Arrival in Sydney Cove
The ‘Thomas Arbuthnot’ arrived in Sydney on the 17th January 1849 with a family bereaved and depleted.
Sarah Ann was 7 years of age, Maurice 5 years and George Abner 2 ½ years old, George was without his wife and baby son, the children without a mother.
There were a series of notices in the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ and ’Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser’ announcing the arrival of the immigrants, what their skills were and asking for offers of employment. With skill shortages extreme at this time most gained employment quickly. George Gray was amongst the five stonemasons/masons listed as married on the shipping news.
DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. – THE IMMIGRANTS
The male adults by the Thomas Arbuthnot will be open to engagements on Friday, at ten o’clock; the following is a list of their various callings.
MARRIED – Agricultural labourers 28; carpenters 4; wheelwrights 2; blacksmith, 1; gardeners 2; masons 5; bricklayers 2; brazier 1; watchmaker 1; groom 1. 1
20 January 1849; IMMIGRANTS. — Yesterday forty-five of the Thomas Arbuthnot immigrants arrived in Maitland per steamer. They comprise ten married couples, having among them fifteen children; eight young men, and three young women; while among the children there are two girls of thirteen years old. There is also still one of the Walmer Castle families at the immigrant barracks, East Maitland. 2
24 January 1849; IMMIGRANTS.—On Sunday sixteen more of the Thomas Arbuthnot immigrants arrived in Maitland per steamer, being four married couples having eight children among them, three of these (two girls and a lad) being more than fourteen years old. The engagements of the Thomas Arbuthnot immigrants, as registered at the police-office, have been as follows : five married men have engaged (three of the wives assisting) as general or farm servants, at £17, £24, £28, and £35 per year, with rations or board and lodging ; three young men have engaged, one as carpenter, at £26 per year, and two as general or farm servants, at £14 per year; and one young woman has engaged as house servant at 6s. per week. 3
31 January 1849; IMMIGRANTS.—Since our last publication the hiring of the Thomas Arbuthnot immigrants has proceeded more slowly than has been the case with any previous immigrants, excepting perhaps the refugees from France. One family has been discharged from the depot, the husband having refused a reasonable offer of employment, while two other families, one young woman, and one young man, have left the depot to join friends or without engagement. One man and wife have been hired as shepherd and hutkeeper at £25 per year and two rations ; one married man has hired as a carpenter in town ; four girls and young women have hired as house servants, at 2s. 6d. per week, and £10 and £13 per year ; and three young men have hired, one as a shopman at £12 per year, one as a farm labourer at 5s. per week, and one as a mason in town.4
31 January 1849; IMMIGRATION.—A mistake having occurred in the paragraph respecting the distribution of the immigrants by the Thomas Arbuthnot, we now insert it correctly. There were hired from the ship 52; left the ship on their own account 84; sent to Maitland 59; sent to Bathurst 40; received into Hyde Park Barracks 25 single females, who obtained engagements immediately.—Herald, Jan. 29. 5
Hunter River – Queens Wharf, Morpeth, New South Wales
A further record obtained by another researcher from the microfiche records at the NSW State Michell Library states; “George Gray, Mason. 31, 1 Child between the age of 7 to 14 and 2 between the age of 1 to 7. They spent 2 days on board the ship in Harbour, then went to friends at West Maitland. The Government having conveyed them to the Maitland Depot.” 6
Despite the record stating that Edmund Bull was at ‘Prospect Plains’ it is a mistake like the misspelling of ‘McDouald’. Edmund Bull was living in the Patrick’s Plains area with McDouall at New Freugh.
Artist: Edward Charles Close
After being delivered to the Maitland Depot, George Gray then arranged to get himself and his young children to McDouall’s ‘New Freugh’ Station. George Abner in his journal, described how travelled to the station, George (senior) and daughter Sarah (8 years) went by ‘Cobb and Co’ coach, but this is just likely to have been a horse drawn coach as the company did not start until 1853.
Morpeth to New Freugh Station
It is about 50kms on today’s roads to get from Morpeth to New Freugh with the map below showing how ships would have come in at Newcastle and travelled to Morpeth where stage coaches and other forms of transport would have picked up passengers to take them further on up the Hunter River and surrounding areas. Although the lands are cleared now, at that time they would have been heavily forested and the roads unsealed dirt.
