Bulleid News No. 81 17 May 2014

It was a pleasure finally to meet Nick Bulleid during his recent brief visit to England and a

coincidence that we met the week after Bernard Everett and I had viewed part of the

collection of documents, photos and memorabilia that had belonged to his grandfather, Dr

Arthur Bulleid. These are now in trust at the Somerset Heritage Centre in Taunton.

It is also coincidental that Nick’s father Humphrey – a GP like his father before him –

should have worked at the hospital in Wangaratta, Victoria, the area in which James John

Bulleid finally settled and which remains a Bulleid stronghold. ‘JJ’ was a descendant of a

different branch of the family that also resided in Glastonbury, Dr Arthur’s birthplace, for a

while.

These coincidences and some information that Nick gave me prompted me to piece together

the story of how the Glastonbury Bulleids and the Austin family came to intermarry.

The Austins of Somerset and Australia

James Austin (1776-1831)

James Austin was baptised in Baltonsborough, Somerset, England, on 13 August 1776. He

became a farm labourer and no doubt the family was poor. He must have heard that there was

a better living to be had in Australia and discussed it with his friend, John Earle. They dreamt

about emigrating, but could not afford the fare, and so they thought about alternative ways of

getting there. They decided that transportation was the answer and hit on the idea of stealing

a couple of beehives and the honey. According to family lore, they placed the hives outside

someone’s front door, perhaps the owner’s and presumably at night time, and made a

commotion causing him to run out of the door and knock the hives over. Apparently, he was

badly stung and the boys were sentenced to transportation to Australia for seven years for

theft.

On regaining his freedom, James was granted 30 acres on the River Derwent in Tasmania.

Possibly the authorities thought this would help keep him out of trouble. If so, it worked

because by 1819 he had a flock of 700 sheep and employed 8 convict servants. He was a

forced founder of Hobart Town.

In partnership with his friend, John Earle, he established a ferry across the river with

quayside inns on either side. One of their punts was able to carry 300 sheep, or 5 loaded carts,

and the venture was soon earning the partners an annual profit of £2000. James used this to

invest in his farm and by 1823 could boast the largest orchard in the colony. By the time of

his death in 1831, he had 3000 acres and had built three large stone houses and

accompanying farm buildings.

James (1810-96) and Thomas (1815-71) Austin

James never married, but through his generosity several of his nephews, including James and

Thomas Austin, were able to immigrate to the colony from Somerset. James and Thomas

arrived in 1825 and in 1837 crossed the Bass Strait and occupied the site of Winchelsea,

originally known as Austin’s Ford. Thomas developed a well-stocked freehold estate of

29,000 acres with a magnificent mansion that he hardly lived to see.

James married Rebecca Savage in 1842. His pastoral holdings exceeded those of his brother

Thomas, but he also grasped the potential of urban property and until 1843 owned Geelong’s

leading butchery. He was an alderman of Geelong’s first town council and in 1851 its second

elected mayor. In 1853 he started to sell his lots and retired to Somerset in 1856 where he

bought the ruined abbey and Abbey House in Glastonbury. The acquisition of the house

included the grounds in which were sited the abbey and about 22 cottages. Five of his nine

children were born in the town where he became mayor four times: 1858, 1872, 1875 and

1880.

John George Lawrence Bulleid, solicitor and father of Arthur Bulleid, was mayor of

Glastonbury seven times: 1854, 1862, 1867, 1873, 1881, 1885 and 1894.

The Abbey House and its property were sold at public auction for £30,000 in 1907 by

James’ son Stanley.

Albert Austin (1834-1916)

Albert was the son of John and nephew of James and Thomas (see above). He arrived in

Victoria with his brother Benjamin in 1851 where he joined his uncle Thomas at Barwon

Park, near Geelong, and gained two years’ pastoral experience. With his uncles’ help, he

bought the Eilyer station of 30,000 acres, fully stocked, on the shores of Lake Bolac, about

135 miles west of Melbourne.

In 1862, he married his cousin Catherine Mack and they had nine children: Albert Sydney

(1863); Ernest Gardiner (1867); Frank Stanley (1868); Arthur John (1873); Harry Lucas

(1877); Anna Eleanor; Gertrude, Catherine and Nancy.

He prospered and bought several other stations including Boriyallock near Skipton, which

he later sold to his sons Ernest and Frank. Ernest kept the old homestead and Frank built a

new one at Mount Widderin.

In 1888, when his sons were attending Melbourne Grammar School, Albert built a family

home in Albany Road, Toorak, a suburb of Melbourne. According to the Australian

Dictionary of Biography, Online edition, this was named Eilyer, but this is thought to be an

error and the house was, in fact, the original ‘Dymboro’.

Albert’s family visited his uncle James at the Abbey House in Glastonbury where they met

the children of John George Lawrence Bulleid. Arthur Bulleid was ten years older than Annie

Austin and a penniless medical student, whereas she was from a very wealthy family.

