the fox under the hill: myths and mysteries...as well as supplying meat to the government stores....
TRANSCRIPT
1
THE FOX UNDER THE HILL:
myths and mysteries
Blacktown City Council mayoral history prize entry, 2019
2
THE FOX UNDER THE HILL
Most local historians know of The Fox Under the Hill inn, which was situated on the Western
Road at Prospect, on the site of today’s Fox Hills Golf Club. Few know of its story, apart from
some short histories published in local journals, newspapers and internet sources, which
appear to reproduce the same information without testing the authenticity of its accuracy or
source, and which, regretfully, has led to errors being perpetuated from one to another.
This work has been extensively researched in an effort to clarify its long and varied history of
over 130 years, and the many myths and mysteries associated with it. The story of The Fox is a
jigsaw puzzle of pieces. Some fit together, some do not. Unfortunately many of these
mysteries remain and with the passage of time, will probably now never be solved. Even so,
this history demonstrates just how varied its career was, as inn, residence, school, model
farm, tea room, abandoned, then finally as a golf club. Its association with bushrangers and
other prominent people of early European settlement, with early coach routes, a quarry
railway, an Army camp during World War II, and with the early years of a major western
suburbs golf course, have all contributed to its colourful but forgotten past.
There have been many variations as to the source of the name of the inn. Some say it was named
after an inn in Charles Dickens’ novel David Copperfield. This is unlikely as that book was not
published until 1850, and the Fox was reputedly built in the 1820s. Another source states that the
Lawson family at nearby Veteran Hall released a fox onto the land. This is discredited by a family
descendant. Others say it was named after an inn at Hampstead Heath, south of London. Perhaps
the last word should go to George Peisley, who wrote in the Cumberland Argus in 1897: “with
reference to the old inn known as the Fox Under The Hill, Prospect, it is said that the neighbourhood
was so named because one of the original Lawsons let a fox go there, and set up a hue and cry after
it. There was no fox let loose by the Lawsons, for at the time the house was built [presumably
Veteran Hall in 1810] there was no fox in the country and further I am possessed of information which
proves beyond all doubt that the Fox Under The Hill was named after an old country inn in England,
where my grandfather spent the early part of his life.” 1
The country inn referred to could well have been Hampstead Heath. But the name had nothing to do
with Lawson foxes and Charles Dickens.
European settlement of the land where The Fox Under The Hill was built began in 1792 with the first
land grants. Before then, the land was that of the Darug people, who had occupied it for over 60,000
years. In 1792 the NSW Governor, Arthur Phillip, gave away a number of land grants under Prospect
Hill. Two of the earliest grants were to John Nichols and Thomas Martin, both First Fleet convicts,
and each were given 30 acres. Nichols’ grant was dated 22 February 1792. Martin’s grant was north
of the Western Road, while Nichols’ grant was divided by it. The Fox would later sit astride both these
grants.2
The conditions on which the farms were given were that the recipients had to cultivate them for five
years. They were to be supported and clothed from public stores for eighteen months and to receive
two sows, a hatchet, two hoes and a shovel. It was later said that their huts were “wretched hovels”.
To give protection against runaway convicts and hostile aborigines, a corporal and two soldiers were
encamped there. The aborigines did not understand concept of land ownership, considering that
3
everything on the land belonged to all people to share. Water was a problem, as only two of the
farms assigned had access. It was reported that Martin was “a person entirely ignorant respecting
agriculture”, but Nichols was more successful and later became Chief Constable for Prospect. 3
Nichols went on to acquire the grant of William Parish, which did not abut his land but was separated
from it by the grants of Butler and Lisk. In April 1806, Nichols advertised a farm at Prospect to let:
“being cleared, with a large commodious and substantial Dwelling House, newly built and shingled, fit
for the immediate reception of a genteel family, with good barn, stock yards, sheep shed, pig sties,
well supplied with water and free from all danger of flood.” Whether this impressive sounding house
was on the Parish or the Nichols grant is not stated. If it was on the latter, it could be an early
mention of The Fox Under the Hill, but the house is not known to have existed as early as 1806. It
remains another mystery associated with The Fox.4
John and Francis Peisley
Eventually the land was sold and by 1819 had passed into the ownership of John Peisley of
Parramatta. By 1822 he had purchased Nichols, Martin’s, Fenton, Limeburner, Ellem and Butler’s and
part of Kennedy’s original grants, just under 300 acres in total. This is a substantial holding, stretching
from north of the Western Road, where the Fox was located, down towards the later Prospect
Reservoir.5
John Peisley and his wife Elizabeth had arrived in Australia on the Perseus in 1802. He was charged
1 August 1801 with break and enter and theft, and sentenced to death at the Surrey Summer Assizes
at Croydon on 3 August 1801, but this was commuted to life imprisonment. He was transported,
departing Spithead, England, on 12 February 1802 and arriving in the colony on 4 August 1802. His
wife Elizabeth and daughter Mary Ann came with him.6
The family arrived in Sydney on 4 August 1802 and John was assigned to the Reverend Samuel
Marsden, building roads around Parramatta. He applied to the Governor for a mitigated sentence and
was given a Conditional Pardon on 29 February 1812, meaning he could never return to England. His
wife, being a free person, already held a Certificate of Freedom. John himself was a butcher and they
later became the owners of The Thatched House Inn and The Coach and Horses Inn at Parramatta,
as well as supplying meat to the Government stores. They had at least eight children – John, William,
Sarah, Francis, Elizabeth, Martha, Mary and Robert.7 Francis, William and Martha would later
become an important part of the story of The Fox Under The Hill.
It is recorded that John senior built The Fox Under The Hill inn at Prospect. Sources differ as to the
year of its construction, including 1802, 1812, 1819, 1820, 1823 and 1827.8 According to the late
Brian French, it was built in 1819. He based this date on a mortgage deed of 14 April 1819 between
John Peisley and Robert Hazard, which states that the inn had been “lately erected”. 9
According to the index to the Supreme Court Old Register, held in NSW State Archives and Records,
this is actually the Fox Under the Hill in Pitt Road, Parramatta. 10
However, the actual handwritten
entry in Book 7 itself is rather contradictory, stating Pitts Road, but not naming the actual town or
area.11
To add to the mystery, no reference has been found to any inn by that name existing in
Parramatta at that time.12
But it is known that John Peisley resided in Pitt Street, Parramatta in 1822. 13
It is probably therefore correct to say that The Fox Under the Hill was built in the 1820s, although
initially it may have originally been a farm house, but by 1826 was in use as an inn. The correct date
may now never be known. Adjacent to the house was the toll gate for the Western Road.
4
It is believed John Peisley never actually lived in The Fox, preferring to remain in Parramatta, and his
son Francis ran the inn, being listed as the publican as early as 1826.14
An advertisement for the Supreme Court on May 24, 1826, states that in the case of Campbell Junior
vs Peisley, the Sheriff had ordered the following property to be put up for sale:
“A thirty acre farm (be the same more or less) situated at Prospect, well fenced and cleared, divided
into four paddocks, with a substantial wood building, and good stabling attached, a shed, pigeon
house and stock yard. The above adjoins the Prospect Road, is bounded on the south by Nichols’
farm, on the north by Silverthorn’s and west by Pike’s farm.” 15
Why did the Sheriff order the sale of the farm, which is clearly The Fox Under The Hill, although it is
not referred to as such? Perhaps it was not at that time used as an inn, but a farmhouse. (An earlier
report that same year states that the farm belonged to Francis Peisley.) 6 The sale includes four other
local properties in Prospect, including Kennedy’s 160 acres [south of today’s highway] abutting the
Fox to the south-west.
In that same month, May 1826, it was ordered by the Sheriff that Peisley’s stock of horses, mares
and cattle be put up for sale, including several thorough-breds, six cows, two bulls of English breed
and two working bullocks, to be sold for approved Bills, payable in Spanish dollars. Again, Mr Robert
Campbell Junior was the person foreclosing for monies owed.17
In following years, the inn is still listed under the ownership of either John or Francis as publicans.
(John, the son, is listed as publican in 1829 and 1931.) 18
John Peisley’s wife, Elizabeth, later stated that the inn was her husband’s folly.19
She was probably
referring to a large holding of land at Prospect Hill, and that he had gotten himself into financial
difficulties. It is likely that most were mortgaged to Campbell, who then foreclosed. But this does not
explain how the Fox property came to remain in the Peisley family afterwards, as the case is more
complicated than that.
