Greenbanks of Dent & Cowgill, Yorkshire, U.K.
Dent is often referred to as "The Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales", as walkers of all ages tramp through the picturesque countryside, whilst enjoying the friendly hospitality of the many pubs and B.&B.'s along the way.
St. Andrew's Church has an imposing presence in the centre of the township, in Dent. It has been the central hub of worship for many of the local inhabitants, in one form or another, for a thousand years or more. Some sections of it date back to the Norman times. Many Greenbank nuptials were celebrated here, babies baptised and of course there were Greenbank funerals. I'll create a post with more information and photos of this interesting church at a later date.
The stone building to its right, sitting in the church grounds, was the "Free Grammar School of King James, Dent, which remained open for nearly three hundred years, until 1896". (David Boulton, "A Thousand Ages", The Story of the Church in Dentdale).
The narrow winding road that leads you through the Dent township is mainly made up of cobblestones, and the quaint stone houses lining the way, watch over the comings and goings of the town folk today, as they have for hundreds of years.
On one of our visits to Dent and Cowgill, Graeme and I drove into Dentdale from the Barbondale Road at its south, entering the valley by a little village called Gawthrop. The valley itself is on the western slopes of the Pennines within the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Dent Valley from the Barbondale Road.
The very remoteness and inaccessibility of Dent and Cowgill kept them in isolation for many hundreds of years. There were virtually no roads in to Dent and access was by way of an old Roman pony track over a lower section of Whernside Hill, called Craven Way, south east of Dent.
Whilst we were visiting Dent and Cowgill, we climbed Whernside Hill, which for keen walkers who tackle the "Coast to Coast" walk in the UK, is on the same route right over the top of Whernside Hill. It is also one of the popular walking challenges of "The Three Peaks" of the Yorkshire National Park. We had spectacular views of the dales.
We then descended into Dentdale, via the Craven Way Track and didn't encounter a single person, only some local Swaledale Sheep, who seem to survive really well in this tough environment.
The township of Dent Town can be seen tucked into the centre of the valley in the photos below.
To wander these hills and dales gives you a sense of "coming home", which I also feel just as keenly, as some of my family origins are from just a few kilometres down the dale.
Dent has managed to remain a sleepy little village in the Yorkshire Dales, but it wasn't always this way, and to understand the situation that the Greenbank family found themselves in, we must first go back into the past.
Early photo of Dent showing the "George and Dragon" Hotel on the left.
The following extract from "The Craven
Herald" in June 1912 gives this insight into the Dent of old.
"Dent Township is unique. It is
inhabited by a sturdy race who are loyal to their traditions. It is a
veritable oasis in the commercial desert... the main street with its
cobble paving stones worn by the tread of generations. In the old days
Dent was self-contained - the people produced all they required in the shape of
food, manufactured their own cloth and made their own boots and shoes.
Dent Town - a place that was a "town"
before there was a house in Liverpool.
Dent, true to its tradition of being
self-contained, had even its own wig-maker. Peter Blackburn, in 1759 made
wigs, re-curled them when the fashion changed, and probably performed the less
distinctive, but equally useful offices of Barber and "Blood-letter",
tapping the leading inhabitants in the spring and autumn according to the good
old custom. Peter's house - with the sign of the red and white pole at
his door, would be the newsroom of the village".
The illustration above looking west along Main Street, Dent, is from a water colour by William Westall, painted about 1820.
Dent can be found in the lower left of the "Y" for Yorkshire, in this beautiful old map of the County of Westmorland.
Dent was once a thriving, bustling township, with townsfolk busily going about their business through the cobblestone streets. All manner of animals regularly made their way from farms to the market square, so on market day the sounds and smells of animals intermingled with wagons and people clamouring to hear the latest news of the day, as the Town Crier made himself heard above all the noise, which made for lively entertainment. All the while the overhanging upper stories of the houses that lined the streets, were a hive of activity, with women and girls hard at work on their spinning wheels and knitters furiously plying their needles (or pricks as they were called).
