.
During the late 1850s, Thomas Greenbank was involved with the North Briton (spelt Britain in some newspaper accounts) Company, which is situated south of Smythesdale, on the Brown's diggings, near Skipper's Road. It is also in close proximity to Monkey Gully which was listed as an address on a Miner's Right held by them. See the maps below.
The maps above and below are of the same area, but you can see the townships of Smythesdale, Scarsdale and Newtown in the map above, together with the North Briton Lead and Monkey Gully Lead, as well as Browns diggings.
The map below shows the North Briton (Britain) lead again, (highlighted in Orange), and on the middle right of the map, you can see the site of the North Briton Company, (also highlighted in orange). Written on the map, it says gold yield, 9331 ounces. Courtesy of Steve Thomas.
The following Return of Gold Mining Leases, lists two Gold Mining Companies in which Thomas Greenbank had an interest. One is for the North Briton (or Britain), south east of Smythesdale, and the other is for the Falcon Prospecting Company. Until I can access the mining records for shareholders of these companies, I won't know whether or not Leonard was also involved.
To read newspaper articles with reports on the North Briton Company, also many interesting stories on happenings on the goldfields in this area, CLICK HERE.
To read newspaper articles with reports on the Falcon Prospecting Party/Company,
CLICK HERE.
North Briton Company
Falcon Prospecting Company
Horse powered puddling machines, such as the one pictured below, were a common sight on the goldfields, as the arduous task of separating the gold flakes and nuggets from the clay meant that a move to mechanise the operation, became necessary.
Sketch by S. T. Gill of a horse puddling machine - courtesy of the National Library Australia.
Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Thursday 17 March 1859, page 5 – Excerpt only.
Thomas was the treasurer for the North Briton Gold Mining Company, during its two and a half years of operations. The following newspaper article tells us, that he and the Secretary, were presented with a gold ring each to thank them for their duties, at the closure of the Company. More importantly though, it tells of the success of the company, in that they realised, "something over twenty thousand pounds". This is the first evidence I've found that tells us Thomas and Leonard have had some success, in their pursuit of gold.
Early map of gold mining areas south of Ballarat.
Our brother in law, Steve Thomas, has been a keen gold prospector for many, many years, and has been very helpful in suggesting that the photograph below, is an example of an iron puddling machine, used in gold mining, which would be similar in concept to the one used at the North Briton Company.
By 1860, Leonard had caught the eye of a young Irish lass, named Annie Conry, who was also living on the goldfields. They married on the 9th July, 1860, at The United Church of England and Ireland, in the Town of Buninyong. Leonard is named as a bachelor from Yorkshire, England, and Annie, a spinster from Tipperary, Ireland. Leonard's occupation is given as that of a miner. No occupation is listed for Annie. They are both 26 years old, and both living at Monkey Gully.
During the late 1850s, Thomas Greenbank was involved with the North Briton (spelt Britain in some newspaper accounts) Company, which is situated south of Smythesdale, on the Brown's diggings, near Skipper's Road. It is also in close proximity to Monkey Gully which was listed as an address on a Miner's Right held by them. See the maps below.
The maps above and below are of the same area, but you can see the townships of Smythesdale, Scarsdale and Newtown in the map above, together with the North Briton Lead and Monkey Gully Lead, as well as Browns diggings.
The map below shows the North Briton (Britain) lead again, (highlighted in Orange), and on the middle right of the map, you can see the site of the North Briton Company, (also highlighted in orange). Written on the map, it says gold yield, 9331 ounces. Courtesy of Steve Thomas.
The following Return of Gold Mining Leases, lists two Gold Mining Companies in which Thomas Greenbank had an interest. One is for the North Briton (or Britain), south east of Smythesdale, and the other is for the Falcon Prospecting Company. Until I can access the mining records for shareholders of these companies, I won't know whether or not Leonard was also involved.
To read newspaper articles with reports on the North Briton Company, also many interesting stories on happenings on the goldfields in this area, CLICK HERE.