The actual reason for the foreclosure was that John Peisley owed a large sum of money to Robert
Campbell the younger. The latter had lodged an affidavit in the Supreme Court in 1823 attempting to
get his money back, some £2,500 with interest. He would later allege that he had an agreement with
Peisley to acquire some of the latter’s holdings to offset the debt, including a house and premises in
Parramatta, a filly and gelding, a 30 acre farm [Prospect?] and another two properties comprising 250
acres on the Western Road. The combined value of these was said to be £1300. 20
Thus was triggered legal action which continued for three years. There is considerable
documentation held at NSW State Archives and Records comprising affidavits, court statements,
submissions and allegations. One in particular, by Campbell, relates to Peisley being “too free with
the bottle” and “in a state of inebriety”.21
Campbell’s attorney was no other than William Charles
Wentworth. It was a classic clash between an emancipist [Peisley] and a free settler.[Campbell].
But the basis of the bitter conflict between the two men, apart from John Peisley owing Campbell a
large amount of money which he did not seem to want to repay, was Campbell’s allegations that
Peisley “made a transfer of all his property to his said son [Francis] with a view to cheat and defraud
this Deponent [Campbell] out of a great part of the said debt”. He added that “Francis James Peisley,
without the knowledge, sanction or privily of this Deponent [Campbell] took upon himself after the
execution of the said deeds of lease and release in manner aforesaid, to dispose of to one Whalan at
Prospect and has appropriated the monies arising from the sale …” 22
The property was transferred
to Francis on 22 February 1826, including Nichol’s and Butler’s original grants.23
If the Fox was sold to Charles Whalan, he must have had an agreement to later sell it back to Francis
Peisley, for it remained in the Peisley family until 1901. 24
5
The actual judgement by the Court is missing from the file. However, it must have been in Campbell’s
favour, as several newspaper advertisements in 1826 regarding the sale of John Peisley’s assets
would indicate. Although it seems The Fox property at Prospect was advertised in May 1826 to be
sold, it had already [without Campbell and the Sheriff’s knowledge or consent] been on-sold to
Whalan, but later remained in the ownership of Francis Peisley. One can only conclude that Whalan
had acquired it to thwart the court order and later sold it back to Peisley.
Another action followed in June 1826, when the Sheriff advertised John Peisley’s dwelling house at
Parramatta, complete with stables, oat houses, garden, carts, stock, ladders, plough saddles etc,
were advertised also to be sold. These were subject to a mortgage of £410 with interest to Mr
Campbell.25
The Coach and Horses Inn at Parramatta, at one time owned by Peisley, is not
mentioned in the Supreme Court notices.
John Peisley senior died in 1828, probably a broken man, and he appears to have left no will. 26
Presumably the John Peisley listed in 1931 as publican at The Fox Under the Hill was his son.27
Some writers state that the inn was destroyed by fire in 1827 or 1830 and rebuilt in 1832. Trove
newspapers do not mention any fire or rebuilding, which is strange, as one would think such an event
in the infant colony would have made major news. It is also claimed that the second Fox was built as
a replica of the first. The latter is probably based on a comment by William Freame in The Argus,
June 1928, where he says “the old Prospect house was built during the thirties and superseded an
older building of similar design.” 28
A photograph has been published which states it to be the first
inn, with the caption “the original inn erected in 1819.” 29
Not only is the caption incorrect, but the
photograph itself. Photography prior to 1830 was in an experimental form, even in Europe, so it is
very unlikely that any photos of the Fox pre-date 1830, as it is generally accepted that photography in
its current form was not invented until 1836/7. 30
Despite extensive searching, this writer has found no evidence to corroborate any of this information
and the source of these dates remains obscure. Unfortunately it is often repeated in publications and
websites and the dates are perpetuated. One would think that the destruction of a public house by
fire would have been reported in early colonial newspapers, but no mention has been found. It is
possible any fire was only a minor one which damaged part of the building, hence its later
appearance is the same as the original.
The Fox actually sat astride two land grants, that of Martin (Lot 34) and Nichols (Lot 33). Incredibly,
the dividing line ran right through one of its chimneys.31
The next publican was John’s son, Francis. He is listed in 1833 and 1834 as the publican, although
the Publican’s Records held in the State Archives for 1834 list the inn as The Fox Under A Hill. 32
It is
recorded in Land Titles that Francis Peisley had land in the area in 1826. 33
In 1848 Francis and Jno
Leadbeater agreed to exchange 25 acres each, part of Peck’s Farm for part of Conway’s Farm.34
If
Francis owned the inn, it was not listed in his probate documents.35
He died in 1859, and the inn then
saw a series of other publicans, but it remained in the Peisley family, having been purchased by
William on Francis’ death.36
Elizabeth Peisley, John’s widow and Francis’ mother, died 30 December 1863 at her home in George
Street, Parramatta, aged 87.37
There is no probate or will on record. After her husband’s death, she
was reported as running an inn called The Irish Harp in Macquarie Street, Parramatta, around 1834 to
1837.38
According to one source, her son William acquired the properties upon her death but refused to give
his sisters a share. They took him to the Equity Court where he lost the case. He gave them the
Prospect property which included the Fox and the two sisters owned the land jointly. In a marriage
6
settlement of 17 October 1849, between John Fitzpatrick and Martha Peisley prior to their marriage, it
established her rights to the land.39
The Roaring Days
The inn was also reputed to have been used by bushrangers, in particular, the infamous wild colonial
boy, Bold Jack Donohue, who had a song written about him. Donohue was eventually caught and
condemned to death, but escaped. His accomplices were hanged. He was in his early twenties and
ranged from Parramatta to Bathurst and it was said had his hiding place in The Fox, where he
managed to evade police on many occasions, either in the attic or under straw in the stables. Much
of what was written about him in those times was fabricated fiction, but he became an anti-hero in the
manner of Ned Kelly and praised for his courage, until being shot dead by police near Bringelly on 1
September 1830.40
Sketch of Bold Jack Donohue in the morgue in 1830.
Attributed to Sir T L Mitchell. Original is held in the State Library of NSW.
In the early coaching days, The Fox Under the Hill was extremely popular. Coaches en route to the
Blue Mountains, Penrith and the Hawkesbury used it as a refreshment stop. It was said that up to
thirty teams could be camped there at any one time and that the inn kept an excellent kitchen. Behind
it there was a great well with an old fashioned windlass, famed for its cold water. Men, walking to the
Bathurst gold rushes in the 1850’s, invariably stopped also for refreshment. Coach passengers,
exhausted by the poor roads of those times, welcomed it also. There was even a report of two
coaches racing to the inn from Prospect Hill and almost coming to grief on the narrow bridge across
the creek in front of the inn. It is said that the two coach drivers then settled their differences behind
the kitchen, in “the good old British way”. In other words, they punched each other senseless while
the drinking onlookers cheered them on. 41
In 1838, while Francis was the publican, a mare was reported lost or stolen from the inn, as horse
theft in those days was common:
“Two Pounds Reward. Lost, Stolen or Strayed from the paddock of Mr Francis Peisley at Prospect,
about eight weeks since, a roan mare, aged, with a long tail, between 13 and 14 hands high, branded
on the near shoulder JB, hardly legible, with a chestnut filly by her side, about 12 months old. If
strayed, the above reward will be given and if stolen, upon the conviction of the party or parties, a
further reward of Ten Pounds will be given, on application to the undersigned, the proprietor, at his
residence, Macquarie Street, Parramatta. W Peisley, Parramatta, October 14, 1838”. 42
7
In 1844 it was reported that James Murray, a private of the 99th Regiment, was apprehended by an
employee in the service of Mr Peisley, and handed over to the watch house keeper at Prospect, and
placed at the bar charged with desertion. The prisoner admitted that he had deserted on the Friday
last. The unfortunate man was returned to his regiment to be dealt with. 43
Such punishments
usually involved a flogging.
In 1844 the publican was Laurence Hyland.44
His son, Luke, was later born in The Fox. The Hyland
family would later have an inn known as Hyland’s near the work camp at Prospect Reservoir. (This
old inn still survives today but is presently unused). They also held a substantial land holding at
Prospect itself, near the entrance to Veteran Hall.
Races were sometimes held at the inn. A race in 1847 was advertised: “St Patrick’s Day Races. At
Prospect, Fox Under The Hill on 17 March 1847. First Race: for all horses of the district. Second
Race: Purse of £5/5/- presented by a gentleman sportsman residing at Prospect. Third Race: Purse
of £2/2/- .” Who the gentleman sportsman mentioned was is not known. 45
In 1853 the publican was Luke Hughes, who remained there until around 1855, when he was
replaced by James Hilt until around 1863, and John Wheatley took over.6
Around 1860, the Fox was also used as a private school: “Referring this week to the old building on
the Western-road, near Prospect, which formerly entered “for man and beast” under the title of The
Fox Under the Hill, the veteran racing man, Mr Tom Luckey, told me that he went to school there.
The school was conducted in a room at the end of the building by a gentleman named Jackson, and
the school fee was two shillings per week for each of his eight pupils. The incongruity of the situation
might be imagined. While travellers drank and made merry at the bar, the scholars a few feet away
were puzzling their young brains to solve an arithmetical problem or something of the sort.
