McArthur | Telfordfamily

McArthur Family in Australia

The McArthur family arrived at Sydney Cove aboard the "Canton" on 3rd September 1835.

However during the voyage one passenger developed smallpox and the ship and its passengers were therefore held at the Spring Cove Quarantine Station, North Head and were only finally released on Wednesday October 7.

Newspaper reports of its departure ( The Times of 1 May 1835), arrival and quarantine are shown at right.

After release from quarantine the Sydney Herald also reported that

“The emigrant passengers by the Canton have presented Messrs Mordant and Smith, Chief and Second Officers of that ship, with two handsomely executed silver snuff boxes, upon which is engraved an inscription, expressive of their sense of their kindness and gentlemanly conduct during the voyage.”

Notably the ship’s captain was not included in this gesture of appreciation, in fact a short time later Captain Porter was charged with assaulting a passenger during the period of quarantine with David McArthur as a corroborating witness.

The Canton was a 507 ton sailing ship newly built at Hylton, County Durham in 1834, with a generous 7 foot 2 inches between decks and assured of an A1 rating from Lloyds. It departed London on 30 April 1835 and called at Torbay (Torquay) for water and finally departing Plymouth on 20 May. It arrived at Sydney Heads 107 days later on 3 September without any further landfalls and via the southern route i.e. beyond the Cape of Good Hope into the Southern Ocean. and up the east coast of Van Diemens Land.

The McArthur party consisted of:

Elizabeth (aged 59), widow of Capt. Donald McArthur and her offspring:

David Charteris, aged 26 and Caroline, his wife ( nee Wright) aged 24

Donald Gordon, aged 25 and Elizabeth, his wife ( nee Kirby) aged 26

Elizabeth Francis Gordon, aged 23

Isabella Campbell, aged 15

Margaret Campbell aged 13

Jane Christian Kirby, sister of Elizabeth, aged 17

The eldest son Patrick Wemyss McArthur had died in Edinburgh in 1832 aged 24 as had the younger Hugh Gallie McArthur.

The remaining daughter, Agnes aged 19 is absent but Miss Agnes McArthur is listed as a cabin passenger on a later ship, the "City of Edinburgh" , 367 tons which sailed from London and Plymouth to Sydney arriving 24 May 1837 with just 28 passengers.

Just prior to embarking on their adventure to the colonies in 1835, David and Donald were both married at the Parish Church of St Cuthbert, at the west end of Princes St and nestling under the sheer rock rising up to Edinburgh Castle. David Charteris McArthur married Caroline Wright, daughter of Thomas Wright, goldbeater on April 3, 1835 and his brother Donald Gordon McArthur married Elizabeth Kirby, eldest daughter of Jeremiah Kirby M.D. and Jane Kennedy, on April 6 – the officiating minister being Rev James Wemyss of Orwell, brother of Donald’s mother Elizabeth Wemyss.

For the McArthur story prior to emigration, click here:

Devonshire

Edinburgh

The Canton was a “Bounty Ship” one of 14 ships despatched between 1833 and 1836 carrying about 4000 passengers to Sydney as part of the Bounty Emigration Scheme funded by the British government. The scheme is described in detail in a book by Elizabeth Rushen: "Single and Free, Female Migration to Australia 1833-1837" (published 2003).

The purpose of the scheme was to help restore the balance of the sexes in the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemens Land. In 1833-4 there was approximately 72% males in a population of 60,000 in NSW and 40,000 in VDL. This is a "shortage" of 44,000 females. Of particular concern was the need for an expanded female workforce - domestic servants and agricultural labourers but also for marriage. Conversely there was a shortage of work in the UK at the time.

In 1829 Edward Gibbon Wakefield first published his theories on systematic colonisation in "A Letter from Sydney" arguing that problems such as shortage of labour could be resolved from the income received when colonial lands were sold. He argued that successful colonisation could be achieved through equal numbers of male and female settlers who represented a cross-section of British society. Influenced by Wakefield , in January 1831 the British Colonial Secretary ended the system of free grants of crown lands in the colonies and established a scheme of assisted emigration to be partly financed from these new land sales.

