land grant from the governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane, due to his having maintained “free of expense to the Crown a number of convicts, to which he might be entitled under government regulations”. It is not known whether this last request was successful, as a further letter to the Surveyor General, John Oxley, dated November 29, 1825, provides details of convict maintenance. However, after 1825, due to the Bigge Report, governors were no longer authorised to issue land grants to those who had completed their sentences or had been otherwise pardoned.

 

In March, 1823, Robert was an Honorary Constable in the District of Airds. He and the other Honorary Constables in the district signed and submitted a list of eight measures to the government, to aid in “preserving that Tranquillity in the District which, for some Months past, it has enjoyed”.

 

On March 20, 1826  he  married Elizabeth Frazier (nee Eggleton, daughter of William Eggleton, his employee from 1822) at St.Peter's  Church of England, Campbelltown, NSW. Both were classed as "free" and signed the register with an 'x', following banns. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Thomas Reddall and witnessed by John Patrick of Airds, and Catherine Patrick, also from Airds, who signed with her ‘x‘ mark. Elizabeth Eggleton was born on February 18, 1796, at Prospect, NSW, to William Eggleton and Mary Dickenson, both First Fleet convicts. Before marrying Robert Lack, Elizabeth was married to John Frazier (Frasier).

 

Robert and Elizabeth had four children :

1. Robert Lack, b. 1824

2. Eliza Lack, b.1826

3. Sarah Sophia Lack, b. 1828

4. Elizabeth Mary Lack, b. 1831

 

Robert had a shoe making business in Airds, and established the first bakery in 1827, from which it is said, he supplied the government stores with bread. At the time of the 1828 census, he had acquired 60 acres of land, two horses and three head of cattle. In December, 1828, he had three bullocks and a cow either strayed or stolen from him. He placed ads in the newspaper offering a £1 reward or subsequent prosecution.

 

In 1831 Robert had a candle factory in Airds, using animal fats or tallow to make the candles. A second candle factory owned by Paul Huon also existed at the time. The Economic History of Campbelltown records that Robert and Paul were in partnership. Robert was also a Licensed Auctioneer.

 

Robert Lack died in Campbelltown, NSW, on April 12, 1832. He was buried April 16, 1832, by Rev. T. Reddell, in that part of the cemetery set aside for former convicts, at St.Peter's Church of England, Campbelltown, NSW. It has been suggested that there was never a headstone to mark his grave, as there had been opposition to him being buried in a church cemetery (consecrated ground) due to his former-convict status; however, some former convicts buried in St.Peter’s cemetery do have headstones, e.g. Edward Fletcher and Thomas Hammond.

 

In Robert’s Will he was classed as a settler in the district of Airds. He bequeathed to his eldest son, Robert (who would become the father of the lone survivor of the 1849 Lack Cottage murders) his farm of 30 acres in the district of Airds, adjoining Messrs Patrick and Riley. The residue of his real and personal property was left to his 3 daughters, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Eliza; the whole to be under the control of his wife, Elizabeth, for the maintenance and support of herself for her natural life, should she not again enter into marriage (she did, however, remarry, on 25-8-1834, to James Richardson, the sexton of St Peter’s Church, who would, on January 20, 1849, brutally kill her, her daughter, and her granddaughter, and critically injure her niece, inside the cottage that Robert had built for them). There is also reference in his Will to allotments granted to him in Campbelltown as well as land in Campbelltown, bought….Mr Daniel Cooper and now partly built upon. One of the Executors of Robert’s Will was Thomas Rose.

  

Memories of Laurie Stroud

The library was fortunate recently to receive the written memories of Laurie Stroud. Laurie grew up in Kentlyn and spent the first 25 years of his life there. It reveals everyday life in a small community, including hardships and highlights.

I thought I would share some snippets of Laurie’s valuable addition to the library’s collection.

 

 

Not so long ago I took a “trip down memory lane”. To be more precise I drove along Georges River Road where I lived for the first 25 years of my life - from the 1930s through most of the 1950s. This brought back many memories and I thought it might be of interest to historians and residents of Kentlyn (old and new) if I were to record some recollections of the way things were in “the good old days”. It might also serve to indicate the significant changes that have taken place in the intervening years.