To read newspaper articles with reports on the Falcon Prospecting Party/Company,
CLICK HERE.
1859
VICTORIA
GOLD FIELDS
RETURN of GOLD
MINING LEASES sanctioned to the 1st October, 1859, shewing
the names of Lessees, Name of
Company, Locality, Area, Term, Annual Rent,
capital of the Company, Value of the
Machinery employed, and number of men
engaged in each case.
North Briton Company
A horse powered Whim used to wind the cables on to
work the mine between the depth of 50 feet to 500 feet. Courtesy Gympie Family History Society.
Star (Ballarat, Vic.), Tuesday 15 March 1859, page 2
MINING LEASES.
The last Gazette contains a list of no less than
twenty-four applications for leases in the mining district of Ballarat. Fifteen
of these are on deep sinking, nine for quartz reefs, and none at all for
surfacing. The areas of the deep claims vary from five to thirty-two acres, and
the reefs from 100 to 320 yards in length. The amount of capital proposed to be
invested varies from £550 to £5000. Three of the claims are to be worked by
water power, and the remainder by steam. The terms of the leases are to extend from
two to ten years. The following is a detailed statement of the applications,
the date of notice being the 9th of March, 1859; Gazette No. 33
The North Briton Company.
9a or 10p. Deep sinking. Capital £1200.
Steam engine, &c, Value £500. Brown's Diggings.
Prepared to commence operations January, 1859. Sinking from 140 to 150 feet.
Proposed term of lease three years.
Horse powered puddling machines, such as the one pictured below, were a common sight on the goldfields, as the arduous task of separating the gold flakes and nuggets from the clay meant that a move to mechanise the operation, became necessary.
Sketch by S. T. Gill of a horse puddling machine - courtesy of the National Library Australia.
Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Thursday 17 March 1859, page 5 – Excerpt only.
MINING.
The intelligence from the various gold-fields during the past
week is not marked by any features of remarkable interest.
There about 8000 inhabitants in and about Brown's diggings,
which appears to be quite eclipsing Smythe's.
The North Briton Lead, the
Barbers, and a few others, are the great mines of attraction, as prospects are
decidedly good. Capitalists seem, to have a high opinion of Brown's, and
machinery of great excellence is daily being erected. About a fortnight ago a
rush took place near Italian Gully. Several parties have done well there. The
sinking is very shallow, being from eight to sixteen feet. At Linton's, mining
is reported to be in a prosperous condition. Leasing continues in great favor in
this locality. All the surfacing patches around are taken up by the Chinese,
who are busy erecting puddling machines and dams for the supply of water.
Star (Ballarat, Vic.), Thursday 17 March
1859, page 4
The prospect claim on the North Briton is paying
first-rate, and is worked by a 10-horse engine; the work is progressing rapidly
in this claim. The block claim east of the prospecting claim is paying
splendidly, say from £5 per week; shares up as high as £20; this claim is worked
by a whim.
North Briton No. 3 is driving for the gutter, and expecting daily to
get it. This claim is worked by a 10 horse engine.
Star (Ballarat, Vic.), Thursday 24 March 1859,
page 4
SMYTHE'S CREEK
(From our own Correspondent.)
23rd March.
WET CLAIMS.- It will astonish some new chums to hear that some
of the holes on the North Briton, Brown's, draw up about a hundred gallons per minute.
Star (Ballarat, Vic.), Friday 1 April 1859, page 4
SMYTHE'S CREEK (From our own Correspondent.)
29th March,
BROWN'S.- There is a very strong feeling of discontent amongst
the miners of this district (Brown's) towards the granting of some of the
mining leases there. The granting of these leases alone will be the cause of
throwing 198 miners off ground which they had taken up before the leases were
applied for.
It would be a cause of great satisfaction to all parties if
these disputes were settled some way, as most of the shafts on the ground
applied for have struck water, and the miners do not like to put machinery on
the ground until they can make sure of their claims. The prospect hole on the North
Briton, I believe, is paying good dividends every week, but they keep it very
secret.
