Bells Line of Road

Much has been written throughout this year on the crossing of the Blue Mountains as we celebrate 200 years of the crossing by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson.

Blue Mountains. Photo: M. Nichols, 2010

Archibald Bell Jnr (1804-1883) is credited with discovering another route across the Blue Mountains in 1823 when he was only nineteen years of age. He apparently got the directions from an Aboriginal woman and this route (from Richmond to the Coxs River) became known as Bells Line of Road, offering a quicker route from the Hawkesbury over the mountains and westward.

Information about the discovery were published shortly after in The Sydney Gazette 9 October 1823

We are happy to announce that Mr. Archibald Bell, junior, of Richmond Hill, has, after one unsuccessful attempt, at last effected a passage from that part of the country to Cox's River (on the other side of the Blue Mountains), which as the pass across these mountains trends so much to the northward, will not only be the readiest route from the Hawkesbury and Hunter's River, but will be as near from Parramatta as the old road over the mountains by way of Emu ford, and infinitely less difficult and sterile. Mr. Bell is entitled to the sole merit of this discovery; and is now gone to repeat and survey the route accompanied by a Gentleman from the Surveyor General's Office, and with government men and horses. He travels N. W. from Richmond about 14 miles to Picture Hill, and thence due W. to Tomah, which is a round hill seen on the right from the burnt weather-boarded hut on the Bathurst Road. On going West about half way up this mountain he turned to the South, and after proceeding about a mile in that direction, found an excellent passage down it. He then proceeded round the side of an opposite hill, about a mile and a half in a N. W. S. W. direction, and then bore W. for the remainder of the day, and N. W. the next day till he reached Cox's River. He found no rocky ground till after leaving Tomah, and the whole distance of it then did not exceed 8 or 9 miles. The greatest difficulty he had to contend with, was in the thick part of his way to Tomah, so much so that in one place he was forced to cut his way through three miles. He left a good tract all the way he went, and was never obliged to unlade(sic) his baggage horses. The whole of Mount Tomah is covered with ash, and sassafras trees of a prodigious size. It is only after leaving Tomah that the country assumes, for 5 miles, the appearance of the Bathurst Road in point of grass; but even, for that space, the feed is better than near the weather-boarded hut on that road. After that distance excellent grass continues with little variation for the rest of the way;  there is plenty of water the whole way. The distance of this route, from Richmond to Cox's River, may be estimated at about 35 miles; but the return of the Government Assistant Surveyor, and party, will enable us certainly, to lay down and perhaps shorten the road.

Bell kept a journal of his explorations, and descendant (Gt-Grandson) Frederick Douglas Bell donated the journal to the Mitchell Library in 1977 [MLMSS 1706 ADD-ON 1071] The journal was transcribed in the Royal Australian Historical Society Journal in 1980 (Vol. 66 Pt 21 pp. 91-96).

A burglary in Windsor - Trove Tuesday

In April 1828, William Ford and Samuel Tibbin carried out a burglary in the Windsor district. Stephen Hunter resided in the Cornwallis area and was awoken after midnight and noticed some men trying to enter his home. Shots were fired. Fortunately Jones, a neighbouring labourer, heard the ruckus and ran to Hunter's place to assist. With a pitch-fork he was able to take William Ford as a  prisoner.

Meanwhile, Windsor's Chief constable Benjamin Hodgin, was given some information which led to him going to a house, inhabited by a Mr Pitthouse, and  taking Samuel Tibbin into custody. 

James King, a prisoner employed in the No. 10 iron gang, provide the court with an account, when the case was tried before Justice Stephen, on the 24 May 1828. Published in the Australian, the report on the 28 May 1828, provides interesting reading.

"I absconded from that gang on Easter Sunday, the 6th of last April, in company with the two prisoners, and went into the bush.  On the day following we met with a man named Maloney, and all three went to Mr. Cox's paddock at Richmond, and concealing ourselves, slept there all day.  From thence we went to Windsor, and returning a little time before day-break, again concealed ourselves, and sleeping the whole of the day, went out at midnight and took a direction towards the farm of Stephen Hunter, the prosecutor. Maloney, the two prisoners at the bar, and myself, went in company. 