 

Georges River Road

 

Georges River Road was the main thoroughfare in Kentlyn. It had a solid stone base (laid by convicts or the unemployed on the dole during the Depression?). Every 2-3 years the council would grade the road. The stone base meant that the grading essentially filled in the gaps between the stones – only to be washed away during the next heavy rain fall. The main benefit of grading the road was that a smooth area was created on either side of the road where the soil and gravel had been scooped on to the road. This smooth area was great for the few of us who had bikes. We could zoom along the side of the road at great speed without having to dodge the ruts. Regrettably this, too, was short lived. 

For ease of identification particular places on the road were named after residents (eg Carter’s Corner and Donaldson’s Dip). 

Never did I expect to see the road tared, let alone adorned with street lights.

 

 

Other Infrastructure

 

Well, we had roads but precious little else. For water we relied on the rain the fell on the roof of the house and flowed into a tank. It was a precious resource. Leaving a tap running was inexcusable. As for gas – a pipe dream. Sewerage – no chance. We did not even have the services of the “night cart”. No garbage collection but that did not matter to us. We disposed of our own garbage in what would now be regarded as an “environmentally responsible” fashion. 

Mum tried a couple of times to get the telephone connected but was told by the Post Master General’s Department that she would have to meet the cost of extending the existing line. That was estimated at around 700 pounds ( more than $50,000 in today’s terms) which was far more than the farm was worth at the time. 

However, electricity eventually came to the area around 1948. That was great but home owners had to meet the cost wiring from the street to the house. Sometimes this involved the erection of a pole to carry the weight of the wires. An electrician had to be employed to install the lights and power points inside the house. Then there was the cost of purchasing the “mod cons” to use the new power source. This presented quite a financial challenge. 

 

Georges River

 

The Georges River was an important feature in the local lifestyle. It was the nearest place for us to swim. Unfortunately, after a swim, the long walk home in the heat made us want to immediately return to the cool waters. 

A favourite spot was “The Elbow”. Here a rope was attached to a branch of a large tree overhanging the river. We could swing out over the river and drop off into the deeper water. This was great fun.

 

The Elbow.

 

The river was not just a place for recreation. Regrettably, every 2 or 3 years one of the bush walkers who visited the area would drown. On notification of the tragedy the police would immediately conduct a search of the area. Seldom did they find a body at this stage. But they knew to return about a week later when they had the most unpleasant task of retrieving the bloated corpse. 

After heavy rain the river would flood, bringing down a lot of debris in the process. The main (only?) casualty was the bridge at Freer’s Crossing. Initially it was only battered but eventually it was swept away. The army rebuilt the bridge but eventually it, too, suffered the same fate. 

 

Living Standards

 

Rabbits formed a regular part of the diet. They were plentiful and were shot, caught in traps or chased out of their burrows by a ferret into a net. Some homes had a vegetable garden plus a few fruit trees (all organic produce, even if we did not realise it at the time). There were also eggs laid by chooks – all free range. Local cows provided milk and butter for their owners and neighbours. After the autumn rain there were mushrooms to be collected in the open paddocks. They were much more delicious than the ones sold in the shops these days. 

 

Transport

 

In the 30s and 40s residents had to walk to Campbelltown to order supplies, ride a bike or travel in a horse and buggy. I was not until later in the 1940s that cars started to appear. Doug McKenna owned one of the first motor vehicles – a battered T-model Ford which had been converted to a ute. 

A major development occurred around 1948 when Jim Roberts started a bus service. The route was from Campbelltown Station, via the Soldiers’ Settlement and Georges River Road, terminating at Carter’s Corner (the junction with Peter Meadows Road). It was later extended to Minto Station. A major catastrophe occurred when Jim Roberts was severely burned when petrol ignited while he was repairing one of the buses. The Kentlyn spirit came to the fore and as a result of generous donations from residents the bus service was able to continue to operate. 

 

Community Activities

 

There were limited options for communication so locals took every opportunity to have a chat. Generally, this was when they visited one another or there was a problem to be solved. Despite the distances involved, every resident living on Georges River Road knew every other resident from Junction Road to the river. Quite a contrast to today when some may not even know the person who lives opposite. 