Something happened at The Fox Under the Hill to cause Mr Jackson to transfer his establishment and
he shifted to a room at the hotel a little further west” [the Prospect Inn?] 47
It was later said that the
teacher was a boarder at the inn.
In 1863 John Wheatley, the publican, took his servant Samuel Cornwall to court, to evict him from the
inn when the latter decided to accommodate himself there, having been directed to agist cattle in its
paddocks. The judge agreed with the publican and Cornwall was ordered to remove himself from the
inn. 48
John Wheatley had married Elizabeth, one of John and Elizabeth Peisley’s daughters, and
later ran an inn at Penrith. 49
Martha Fitzpatrick [nee Peisley]
Elizabeth’s daughter, and Francis’ sister, Martha, had been born in the colony in 1814.50
In 1849 she
married John Fitzpatrick. 51
She was 35 years of age “and well into womanhood” and he was said to
have been much younger.52
In those days, women were expected to be married with children by their
early twenties. In December that year, the couple left Sydney for California on the vessel
Seringapatam, supposedly for the Californian gold rushes.53
Martha returned a widow around 1856.
She would never explain what had happened to her husband, stating that it was nobody’s business,
and according to one report, the only comment she made was that he “fed the fishes”, a remark more
akin to a Godfather movie. 54
In reality he probably died on the voyage home and was buried at sea.
Martha had no children and never remarried. Sometime after the death of her brother Francis in
1859, she moved into The Fox Under the Hill, probably at the end of John Wheatley’s tenure as
publican. Martha was definitely there by 1877, for in December that year she granted a lease of land
to Ebenezer Vickery of Veteran Hall, for the term of seven years. If she granted a lease, one can
assume that she was the owner.55
This lease covered all of the surrounding lands, but not the house
itself, in which she was residing.
8
In January 1894, it was reported that Edward Ireland of Penrith, aged 76, had hanged himself. He
had formerly been a blacksmith and wheelwright at the Fox Under the Hill.56
This report indicates that
others were employed at the Fox in its coaching days, in the case of Edward Ireland, to repair
coaches that were being damaged by the poor roads. It also indicates that there must have been
other buildings, such as a stables and blacksmith’s shop existing there.
By this time the inn was no longer licensed, and an ageing Martha lived there in seclusion with Mr and
Mrs Thompson, who appeared to be some kind of guardians. It was reported that
“In subsequent years, Mrs Fitzpatrick took up her abode in the old shanty which still stands as a relic
of the past, but there was nothing in her career or in those of some of her associates that the ideal
post would take for the subject of an epic. The old house was the scene of feminine frivolity, to put it
mildly and a too free indulgence in ardent spirits has been ascribed as the cause of at least two tragic
endings. To the associations of “The Old Fox”, as the old house was called for short, the venerable
old pile of St Bartholomew’s, within sight, stood out in marked contrast.
The old inn was built by Mrs Fitzpatrick’s father, 85 years ago, but it is said that he never kept it
himself as an hotel. It must have been a bad spec in some way, though, because it is recorded that
Mrs Peisley would often refer to it as her husband’s folly. It is to this day the real type of an old
English inn. Whatever little there is of a modern character about the old inn has been introduced by
the handicraft of Mr H T Thompson, who, with his wife and family, have for the past two years resided
with Mrs Fitzpatrick as guardians.
Travellers along the Great Western Road today always recognise the place as one of antiquity,
readily suggesting food for conjecture as to its past history. The shelving shingle roof, the old style of
verandah, the old fashioned stairing and windows, almost all reveal their antiquity of style and
construction. As a wayside hostelry, it ranked among the first in the country. It was kept as an inn
through stirring times, times when the convicts were road making in the vicinity, times when all the
traffic from the then doubtful west came that way, times when lawlessness was rife upon the few main
highways of the land…” .57
The comment about feminine frivolities and too much consumption of liquor is interesting. Was the
old inn being used as a brothel at the time? And what of the mention of two deaths due to alcohol
intake? No newspaper reports have been located to confirm either. If the inn was 85 years old at the
time of this article, then it was built in 1812 but that appears unlikely.
The Sydney Mail reported of Martha’s death in August 1897:
“DEATHS. August 27, at the Fox Under the Hill, Prospect, Martha Fitzpatrick, aged 83 years.” 58
The inn then passed to Martha’s nephew, George Peisley.
Martha had asked that she be buried in Parramatta in the family vault at St John’s Cemetery, but
apparently it was full and instead she was interred at St Bartholomew’s Church at Prospect, almost
within sight of the old inn where she had spent her final years. There was no husband or children to
mourn her passing. 59
Although The Argus stated it had passed to her nephew, George, according to Land Titles records,
George Robert Peisley, gentleman, already owned an ‘estate’ of 43 acres on the northern piece of
land and 68 acres in the bottom, the latter being part of William Butler’s original land grant. 60
This
description appears to be of the Fox Under The Hill property. There is no record of any will or probate
for Martha at NSW State Archives and Records. According to another source, Martha sold the land to
her nephew George Peisley on 10 March 1883.61
9
It is very difficult to track the ownership of the Fox through the Peisley lineage due to the lack of wills,
the number of Peisley descendants who seemed to transfer the inn around each other, and the lack of
information in Land Titles registration.
George had received certificate of title to the property on 15 April 1885. He leased it to Hall and
Clark, and on 20 May 1891, he mortgaged it to Elizabeth Read and William Henry Peisley, his
brother. Elizabeth Read was the wife of shipbroker, John Cecil Read. On 6 March 1901, after non
payment of the loan, Elizabeth foreclosed on the mortgage and sold the land to Emu Gravel and Road
Base Company. 62
With this transaction, the land had finally been sold outside of the Peisley family.
Emu Gravel Company
The Fox and other adjacent properties owned by the late John Tarlington, were sold to the Emu
Gravel and Road Base Company in 1901. 63
The company appears to have had little interest in the
northern block on which the inn was situated. Instead it wanted to quarry stone south of the Western
Road, which it would do on an extensive scale.
Land Titles record John Tarlington selling his land on 19 November 1901. 64
Other landholders,
Joseph and Hank Hanson, also sold to Emu Gravel, which now amassed a large holding which also
gave it a right of way for a railway line. 65
The Company was now in a position to begin extensive quarrying on the eastern side of Prospect Hill,
south of the Western Road, and to construct a private railway from the main western line near
Toongabbie station, passing by the Fox Under the Hill inn, crossing the Western Road, and splitting
into two spur lines to the main quarries. The line opened for traffic on 7 April 1902. 66
Enter Mark Reynolds
In June 1905, it was reported that land, comprising 41 acres, had been transferred from Emu Gravel
to Mark and Joseph Reynolds, as tenants in common.67
The Argus had reported in 1903, two years
earlier, that the Reynolds brothers had already acquired the property:
“… The historic building known as The Fox Under the Hill, now owned by the well known Reynolds
Brothers, wholesale milk purveyors, has recently undergone extensive alterations, and the place has
been transformed into a very attractive structure. In connection with the estate, also, large and
commodious milking and hay stacking sheds have been added, the latter structure being very
extensive in character and now fully stocked”. 68
Although Emu Gravel had sold [or leased] the land, it retained ownership of the right of way for its
private railway line.
Although in both brother’s names, it was Mark Hercules Reynolds who resided on and farmed the
land. He was elected to the Prospect and Sherwood Council as an alderman in 1905. 69
From reports
in local newspapers, he took his position very seriously and was always interested in local
improvements and community issues and was not frightened to speak his mind or to clash with fellow
aldermen.
At The Fox property, he built a large stone silo, new dairy buildings, and reportedly had 240 acres of
land, most of which was under lucerne. 70
His farm, now known as Gueinbah, was regarded as a
“model farm.” The main dairy building was so large it had a hand propelled tramway running through
the centre of it to carry the milk churns. 71
He was described as a man “of enterprise and industry”.
10
On 1 February 1906, he married Naomi Norman of Sans Souci at Christ Church in Sydney. “The
happy couple left from Prospect to Leura, where the honeymoon was spent. The presents received
by Mr and Mrs Reynolds were costly and numerous.” 72
Life at Gueinbah was not without its incidents. An employee, William Erickson, aged 18, was thrown
off his cart and trapped under the wheel where he lay all night. He was found in the morning and
taken to Parramatta Hospital to recover from his injuries. 73
In February 1906, a cart belonging to Mr
Reynolds came into collision with a tram in Church Street, Parramatta, when the horse became
frightened by the steam tram and suddenly twisted around. The tram struck the back of the cart,
damaging it, and the driver was thrown off, but unhurt. 74
This map shows the probable extent of “Gueinbah” under Mark Reynolds, part of the Emu Gravel Company’s quarry
holdings, but which included The Fox Under the Hill inn on the northern side of the Western Road. The map is from
NSW Land Registry Services, Volume 1959 F92, Historic Land Records and is reproduced with the permission of the
Office of the Registrar General, a unit of the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation.