In February 1833 the London Emigration Committee ( LEC) was established to manage the process of recruiting suitable young female emigrants and organising the ships and crew to transport these young ladies to Australia. The cost per passenger for the journey was about 18 pounds. Initially this was to be shared equally between the government, the emigrant herself ( or her sponsors) and the LEC through charitable (philanthropic) donations. In addition the emigrant girl would need to provide her own personal clothing and other items as per a specified list. The LEC was in fact run as a spinoff from the Refuge for the Destitute, a London charity which was founded in 1804 by Rev. E W Whittaker with the aim of relieving the distress of destitute former prisoners and destitute women. One of the people closely involved was the MP and social activist William Wilberforce.

Some of the women who emigrated under the scheme were residents of the Refuge i.e. previously destitute women; however these were a minority. To qualify for acceptance the women had to meet the committee's stringent criteria such as in its 1834 annual report:

"In selecting young unmarried Women, too much care and vigilance cannot be exercised to see that they are of virtuous Character. This class of emigrants is by far the most important for the Colony from a moral point of view. The great object of importing young women is not merely to supply the demand for servants- it is to restore the equilibrium of the sexes; to raise the value for the female character; and to provide virtuous homes for the labouring classes of the community."

Age was meant to be between 18 and 30 but somewhat flexible. To ensure they met these criteria, 2 references were required from respectable members of the community and endorsed by the Parish priest.

In the case of the McArthur family, the three sisters, Elizabeth 23 yrs, Isabella 17 yrs and Margaret 15 yrs, were accepted to participate in the Scheme along with their sister-in-law Jane Kirby ( sister of Elizabeth) 17 yrs. The Canton was the 7th of the Bounty ships and by this time the co-payment had been dropped i.e. the government covered the whole cost of the voyage ( but not of the clothes etc). There were 167 sponsored women on the Canton, 79 English, 58 Irish and 30 Scottish. This was an unusually high proportion of Scots ( presumably the McArthur family identified as Scottish although the girls were in fact born in England).

On board were a further 67 paying passengers including 26 children. This of course included Elizabeth McArthur, widow of Capt. Donald, and the 2 married couples - David and Caroline McArthur, and Donald and Elizabeth McArthur.

According to family records Elizabeth McArthur had expectations that as a widow of an army officer she would be able to obtain a free land grant in New South Wales. However as mentioned above the system of free land grants had been specifically ended in tandem with the commencement of the bounty scheme. This is confirmed by letter ( or "memorial" ) written by David C McArthur to the Colonial Secretary, the Earl of Aberdeen requesting a grant of land, dated 25th February 1835, and a follow up letter dated 18th March. A microfilm copy of each is held in the State Library of Victoria ( AJCP CO 201/251 p 207 ). In part he wrote:

"The Memorialist since the death of his Father has done all in his power to contribute to the support of his Mother & family, but ... he now finds it impossible to support their status in society in this Country, and has been necessitated to come to the resolution of emigrating with them to New South Wales... " "... Understanding that a remission of the Purchase money of Land in the Colonies, is made to Officers in his Majesty's Service ... I take the liberty of requesting you again, ... earnestly hoping that some part of the privilege which would have been granted to my Father may now be extended to his Family".

The grant was refused as being inconsistent with the new policy.

Interestingly the records of the Canton passenger list show both David and Donald McArthur with occupation “agriculturist” and native place “Edinbro”. In fact David was a qualified accountant and subsequently became manager of the Bank of Australasia; it is not known what Donald’s skills were but he joined the Surveyor General’s department in Sydney. This subterfuge was presumably to improve the likelihood of the family being accepted for emigration on the Canton.

David McArthur arranged prior to embarkation, to employ three of the female emigrants as domestic servants at his new home in Sydney for an annual wage of 12 pounds for a housekeeper and 10 pounds each for housemaid and general servant. Jane Kirby was employed by the Foster family from Argyle who were on the ship, as a governess for 20 pounds a year.

