Eliza
Grace
The following material is
extracted from Janet Patterson's book
Eliza Grace arrived at Port
Phillip on 13th January 1842 as a Bounty Immigrant on board the
Samuel Boddington. Bounty Immigrants were brought to
Australia by a sponsor who was paid a bounty for each person he
sponsored. Immigrants had to qualify for sponsorship by
being within a certain age range and willing to take employment in
a trade or profession sought by colonists. Many of the
Bounty Immigrants were labourers or domestic servants.
Eliza was among 199 persons (74
male, 79 female plus children) who were introduced into the colony
of New South Wales by Mr Jonathon B Were of Melbourne, Port
Phillip, (the shipping agent). The ship sailed from Cork
(Ireland) under Captain Noakes, with Dr Belcher, the medical
superintendent. In the passenger list of unmarried females,
the details given for Eliza Grace were:
Age
21
Occupation
House Maid
Religion
Protestant
Read or
Write Both
Native Place
Kings County
By Whom Imported
-----
Bounty
£19
Remarks
---
The name,
Elizabeth Grace, was listed on the Templeharry Baptismal Register
on 18th June 1820, her father Richard, and mother Deborah, of
Moneygall. Other members of the family listed on the
Baptismal Register were Anne Grace on 16th September 1821,
(although the father was named as Michael), N/R Grace on 2nd
February 1823, and William Grace on 8th February 1829. It
would seem that this Elizabeth Grace is our Eliza Grace, who had a
birth date of 11th June 1820.
The name of Richard Grace of
Moneygall, Civil Parish of Cullenwane, appeared in the Tithe
Applotment (a tax assessment of farmers) 1823 – 1838. Thus
it appears that Eliza’s father was a farmer.
In the Topographical Dictionary of
Ireland (1837), by Samuel Lewis, the following entry was given for
Moneygall.
A village and post-town, in the
parish of Cullenwayne, barony of Clonlisk, KING’S County and
province of Leister, 6.75 miles (s.w.) from Roscrea, and 65.75
miles (s.w. by s) from Dublin, on the mail coach road from
Limerick; containing 379 inhabitants. It comprises 76
houses, and it is situated on the estate of the Rev. W Minchin,
near the confines of the county of Tipperary: it has a patent for
three fairs during the year, and is a constabulary police
station. It is in contemplation to hold petty sessions here
shortly. Adjoining is Greenhills, the residence of the
proprietor, a modern and elegant mansion in a highly ornamented
demense. Busherton, originally called Bouchardstown, is a
handsome residence of a branch of the same family. The
church service is performed twice every Sunday in the
school-house, there being no church in parish. There is a
R.C. chapel, and a dispensary was established in 1826.
The dispersal lists for the Samuel
Boddington are not available so it is difficult to trace the
employment or arrival in Tasmania of Eliza Grace. Her name
does not appear on any immigration lists held by the Tasmanian
Archives, however records of arrivals in Launceston for this
period have been destroyed, and if she arrived with a family she
may have been listed as servant and not by individual name.
Eliza Grace may have worked for the Dry family as the name of
their Launceston property Elphin was used for the name of the
Patterson family property in the Cumberoona district in New South
Wales.
Acknowlegements:
Thanks to Janet Patterson for her authoritative account of the
early Pattersons, and of the family later in Queensland. Janet had
many helpers, acknowledged in the book
References
Janet Patterson, "The Pattersons of 'Rangelands' Winton".
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