The knitted garments that men, women and even children created were a mainstay of their income, and with the use of a special "stick" tucked into a person's waistband to support the needles, people were able to knit at great speed giving rise to a curious swaying motion, and therefore the name of "the Terrible Knitters of Dent". "Terrible" in those days meaning extremely fast.
Unfortunately these prosperous times came to an end, creating severe hardship during the 1800's for the local villagers and farmers, as the following article tells us.
This is an extract from the publication "It's
Certainly Dent!" by A. F. Amsden.
"The last years of the eighteenth century saw
sharp economic decline with the Napoleonic Wars bringing great hardship, and
food at near famine prices. Various reasons were the cause - bad
harvests, leading to a high price in corn, high taxes, the army's change over
from breeches to trousers - all meant that the Dent stockings no longer had the
market they once had. The most serious factor was the industrial
development of the Mill Towns. New industry was set up in the Dale in
1810 to work the 'Dent Marble' limestone beds, but by 1829 the income of the
Dent labourer had halved from the one that he had earned during the previous
twenty years. This decline led to serious poverty in the Dale, causing
many families to leave Dent for ever".
Graeme and I went in search of the Greenbank ancestral home that two of our sons had discovered when they visited here in 2000. It was in ruins at that time, but has since been lovingly restored and brought back to its former glory by Mike and Mary McCarthy. (Sadly, Mary passed away in 2014).
Originally called Stotscale and sometimes Dalehead, then re-named Dent Head Farm, it is approximately five miles (or nine kilometres) east of Dent, near Cowgill and situated at the head of the dale.
2002 - Graeme with Mike and and the late Mary McCarthy, at Dent Head Farm in Cowgill. (Previously Stotscale).
All the Greenbanks who trace their families back to Carngham, Victoria, Australia, are descendants of Leonard Greenbank, the grandson of John Greenbank of Stotscale, and his wife Margaret (nee Nicholson). They married in 1798 and it would appear from the Dent Parish Records, that their first son John, was also baptised on that day, aged five years.
Whatever the reason for them to delay their marriage, it didn't escape the notice of the local chapel wardens, and John was ordered to pay a Bastardy Bond.
Bond in £200, 12 October
1795. 1. John Greenbank of Stot Scale in Kirthwaite in Dent yeoman. 2. John
Sedgwick and John Thistlethwaite two of the chapelwardens and Dawson Bannister
and Thomas Hodgson two of the overseers of the poor of Dent township.
Recitals:- Margaret Nicholson of Stot Scale singlewoman some time since delivered of male bastard child in Dent township.
John Greenbank has acknowledged himself to be reputed father. Condition: (1) to indemnify (2) and inhabitants of Dent township against all expence caused by child. Witnesses: Simon Alderson, Miles Garnet.
Recitals:- Margaret Nicholson of Stot Scale singlewoman some time since delivered of male bastard child in Dent township.
John Greenbank has acknowledged himself to be reputed father. Condition: (1) to indemnify (2) and inhabitants of Dent township against all expence caused by child. Witnesses: Simon Alderson, Miles Garnet.
"Bastardy bonds, bastardy orders or maintenance orders were often kept, showing the name of the
father.
Fathers of illegitimate children were obliged by
the parish to care for the child financially. Each case was handled
differently. Sometimes there was a lump sum demanded to be paid to the
parish (which then would care for the mother
and child until the child reached adulthood – age of 21/18)
and child until the child reached adulthood – age of 21/18)
To indemnify the father of a bastard child no
smaller sum shall be accepted than Eighteen pound eighteen shillings".
There are of course, branches of Greenbanks all around the world who descend from John and Margaret.
John Greenbank of Stotscale, b. 1766
Married - Margaret Nicholson in 1798
8 children -
John b.1792, Thomas b.1798, Betty b.1800, Isabel b.1801,
Leonard b.1803, Anthony b.1806, William b.1807, Jane b.1808.
John's wife Margaret died (death date not
verified) c. 1820
John remarried to Isabella Burton on
20.3.1826
John died on 25th August,
1832, aged 62 years.