After nearly 15 weeks at sea and then held in quarantine for some weeks, the McArthur family would have been greatly relieved to be finally on shore at Sydney Cove on 8 October 1835. It was 47 years after the 1788 arrival of the first fleet and convicts or ex-convicts still made up a large proportion of the population – 27,000 compared to 45,000 free settler, and of course a significant population of indigenous Australians although the number of these was much reduced from those living there in 1788 due to the devastation caused by the smallpox outbreak of 1789 and other diseases.

Governor Bourke was in charge and there had been an appointed Legislative Council to advise the governor since 1825. William Wentworth was agitating for an elected parliament. Some were already agitating for an end to transportation and the Bounty Scheme was part of a push to increase the proportion of free settlers.

Donald Gordon McArthur and Elizabeth Kirby were my great great grandparents and the first of my direct ancestors to migrate to Australia from Britain. They are pictured here ( left and centre ), together with David McArthur (right).

As the McArthurs disembarked at Sydney in October 1835 they would have known nothing of the events in Port Phillip but they would quickly become intimately involved in its development as Donald joined the Survey Department in Sydney from which a survey party was sent to Melbourne and in September 1836 led by Robert Russell.

Melbourne was yet to be officially recognised but in fact a small group of settlers had claimed an area of 2000 square Km ( 500,000 acres) around the head of Port Phillip Bay following John Batman’s voyage across Bass Strait from Launceston in the “Rebecca” in May 1835. He negotiated a treaty with the local Wurungeri Aboriginals to allow the settlers to immediately occupy the area to the north of the Yarra Falls at the foot the present Queen St. on behalf of the “Port Phillip Association”, the members of which were graziers and financiers in Van Diemens Land ( Tasmania) who wanted more land to expand their sheep farming enterprises. John Batman returned to Launceston but in November 1835 brought over 500 sheep and 50 Hereford cattle and his family followed in April 1836.

This unauthorised settlement on Port Phillip Bay prompted Governor Bourke ( in Sydney) to draw up the following Proclamation in August 1835 which was subsequently ratified by the Colonial Office in London and which states in part:

“ that every such treaty , bargain and contract with the Aboriginal Natives for the possession of title or claim to any lands lying and being within the limits of Government of the Colony of New South Wales (includes all of eastern Australia but excludes Tasmania) is void and of no effect against the rights of the Crown … and all persons who shall be found in possession of any such lands without licence or authority of His Majesty’s Government… will be considered as trespassers..”.

Because the settlement was unauthorised Batman spent the next 18 months petitioning the government in Sydney and London to acknowledge the rights of he and his friends to title to the land they had developed and in particular Batman's house block which was where Melbourne's Southern Cross Station is now located. His petition was unsuccessful.

A copy of Batman's treaty is shown below ( from the Museums Victoria website) and John Batman in profile. According the wording of the treaty representatives of "The Tribe of Natives called Dutigallar (three Brothers Jagajaga, Jagajaga, Jagajaga, being the Principal Chiefs, and also Cooloolock,Bungarie, Yanyan, Moowhip and Mommarmalar) agreed that "John Batman and his heirs and assigns" could occupy the specified land indefinitely and place thereon sheep and cattle, for "the yearly Rent or Tribute of One Hundred Pair of Blankets, One Hundred Knives, One Hundred Tomahawks, Fifty Suits of Clothing, Fifty Looking glasses, Fifty Pair Scissors and Five Tons Flour".

The land area specified was approximately 500,000 acres running from the new proposed settlement at the Yarra falls to Indented Head ( present day Geelong).

There is speculation as to exactly what the aboriginal signatories understood they were agreeing to; it is suggested that they may have thought that by engaging with the incomers that they may be able to have some measure of control or influence as to how the settlement would proceed, knowing what impact white settlement around Sydney was already having (a group of Sydney natives were with Batman at the time of signing.) Of course in the long run their land was completely taken over and the indigenous population removed from their traditional lands and Batman must have known that the was the long term plan.