Local residents worked together to improve amenities in the area. The school had a Parents & Citizens Association and there was an Agriculture Bureau which served as a “Progress Association”. It was largely responsible for the location of Kentlyn Primary School.  At one stage a cooperative was formed to buy wheat and other goods for the farms.

 

 

An early photograph of Kentlyn Primary School

 

Perhaps the major community effort was the erection of a hall near where Kentlyn School is now located. The land was donated by Mrs. N. Payne. Fund raising activities were held, including a Queen of Kentlyn competition. Voluntary labour did the rest. The finished product was basically 4 walls with a polished tallowwood floor. 

Every Saturday night the hall became the centre of entertainment when a dance was held. Music was provided by a piano played by a volunteer. Supper was always served, thanks to the ladies who brought cakes to the gathering. Initially water for a cuppa was boiled in a kerosene tin over an open fire near the building. (One had to remember to place a green stick over the top of the tin to stop a smoke taste permeating the boiling water.) When electricity was connected, an urn was purchased to provide a much easier means of boiling the water. However, it was still necessary to go to the school to collect some water from the tank there.

  

Ice Cream, Ice Cream, we all scream for Ice Cream!

During the late 1970s, Lever and Kitchen built a new powder manufacturing plant at Minto. The company specialised in making dishwashing products, detergents, washing powders, and some personal care products. This was to ease the pressure on the Balmain plant. Built in what was then a rural setting, the plant was on the main road and railway route from Sydney to Melbourne.
The architect who designed the factory as also responsible for finishing the Sydney Opera House. Even the crane, used to erect the concrete Opera House sails was used to build the factory. Aiming to build an industrial park that was pleasing to the eye as well as agreeable to work in, some 3,200 indigenous plants trees were planted to create screening and an attractive appearance.

The area changed, with its housing estates and industrial developments, and the factory remained a local landmark. In 1987 a liquid detergent factory was opened adjacent to the powder plant. Ten years later, after the powder plant was demolished, Streets Ice Cream used the available site to build on of the most modern factories of its type in the world. In a Mayoral Minute from early 1996, Mayor Meg Oates “verbally advised council that she had received confirmation that Streets Ice Cream would be relocating to the Lever and Kitchen premises in Minto, and proceeding with a $70million development involving the creating of up to 300 jobs.”

A birds eye view of the Minto site c1998 (Streets brochure)

 Streets had been founded in the 1920s by Edwin (Ted) Street – Australia’s first ice cream hero. Ted began by hand churning frozen custards in his back shed in Corrimal, which he would sell to neighbours along with sweets, cakes and lemonade. As the popularity of his sweet treats grew, Ted started using a cart, then a one horse-power motorbike to transport and sell his delicious ice creams.
On vacant land next to the new Streets facility, Woodmasons Cold Storage was constructed. It was connected to the ice cream factory by an underground tunnel, which automatically conveyed ice cream by pallet to the cold storage facility for completion of freezing and distribution.

Today, Streets Ice Creams made at the factory in Minto are sold throughout Australia and New Zealand. On any given day, they make around 200,000 litres of ice cream which is equivalent to filling a couple of backyard pools! The street leading down to the factory is appropriately named Magnum Place. 

Streets Factory, Magnum Place, Minto,

https://foursquare.com

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources 

Streets Ice Cream brochure 1998

www.streetsicecream.com.au

Jimmy Helm's Cottage

The Helm family of Campbelltown settled in the area as early as 1859.

 James Baptist Helm, born c1851, is thought to be the son of German immigrants who arrived in Australia on the ship Beulah as Assisted Passengers. His father was known variously as Ludwig, Louis and Levice, and his mother was generally known as Catherine.

 His wife, Elizabeth Smith was born in Ireland, but came to Australia as a baby. Her family went straight to Maitland, but came to Campbelltown two years later. It was here she would meet James Helm and they married in 1876. Her father Robert was a Railway employee who was killed in an accident at the Sydney Rail Yards. Robert and his wife Mary are buried at St John’s.