Isabella died 11 years later on the 1st
October 1843 and is buried in the Quaker’s Burial
Ground at Lea Yeat, Cowgill.
For John and Margaret's children, John, Thomas, Betty, Isabel, Leonard, Anthony, William and Jane, growing up at Stotscale would mean a childhood with a lot of freedoms, but also many farming chores.
They would have had to help with milking the cows, separating the cream or skimming it, and churning the butter. Chickens would need to be cared for and eggs collected. They would also have had to help tend the sheep, and help repair the fences. Due to the abundance of stone, most of the fences in the dales are constructed by dry stone walling, but still need repairing.
The nearest school would have been the "Free Grammar School of King James" , in Dent, as the Kirkthwaite School in Cowgill wasn't built until 1866. It is not known how, or if the children were educated.
The children would have all been taught to knit as was the general practice, to help supplement their meagre income. They didn't earn very much for their hard work, only around a shilling for a pair of socks, (10 cents nowadays - but the equivalent of about $4.00 at today's monetary value).
John was a yeoman farmer, which gave a farmer a higher status, as he owned his own land. See Wikipedia below, for more information.
"A Yeoman would not
normally have less than 100 acres" (40 hectares) "and in social
status is one step down from the Landed Gentry, but above, say, a
husbandman." Often it was hard to distinguish minor landed gentry from the
wealthier yeomen, and wealthier husbandsman from the poorer yeomen.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary (edited by H.W. & F.G. Fowler,
Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1972 reprint, p. 1516) states that a yeoman was
"a person qualified by possessing free land of 40/- (shillings) annual
[feudal] value, and who can serve on juries and vote for a Knight of the Shire.
He is sometimes described as a small landowner, a farmer of the middle
classes."
In the map above, Studley Garth, Bridge End and Stotscale, can all be seen below Cowgill, which is circled in red. Dent is to the left of it.
The following is the last will and testament of John Greenbank of Stotscale, who died in 1832.
John Greenbank of Stotscale in Kirthwaite,
Will.
This is the last will and
testament of me, John Greenbank of Stotscale or Dalehead in Dent, in the Parish
of Sedbergh, in the West Riding of the County of York, Yeoman.
I give and devise to my two
sons, Thomas Greenbank and John Greenbank, all that my Messuage Tenement and Estate with the Appurtenances called
Bridge End, Situate and being in Kirthwaite in Dent aforesaid, to hold the same
to them my said sons, Thomas and John, their heirs and assigns for ever as
Tenants in Common.
I give and devise to my two
sons Anthony and William all that my Messuage Tenement and Estate with the Appurtenances
called Stotscale or Dalehead situate and being in Dent aforesaid, to hold the
same to them my said sons Anthony and William their heirs and assigns for ever as
Tenants in Common.
I give to my Daughter Jane a
Mahogany tea table and the sum of forty pounds to be paid to her at the end of
one year after my decease.
I give to my Son Leonard
Greenbank the sum of forty pounds to be paid to him at the end of one year after
my decease.
I give to my Grandson Thomas
Greenbank now living with him the sum of ten pounds to be paid to when he
attains the age of eighteen years.
I give to my Wife such Goods
and Furniture as were hers previous to our Marriage.
I also give unto my said Wife
one Annuity or clear yearly sum of fourteen pounds to be paid out of my Real
Estates, that is to say, ten pounds out of Stotscale and four pounds out of
Bridge End by half yearly payments at Old May Day and Old Martinmas.
All the rest and residue of my
personal estate and effects whatsoever and wheresoever I give unto and equally
between my said sons Anthony and William Greenbank, and appoint them Joint
Executors of this my Will, they paying all my Just Debts, Funeral and
Testamentary Expences and the aforesaid Legacies.
In witness whereof … (17 January 1832) … John Greenbank
Witness) Thomas Fawcett,
Margaret Fawcett, Daniel Lightfoot.