Painting by John Wesley Burtt, slv collection

The painting above is of the Port Phillip settlement in 1836 by R. Hoffman and in State Library of Victoria collection, looking north across the Yarra at “The Falls” below what us now Queen St. .

The first official visit was by George Stewart, Police Magistrate, on 28 May 1836 who reported back to Governor Bourke in Sydney. This resulted in the subsequent despatch of Captain Lonsdale as permanent Police Magistrate with 2 constables on the "Rattlesnake" leaving Sydney on 21 September 1836 arriving at Port Phillip 29 Sept. Immediately following was the "Stirlingshire" arriving 5 October and carrying the 3 assistant surveyors - Robert Russell, Frederick Robert Darcy and William Wedge Darke plus customs officers and 30 convicts and 30 soldiers. Robert Russell pictured above right.

These surveyors were as part of their duties, to lay out the streets of the new settlement to enable sale of building blocks. However this was only finally completed after Governor Bourke came to Port Phillip in March 1837 accompanied by the Government surveyors Robert Hoddle and Capt Phillip King.

On 7th March 1837 Gov. Bourke officially named the settlement "Melbourne", and approved the street plan - 24 rectangular city blocks (3 x 8 ) enclosed by Spencer St, Lonsdale St, Flinders St. and Spring St. , each of these to be subdivided for sale of individual building blocks - approximately 10 per large block.

On 1st June 1837 five of these larger blocks were auctioned i.e. about 50 individual blocks.

A further 5 large blocks were auctioned on 1st November 1837. John Batman bought blocks at both of these auctions.

Donald McArthur was one of the purchasers at the November auction, acquiring a block on the northeast corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets for 41 pounds.

The only other permanent settlement in the Port Phillip District ( later Victoria) at the time was that begun by Edward Henty and his brothers at Portland Bay in western Victoria in November 1834 which was also settled from Launceston and where later Elizabeth F G McArthur would move with her husband and cousin David Gallie and his sister Anna Marie and mother Robina Skene (Wemyss) Gallie.

Helen Wemyss McArthur aged 26 from an 1864 painting in the possession of Valerie Parsey nee Docker and copy of her original baptism record at the Presbyterian Church, Melbourne.

Donald and Elizabeth McArthur had 2 daughters –

Elizabeth born 20 August 1836 – notice in The Australian gives their address as Lower Elizabeth St (Sydney).

Helen Wemyss born 16 October 1838 in Sydney. Elizabeth and the 2 girls (and presumably her mother-in-law) sailed for Melbourne shortly after this and Helen was baptised as a Presbyterian in February 1839; as well as the above baptism record there is a record in the Sydney Registrar's office confirming James Clow as the officiating clergyman and giving Donald’s occupation as “clerk in Survey Office”. According to the history of Scots Church, Melbourne ( on their website ) Rev. James Clow, a retired East India Company Chaplain conducted his first service in Melbourne on 31st December, 1837 - the church at the time was a "temporary wooden building at the west end of Collins Street".

Donald was made redundant from his job as “Chief Clerk” with the survey office in Melbourne in July 1843, “after serving the government faithfully for 8 years” according to a newspaper report. He must therefore have joined the survey department shortly after his arrival at Port Jackson in September 1835.

He is not mentioned as being on the Stirlingshire with the rest of the survey team in October 1836 but was obviously there by November 1837 when he bought a block of land, (incidentally he and Elizabeth and the girls eventually settled at St Kilda, not in the city but it was probably a good investment), and in 1838 he is known to have been an active participant in cricket activities in Melbourne. The family story is that he travelled overland from Sydney, date unknown.

In August 1838 David Charteris McArthur travelled to Melbourne in a cutter with £3000 in coin, an armed guard and two bulldogs, and opened a branch of the Bank of Australasia. He had trained as an accountant in Edinburgh and worked for an insurance firm before coming to Australia and joining the Bank of Australasia when it opened in Sydney in December 1835. He kept the government account and won so much private business that in three years the Melbourne branch was nearly the size of the office in Sydney.

