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10 CHAPTER 2. SECOND GENERATION 1814 - 1849 inthisactivity, butcarehadbeentakentokeepitsecretfromtheMasterandSurgeon, who were thus effectively exonerated from any blame. The result of this routine examination appeared to give a glowing reference to the Master and Surgeon Superintendent, and an accusation of incompetence or failure to perform their proper duty against the Schoolmaster and his wife, the Matron. The Master and Surgeon Superintendent thus received their gratuities and hastily departed with the ship from Australia. However, the Schoolmaster and his wife decided to defend themselves and claim their gratuities, so they submitted their own complaints to the Superintendant of Port Phillip, later Governor, C. J. Latrobe, supported by affidavits from the Chief Mate of the Courier and the Ship’s Baker, and also from some of the other passengers. These documents told a completely different story, which was in part corroborated from the Surgeon Superintendent’s own Log. The true story of the voyage is one which might shock even the present generation. It seems that Thomas Barlow, the schoolmaster, was a Waterloo veteran, with a field commission in the King’s Dragoon Guards, becoming Adjutant, and later an officer of the 2nd Regiment of the Cheshire Yeomanry, with a commission for life. He was also a committed professing Christian, and we can believe that it was this quality which both obtained him his employment by the United Kingdom Commissioner for Emigration and incurred the enmity of the Master and Surgeon Superintendent of the ship Courier. From these submissions it appears that, initially, the Barlow family commenced religious services, with hymn singing and preaching for the emigrants each evening for the first month of the voyage. Possibly with the connivance of the Master and certainly with his approbation, a parody of the service, involving blasphemous and obscene songs, and imitation preaching, was performed by the steward, undermining the authority of the school master and his wife, and making them a laughing stock of the crew and many of the emigrants. This was followed by rebellion by many of the singlewomenagainstthematron, includinganattackwithbiscuitsandothermissiles. The Master took no disciplinary action. The Master was engaged in a liaison with one of the single women, aided by the steward, to the extent that hole was made in the floor of his stateroom above the bunk of the woman concerned so that he could supply her with food and spirits, and could talk with her. The steward had supplied spirits and extra food to some passengers at a price and diluted the remaining stocks with water to hide his actions. The food supplied to the Barlows was also rendered uneatable from time to time. As a consequence, the Barlows, had been forced to
11 confine themselves for significant periods of time to their cabins. However, there is no doubt that Mr Barlow continued to attempt to exercise his role as Schoolmaster, and to attempt to improve the morals of the company, thus increasing the enmity of the Master. There appeared to be little control after dark of the behaviour of the single men or the movement about the ship of the single women who wished to be in a relationship with other emigrants or with the crew. There is more than a suspicion that in those days, many of the single female immigrants to Australia, claiming to be servant girls or lady’s maids, were actually prostitutes from the streets of England and Ireland seeking a more prosperous life in Australia. Eventually right had its reward, as Mr Barlow received his full gratuity, although MrsBarlowreceivedless, becauseshehadconfinedherselftohercabinformuchofthe voyage. This was the environment under which John and Eliza, and his sisters Eliza and Sarah Belcher, as single women, had to suffer on the voyage out to Australia. Arriving in Melbourne in 1849 After the 96 days passage, the passengers disembarked in Melbourne on Tuesday 11th September 1849. See Appendix E - The Courier. According to the ship’s Disposal List, Johnwaslistedasalabourer, aged25, Elizabethasahousekeeper, aged27, Eliza as a housemaid and Sarah as a child’s maid. The family is recorded as having all disengaged from their commitments as assisted migrants, and gone to Melbourne, the two girls being under the protection of their brother. See Appendix E - The Courier. John’s eldest daughter Sarah was born in Melbourne on Friday 4th January 1850 while John and Eliza were living in Lonsdale St. Sarah was baptized on 18th January at St Peter’s Church of England Eastern Hill. At this time John gave his occupation as gardener, the same as he had given in Ireland. (There was also baptized a Sarah Margaret Belcher at St Frances Catholic Church on 30th December 1850, then being claimed to have been born of 4th January 1849, a daughter of John and Eliza Belcher, but this seems to have been another family as no child was recorded on the shipping list of the Courier). Their eldest son, James, born on 17th February 1852 was also baptized, privately, at St Peter’s Eastern Hill, on 22nd February 1952, so it appears that any religious difference in the family was now settled in favour of the Church of England in succession to the Church of Ireland.