PREOBATE Granted 12 January
1833 to Anthony Greenbank of Stotscale in Dent, Yeoman and William Greenbank of
Stotscale in Dent; Testator died 25.8.1832;
Goods under £800
From this Will we see that John left his property called Bridge End, situated in Kirthwaite, (now known as Cowgill), to his two eldest sons, John and Thomas, as "tenants in common" and they are to pay a yearly sum of £4 out of the estate to John's wife," their stepmother, Isabella.
At the time of his father's death, John Jnr. was married for the second time, with one surviving child that I can verify. (I would presume his first wife has passed away, but can't find a death or burial entry for her.) John was living and farming at High Thistlethwaite, in Kirthwaite (Cowgill).
Thomas was also married for the second time, with his first wife also having passed away. He was living and farming at High Laning Farm, in Dent Town with his wife Alice and seven children.
The two photos below show the property called Bridge End in Cowgill, which is only a few hundred metres down the road from Stotscale.
West view of Bridge End, Cowgill. Note the bridge on the right over the river Dee.
The two youngest sons, Anthony and William, inherited Stotscale. They were both still single at the time of their father's death, and most likely living and working at Stotscale. That would seem the most likely reason for them to inherit the main family home and farm. They both married in 1839 and continued to live and farm at Stotscale and nearby for many years.
Graeme on one of our many walks across the land that was once part of Stotscale.
From David Boulton’s publication, "Early Friends in Dent", “I quote from a letter written in 1829 from Thomas Harker, clogger, of Cowgill to Richard Thistlethwaite who had recently emigrated to America. It reports on the folks at home and the hard times they are going through”.
"We had a very full crop of hay last
summer. Corn in the east was said to be
much hurt with some falls of rain a little before harvest, oat meal at Hawes
about 36s. per load, flour about £2.8.0d per load, Butter 9d per pound, good
beef 6d. per pound, swineflesh was about 5s.6d. per stone in autumn, Cattle
bears a good price, Cloth trade is bad & weaving at a very low rate indeed,
poor rates continue very high, we still complain of hard times, and I think no
good prospect of better..."
The eldest son John, together with his wife Betty and family, continued to live and farm at High Thistlethwaite, and also Newcloses in Kirthwaite. However, in 1836 when their daughter Jane was born, John was a farmer at Hall Bank. This was actually a "work house" in Dent, so it raises a few questions. However, they were at Newcloses, by the 1841 census, until John's death in 1861, aged 69. I'll expand on John's family in a later post.
Our story now follows Thomas. We will leave his brothers and parents behind and come back to Stotscale in a future post.
You will remember that Thomas was married to Alice and living and farming with her and their family in High Laning, Dent, just a few kilometres west of Cowgill, at the time of his father's death.
Thomas was a widower when he married for the second time, to Alice Bain (nee Parrington), who was also a widow. The following entry is for his first marriage to Margaret Bain, whom he married in 1816. See translation below.
Thomas was a widower when he married for the second time, to Alice Bain (nee Parrington), who was also a widow. The following entry is for his first marriage to Margaret Bain, whom he married in 1816. See translation below.
Translation of marriage entry above -
"MARRIAGES
solemnized in the Chapelry of
Dent in the Parish of Sedbergh in the County of Yorks. in the Year 1816 &
17.
Thomas Greenbank of this Chapelry, Bachelor and Margaret Bain
of this Chapelry, Spinster were married in the Chapel by Banns with Consent of
................... this Twenty-seventh Day of December in the Year One
thousand eight hundred and sixteen. By me - J. Dawson, Off. Curate.
This Marriage was solemnized between us -
(Signed) Thos. (Thomas) Greenbank
X Mark of
Margaret Bain, In the Presence of - (Signed) John Greenbank, Jas. (James)
Middlebrook. No. 53"
One child was born to Thomas and Margaret:-
Margaret (born 23.11.1817), at Bridge End, Cowgill.
As yet, I have been unable to locate the correct death entry for Thomas's wife Margaret. The following entry is for Thomas's second Marriage to Alice Bain, a widow, but does not give her maiden name of Parrington. This can be found on other documents.