The pictures below show the first premises of the bank in 1840 and the much more substantial building in which David McArthur finished his career in the 1880s. This latter building at the corner of Queen and Elizabeth Streets is now apartments.

The newspaper notices at right record the departure from Sydney in early July 1838 of the revenue cutter the “Ranger” with ship’s captain Scott and David McArthur as passenger. It is reported elsewhere that he had with him 3,000 pounds in coin and 2 bulldogs for protection. The ship apparently arrived in Melbourne in early August.

The Ranger revenue cutter was based at Port Phillip and was regularly employed by government agencies for transporting valuables and on at least one occasion for taking captured bushrangers from Melbourne to Sydney. It was most probably an American built vessel fitted with a large carronade that rotated a full 360 degrees that permitted rapid fire from both sides of the hull with a single weapon. Pictured below is a model of the Ranger revenue cutter.

David McArthur became an influential member of Melbourne society including president of the Melbourne Cricket Club and one of the original trustees of the State Library of Victoria and eventually president; the McArthur Gallery can be seen at the Swanston St premises.

He built his home on 200 acres on the Yarra at Ivanhoe and named it “Charterisville”; after his death it became an important centre and artists colony within the Heidelberg School and went on to become the longest surviving artist camp in Melbourne. Most of the property has now been subdivided, McArthur Rd and Charteris Drive crossing the land.
There is an extensive obituary of David McArthur in The Argus of 16 November 1887 - available online. In 2002 Ann Judith Tosolini wrote a 120 page thesis for Master of Arts at the University of Melbourne entitled David Charteris McArthur: A Colonial Gentleman. A copy is available at the State Library of Victoria. The picture of the early bank above is taken from this document.

He retired in 1876 and after taking trip back to the UK in 1877 he kept busy farming Lincoln sheep on his property at Heidelberg.

The Australasian of March 23, 1878 reports D.C. Macarthur winning first prizes in 4 categories of Lincoln sheep - rams, ewes, two-tooth rams and two-tooth ewes.

The Lincoln, sometimes called the Lincoln Longwool, is the largest British sheep, developed specifically to produce the heaviest, longest and most lustrous fleece of any breed in the world.

The note below re this painting is taken from bluenotes.anz.com. The original hangs in the ANZ boardroom in Melbourne. The picture above is a photo of a copy that is now hanging in the old bank building at Warrnambool’s Flagstaff Maritime Village.

David and Caroline are buried with David’s mother Elizabeth Wemyss in the “Pioneers Cemetery” within the larger Fawkner Cemetery north of Melbourne. The grave was moved along with 200 others in about 1900 from the original Old Melbourne Cemetery where the Victoria Market now operates.

They had no children but apparently made up for that by keeping in touch with their various nieces and nephews. When David Charteris McArthur died in November 1887 he left his entire estate to Caroline his wife - including the Charterisville property. When Caroline died 2 years later in January 1890 she made a number of specific bequests of personal items to various family and friends but the residue of the estate was to be shared equally by numerous beneficiaries who included 8 of David’s nieces and nephews and 7 on the Wright side. The estate was worth 24,000 pounds. On David’s death the executors sold Charterisville and Caroline purchased a large house “Beulah” in Camberwell which she was occupying at the time of her death.

On arrival in Melbourne, Mrs. Elizabeth McArthur (nee Kirby) started a School for Young Ladies ( charging 60 guineas per annum) in St Kilda which she ran successfully for 40 years. As her obituarist wrote –

“She had the training of the wives of many of our leading colonists, and it is not too much to say that due to her motherly affectionate discipline, we are indebted for much of that leaven of better domestic life which distinguishes the class representing what we may call the historic residents in Victoria.”

The full obituary is given here from The Australasian of December 7, 1878. She died on November 19 at Rothmaise, Moonee Ponds where she had moved and set up a school together with daughter Bessie.