 James was one of the early fettlers employed at the Campbelltown Railway by NSW Government Railways. James and Elizabeth had three children, Mary Agnes, otherwise known as Pearl born 1877, Lewis James born 1883 and Patrick born 1887. The family lived at a tiny cottage in Lindesay Street. Tragically, Patrick drowned in a tragic accident at the Woolwash. During the holidays in 1907, Patrick headed to the Woolwash with four friends, none of whom could swim more than a few strokes. At a spot known as the “Elbow” he entered the water, found himself in difficulties and was unable to get back to the bank. His mates tried to render assistance to no avail. Patrick was buried at St John’s Cemetery.

 Daughter Mary Agnes married John Walker, and they continued to live in Campbelltown.

Son Lewis James also continued to live in Campbelltown, but never married. He lived in the same small cottage in Lindesay Street, which was commonly known as Helm’s Cottage. His sister’s daughter Mollie Walker looked after him in his old age. Catherine Helm, Elizabeth and James Helm, Patrick Helm, Lewis James Helm, and Mary Agnes Walker (nee Helm) are also all buried at St John’s. The little cottage, which had been known as Helm’s Cottage in Lindesay Street was eventually demolished in 1973. 

Helm's Cottage, 160 Lindesay St (Bagley Collection, CAHS)

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources 

Trove

"More than bricks and mortar" by Andrew Allen

Rachel

Last week I was invited to the launch of Jeff McGill's new book titled Rachel. Jeff's book has been 40 years in the making and is the result of meticulous research and passion, typical of his books. I enjoy the way Jeff transports you back in time. I feel as though I am there on the crowded and chaotic goldfields; with Rachel on her horse as she chases brumbies through the Warrumbungles or sharing her overwhelming grief for her husband, taken so early as many from that period were. What a life she led. Too often the lives of women such as Rachel are overlooked, despite the significant contribution she made to the places she lived. It is easier to write about men from the time as their lives were regularly described in glowing obituaries. However, pioneering women's achievements were often overlooked. This makes Jeff's Rachel all the more deserving of recognition.

If you are seeking a book that you can't put down for your next read, look no further than Jeff McGill's Rachel. Published by Allen Unwin- Australia, it is available at most book shops and copies have been ordered for Campbelltown Libraries.

Written by Andrew Allen

A Sporting All-rounder

Campbelltown has produced a number of sports people that have got on to make a name for themselves in the national and international arenas. Names like Joe Quinn, Alyson Annan and Jack Crawford come to mind. However, I discovered on the weekend that another sportsman from Campbelltown had success in two sports and his name has largely been forgotten.

Cecil Dudley Seddon was born in Campbelltown on 3 July 1902 to parents Hezekiah and Janet. He dropped his first name and became known throughout his life as Dudley. The Seddon family played an important role in the development of Campbelltown. Dudley's father Joseph Pickles Seddon moved to Campbelltown in 1887 and purchased the cordial manufacturing business off Mrs Hurley. The factory was located in Short Street, opposite the train station.

Dudley first took an interest in rugby league and excelled at it. He played for the Newtown "Blue Bags" from 1920 to 1926. He was one of the New South Wales rugby league team's three-quarters in a representative match against Queensland on 5 June 1921.

Although Dudley was described as tenacious and plucky, he was quite small in stature and it was this disadvantage that made him switch to his other passion- cricket. He made his first-class cricket debut in a 1926/27 Sheffield Shield match against Queensland. A middle order batsman, Seddon made just six and four. 

He had to wait a year to make his next appearance, which came against Tasmania. Dudley failed again, only making 10 and 22 in his two innings.

He made three appearances in New South Wales's winning 1928/29 Sheffield Shield campaign. His best performance came against Queensland at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he made a pair of half centuries (80 and 59). In his final first class innings that summer, he made a career best 134 against Tasmania.

However, it was probably as a national selector that Seddon became famous. He was a selector for the national team along with Sir Donald Bradman and Jack Ryder for the 1954/55 season against England. He was a national selector from 1954 to 1967.

Dudley Seddon died at Dulwich Hill in 1978. 

Written by Andrew Allen