Translation of above - "MARRIAGES solemnized in the Chapelry of Dent in the Parish of Sedbergh in the County of Yorks. in the Year 1820.
Thomas Greenbank of this Chapelry, Widower, and Alice Bain of this Chapelry Widow, were married in this Chapel by Banns this thirtieth (sic) first Day of May in the Year One thousand eight hundred and twenty, By me .. Dawson, Off. Curate. This Marriage was solemnized between us (signed) Thos.(Thomas) Greenbank, Alice Baine, In the Presence of (signed) Isabel Edmondson, John Greenbank. No. 88"
In all the baptism records for the children born to Thomas and Alice, it is stated that they are living at Laining, Loaning and High Loaning, in Dent, (depending on who wrote the record), and that Thomas is a farmer.Children born to Thomas and Alice are:-
John (born 19.2.1821) at Laining
Richard (born 13.12.1822) at Loaning
Thomas (born 30.11.1824) at High Loaning
Elizabeth (born 3.12.1827) at Loaning
Milcah (born 17.7.1830) at High Loaning
Isabella (born 17.6.1832) at High Loaning
Leonard (born 24.4.1834) at High Loaning
Anthony (born 29.5.1836) at High Loaning
William (born 11.1.1839)
Barbara (Barbrey - born 21.3.1841)
The entry above in the Dent Tithe Map and Schedule of 1838-1846 - South Lord's Land, Dent, shows the location of the property as Laning Farm, and the name Loaning.
The site of Laning Farm is now the camping ground in Dent, (indicated below with the cross on the left).
On the right side of the road where the caravans are, High Laning Farm house, farm buildings, farm sheds, cattle and pasture in the centre foreground, are marked with crosses.
Below - The home of High Laning Farm and the reception centre for the High Laning Camping Ground and Caravan Park.
Graeme and I stayed at High Laning farm B&B in 2015. Graeme is pictured below with the current owner, Margaret Taylor.
Graeme and I spent many hours during this visit, at the Cumbria Archive Centre in Kendal, nearby. We found an Indenture, dated 20th March 1835, in which Thomas purchased his brother John's half share of Bridge End for £290.
In this Indenture, the property is actually called, "Bridge End otherwise Studley Garth", which indicates that at some point in time, "Bridge End", was subdivided from the "Studley Garth" property. Thomas is called a "carrier" in this record.
"Bridge End otherwise
Studley now or lately consisting of one Dwellinghouse one peathouse one Garden
one Close called Midfield with one Barn erected and being in the Upper
end thereof and one other Barn erected and being in the lower end thereof Three
small closes or parcels of Ground called Parrocks one other close called Low
Intack one other Close called Middle Intack with one Barn erected and being in
the High End thereof, and one other Close called High Intack all which said premises
are situated lying and being at or near Kirthwaite Head in Dent in the said
parish of Sedbergh and West Riding of the County of York".
This barn is all that now remains of Studley Garth, Cowgill. Bridge End cottage can be seen in the distance.
Studley Garth had for many generations been in the possession of another branch of the Greenbank family, just down the road. Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to link the two families together.
From "The Westmoreland Gazette", 28th September, 1839.
There are many articles in the above newspaper and also the Kendal Mercury, which refer to different members of the Greenbank family, but without an address, their relationship is unable to be verified. This one is a real "gem" for the information it gives us. We hope Thomas got his horse back!
The Greenbank children would most probably have gone to the Free Grammar School in Dent, shown below, adjacent to St. Andrew's Church.
At some point of time from 1838 to 1846, in the Kirthwaite Tithe Schedule, Thomas is listed as the occupier of Bridge End, and his brother John as the owner. I feel this may possibly be after Alice's death, in 1843.
Prior to Alice's death, the UK Census of 1841 tells us that Thomas Snr., now aged 43, is living and farming in Dent Town with his wife Alice 46, and children:- John 20, Thomas 15, Bella 9, Leonard 6, William 2 and Barbara 2 months. Alice's father, Richard Parrington aged 70, is also living with them. Their son Anthony, who was born in 1836, passed away in 1838.