11
Worse was to come that same month, when two of Mr Reynold’s Ayrshire cows were struck dead by
lightning in his paddocks. Although some distance apart, they were in a parallel position and death
was said to be instantaneous. It was mentioned that since he has resided at The Fox Under the Hill,
he had lost three horses and five cows, and was the owner of some 90 head of cattle 75
It is
interesting that this newspaper item referred to the farm under its original name, and not as Gueinbah.
In June 1906, Mrs Reynolds attended a function at Prospect Public School and gave a special prize to
Wallace Allen, for his excellent efforts as a young scholar. 76
Both husband and wife seemed to be
very community minded.
In October that year, Reynold’s crop was described as “luxuriant”.77
In December 1906, Mrs
Reynolds gave birth to a son. 78
The name Reynolds was becoming well known in the Blacktown and Prospect districts. When
Blacktown Saleyards opened on 3 May, 1907, Reynolds had part of his dairy herd of cattle for sale.79
In conjuring up an image of what it looked like in those years, the little village of Prospect was growing
steadily, as was traffic on the Western Road. Steam trains shunted past the Reynolds home and
through his southern paddocks on their way to the quarry. The nearby Prospect Reservoir was a
popular place for picnics and outings, and it was probably an idyllic time in those pre-war years.
But Mark Reynold’s efforts were about to take a turn for the worse. In February 1908, the Herald
gave a good description of the dairy, but also mentions that Reynolds was having problems due to the
weather and other factors: “Mr Mark Reynolds, Gueinbah, Toongabbie, has also suffered badly with
the season and a fair sized herd scattered and dairying interrupted. Seeing how matters were
trending, Mr Reynolds sold the bulk of his herd when prices were good, and is now proceeding to
build up again, by purchase and subsequent improvement by selection, which is a weary process. It
is almost impossible to secure an even herd under such conditions inside of many years. Previously
Mr Reynolds was milking 70 odd cows. The milking shed is fitted up with 33 stalls running down each
side of the building, which is made of iron. A tramway runs down the centre for bringing the feed from
the shed nearby, taking the milk into the dairy and running the sweepings out of the bails and stables.
The milking machines are installed, although not being used at present on account of the small
number of cows being milked…. Mr Reynolds has a fine stone circular silo with a capacity of 100
tons…. There is a portable oil engine on the place for working the milking machines, pumping water,
chaff cutting and other things. The place is fitted up with almost every convenience for efficient
working. It is a good property .. well watered, there being dams and tanks besides a creek running
through it, which stands for most seasons.” .80
In December 1908, Mark Reynolds resigned his position as alderman on Prospect and Sherwood
Council. 81
His tenure at Prospect was also about to end.
Two months earlier, the Reynolds brothers transferred the land back to Emu Gravel. 82
Whether the
land was held by them on lease or freehold is not clear, although earlier reports indicated they had
owned it. A further transfer took place on 30 March 1909 of Portion 33 and 34, on which The Fox
Under the Hill inn stood.83
The family moved to Orange, where Mark had been offered a position as
Agricultural Department Inspector. They then moved to Cowra, where he managed the Cowra
Experimental Farm. He was highly regarded, the Cowra Free Press stating “Mr Reynolds has shown
himself to be both capable and enthusiastic and it is good to know that the Department has given
recognition to his merit by promoting him to a position which will give greater scope to his ability and
unflagging energy… In his duties he has shown abundant energy and ability and has been of
material assistance to farmers by means of his lectures and demonstrations …” 84
Exactly why Mark Reynolds left Prospect and Gueinbah is not known. After his many efforts to make
it into a working and model farm, difficulties with the seasons may have contributed to his departure,
12
and he may have had financial problems as well. The offer of a well paid government position at
Orange was probably too good to refuse. He became known as an expert on silos and the different
types of fodder storage and frequently gave lectures in country areas or wrote for local newspapers,
sometimes drawing on his experience at Prospect.85
He died in October 1950 and his will left his
property to his wife, Naomi. The only real estate he owned then was a half share in a property in
Plateau Road, Cremorne, so at that time he no longer had any interests at Prospect. 86
Several years ago, Mrs Marcia Barnard, a grand-daughter of Mark Reynolds, donated several
photographs to Blacktown City Library. Two were of the Fox Under the Hill, but were marked as
Gueinbah in the family album. One was dated 1935 and the other was undated, although it showed a
Holden car parked outside and therefore had to be post 1948. In the former, the old inn was
occupied, and in the latter it appears to be a golf clubhouse, with the old verandah now closed in.
Gueinbah, circa 1935. This is a rear view. Photo: donated by Marcia Barnard / Blacktown City Library, Local Studies
Section, image 01472.
13
Marked Gueinbah, this photo is post 1948. The old inn seems to be in very good condition and was by then in use as
a golf club house. The small box near the door indicates that it now had electricity connected. The verandah has been
closed in. Photo: donated by Marcia Barnard, Blacktown City Library, Local Studies Collection. Image number
014773
The Lost Years
With the departure of Mark Reynolds, and the transfer of the land to Emu Gravel, the inn seemed to
fall on hard times and entered a period when little is known about it. It appears that the company had
no interest in the land north of the Western Road, where the inn was situated, as its quarry operations
were on the south side and quite extensive, along with its railway operations. While the old inn was let
out as a residence, the land on the south side of the highway seems to have been left alone until
World War II. Gueinbah, the model farm, was gradually forgotten.
From 1910 to 1914, Sands Sydney Directories show a James Fitzgerald residing at what may be the
inn. As Sands could be several years behind in terms of publication, he may have been in residence
immediately after Reynolds left. 87
It was reported in April 1929 that Mrs Fitzgerald, formerly of
Dungog, had died – and that she had been a resident of Prospect for many years. 88
It is likely they
had resided in the Fox.
From around 1923 to 1932 it appears to have been used as a Tea Room by Mr A McLachlan.89
In
1927 it was reported to be a farmhouse,90
and in May 1929 the Argus reported that it was “fast falling
into decay.” 91
In December 1930, the Daily Pictorial reported
“OLD INN VANISHING. FOX UNDER THE HILL TAKEN AWAY PIECE BY PIECE
The “Fox-Under-the-Hill” once one of the best known inns in Australia, and one of the most historic,
has fallen upon evil days and is being carried away, piece by piece, by the unemployed. The old
tavern, once a changing station for coaches on their way to Penrith, is on the Sydney side of
14
Prospect. De-licensed many years ago, the building was then used as a farmhouse but now it has
been deserted for some time.” 92
From this article it appears that the old inn had been deserted for several years, possibly since its use
as a tea room. The remark that it was being taken away, piece by piece, is somewhat embellished,
as the 1935 Barnard photograph shows it to be reasonably intact and in use as a dwelling.
Also in contradiction to the photographic image of 1935, the Sydney Mail that year reported: “After the
old house was de-licensed, it was for many years a farmhouse, and the centre of a delightful
landscape. Who built it originally, and who was its first landlord, are matters buried in obscurity. It still
stands, however, and though seemingly in the last stages of ruin and decay presents the appearance
of being inhabited. The old building, owing to its quaint old world style of architecture, lends itself to
reproduction and many artists and etchers have successfully portrayed it on canvas and plate, so that
when the day comes when the old landmark disappears from the face of the earth, it will still live in
pictured reproduction. “
This article states the inn to be “in the last stages of ruin and decay”, which is hardly that of the 1935
photograph. 93
In 1935 the land was transferred to Associated Blue Metal Quarries Ltd.94
Prospect Golf Club
For all these descriptions of The Fox Under the Hill becoming abandoned or in ruin, in April 1937 are
the first reports of it in use as a golf club house. The Argus remarked “what a delightful idea to make
the old Fox Under the Hill on the Western Road into a golf clubhouse. Crowds of golfers picnicked
during the holidays at this picturesque spot.” 95
There is anecdotal evidence that the golf club was started by Mr Booth. This was told to a member of
Prospect Heritage Trust by the Booth sisters. They stated that they had lived there when young. 96
Truth reported “On the right of the Western Road at Prospect, just before the junction of the Old
Windsor Road is reached an old weatherboard building standing well back from the road. This is the
mortal remains of the once popular and busy roadhouse … the Fox Under the Hill, now renovated as
a golf club house.” 97
The old inn, then over 100 years old, had found a new life. But exactly who started the golf club is not
clear. (The Old Windsor Road referred to is not that road as known today in the Kellyville area, but the
original Blacktown to Richmond Road.)
Land Registry Services do not record any sale or transfer of land at this period. Perhaps the original
club was just renting the property from Associated Blue Metal, in which case the lease was not
registered. It has also been stated by club member Allen Watson that the original golf course was
only nine holes, and not eighteen, as it is today. He stated that the members purchased the course in
the 1950s 98
[which is entirely possible, but again there is no record in NSW Land Registry Services].