As indicated in this article, her school was relocated several times - she initially operated a school in Elizabeth St, Sydney during the 3 years she resided there, (Aspinall Lodge), then in 1839 in the heart of Melbourne at the corner of Flinders Lane and Russell Street, then at “Belle Vue House” which she had built in Robe St, St Kilda before moving the short distance to Alma Road where she named her school “Romana”. This name was significant being named for her mother’s place of birth, Romanno estate in Peebleshire, Scotland. The name was “Romana” was later given to the house in Plummer Avenue, Frankston where Elizabeth’s granddaughter Lottie lived in the 1940s and ‘50s.

Two of the pupils at Elizabeth McArthur’s school were daughters of Rev Joseph Docker.

In the book “Women who taught” by Marjorie Theobald, there is reference to Charlotte Docker’s letters home while she was boarding at Belle Vue House; she clearly had a close and supportive relationship with Mrs Macarthur and the music teacher. Charlotte was almost the same age as Helen Macarthur and would have known her well. Charlotte’s father Rev. Joseph wrote to Mrs Macarthur: “ I regret that I have not 50 daughters, that I might have the pleasure of placing them all, in succession, under your charge.”

Later in 1874 Elizabeth Macarthur received this letter:

My dear Mrs Macarthur

George and I have just been talking over the proposed marriage of Matt and Helen and I write at once as I know you are anxiously awaiting our decision. (?) .. consent to the match and can give them a cottage to live in and employ Matt at a salary of 40 pounds per an. but will charge all provisions to them. Helen will remember the cottage in which Cummings used to live. This is now empty and we think it would be the most suitable spot for them when we have added another room in front of it. ... already explained to you that Matt has about 700 pounds of his own monies invested for which we think we can rely upon getting 8 percent. Our consent has been given of course upon the condition that Helen will receive at least 40 pounds per an. from you. Our salary to Matt may appear low to you but we would remind you that he has an easy place here and that this is as much as we think we are justified in paying for his services. All here are very well and unite with me in kindest remembrances to you, Bessy and Helen. Believe me, Yours .... ?

Elizabeth Macarthur placed an advert in The Argus newspaper at the start of each year to attract new pupils to Romana - these examples give an idea of what the school offered; the advert for Belle Vue (above) is from Stevens Directory of 1866-7 just prior to the move to Romana.

1867 above, 1876 below

The larger advert from June 1872 for Romana mentions Miss H W Macarthur as teacher / governess for “drawing and painting” and “wax flowers and leatherwork”.

In early 1877 Elizabeth Macarthur and her daughter Bessie opened another school in the northern suburb of Moonee Ponds, calling it "Rothermaise".

Advertisements were placed in The Argus as previously for “Romana” but also in April 1877 several large ads for their “Select Ladies’ School” were placed in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser ( northern Victoria ), particularly mentioning that the school was on the north-eastern railway line, obviously hoping to attract young ladies from the country as they had previously with Joseph Docker’s daughters. Over the period 1872 -3 the rail line via Moonee Ponds had been extended to Wangaratta and Wodonga.

Helen was not involved with the Rothermaise school, having married in 1874. Helen’s father Donald G. Macarthur had died in 1871.

On November 28, 1878, 9 days after her mother’s death, Bessie placed an advert in The Argus intimating that she “will CONTINUE the ESTABLISHMENT at ROTHMAISE whether her late mother had removed” and seeking a “competent lady superintendent”

However, a year later, on December 18, 1879 there was an auction held for disposal of a range of household and school furniture at Rothermaise and the school was closed.

“George” is Charlotte’s brother Frederick George Docker who is by then running the Bontharambo property ( Rev Joseph had died 10 years earlier in 1864) but not yet married, but it is not clear who the “I” is who actually wrote the letter - maybe Charlotte.

Three months later Helen Macarthur and Matthew Betham Docker (Charlotte and George’s cousin) were married; Matt was 45 and Helen 35 years old.

The celebrant, Rev Alexander Gossman (pictured right) was a Congregational minister who was called to to the Independent Church in Alma Rd, St Kilda in 1863.