Maloney opened the window, and the two prisoners went into the house. We had two muskets between us. Maloney had one, and Ford another. Maloney was the first who entered the house by means of the window, and he opened the door to admit the two prisoners. I remained outside on sentry. A good deal of bustle took place in the house. Maloney came to the door, and I saw him discharge his musket into the house.  Our object in going there was to get all we could.  Immediately upon the discharge of the piece there was a cry of murder set up in the house, and we all ran off.  

Prisoner Ford was stopped and taken a short distance off.  The gun now produced was in the possession of Ford on the occasion spoken of. Maloney gave it to Ford.  The piece that was discharged contained small pieces of stone.  I was apprehended on the present charge."

Eventually the Jury found both of the prisoners guilty. William Ford and Samuel Tibbin were sentenced to death and executed on 11 June 1828.

Early days of Windsor

In 1916 the Publishing company Tyrell's Limited published the local history book titled "Early Days of Windsor" The book was originally written as a weekly series which appeared in the Windsor & Richmond Gazette from about 1914. The original series can be access via Trove.

Rev James Steele was the Presbyterian minister in Windsor and obviously took an interest in the history of the Hawkesbury. He spent "much time and labour in gathering his material and in disinterring from the somewhat dusty chambers of the past."

The book was reprinted by the Library of Australian History in 1977 and has been always been in demand. It recently became available under the auspices of Project Gutenberg Australia and Early Days of Windsor is now available to access for free. 

The book is based on Windsor and chapters are included on early settlement, origin of names, history of churches, schools, bridges, Hawkesbury Benevolent Society, local government as well as pioneering families and identities. The book is indexed and illustrated. If you have not consulted this little treasure, check it out.

Cover of  Early Days of Windsor

Unlucky or what - Trove Tuesday

Was William Adams unlucky or what? 

In May 1846, an unfortunate accident was recorded in the township of Windsor. 

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that "William Adams, a man employed in Cadell's brewery, was, on Thursday last, riding through George-street, when a dog lying in the road, just opposite Mr Laban White's, tripped his horse, which threw him with great violence on the street. The poor man damaged his head, and cut his side to a serious extent the horse, too, was nearly killed." 

But wait there is more...

"The same man is he who about twelve months ago, was thrown off Messrs Cadell's dray on the Sydney road, and hurt himself so severely that amputation took place of one of his arms. The want of the arm tended to make his late fall more serious, because of his not being able sufficiently to save himself."   

NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. Sydney Morning Herald 4 May 1846 p. 2. 

   

Devastating bushfires - Trove Tuesday

As the devastating bushfires head towards Bilpin (as I type), burning thousands of hectares, it brought to mind some of the horrific bushfires that have taken place in the Hawkesbury's past, so I turned to Trove to find more information from the digitised newspapers.

Looking towards the Kurrajong Hills today from Wilberforce © M. Nichols 2013  

In early December 1944,  bushfires wreaked havoc over the Hawkesbury district. Two lives were lost as a result. The Windsor & Richmond Gazette reported on the 13 Dec 1944 the "nightmare picture of roaring flames, choking smoke and blistering heat, succeeded by a calm night of macabre beauty from millions of twinkling lights of burning trees and posts, and a new day of black desolation and silence broken only by shots as burned and blinded animals were put out of their misery.

Another destructive fire occurred in the Kurrajong district, around Comleroy Road. The newspaper reported on the 17 Dec 1926, that it was on of the "worst bush fires experienced" for over 50 years. "Thousands of acres of grass and standing crops, together with several buildings" were destroyed, with over 300 fire-fighters fighting the fires.

There was a close call when a fire in the Londonderry area head towards South Windsor in December 1951. On the same day there were also fires in Springwood and the lower mountains. The temperatures were extremely high and the wind blew from many directions. The Windsor & Richmond Gazette 12 Dec 1951 recorded that only a change of wind saved South Windsor. 