Nos. 1 and 2 have broken into the gutter, but I have not heard
what prospect they have got yet.
Puddling Machine.
Courtesy cv.vic.gov.au
Thomas was the treasurer for the North Briton Gold Mining Company, during its two and a half years of operations. The following newspaper article tells us, that he and the Secretary, were presented with a gold ring each to thank them for their duties, at the closure of the Company. More importantly though, it tells of the success of the company, in that they realised, "something over twenty thousand pounds". This is the first evidence I've found that tells us Thomas and Leonard have had some success, in their pursuit of gold.
The Star (Ballarat, Vic.), Saturday 29 September 1860
SMYTHESDALE.
(From our own Correspondent.)
26th
September.
"An agreeable wind-up of a company who had worked out their claim - viz., that of the North Britain Company took place on Monday evening, when the shareholders assembled at Host Burley's, where a supper had been provided, in that gentleman's best style. The tables were laid at twelve o'clock, and between thirty and forty persons sat down, including the shareholders (twelve in number) and their friends. Mr Lewis presided; and, after the removal of the cloth, an interesting ceremony took place - that of presenting Messrs Thomas Greenbank, treasurer, and William Scott, secretary, with a gold ring each, of a very neat design. An address was read expressing the approval of the other shareholders of their conduct as treasurer and secretary of the company, and after a suitable reply from each, the remainder of the night - or rather morning - was spent in speechifying, singing, and dancing, and few, if any, went till morning. The company have been working about two and a half years and the gross proceeds of the gold has been something over twenty thousand pounds".
Internet site, measuringworth.com, estimates the 2015 conversion from 1860 of
£20,000.00 in UK pounds would be worth £1,694,000.00. (The
"real" price of that commodity), or AU$2,899,155.68.
Early map of gold mining areas south of Ballarat.
Puddling Machine. Courtesy
Puddling Australia
Our brother in law, Steve Thomas, has been a keen gold prospector for many, many years, and has been very helpful in suggesting that the photograph below, is an example of an iron puddling machine, used in gold mining, which would be similar in concept to the one used at the North Briton Company.
Puddling Machines at Guildford Plateau courtesy - Alan
Miller
By 1860, Leonard had caught the eye of a young Irish lass, named Annie Conry, who was also living on the goldfields. They married on the 9th July, 1860, at The United Church of England and Ireland, in the Town of Buninyong. Leonard is named as a bachelor from Yorkshire, England, and Annie, a spinster from Tipperary, Ireland. Leonard's occupation is given as that of a miner. No occupation is listed for Annie. They are both 26 years old, and both living at Monkey Gully.
Leonard's parents are named as, Thomas Greenbank, Farmer, and
Alice Benn (sic) Bain - remember the Yorkshire accent and lack of verification
for spelling! Annie's parents are, Patrick Conry, a farmer, and Anne
Hogan.
Leonard has signed his name, but Annie's signature is marked
with an X. The witnesses were, Bridget Hogan and John Watterson.
I am still trying to find more information on Bridget Hogan,
as it would appear that she is an aunt, or a cousin to Annie, given that
Annie's mother's maiden name, was also "Hogan".
How would Annie have prepared for her marriage to Leonard? She would most likely have simply worn her "best" outfit, and in reality, her choice would have been very limited. The costumes above are typical day dresses worn in the 1850s, (courtesy maggiemayfashions), and the women on the goldfields, still wore their best dresses for suitable occasions.
At this stage, the only shipping records I have been able to locate so far, that may match Annie, are for an assisted passage to Australia on the ship, "Marchioness of Salisbury", which arrived in Geelong, in February, 1855.
This person, named as Ann Conry is aged 18. This is two years younger than Annie Conry's marriage record, above, gives her age as, but it is the closest record to her age that I have found. Ann Conry was contracted to work for a Mr. McGrath, in Geelong, for 20 shillings, for 3 months.
Diggers hard at work Ballarat circa 1865 - Courtesy National Library of Australia. Original oil painting by Edwin Stocqueler.