15
An early advertisement, Cumberland Argus, Wednesday 10 May 1939. Note that it is called the Prospect Golf Links,
Fox-Under-The Hill. There was another Prospect Golf Links at Girraween.
Advertisement, Cumberland Argus, Wednesday 3 April 1940
Note that in the advertisements above, it is referred to as Prospect Golf Links, which must have been
confusing to players as another Prospect Golf Links existed at nearby Greystanes. Today, the latter
is known as Cumberland Country Golf Course, and the former is Fox Hills Golf Club.
In 1940, special classes were introduced for women (but on Tuesdays only!) with a free afternoon tea
thrown in:
“GOLF INNOVATION – SPECIAL CLASS FOR WOMEN
Prospect golf links are fast gaining in popularity and a novel innovation by the management is
expected to boost the membership. This innovation is a special class for women on Tuesday
afternoons – a grand opportunity for those just taking on the game or those who need a few friendly
tips to help them reduce their handicap… There is a free afternoon tea…” 99
The old inn was serving hot dinners, lunches and teas, as well as selling soft drinks and cigarettes.
Once again, it was enjoying a new career.
The Quarry, the Railway and the Army Camp
In the meantime, the quarry railway continued in use, with steam trains passing the inn regularly.
Contrary to some beliefs, the railway was used occasionally and informally for passengers, but
passengers had to alight just after the train had crossed the Western Road at a stop unofficially
known as ‘Prospect’, as they were not allowed to proceed into the quarry workings. 100
16
Around 1943, during World War II, the land south of the highway was used by the 738th Battalion of
the American Army as a supply camp.101
Special trains were used to transport troops from
Toongabbie Station to the army camp. It was described as “a sea of white tents” to this writer by a
former post office official. 102
When the US Army moved out, the camp was offered to the British in 1945 but they declined.
Strangely, newspaper reports at the time, as quoted in the House of Representatives in Parliament
House, Canberra, stated that the camp was never used and was a scandalous waste of money. It
was said that many miles of roads were laid and kitchens erected, the latter confirmed by NSW
Government aerial maps of 1943. 103
But there is evidence that the camp was indeed used, and
other sources state that the nearby historic house “Greystanes” had been deliberately vandalised by
servicemen camped there, resulting in its eventual demolition.104
According to a parish map, the southern side of the highway had been acquired by the
Commonwealth, including the original land grants of John Nichols and William Butler. Aerial
photographs of 1943 show the inn on the northern side of the highway and the area used for the army
camp by the United States Army Services of Supply. According to the photograph, the camp was
mainly on the Butler grant.105
Allen Watson wrote that he was employed at the quarry and that trains ran two trips a day. When the
US Army took over the railway and the rolling stock, they allocated two timeslots each day to the
quarry, to enable it to continue operations and use its own locomotives, on which he was occasionally
the fireman.106
Trains stopped running in 1945 due to a shortage of wagons after the war. Instead road freight began
to take over. The rails remained into the early 1960s and the right of way alongside The Fox Under
the Hill was used as a dumping ground for all kinds of rubbish.107
Allen Watson recalled that later
when the golf course was redesigned and the course of the creek changed, the excess soil was used
to bury the old train line. 108
In September 1946, the Commonwealth Government acquired the land south of the Western Highway
and its easements.109
The land was finally excised from that still occupied by the Fox Under the Hill.
The CSIRO animal research laboratories were erected on part of the former army camp, but they too
have disappeared and today the entire area is unrecognisable as warehouses and new roads, the
quarries, railway and the CSIRO having vanished completely.
The Fox Under the Hill – the Final Years
As to the old inn, it must have been closed during the war years. One reason could be that there
were not enough members due to men enlisting in the armed services. It reopened in 1948, again as
a golf course and club110
although the Club itself states it opened in 1952.111
An amusing incident occurred in 1949: “ Apparently it occurred to Samuel Trevor Jones, 32 year old
caterer, that although Prospect was well supplied with water, it was a very dry place in terms of beer.
Jones, to remedy the situation, brought some bottles of beer on September 18 to the restaurant he
conducted in the clubhouse at The Fox Under the Hill golf course, Prospect. Jones did not have a
permit to sell liquor but nevertheless sold some of the beer….” unknowingly to a police constable
having a meal there! Jones was arrested, pleaded guilty and was fined £30. 112
In 1964, a plan was drawn up by surveyor Thomas J Clarke, for subdivision of that part of the old
railway line along the side of the Fox Under the Hill in Toongabbie Road. 113
The purpose of this
subdivision is not clear as the lots would hardly have been suitable for residential purposes. That
proposed subdivision today is incorporated into the golf course.
17
Among the many stories and myths associated with The Fox Under the Hill is an interesting, but
unproven, anecdotal story that in the winter of 1983, a psychic group went up the hill to St
Bartholomew’s Church to see if it could record any evidence of paranormal activities, which had been
frequently reported both in and around the church, and in the graveyard. One of the psychics claimed
that she had been told there was a tunnel running from the church to The Fox Under the Hill inn. The
tunnel was reputedly used to illegally transport ammunition and liquor. 114
It is unlikely such a tunnel existed, due to the distance between the two buildings and the extreme
topography [the church is on a high peak], while the inn was located at the bottom of the hill. Such a
tunnel would have had to travel underneath graves and crypts and also the main western road. When
St Bartholomew’s was restored by Blacktown City Council some years later, no trace of a tunnel was
found. The reason for such a tunnel existing is also vague and unproven – what purpose would it
have served? It is mentioned here as a matter of record.
For the old inn, time was finally running out. A new and larger club house was needed, and The Fox
Under the Hill was quietly demolished in 1963. 115
By then it was well over 130 years old. The new
golf club, built on the same site, assumed the name as Fox Hills Golf Club. In 2000 it was acquired
by Seven Hills RSL Club and still continues to operate today, although now as an eighteen hole
course, having acquired land to the north of the former Fox property.
The Silos and the Well
An enduring mystery is where were the large sheds and silo that Mark Reynolds had built? No trace
of them appeared to remain in later years and it is impossible to precisely state their location,
although it is more than likely they were on the southern side of the Western Road, but close enough
to the road for transport purposes. An aerial photograph in 1943 116
shows that something had
existed on the southern side of the road, directly opposite the old inn, and what appears to be the
remains of two round silos and a beehive well. The small silo and the well may have been erected in
1907 by Reynolds, but whether these are part of his farm has not been confirmed. (See Appendix 5
for photographs).
These were photographed in May 2019, on advice from Prospect Heritage Trust president Jill Finch,
that something could be seen from the first floor level of the present golf club which may have been a
silo.
There are difficulties in accessing the site, due to a high wire fence and long grass, not to mention
speeding traffic. There is a large silo / water tank of some 4 metres in height in good condition, but
the remains of the second structure are concrete rendered brick and are very difficult to see and
photograph. This is possibly the silo of six metres in depth (twenty feet) that Reynolds later describes
in his lectures. There is also a beehive well in very good condition. They could not have had anything
to do with the CSIRO, as they existed as ruins in 1943 and the CSIRO did not come to the area until
the late 1940s.
They are too far from the original alignment of the highway [Fox Hills Crescent] to have been part of
that, and are also too far from the old alignment of the quarry railway to have been used for water for
locomotives.
According to a 1907 newspaper 117
the brick silo and the well were erected that year. This means
they date from Mark Reynolds’ tenure at Gueinbah (The Fox Under the Hill). The well was to receive
excess water pumped out of the silo, which was some six metres, or 20 feet (two thirds) underground
and had a false bottom to protect the chaff from getting wet. This type of silo was a new design at the
time and based on a type used elsewhere in NSW and also in Canada. In later years Mark Reynolds
18
would lecture and write on silo construction techniques in many parts of New South Wales and refer
to the silos he had built at Prospect.118
The larger concrete silo remains a mystery. There is mention of Emu Gravel building a new silo from
reinforced concrete gravel in October 1909 [by then Mark Reynolds had departed], which may have
been that which remains today.119
Even if the existing silo is not that, it demonstrates that the style of
construction, ie, concrete, was in use as early as 1909 and therefore the existing structure may also
date from Reynolds’ occupation.
The entire former Gueinbah property has now been lost beneath new developments, as has the Fox
itself; but there is a narrow wedge of land surviving between the Great Western Highway and the M4
Motorway which contains a dwelling erected in the 1970s and some pasture land which appears to be
disused. It is on this wedge where the silos and well have survived. There appears to be no trace of
any large dairy sheds or tramway, if indeed they were located in this area, but the land has been
disturbed and it is difficult to tell without proper investigation.