Bulleids and Austins ‘in a romp’ at Glastonbury

Arthur Bulleid (1862-1951) and Anna Eleanor Austin (1872-1954)

Arthur was born in Glastonbury in 1862 when his father was mayor for the second time. His

grandfather, John Bulleid (1793-1840) had moved to the town from Bondleigh in Devon,

following the example of his uncle James Bulleid, who had moved from Bristol to

Glastonbury. James was a victualler who occupied the Crown Inn, a 16th

century coaching

inn at the foot of the High Street, at the end of the 18th

century. His grandson, James John

Bulleid, established the family branch in Victoria, Australia, after emigrating there in 1849.

However, JJ had been born and raised in Bristol and there is no reason to suppose that he had

met the Austins or Bulleids in Glastonbury, or that they were the reason for his decision to

emigrate.

Arthur and his two brothers Howard and Lawrence were educated at St John's College,

Hurstpierpoint, commonly known as 'Hurst'. Founded by Nathaniel Woodard, an Anglican

clergyman with High Church leanings, the school catered for 'middle class boys' with a wide

curriculum; this was in contrast to many public schools where Classics predominated. The

fees at Hurst were £20 a year. Arthur disliked the school, which was cold in winter and where

they were ‘half-starved’ during Lent.

In April 1969, when he was six years old, he wrote to his sister Annie, known as Nanny: -

“My dear Nanny

a starling came in the study and layed an egg on the table such a pretty blue one Laura

blew blue one and I have it I am collecting eggs Stanley came down yesterday

Very kind love

Your affectionate brother

Arthur Bulleid”

Arthur at Hurst (seated on the left)

He won a prize for drawing; was a prefect in his last year (1879); played football for the First

Xl; obtained his Swimming Certificate; and was the Chamberlain in a production of Henry IV

part I.

After leaving Hurst, Arthur went to the Potteries to learn the trade as an apprentice,

returning to Glastonbury to work with patterns and glazes in a local company. He found little

to encourage him in his efforts to experiment and develop the craft, and he abandoned the

work and turned to medicine. He entered the Bristol Medical School from where he could

visit his parents in Glastonbury whenever possible. He had a slight hesitation in his speech

which worried him all through his life and he found oral examinations difficult. Nonetheless

his career as a doctor seemed assured and he pursued his studies vigorously. Yet there was

always another interest, instilled by his father, in antiquarian matters, and in his spare time he

read of the excavations and discoveries then being made in Britain and abroad.

In 1892, Arthur discovered the Glastonbury Lake Village, now one of Europe’s most

famous archaeological sites. This site remains the benchmark for all other British Iron Age

settlements. There is a recording made by him in 1948 relating the discovery on the family

website www.bulliedfamily.com.

Anna Eleanor Austin was born on the Eilyer station in Victoria, about 135 miles west of

Melbourne, in 1872. (Her daughter, Bettrys, visited the homestead and reported that it had no

internal plumbing and was unpleasant in summer). As stated above, Annie met Arthur when

staying at the Abbey House in Glastonbury. They fell in love but were not allowed develop

the courtship until he had qualified as a doctor of medicine, given his penniless state. He did

qualify and they were formally engaged in September 1898 when his mother, Christiana,

wrote to Annie: -

“My dear Annie,

We are all so pleased to welcome you into our family circle. I do not think you will have

cause to regret the step you have taken. Arthur I am sure will always [be] faithful and good

to you. He has always been a kind son and brother and it is said that a good son and

brother always makes a model husband. I trust my pleasant anticipations may be realized.

God bless you both.

Arthur is certainly making a name in the scientific world and I think other things which

will conduce toward your mutual happiness will soon follow.

We shall in a few days have some big men here. Sir John Lubbock comes on Saturday and

Mr Hercules Beed will stay with us the following week.

Will you remember me kindly to Mrs Austin and believe me with love.

Yours affectionately

C Bulleid”

Two months before their marriage on 27 September 1900 (at All Souls, Langham Place,

London), Arthur was attempting to purchase a practice in Poole, Dorset, from a Dr Lawton.

He sent Annie a detailed description together with a financial statement estimating that the

practice would provide an annual income of £326.2.6d. A few days later, he wrote to her: -

“It is not an easy subject for me to write about at the present moment – for marriage

depends so much on what my position will be at Poole. Everything appears so one-sided

dear. As you are aware I have been waiting for something definite to go upon before

writing to Mr Austin [presumably Annie’s father] and until Dr Lawton returns the

Agreement and an accountant has valued the practice any figures would be more or less

unsatisfactory and misleading. You understand dear I know that I have no private means

of help now and that my income will rest entirely on what the practice brings in. One

cannot expect there to be much during the first few months at Poole – so that unless we

have other resources I do not see how it is possible to settle down so soon.”

You may wonder why Arthur was penniless as his father had had his own solicitor’s practice in

Glastonbury for several years and had been mayor of the town seven times. His

granddaughter, Molly Laxton, recalled that in her childhood [1860s] her grandparents always

provided roast sirloin at

dinner time on Sundays to

six old men and six old

women from the nearby

almshouses.