Page 1 and 2: THE FAMILY OF JAMES BELCHER OF WATE
Page 3 and 4: Preface Neither a Genealogy nor a F
Page 5 and 6: A Belcher Time Line First Generatio
Page 7 and 8: Contents Preface A Belcher Time Lin
Page 9 and 10: Chapter 1 First generation 1792 - 1
Page 11 and 12: Figure 1.2: Map of Ireland in the 1
Page 13 and 14: 5 family of Belcher’s in Waterfor
Page 15 and 16: Chapter 2 Second generation 1814 -
Page 17: 9 Trouble aboard The Courier The da
Page 21 and 22: 13 At half past seven next morning,
Page 23 and 24: 15 Figure 2.2: Mary Anne’s daught
Page 25 and 26: 17 Figure 2.4: Eliza Joyce 160 John
Page 27 and 28: 19 respectively. John Joyce died on
Page 29 and 30: Chapter 3 Third generation 1850 - 1
Page 31 and 32: John Furlong is recorded on the Rat
Page 33 and 34: Figure 3.3: Mount Alexander, Vaugha
Page 35 and 36: 27 Figure 3.5: William Belcher and
Page 37 and 38: was then currently on a three year
Page 39 and 40: 31 Figure 3.6: “Rothesay”, the
Page 41 and 42: 33 Figure 3.8: Mary Wheatley née B
Page 43 and 44: Chapter 4 Fourth generation 1869 -
Page 45 and 46: 37 Figure 4.2: Fox family at North
Page 47 and 48: 39 brothers and sister Ada. He farm
Page 49 and 50: 41 Figure 4.5: Ada Clarice Belcher,
Page 51 and 52: Figure 4.6: Mary Alice “Allie”
Page 53 and 54: 45 England Catechism and attending
Page 55 and 56: 47 for him and his brother Jack who
Page 57 and 58: 49 Figure 4.8: William Fleming Belc
Page 59 and 60: 51 rooms of weatherboard constructi
Page 61 and 62: 53 Figure 4.9: John “Jack” Belc
Page 63 and 64: 55 Figure 4.10: Lucy Wheatley, daug
Page 65 and 66: Appendix A Search for a family The
Page 67 and 68: 59 So this collection of informatio
Page 69 and 70:
61 William Samuel Belcher/Jane MC 1
Page 71 and 72:
Appendix B Registrar certificates D
Page 73 and 74:
65 Death certificate of John Belche
Page 75 and 76:
Marriage certificate of John Belche
Page 77 and 78:
69 This Marriage was solemnized bet
Page 79 and 80:
Appendix C The story of the flood T
Page 81 and 82:
73 the river. It was probably Belch
Page 83 and 84:
Appendix D The coroner’s inquest
Page 85 and 86:
77 The Deponent on his oath said as
Page 87 and 88:
Appendix E The Courier Passenger li
Page 89 and 90:
Appendix F Obituaries Mrs. Ellen Be
Page 91 and 92:
Appendix G Family Trees Figure G.1:
Page 93 and 94:
Figure G.3: James Belcher and Mary
Page 95 and 96:
Figure G.5: Thomas Floyd and Mary M
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Figure G.11: Thomas Floyd and Mary
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Figure G.17: James Warner and Anna
Page 109 and 110:
Figure G.19: James Warner and Anna
Page 111 and 112:
Figure G.21: John Ambrose and Sarah
Page 113 and 114:
Figure G.23: Henry Floyd and Margar
Page 115 and 116:
Figure G.25: John Furlong and Sarah
Page 117 and 118:
Figure G.27: John Furlong and Sarah
Page 119 and 120:
Figure G.29: William Belcher and El
Page 121 and 122:
Figure G.31: William Belcher and El
Page 123 and 124:
Figure G.33: Richard Wheatley and M
Page 125 and 126:
Figure G.35: William Joyce and Ann
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Figure G.41: John Porta and Anne Jo
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Figure G.51: John Joyce and Emily W
Page 143 and 144:
Figure G.53: Brian O’Reilly and M
Page 145 and 146:
Figure G.55: George West and Mary J
Page 147 and 148:
139 Figure G.57: George West and Ma
Page 149 and 150:
Figure G.60: George Cupit and Alice
Page 151 and 152:
143 Figure G.62: Charles Cupit and
Page 153 and 154:
Appendix H Acknowledgements Many de
Page 155:
Bibliography [1] Cannon, Michael,
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