Rothmaise School at Moonee Ponds

Bessie went to live with her uncle David Macarthur and Caroline at Charterisville in Heidelberg until 1882 when she married Jonathon Binns Were, well known merchant and stockbroker and founder of J.B. Were and Sons - his second marriage. Jonathon died 3 years later leaving Bessie a widow. She then went to live near her sister Helen at Bontharambo and eventually moved to Wynyard Tasmania when her niece Lottie Docker and husband John Telford moved there in 1899 after Helen’s death in 1894.

Bessie Macarthur Binns

As indicated above, shortly after the Macarthurs disembarked in October 1835 Donald was employed as a clerk in the Survey department. At some stage he travelled to Melbourne to join the team preparing plans of the main Melbourne streets and surrounding districts - most likely after the birth of Elizabeth ( Bessie ) in August 1836. Helen was born on 16 October 1838.

On the 16th of December Elizabeth set out on a sea voyage to Melbourne to join her husband, with 2 month old Helen and 2 year old Bessie on the "Adelaide".

These two reports of shipping movements illustrate the uncertainties of life in the colonies when the Macarthurs first arrived. The second is from the Port Phillip Gazette of January 26, 1839 and shows that Elizabeth Macarthur and her 2 young girls and a "servant" ( or more properly a nanny) spent 35 days on the brig “Adelaide” having left Sydney on December 16 and arrived Melbourne January 20 1839. Other reports indicate that the ship encountered a strong westerly wind which for about 3 weeks prevented it making progress in entering Bass Strait to reach the Port Phillip Heads- they made a brief stop at Preservation Island for water which they were almost out of due to the unexpected length of their journey.

Donald would have been anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Helen Wemyss McArthur was born to Donald and Elizabeth McArthur in 1838 and married Matthew Betham Docker at St Kilda (Melbourne) on June 23, 1874. They lived at Bontharambo station, Wangaratta, in "Helena's Cottage" just next to the big house where Matthew worked with his cousin George Docker. They had 3 children including my grandmother Charlotte Elizabeth Gordon Docker ( Lottie), born 1875 who married John Dempster Telford. Helen McArthur died in 1894 and is buried at Bontharambo.

More on Helen, Matthew and their family on the “The Docker family in Australia” page:

The picture right is an example of Helen’s artwork - the painting in the middle is surrounded by actual shells and seaweed. This item is in the possession of Helen’s great granddaughter Val Kamman but a similar style painting was in the Telford home at Ellinbank.

Docker Family in Australia

Matthew Betham Docker Helen Wemyss Macarthur - Docker "Helena's Cottage", Bontharambo

Donald McArthur became a founding member of the Melbourne Cricket Club ( MCC) and it is reported that “in about 1838, Donald G. McArthur and Isaac Hind pitched the first wicket in Victoria at the foot of Batman’s Hill, using stumps and bails made from Ti-tree which grew thickly on the river bank in those days – these pioneers had a really genuine bat and ball which were carefully looked after in summer, and greased and laid up in lavender in the winter.”

He continued his active involvement with the MCC as evidenced by this report in The Argus of December 1, 1846 of a game between the Melbourne club and a team chosen from the military, universities and government officers. D.G. McArthur made 4 runs in each innings but also was responsible for 4 of the wickets taken against the other side.

Donald was secretary/treasurer of The Melbourne Bridge Company formed in 1840 to build a bridge over the Yarra to replace the punt at the end of Swanston St where Princes Bridge was subsequently built. The first bridge was completed in 1845 and replaced by the first Princes Bridge in 1850.

Donald was made redundant from his job as Chief Clerk in the Surveyors department in 1843 after 8 years service. He died October 10, 1871, apparently living separate from his wife and with his only assets being a vacant piece of land with a frontage of 26 feet in Phoenix Lane off Little Bourke St. worth 550 pounds.

The official record of his death (Victorian Record Office) shown here indicates that he lived in NSW for 2 years - this suggests his move to Melbourne was shortly before the November 1837 land sale mentioned above but he must have made at least one trip back to Sydney to father his second daughter Helen born October 1838.

The McArthur Sisters

As indicated above when the Macarthur family arrived in 1835 the following family members were aboard the "Canton":