The whereabouts of the rest of the family at this date are varied. I have found no census records for Margaret, the daughter of Thomas and Margaret now aged 24, but it is believed that she married Thomas Howson on the 24th November 1838. Ancestry records suggest that she died in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1883.
Thomas and Alice's son Richard, now aged 19, is also missing from the 1841 census list of his parents Thomas and Alice, however, there is a Richard Greenbank living with an uncle William (Thomas's brother), in the ancestral family home of Stotscale in Cowgill, as a male servant. His age is given as 15, but ages in this census were often rounded down to the nearest five or zero, so this entry could possibly be him.
Elizabeth, now 14 years of age, and Milcah (Amelia, Milley, Milcow) 10, were living together at West House (now known as Whernside Manor) in Dent, as female servants. A clergyman, his wife and their five children also lived here, as well as farmers, agricultural labourers and other servants, so having the two young daughters in employment, would have helped ease the burden on the large Greenbank family.
John Greenbank b. 1766
Thomas Greenbank b. 1798
m.1. Margaret Bain 1816, died prior to 1820
1 child - Margaret b.1817
m.2. Alice Bain (nee Parrington) 1820
10 children – John, Richard, Thomas, Elizabeth, Milcah,
Isabella, Leonard, Anthony, William, Barbara.
Thomas and John would most probably have been still working with their father on the farm, so maybe he was able to keep them together for a few years, with the help of the older children still living at home.
Eight years later in the 1851 UK Census, the whereabouts of the family are as follows:-
Thomas Snr. is aged 53 and living as a farm servant with the Bentham Family at Newby Head, Ingleton Fells, which is to the south of Dent.
Margaret, her husband Thomas Howson and a son, William Robinson Howson can be found in census returns for Ontario Canada.
John is now 29, unmarried, and living with a family by the name of Foster at Blandsgill, Sedbergh (near Dent), and working as a farm servant.
Richard is 29, married to Elizabeth with a 6 month old baby girl, Alice. They are living in Bentham in the district of Settle and Richard is working as a railway labourer. (It is interesting to note that when Alice grows up, she marries Tom Foster, the son of the family that John is living with.) Alice is their only child.
Thomas is aged 27 and no entry can be found for a Thomas of the correct age, in the 1851 Census.
Elizabeth married Thomas Clark Harrison of Sedbergh in 1847, and by 1851 they are living in Main Street, Sedbergh, with three young children. Thomas is working as a sawyer.
Milcah (Milley) at 21 is unmarried and working as a private teacher or governess for the Jaques family of Scotchergill in Kirthwaite (now Cowgill), near Dent.
Isabella, now 18 is working as a kitchen maid at the Free Grammar School in Sedbergh, near Dent.
Leonard is now 17 years of age, and the only entry in the 1851 Census for a Leonard Greenbank around that age, is for an unmarried farm servant, living at Borrow Bridge, Gray Rigg, Kendal (west of Dent).
William is aged 12 by the time of the 1851 census, and the only record of a William his age that I can find, is for one living with John and Isabella Dixon as a servant, at Gaisgill, Tebay, near Orton which is to the north of Dent.
Barbara can be found in the 1851 census living with her aunt, Agnes Baynes, an unmarried school mistress, in Dent Town. Barbara is listed as a boarder and scholar, aged 10 years.
So we can see from this census that most of the family can be accounted for, are working and getting on with their lives. For Thomas and Leonard, however, their future would have seemed rather bleak, as farm labourers were paid very little.
The late 1840s and early 1850s drew many men to the allure of gold on the Californian Goldfields in America, so when the news broke of the fabulous discoveries in Australia, Thomas and Leonard obviously decided that it was worth taking a chance to try their fortunes on the Victorian goldfields, rather than remain as farm labourers, with limited opportunities and dwindling resources.