These surviving structures may be the last surviving link to Mark Reynolds and his model farm,
Gueinbah, and The Fox Under the Hill inn. They are presently not protected by Cumberland Council’s
Local Environment Plan and need to be the subject of further examination, both physical and
archaeological, to ascertain their origins and ensure their future preservation.
With the demolition of The Fox Under the Hill in 1963, the long and varied history of a
remarkable building, and those associated with it, came to a quiet end. Many of its mysteries
will remain unanswered now with the passage of time. This research has endeavoured to
clarify and expand its history and correct some of the many anomalies associated with it.
Today, the names Peisley and Reynolds have passed into history and the inn, railway, army
camp and quarry are slowly disappearing from human memory as well.
The Fox On The Hill
At the Sign of the Fox, on Prospect Hill
A company gathers; it gathers still
At the harvest time, on a night-wind borne
You can hear the sound of a coachman’s horn
You can hear the tune of a fiddle played
And the clinking noise that the glasses made.
Wanly at midnight, a moon on the wane
Throws on the shingles dim shadows again;
Lost men and dead men, and bondsmen and free,
Coaches and horsemen, all vanished, all still …
Time and a Legend – The Fox on the Hill
(Abridged, attributed to E J Brady, World News, Saturday 18 March 1939)
19
Undated image of the inn, but it appears well kept and maintained. Photo: Prospect Heritage Trust, from Roads and
Maritime Services, circa 1950, in use by the golf club.
This image of the inn was reputedly taken in 1819, but that is highly unlikely. It could not be the first building [if
indeed there had been one] and is likely to have been taken post 1850. It shows the rear of the building.
[Photo: Prospect Heritage Trust]
20
REFERENCES:
1. Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate. Thursday 20 October 1932, p13. This article is a reprint
of a letter in the Cumberland Argus of 14 October 1897, which does not appear on Trove.
2. Land Registry Services, Registrar-General’s Department. Land Titles, Volume 1959-92, Application
5827 of 11857. See also Land Grants 1788-1809. Australian Documents Library, 1974. Edited by R J
Ryan.
3. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 7 October 1899 p13. Also A History of Prospect. Frank Bloxham,
Blacktown District Historical Society, 2002; Terry Kass, Prospect No 5, July 2006. Journal of the
Prospect Heritage Trust.
4. Sydney Gazette. 13 April 1806. See also Terry Kass, Op Cit.
5. Land Titles. Primary Application 11851. Search book, page 6. Clerk’s Search on John Peisley.
6. State Library of Queensland Convict Transportation Register, 1787-1867, online. Also Charles Bateson,
The Convict Ships. Glasgow, Brown, Son and Ferguson, 1985. See also notes by Mrs Janet Lee of
Orange NSW, a descendant of John Peisley. Notes and emails held by Prospect Heritage Trust.
7. NSW General Muster, 1823, 1824 and 1825. P450. Edited by Carol Baxter, 1999. See also notes by
Mrs Janet Lee, Op Cit.
8. Cumberland Argus, various, including 4 September 1897, which states 1812; 22 November 1890 p6
which states 1830; 21 April 1938 which states 1838; Truth, 16 March 1902, which states 1802.
9. Brian French. Prospect. Journal of Prospect Heritage Trust. No 6, March 2010. This states that the
inn was erected in 1819.
10. Index to the Old Register, Land and Property Management Authority, Compact Disc. Copy held in NSW
State Archives and Records.
11. Ibid. Book 7, p326, 14 April 1819.
12. Scans of Trove have failed to find any mention of Fox Under the Hill inn at Parramatta for this period
[1819] Also Mr Gary Carter, author of About That Shout [a history of the pubs of Parramatta]. Self
published, 2018.
13. Sydney Gazette, Friday 22 November 1922, p2.
14. NSW State Archives and Records. Publican’s Index. See also The Australian, Saturday 29 July 1926,
p1.
15. The Australian. Saturday 27 May 1826 p1
16. Sydney Gazette. Saturday 18 March 1826 p4
17. The Monitor. Friday 19 May 1826 p8
18. Sydney Gazette. 12 March 1829 and 30 June 1831.
19. Truth. Sunday 16 March 1902 p7
20. NSW State Archives and Records. Supreme Court process papers 9/2261. Statement by Robert
Campbell the Younger, 9 September 1923.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
23. Terry Kass, Op Cit. Prospect No 5, July 2006.
24. Cumberland Argus, Saturday 27 April 1901 p3.
25. Sydney Gazette. Wednesday 7 June 1826.
26. NSW State Archives and Records, index to Wills and Probates. Also, Births Deaths and Marriages
website, accessed April 2019.
27. NSW State Archives and Records. Publican’s Index. Also Sydney Gazette, Thursday 30 June 1831 p2.
28. Cumberland Argus. Friday 18 June 1926 p18.
29. Brian French. Prospect, journal of Prospect Heritage Trust. No 6, March 2010. This photo is captioned
“the original inn erected in 1819”.
30. Dickermanprint.com website states that in 1837, Joseph Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre invented
the first practical photo process, which was widely used in portraiture until the mid 1850s. The website
of the Australian Museum states that photograph was not invented until 1836. Other sites give similar
information but collectively indicate that a photograph of The Fox Under the Hill cannot be captioned as
1819, as it had reputedly burnt down in 1827 and photography was not available in colonial Sydney at
that time.
31. Blacktown Shire Council, Map 54, c1948. Surveyor’s note.
32. NSW State Archives and Records. Original licence, Reel 5051 NRS14401, 1833 and Publican’s Index.
21
33. Land Titles. Primary Application, Search book 26 May 1840.
34. Ibid. Page 20.
35. NSW State Archives and Records. Probate for Francis Peisley, Series 13660 Item 1-4605. Date of
death, 22 August 1859.
36. Terry Kass, Op Cit. Statutory Declaration by Martha Fitzpatrick [nee Peisley] in 1884.
37. The Sydney Morning Herald. Thursday 31 December 1863, p1.
38. NSW State Archives and Records. Publican’s Index.
39. Terry Kass, Op Cit.
40. Australian Dictionary of Biography. Entry for John [Jack] Donahue, 1806-1830
41. Cumberland Argus. Article by William Freame, Thursday 15 December 1832, p7.
42. The Sydney Herald. Monday 15 October 1838, p7.
43. Parramatta Chronicle and Cumberland General Advertiser. Saturday 6 January 1844, p2.
44. The Australian. Thursday 18 April 1844, p3.
45. Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Review. Saturday 13 March 184,7 p3.
46. NSW State Archives and Records. Publican’s licences, Reel 5051 and 5052, NRS 14401.
47. Cumberland Argus. Thursday 16 February 1933, p4.
48. Empire. Tuesday 3 February 1863, p2.
49. Terry Kass, Op Cit.
50. Births, Deaths and Marriages website. 913/1814 and 116/1849.
51. Ibid.
52. Cumberland Argus, Saturday 4 September 1897, p6.
53. Shipping Gazette. Saturday 22 December 1849, p316..
54. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 4 September 1897, p6.
55. Land Titles. Vol 739 Folio 218, 19 December 1877. It is worth mentioning that Ebenezer Vickery was a
wealthy Sydney merchant and landowner, and also a Wesleyan. On his death he bequeathed much of
his property to the Church, including the Lyceum Theatre in Pitt Street, which scandalised many of the
Church members, as theatres were regarded at the time as the bottom of the social scale.
56. Nepean Times. Saturday 20 January 1894, p6.
57. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 4 September 1897, p6.
58. Sydney Mail. Saturday 11 September 189,7 p573.
59. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 4 September 1897, p6.
60. Land Titles. Application 5827, Volume 739, Folio 218.
61. Terry Kass, Op Cit.
62. Ibid.
63. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 27 April 1901, p3.
64. Land Titles. Vol 1381, Folio 137.
65. Land Titles. Vol 739 Folio 218.
66. John Oakes. Sydney’s Forgotten Quarry Railways. Australian Railway Historical Society, 2006.
67. Land Titles. Vol 1396 Folio 141 and 142. Also Vol 1400, Folio 135-136.
68. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 12 December 1903, p10.
69. Sunday Sun. Sunday 12 February 1905, p5.
70. Cumberland Argus, Saturday 20 October 1906, p3.
71. The Sydney Morning Herald. Monday 17 February 1908, p4.
72. Cumberland Argus, Saturday 24 February 1906, p4.
73. Ibid. Wednesday 27 September 1905, p2.
74. Ibid. Wednesday 7 February 1906, p2.
75. Ibid. Wednesday 21 February 1906, p2.
76. Ibid. Saturday 2 June 1906, p12.
77. Ibid. Saturday 20 October 1906, p3.
78. The Sydney Morning Herald. Tuesday 1 January 1907, p4.
79. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 27 April 1907.