It is possible that George Gray and his daughter Sarah travelled by Messrs Reeves and Munro either by stage or mail coach which were advertised with daily services from Morpeth which is the place George Abner says they started on their overland journey.
Given the prevalence of bushrangers and highwaymen, the ‘Safe and sure travelling,’ by the mail would have tried to alleviate some of the concerns along with … “Hail, rain, snow, or blow. The Mail must DAILY go.”
However, the journey for Maurice (7 years) and George Abner (3 years) was with the bullock team, something that would be unheard of these days. George Abner said that ‘two bullock teams were down with wool and we had to take back rashens for the station.’ 7 It is obvious though, that George Gray on going ahead, had arranged for people to care for the boys as they travelled. The bullock team drivers were likely linked to the station taking rations back there, and it appears they did look after them. Given Edmund Bull had been at New Freugh since 1845 it is reasonable to presume he would have known the bullock team drivers. The road from Morpeth to New Freugh Station was along what would have been part of the Great Convict Trail North. These days on much better roads google maps indicates it would take between 9 and 12 hours however the road would have been fairly rough in 1849. We know from George Abner’s journal that they made stopovers, it is easy to surmise that it is likely the team were making deliveries to other stations along the way to make the trip worthwhile.
The Great North Road can be seen on the map to the left along with the connecting roads which included the section from Morpeth to New Freugh which connected Scone through to Newcastle. It was convict built. A link to a Cartoscape map is here.
George Abner Gray’s journal recalls his memories of that journey and gives a sense of what it was like as a small boy in his first days in the colony travelling with his brother;
“My poor father had a bad time with us three little children coming to an unknown world of uncivolised people like Australia was at that time.
Arrived at Morptes Hunter River, two bullock teams were down with wool and had to take back rashens for the station. My Father and sister went on by Cob & Co. Coach. Father made arrangements at any place he could along the road for my brother and I to be accomadated as he and I were with the teams. The first place we called at was a slab house with bark and no flower. My brother and I went down to the house and a dear little woman met us, she said “Are you the two boys who have no Mother” I said “Yes Mom” she put her hand on my head and I could see tears running down her cheeks … She then gave my brother and I a good slice of bread and butter, that was the first we had in Australia. She was a dear little woman who I had not seen nor will ever see again, but I will always remember her, although nearly 70 years ago … After a time we reached the station then my joy commenced as it was near to my soal to go out with shepoords with the sheep and to watch lambs playing on the high rock above.” 7
Although there is no record of sheep at New Freugh, just across the river at Glendon they were well known for their sheep breeding. So George Abner’s stories about the sheep on the station are accurate.
References
- NSW State Archives: GRAY George Assisted Immigrants Index 1839-1896 Age: 31 | Ship: Thomas Arbuthnot | Year: 1849 | Copy: Reel 2135, [4/4786] Page 242; Reel 2460, [4/4914]
- Online Ancestry record : Researched at Mitchell Library Sydney. Records Microfilmed under the Australian Joint Copy Project. PRO Reel 6887 CY2031 reel A1251 170 Register of Births and Deaths At Sea 1847-1854 Thomas Arbuthnot – EVELYN SMITH
- Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), Thursday 18 January 1849, page 2
- Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 – 1893), Saturday 20 January 1849, page 2
- Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 – 1893), Wednesday 24 January 1849, page 2
- Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 – 1893), Wednesday 31 January 1849, page 2
- Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 – 1893), Wednesday 31 January 1849, page 3
- Online Ancestry record : Researched at Mitchell Library Sydney. Records Microfilmed under the Australian Joint Copy Project. PRO Reel 6887 CY2031 reel A1251 170 Register of Births and Deaths At Sea 1847-1854 Thomas Arbuthnot – EVELYN SMITH
- The Journal of George Abner Gray 1846 – 1941 from the Original Clarence River Historical Society Grafton Second Edition 1975 page 5
- The Journal of George Abner Gray 1846 – 1941 from the Original Clarence River Historical Society Grafton Second Edition 1975 page 5
George Gray - Stonemason & Builder 