"The Victorians - Arriving" - by Richard Broome paints a colourful picture."DIGGERS FROM ABROAD. At first, people in the United Kingdom were not greatly impressed by the Victorian gold discoveries, for they were still overawed by the Californian fields and imprisoned by the view that Australia was a land of convicts and kangaroos. But once the news of Mount Alexander reached England in May 1852, followed shortly by six ships carrying eight tons of gold, the public went wild with excitement. Journals breathlessly described the fortunes being rapidly made on the fields and reported that even those who chose to stay at their normal work earned such fabulous sums as 35/- a week. Men rushed to board ship, a few taking their wives and families with them. According to Charles Dickens, 'legions of bankers' clerks, merchants' lads, embryo secretaries, and incipient cashiers, all going with a rush, and all possessing but faint and confused ideas of where they are going, or what they are going to do' elbowed and clamoured at the shipping offices for a passage southwards.
Once Thomas and Leonard made the decision to leave their homeland and family, and to make the perilous voyage half way across the world, they would have spent the next few months preparing for their adventure. A swift Clipper Ship called the Falcon was chosen, departing in May 1853, from Liverpool, destined for Melbourne, Australia. They may have taken advantage of the following advertisement's offer in order to secure their berths, or they may have travelled to Liverpool and organised their trip directly from there.
The only story that has been passed on to me in relation to their departure, comes from Neville Greenbank, passed on by his father Les, grandson of Leonard. He related that Thomas Snr. gave £1 each to Thomas Jnr. and Leonard as a parting gift. One site on the internet quotes that this would be the equivalent of £90 to £100 in value today.
The only story that has been passed on to me in relation to their departure, comes from Neville Greenbank, passed on by his father Les, grandson of Leonard. He related that Thomas Snr. gave £1 each to Thomas Jnr. and Leonard as a parting gift. One site on the internet quotes that this would be the equivalent of £90 to £100 in value today.
Thomas Snr. was to also part with his youngest son, William, just seven years later, however, I'll leave that story to his great grandson, Ian Greenbank of New Zealand to tell you in another post, at a later date.
Loading provisions on emigrant ships - Liverpool Docks.
Boarding an emigrant ship at Liverpool Docks, c.1850s.
Part of the shipping records list for "unassisted passengers" aboard the Falcon. Port of Embarkation - Liverpool. Port at which passengers have contracted to land - Melbourne. 1681 - Thomas Greenbank, aged 28, with profession showing "do." (ditto) to Gent. (Gentleman) above him. 1682 - Leonard Greenbank, ("do".) is aged 18 and listed as a Laborer.
The Falcon left its moorings at the Liverpool docks, on the 22nd May, 1853, and arrived in Melbourne, Australia, on the 15th August, 1853.
We are very fortunate to have a typewritten copy of a diary of the voyage out to Australia by another "Falcon" passenger, by the name of Andrew McDonell, courtesy The Victorian State Library. This was passed on to me many years ago by the Late Les and Althea Greenbank. It is quite lengthy, being nineteen pages in all, but is a rare first hand glimpse into the day to day life during the voyage of Thomas and Leonard as well, when they become "mess mates" with Andrew.
I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it as much as I have. I've included a lot of illustrations which aren't in the original diary of course, to help break it up a little. Although I've had to re-type the transcription of the diary, I've kept the spelling and grammar as it was originally transcribed to keep it authentic.
To read how Thomas and Leonard fared on the voyage to Australia, arrival in Melbourne, then on the goldfields of Ballarat, go to the post titled,
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Please Note - All information above has a verifiable source, which will be quoted when the posts in this blog are printed in a book format.
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With many thanks to Helen Greenbank whose assistance and time in editing this Blog is very much appreciated, and also many thanks to Ian Greenbank for helping to decipher Indentures and verifying other information.
I have some different dates to Ian, for the births of Greenbank children, so these will be amended when they can be verified. Sometimes only baptism dates are recorded, so there can be some confusion.
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Finally, a big thank you to Louise Bibby for her expertise and help with technical Blogspot issues.