80. The Sydney Morning Herald. Monday 17 February 1908, p4.
81. Cumberland Argus. Saturday 5 December 1908.
82. Land Titles. Vol 1618 Folio 248.
83. Land Titles. Vol 1959-92 Application 5827.
84. Cowra Free Press. Wednesday 29 November 1911, p2.
85. NSW State Archives and Records. Wills and Probate, Series 13660, 1-4-374792.
86. Farmer and Settler. Friday 9 April 1909 p9; Singleton Argus, Thursday 6 May 1926 p2; et al.
22
87. Sands Sydney Directories, 1910 – 1914.
88. Dungog Chronicle, Tuesday 16 April 1929, p5.
89. Sands Sydney Directories. 1923 – 1932.
90. Truth. Sunday 2 October 1927.
91. Cumberland Argus. Thursday 30 May 1929, p11.
92. Daily Pictorial. Saturday 27 December 1930, p2.
93. Sydney Mail. Wednesday 5 June 1935.
94. Land Titles. Vol 4768 Folio 84.
95. Cumberland Argus. Thursday 29 April 1937, p10.
96. Information from Jill Finch, President, Prospect Heritage Trust, May 2019.
97. Truth. Sunday 14 February 1937, p11.
98. Allen Watson. Fox Hills Golf Club: Seven Hills Group Journal, August-November 2014.
99. Cumberland Argus. Wednesday 3 April 1940, p4.
100. John Oakes, Op Cit.
101. Ozatwar.com website, accessed February 2019. Also aerial photographs, 1943 series, Blacktown City
Library, Local Studies Section.
102. Information from Bob Peet, Senior Survey Officer, Postmaster-General’s Department, 1975.
103. Smith’s Weekly. Saturday 31 March 1945 p7 and Daily Telegraph, Thursday 15 February 1945, p5.
104. Information from Prospect Heritage Trust.
105. Prospect Parish map and NSW aerial series, 1943, op cit.
106. Allen Watson, Op Cit.
107. Writer’s own observations as a teenager, 1960.
108. Allen Watson, Op Cit.
109. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, Thursday 5 September 1946, No 167 p2427.
110. Cumberland Argus. Wednesday 30 June 1948, p8.
111. Information from Fox Hills Golf Club, April 2019.
112. Cumberland Argus, Wednesday 28 September 1949, p3.
113. Land Titles. DP224279, Lots 1-9. Proposed subdivision by Thomas J Clarke, surveyor, 14 July 1964.
114. Information from Mr John Adey, who was present at the investigation in 1983.
115. Information from Fox Hills Golf Club, Op Cit.
116. NSW aerial photograph series, Department of Main Roads, 1943. Copy held in Blacktown City Library,
Local Studies Section.
117. The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 4 October 1907.
118. Farmer and Settler. Friday 9 April 1909. Also Singleton Argus, Monday 22 August 1932; plus others
on Trove by putting Mark Reynolds’ name in the Search engine.
119. The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 23 October 1909.
Also consulted:
Prospect, the journal of the Prospect Heritage Trust, No 6, March 2010. Article by Brian French.
Quarterly Journal of Blacktown and District Historical Society, Summer 1999. Volume 19. No. 1.
Article by Brian French.
Holroyd: A Social History of Western Sydney. Grace Karskens, NSW University Press, 1991
Pictorial History of Blacktown and District. Alan Sharpe, Kingsclear Books, 2000.
A History of Prospect. Frank Bloxham, Blacktown District Historical Society, 2002.
History of the CSIRO Clunies Ross Animal Research Laboratory and Site, Prospect NSW. Bruce W
Brown, self published, 2010.
Margaret Nugent research papers on John Peisley, held by the Prospect Heritage Trust.
23
Thanks are extended to Jan Herivel, Local Studies Librarian, Blacktown City Library; Jill
Finch, Prospect Heritage Trust; Jacques Capdor; John Horne, Blacktown and District
Historical Society, Inc; National Library of Australia and Trove digitised newspapers; NSW
State Archives and Records; NSW Land Registry Services, Registrar General’s Department;
NSW Births Deaths and Marriages website; Fox Hills Golf Club; Gary Carter; Emily Hannah,
NSW State Archives and Records, Kingswood; Karen Hughes, Cumberland Council.
24
APPENDIX 1
Prospect Parish Map, showing the original land grants, Lot 34 [Thomas Martin] and Lot 33 [John Nichols] being the
location of the Fox Under the Hill inn. The later quarry tramway is also shown. The blue square is the approximate
location of the inn itself.
25
APPENDIX 2
Map 54, Blacktown Shire Council series, circa 1948. This map shows the actual site of the Fox Under the Hill inn, and
how it was located right on the boundaries between Thomas Martin and John Nichols’ land grants, and that the
dividing line went through the chimney of the old inn. (Blacktown City Library, Local Studies Section).
26
APPENDIX 3
PUBLICAN’S RECORDS
1826 Francis Peisley, Fox Under The Hill
The Australian, Saturday, 29 July 1926 p1
1829 John Piesley, [sic] Prospect, Fox Under the Hill
Sydney Gazette, 12 March 1829. [This must have been John junior, as John senior died in 1828.]
1831 John Peisley, Fox Under The Hill, Western Rd.
Prospect Heritage Trust website. Also Sydney Gazette, Thursday 30 June 1931 p2
1832 Francis Peisley The Australian, Friday 10 August 1832 p3
6 July 1833 Francis Peisley Publican’s Records, NSW State Archives and Records. Licence No 0260. NRS 14401.
8 July1834 Francis Peisley Ditto licence No 0307
3 July 1835 Francis Peisley Ditto licence No 0257
28 June 1843, no entry for 1844 6 June 1845, 4 June 1846
Laurence Hyland Publican’s Records, Op Cit Publican’s Licences. Licence No. 0269,,0041,0038. NRS14401
1847 Laurence Hyland The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 21 April 1847, p3.
19 April 1853 Luke Hughes, for fifty pounds. Prospect Heritage Trust website & NSW State Archives and Records. Licence No. 1006. NRS 14403
18 April 1854 Luke Hughes, to expire on 1 July 1855
PHT website, Op Cit NSW State Records, Licence No0845 . NRS14403
4 Sept 1855 James Hill NSW State Records, Op Cit Licence No.1173. NRS14403
14/4/1856, 21/4/1857, 20/4/1858
James Hilt (sic) Ditto- Licences 0722,0021,0702 NRS 14403
1861 James Hilt Son born. Empire, Friday 21 June 1861, p4.
1863 J Wheatley Empire, Tuesday 3 February 1863, p2.
Ned Creasey Truth, Sunday 16 March 1902, p7.
27
APPENDIX 4
LAND TITLES RESEARCH
Note: the Primary Application Search Books appear to be books that the Clerks of the time kept when
they did a search on land and people.
Primary Application 11851. Search book.
22 February 1792. 41 acres, portion 33 of Parish. Portion 34 originally granted to Thomas Martin by the Crown,
part of 30 acres granted to John Nicolls from the Crown, dated 22 Feb 1792. Also in that other piece of land 18
acres (Portion 33) etc. Vol 1959-92 Appn. 5827 of 11857, Reference to last certificate is Vol 1617 F247 and 248.
9 February 1822 (?). John Tarlington Bankruptcy and insolvency. Primary Application 11851, Search Books
page 1
9 February 1822. Clerk’s search on John Peisley . Original Grant to J Martin, 30 acres. Grant to J Nicols, 30
acres. Part of grant to Jack Kennedy, 60 acres. Grant to W Butler, 50 acres. Grant to FJ Fenton, 30 acres.
Grant to J Limeburner, 50 acres. Grant to P Ellem, 50 acres. .Primary Application 11851 Search Books page 6.
1 January 1826. Clerk’s search on James Pike. 50 acres Prospect qt to Peter Ellam. 3 Farms, 25ac each,
Prospect Hill. Conway, Holtham Farm and part of Pikes. Primary Application search books page 19, 317 ,318.
26 May 1840. Thomas W Campbell. Transfer to William Peasley, Prospect. 50 acres, Buller’s Farm, 30 acres
Nicholls old farm; 30 acres granted to A Martin. Search Book.
5 January 1848. Francis Peisley Jno Leadbeater. Agreement to exchange 25 acres – part of Peck’s Farm,
Prospect, for 25 acres of Conway’s Farm. Search Book page 20.
21 February 1860. “Find Admon” of goods, chattels, credits and effects of Francis James Peisley, deceased,
was granted to Esther Peisley, widow of the intestate. Intestate died 22 August 1859. Goods to the value of
£1200. Signed [unreadable] 26 June 1901 (?) Also on page 14: Search paper, “Wills Registry Search to be
made land at Prospect: George Lisk from beginning or for 40 years. John Tarlington from 1834. John Rowe
from 1801. Edward Shipley from 1809. Francis Peisley from 1826. William Parish from the beginning. Search
book p14.