Hawkesbury in print - Trove Tuesday

210 years ago the first newspaper in Australia was published. The  “Sydney Gazette” is a very important source of historic material on early life in the colony and for the first few decades of the settlement, it was the only printed record documenting the day to day activities. It was originally published weekly by Australia’s first newspaper commenced in 1803 and was established by  George Howe (1769-1821) and the editor stated in its first edition "We open no channel to political discussion or personal animadversion [criticism]; information is our only purpose…" Howe was allowed to use the Government's press & type for the publication but it was accomplished out of his own pocket. Due to the cost of ink and paper, newspapers were often very small. In the early years, the Sydney Gazette averaged about four pages per edition and because of this, articles were kept to a minimum. Despite the limitations on the paper the Hawkesbury features in this historic issue.

The first mention of the Hawkesbury district appears in the first issue 5 March 1803 p. 4 and records the death of a settler, Mr Withers and that of Maria Wood and the fate of her orphaned children.

 The Sydney Gazette 5 March 1803 

The Hawkesbury went onto be recorded in the media many many more times over the years. In fact Trove Australia records at 327,845 mentions of the word in at least 525 newspapers in states and territories all over Australia. Hopefully as more newspapers are digitised and transcribed this number will increase tenfold.

Sale of a Windsor wife: a disgraceful transaction - Trove Tuesday

This enlightening tale is well-known by many residents of the Hawkesbury but I thought it was an excellent story for Trove Tuesday. Remember if you were married, divorce and remarriage was almost never an option, and many couples went on and lived in de-facto relationships. Legislation was not introduced in Australia until the latter half of the nineteenth century. There was much debate surrounding this disgraceful transaction however it seemed a win-win situation for all involved, yet the authorities did not see it this way and all involved were punished.

In mid-1811 an "account of a most disgraceful transaction" which was published in the Sydney Gazette newspaper.  Ralph Malkins tried to sell his wife. He led her around the streets of Windsor, by a length rope tied around her neck, offering her for sale. Thomas Quire decided Mrs Malkins was worth purchasing, paying £16. The wife suggested Thomas would "make her a better husband." 

Sydney Gazette, supplement. 14 September 1811 p. 2

The article appeared in p. 2 of a supplement on 14 September 1811:

"A person (for a man I cannot call him) of the name of Ralph Malkins, led his lawful wife into our streets on the 28th ultimo, with a rope round her neck, and publicly exposed, her for sale; and, shameful to be told, another fellow, equally contemptible, called Thomas Quire, actually purchased and paid for her on the spot, sixteen pounds in money, and some yards of cloth. I am sorry to add, that the woman herself was so devoid of those feelings which are justly deemed the most valuable in her sex, agreed to the base traffic, and went off with the purchaser, significantly hinting, that she had no doubt her new possessor would make her a better husband than the wretch she then parted from. This business was conducted in so public a manner far outraged all laws human or divine, that a Bench of Magistrates, consisting of Mr. Cox, the Rev. Mr. Cartwright, and Mr. Mileham, had it publicly investigated on Saturday last, and all the odious circumstances having been clearly proved, and even admitted by the base wretches themselves, the Bench sentenced this man to receive 50 lashes, and put to hard labour in irons, in the gaol gang Sydney for the space of three calendar months; and the woman to be transported to the Coal River for an indefinite time.      

                       

The public indignation at so gross a violation of decency was most unequivocally expressed by the acclamations with which the sentence was received by a numerous concourse of people who assembled to know the event of so extraordinary and unprecedented a business -- Their feelings were worthy of Men, and judging from them, I trust with confidence   that the recurrence of such a crime will not take place here at least for the present generation.- The laudable promptitude with which our Magistrates took up the business, and the quantum of punishment (still less than they deserve) which they pronounced, will, I have no doubt) produce the most salutary effect throughout the Colony, and check the progress of a crime, which if persevered in, would degrade the Inhabitants, and intail perpetual disgrace on their children and families."