The following article is from, “SBS – Gold – Life on the
Diggings”.
“Most of the men who flocked to the diggings in the early years of the Australian gold rush left their wives and family at home. The harsh life of the goldfields was considered too rough for a respectable woman. It was not long, however, before women travelled to the goldfields, and as early as 1851 there were women digging for gold alongside their husbands. An 1854 census of the Ballarat goldfields found there were 4023 women compared to 12,660 men living on the diggings and only 5 percent of these women were single.
Ellen Clacy, a young, single, middle class woman from England, panned for gold alongside her brother and their companions. At the height of gold fever she captured the imagination of Europe when she published memoirs of her adventure A Lady’s Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia. Ellen wrote of the difficult and rainy journey from Melbourne to Forest Creek. She travelled on the dray, her back resting against a bag of flour and her feet on a block of cheese. At night she slept fully-clothed in a partitioned area of her brother's tent.
Neither mud and rain, nor frightening tales of bushrangers could dampen her enthusiasm for gold digging. Ellen describes the diggings as "a novel scene! – thousands of human beings engaged in digging, wheeling, carrying, and washing, intermingled with no little grumbling, scolding and swearing".
To read more stories about women on the goldfields from this site, click HERE
"Zealous Gold Diggers, Bendigo, 1854", by S. T. Gill.
Over the next three years, Leonard and Annie suffered much
heartbreak, as Annie sadly had two stillbirths. It would appear from
later records, that they were difficult deliveries. Childbirth on the
diggings, was extremely dangerous. There were no suitable medical facilities and few
doctors, mostly "quacks". Other women acted as midwives, to help the poor mother through
her labour, under extremely primitive and mostly unsanitary conditions.
The article below is from the Sovereign Hill Education Service online Research Notes, Women on the Goldfields.
The article below is from the Sovereign Hill Education Service online Research Notes, Women on the Goldfields.
"For any class of woman, life on the diggings was difficult. Women usually had to face the hardships of childbirth without trained medical assistance. At this time women relied on help from other women or midwives. Infections were common and many women and their children died during childbirth. Diseases such as whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever were common on the goldfields and the child mortality rate was high. In the early 1850s, one quarter of all recorded deaths in Ballarat were children under 12 months."
As stillbirths were not usually recorded, (and so far I have
found no records for Annie), there are no other leads to tell us of Thomas, Leonard and
Annie's next move. We know from Leonard and Annie's marriage in Buninyong
in 1860, that they were at Monkey Gully, but for the time covering her two
pregnancies and subsequent stillbirths, we have no record of exactly where
they were on the goldfields.
We can only speculate on this period of time, until more
information comes to light, but at some stage, they made the decision, to try
their luck at the Carngham diggings. Miners had been steadily flocking to
this area, since gold was discovered there in 1857.
"New rush at Carngham, at the head of Snake Valley, May 1858
With the new discovery of gold, the countryside became pitted with 'diggings' and an endless series of alluvial mining heaps. An early development of the influx of miners was the creation of a new settlement south of Carngham along the twisty course of Baillie's Creek, which twined like a great reptile among the camps and shanties: Snake Valley. Figures show that by 1859, 800 Europeans and 70 Chinese were living at Snake Valley, while four years later, the population was about 2,000."
The next verifiable record,
to prove the Greenbank Family's whereabouts, is sadly for Annie's death in
childbirth, in her third pregnancy. She died at Preston Hill, Carngham,
on the 14th April, 1864, aged 29 years. Her death certificate states that
she was born in Tipperary, Ireland, and had been in the Colony for eight
years.
Her father is named as Patrick Hogan* with a correction in the side column, * Patrick Conry. Her mother is Annie Conry. It states that she was married at Buninyong, aged 26 years, and her husband is Leonard Greenbank. An inquest was held into the cause of death, the details of which, are summarised below, plus there is a link to the report below, if you wish to read it.