No date – John Tarlington. 60 acres, part of “Nettlestead”, Prospect Hill, being the residue of 160 acres after
grants or leases by Kennedy to Connelly, Connor, Cullen, Tarlington, David, Wilson and Shipley. Records book,
p6, item 152.
19 December 1877. Lease from Martha Fitzpatrick of Prospect to Ebenezer Vickery of Veteran Hall for the term
of 7 years from 1 May 1878 for the current rental of 40 pounds payable by monthly or quarterly payments as
Martha Fitzpatrick may require. Description of land???? V739 F218.
1 May 1878 – 1 May 1885 for 7 years leased from Martha to Ebenezer Vickery. v739 f218.
15 April 1885. Signature George Robert Peisley, gentleman, described as the “proprietor” of an estate,in fee
simple, N/E side of road from Richmond to Parramatta.. (43 acres the northern top piece of land and 68 acres in
the southern bottom piece of land). Originally granted to William Butler from Crown land. Appn 5827 V739- – or
F218
20 May 1891. Stamp: No 318522. Mortgage, the within, George Peisley and Elizabeth Esther Read, wife of
John Cecil Read, shipbroker and William Peisley, gentleman both of Sydney, date of 20 February 1901-this
seems to be a mortgage in 1901. See 1901 entry of a stamp regarding Elizabeth Esther Read.. Vol 739 F218.
22 May 1895. Stamp: from the within named George Robert Peisley to the City Bank (Must be a mortgage ?) In
red writing underneath. No. 261975 Caveat dated 2 March 1897, no description of the caveat. In red writing:
No 262640 Caveat dated 19 March 1897, no description of caveat. Withdrawal of above caveat No. 261975, 16
February 1902. Withdrawal of above cavea,t No 26240 14 February 1901. The within lease dated 18
28
December 1877, in favour of Ebenezer Vickery having expired by effluxion of time, the notification with reference
thereto is hearby cancelled on 20 February 1901. V739 F 128 or 218?
2 March 1897 – 16 February 1902. Caveat in place but no information on the caveat.. V739 F128 or 218.
27 April 1901. Two large properties, known respectively as Fox-Under-The-Hill and Tarlton’s estate, have
recently been purchased by the Emu Gravel Co. Cumberland Argus Saturday 27 April 1901 p3.
19 November 1901. John Tarlington of Bega, Grazier, is now the proprietor of 128 acres near Prospect Hill.
Commencing on the south eastern side of Main Western Road, from Parramatta to Sydney, at northernmost
corner of land of the Water Board and bound on west on the etc [V1381 F137].
13 December 1901. Transfer of land from Tarlington to Emu Gravel. [Vol 1381. F137].
20 November 1901. 341377. Mortgage, Emu Gravel to the London Bank of NSW.
20 February 1901. Ebenezer Vickery’s lease eventually cancelled on this date. V739 F128 or 218?
20 February 1901. Stamp: No 318523 Transfer of mortgage, dated 20.2.1901, from Elizabeth Esther Read and
William Peisley to Joseph William Hanson, both of Manly. V739 F218.
6 March 1901. Stamp: No 319973. Joseph William Hanson and Hank Hanson, mortgagers exercising poverty
sale to Emu. V739 F218.
8 March 1901. Stamp: Discharge of mortgage 8.3.1901. V739 F218 Deed cancelled New = Vol 1400 F135 and
136. Plan shows 43 acres portion is north of the Western Rd (from Richmond to Penrith) and 68 acres on the
southern side.
8 April 1902. . Sale of two acres to Emu Gravel and Road Metal Company Ltd, western side of the driftway from
the south eastern corner of Hylands Lane and the border of the Metropolitan Board of Water. Vol 1381 F137 and
Vol 1396 F141.
8 April 1902. . Emu Gravel now the proprietor of the estate in fee simple. 125 acres. South eastern side of
Western Road, north eastern corner of Water Board. Originally granted to George Lisk, 2 February 1792 and
part of 60 acres {portion 28} originally granted to John Rowe, 1 May 1797, and part 160 acres granted to John
Kennedy, 3 May 1799. Dated 8 April 1902. V1396 F142.
5 May 1903. Transfer of land from Emu Gravel to Joseph Auburn Reynolds and Mark Hercules Reynolds., but
reserving a right of way. V1396 F142.
21 May 1903. Mortgage 359809, discharged. Emu Gravel to London Bank of Australia. V1396 F142.
13 June 1905. Mark Reynolds, transferee from Emu held by Mark and Joseph Reynolds as tenants in common,
approx. 41 acres ….Stamp: No 366100. Mortgage 5 May 1903, from Mark and Joseph Reynolds to Emu. .Ref
to last certificate Vol1396 F141 and 142, also V1400 135 and 136. Vol 1617 F247 and 248.
1903. At top of page “prior cert. V739 F218”. Vol 1400 F135.
6 May 1903. Name changed to Emu and Prospect Gravel and Road Metal Co Ltd. V1612 F198.
9 February 1905. Discharge of mortgage – no details. V1612 F198.
21 April 1906. Discharge of mortgag,e 366100. Mortgage dated 21 April 190, Mark Hercules
Reynolds and Joseph Auburn Reynolds, to Savings Bank of NSW.
23 April 1906. Stamp: Mortgage in the 2 Reynolds names, No 429981 to the Savings Bank of NSW,
registered in the register book 23 April 1906. Mortgage discharged 28 January 1910. Vol 1959-92.
Appn. 5827 of 11857, Reference to last certificate is Vol 1617 F247 and 248.
15 October 1908. Transfer of land, Mark and Joseph Reynolds to Emu Gravel. Vol 1617 F248.
29
30 March 1909. Transfer from Joseph and Mark Reynolds, numbers 508433 41 acres, portion 33 of Parish.
Portion 34 orginally granted to Thomas Martin by the Crown – part of 30 acres.originally granted to John Nicols
from the Crown, dated 22 Feb 1792. Also in that other piece of land, 18 acres (Portion 33) ….. Stamp: Mortgage
in the 2 Reynolds names No 429981, to the Savings Bank of NSW. Registered in the register book 23 April
1906. Mortgage discharged 28 January 1910. Stamp: No. A182734, lease dated 12 April 1915 ,from Emu Metal
Co. to Joseph Hicks of Prospect, Agriculturist 18 June 1915. Lease expired by effluxion of time on 24 September
1923. Stamp: A960804, transfer 6 June 1923 from Emu to Joseph Hicks of part etc. Stamp: Vol 3543 Vol249 for
the residue, no dates or names. Vol 1959-92 Appn. 5827 of 11857, Reference to last certificate is Vol 1617 F247
and 248.
30 March 1909. Certificate of Title,. Joseph Auburn Reynolds and Mark Hercules Reynolds, mortgage 3431344
Vol 1959 Folio 92. V1617 F247-8.
11 July 1932. V4441-F22. Mortgage to Bank NSW by Emu Gravel, and resumption of unnecessary road, 26
September 1930.
16 November 1935. Transfer of land to Associated Blue Metal Quarries Ltd. Vol 4768 F84.
16 June 1936. NSW Associated Blue Metal Quarries Ltd. Transfer of grants, Nicholls, Thomas Martin, Rowe,
Miles and Kennedy. V4768 F84.
3 January 1947. Notice of Acquisition by Commonwealth of Australia. Part transferred to MSWDB on 10
January 1963. V4768 F84.
2 November 1936. Transfer of part of land to Hilda McGrath. This was two small parts of the driveway. 4817-
103
DP501017 Lot 1 – no results
V9351-F80 - no results
V9787 - F165 – no results
V9967-F43 to 51 – no results
14 July 1964 DP224279 Lots 1-9. Plan by surveyor Thomas J Clarke, 14 July 1964, for subdivision of railway
line along the side of the Fox Under the Hill in Toongabbie Road.
DP511058 – no results.
V9967-F43 – no results.
V1612-F196-7-8 Re railway right of way.
V3543-F249 – railway right of way.
V5794 – 4 Railway right of way.
DP 54179010 – no results.
V11330 F91 no results.
DP12727 - no results.
30
APPENDIX 5
THE SILOS AND THE WELL
The large structure which is of a concrete web construction. Photo: Author, 2019
The smaller structure, which sits in front of the larger one and appears to be older, is of brick construction with
render. This may be Reynolds’ silo of 1907. Photos: Author, 2019
31
The smaller structure, which sits in front of the larger one and appears to be older, is of brick construction with
render. This may be Reynolds’ silo of 1907. Photos: Author, 2019
The beehive well appears in excellent condition. Photo by Jacques Capdor, 2016.
32
This snip of an NSW Government aerial photograph, undated, clearly shows the two silos and the beehive well,
adjacent to the Great Western Highway. [This image is copyright and may not be used]
33
An 1870 advertisement for a coach from Sydney to Parramatta and Windsor, which would have passed by The Fox
Under The Hill. Note the men perched precariously at the rear, on top. It would have been a bouncy ride.