Part of the answer is that

Arthur was the youngest of

five children and had two

older brothers. The main

reason, however, is that in

1896 his father had brought a

partner into the firm. By

1900, the partner had become

concerned about the firm’s

financial situation

whereupon Arthur’s eldest

brother, John Howard

Bulleid, examined the books

and discovered that there was

nothing left and that the

defalcation was

longstanding. He applied for

his father’s bankruptcy in

1901 and six months later

was found dead on

allotments near Rugby (an

open verdict was returned).

John Howard Bulleid with his mother Christiana

How dramatically Arthur and Annie’s situation changed between July and September 1900!

One can only imagine that Annie contacted her father and that he paid for the wedding at All

Souls in Marylebone, London, which had been designed by John Nash. Moreover, the

wedding gift from his in-laws was a house designed by Arthur and Annie in Midsomer

Norton, which they named ‘Dymboro’ after an Austin property in Toorak, Melbourne

[possibly the house built by her father and referred to above as ‘Eilyer’]. I do not know when

the Somerset ‘Dymboro’ was built, or why Midsomer Norton was chosen as the location.

Certainly Arthur acquired a practice in that town and presumably this became available

before he completed negotiations for the one in Poole.

‘Dymboro’ under construction in Midsomer Norton

‘Dymboro’ in 2009 now divided into 3 flats (© Google Maps)

The house was sold in 1954 after Annie’s death and the proceeds distributed amongst the family.

Family Trip to Australia

In 1933, Arthur took Annie and their daughters Armynell and Christine (Christiana) to

Australia to visit various members of the Austin family. Arthur kept a diary of the trip, which

started on 28 October at Tilbury where they boarded the Oronsay. “Favourably impressed

with the boat…cabin and dinner stewards good.” Three days later, as they passed Cape

Rosa, the sea was smooth and the sky cloudless. “Watched games on games deck for a little –

several girls in beach clothes and many of them painted and rather loud.”

They stopped in Gibraltar, Toulon, Naples, Port Said, Aden, Colombo, Fremantle and

Adelaide before dropping anchor in Melbourne on 4 December where they were met by

several members of the family. Annie’s eldest brother Bertie drove Arthur to Annie’s sister

Kitty’s [Catherine] house, believed to be the original ‘Dymboro’ in the Melbourne suburb of

Toorak. Annie arrived in Kitty’s car driven by her chauffeur, Wales. The girls were lodged in

the Botannic Hotel with Annie’s sister Nancy.

They remained in Victoria for three months visiting various Austin homes:

- ‘Two Hills’ north east of Melbourne and possibly Nancy’s home

- the Eilyer station where Annie had been born, on the shores of Lake Bolac

- ‘Boriyallock’ the home of Annie’s brother Ernest

- ‘Mount Widderin’, owned by Annie’s brother Frank

- ‘Greenvale’ the home of Annie’s eldest brother Bertie

The last three were all in the vicinity of Lake Bolac and possibly part of the original Eilyer

station. While staying at Greenvale on 8 January, Arthur noted: -

“Dull and raining and cold. After breakfast went with Annie and Bertie for a God forsaken

motor drive. We lunched at Mrs Moffats and motored on through uninteresting country to

Tom Blacks and Hope (Austin). Car skidded on side roads and B drove very fast and

unpleasantly. Saw over Trufood milk factory, the garden of Mrs Black Senr. and then had

tea. Still raining on the way home and got wet and miserable. A long and wretched day.

Bought matches at Lake Bolac village store.”

Bear in mind that Arthur was 71 years old.

Another visit was to Geelong where James Austin had prospered a century earlier. There

they visited the grammar school, which Arthur thought ‘very good’ and met the headmaster

and a housemaster. This, of course, was three decades before Prince Charles was educated at

‘Timbertops’ part of the school.

The family boarded the Otranto in Melbourne on Tuesday, 6 March 1934, and arrived at

Southampton on 11 April.

Annie was a talented painter of landscapes and flowers in oil. She exhibited at the Royal

Academy six times and at the Royal Institute four.

Apart from being a physician and surgeon, and having excavated the Glastonbury Lake

Village about which he lectured and wrote, Arthur had a keen interest in his ancestry. He

scoured the parish records in Devon and produced the first known family tree drawn in ink on

linen-backed parchment. The document measures approximately 4’6” x 3’0 and appears to

end in 1908, although there are later pencil additions, probably by Jack Bulleid, Arthur’s

successor as family historian. The pedigree has been preserved in the Somerset Heritage

Centre in Taunton.

Bernard Everett making notes from Arthur Bulleid’s ‘Pedigree’

There is a wonderful account of life at Dymboro by Armynell Goodall in the ‘Memories’

collection under ‘All Media’ on the family website, www.bulliedfamily.com.

Kind regards,

Geoff