Her father is named as Patrick Hogan* with a correction in the side column, * Patrick Conry. Her mother is Annie Conry. It states that she was married at Buninyong, aged 26 years, and her husband is Leonard Greenbank. An inquest was held into the cause of death, the details of which, are summarised below, plus there is a link to the report below, if you wish to read it.
An autopsy was performed on her body the following day, before Thomas
Hopper, the Coroner. Note that Andrew McDonell, (Author of the diary on
the voyage to Australia aboard the Falcon), is on the panel of the jury, so
still accompanying Thomas and Leonard.
An Inquisition for our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria, taken at
Preston’s Hill, Carngham, the district of Smythesdale aforesaid, the fifteenth
day of April A.D. 1864 in the twenty seventh year of the Reign of our said Lady
the Queen, before me Thomas Hopper, Gentleman, a Coroner of our Lady the Queen
for the District of Smythesdale aforesaid upon the view of the body of Annie
Greenbank then and there lying dead, upon the oaths of –
William Wilson, Foreman, Andrew McDonell, Segismund Franklin, John Wilson, Edward McElroy, James Suggitt, William Webster, William Whiting, James Bond, Fredrick Miller, William Knox, Charles Walker -
Good and lawful men of Carngham in the said district who being
duly sworn and charged to inquire, upon the part of our Lady the Queen, when,
where, how, and by what means the said Annie Greenbank came by her death, do
say upon their oath that we find the deceased Annie Greenbank died at Carngham
on the fourteenth day of April, 1864 from exhaustion from protracted labour and
loss of blood, the protracted labour was occasioned by the narrow pelvis, the
unfavourable presentation of the child, the difficulty of the operation and the
hour-glass contraction of the womb.
In witness whereof as well the aforesaid Coroner as the Jurors aforesaid, have to this Inquisition put their hands and seals, on the day and year, and at the place above mentioned.
Thomas Hopper - Coroner.
The Star (Ballarat) Monday 18 April 1864.An inquest was held on Friday at the CriterionHotel, Carngham, before the District Coroner,On the body of Anne Greenbank, who died on theprevious day. It appeared from the evidence that the death of the deceased was caused by hemorrhage during childbirth, and the jury found a verdict in accordance therewith.
You can read the full account of the findings of the coroner
and witnesses, including Annie's husband, Leonard Greenbank, CORONER'S REPORT - ANNIE GREENBANK
Annie Greenbank (nee Conry), was buried in the Carngham
Cemetery. You will see that Leonard's brother, Thomas, is also buried in
this grave, thirty years later, in 1894, aged 68 years and then Leonard
himself, sixty years after Annie's death, in 1924 at the age of 90 years.
The inscription on their headstone reads as follows:-
SACRED
to the Memory of
ANNIE
THE BELOVED WIFE OF
LEONARD GREENBANK
WHO DIED 14TH APRIL, 1864, AGED 29 YEARS
ALSO
THOMAS GREENBANK
WHO DIED 8TH JUNE 1894, AGED 68 YEARS
LEONARD GREENBANK
DIED 4TH DECEMBER, 1924, AGED 90 YEARS
The Greenbank brothers carried their friendship with Andrew McDonell to the grave, as the headstone directly to the left of theirs in the photograph below, is for Andrew and his family. More on that later, as they all still had a lot more living to do.
There is a really interesting newspaper article which is very lengthy, but extremely entertaining and enlightening, as we are taken on a "trip" to the "new rush" at Carngham, by a very eloquent local correspondent. Make sure you take the time to sit down with a "cuppa", and read it, HERE
The next post on Thomas and Leonard Greenbank is still under
construction, but if you would like to be notified of new posts as I complete
and publish them, you can email me at dentheadfarm@gmail.com and I will add you to my list of contacts.
I will be adding the next one hundred and fifty years of
history in due course. Once finished, I aim to publish it as a
book.
If there are any errors or omissions that you are aware of up
to this point, or if you would like to add any other information, I will be
happy to include it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With many thanks to Helen Greenbank whose
assistance and time in editing this Blog is very much appreciated and to Steve Thomas for verifying general gold mining
information.
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