The Arnold Story

The Arnold Story

Augustus Arnold was born in England in 1832 and came to Australia in 1854 or 1855.  At this stage nothing is known of his parents but there is a possibility that they went to England from France.

Augustus Arnold was apparently reasonably wealthy when he arrived in Australia, and had a family crest ( a rose) which he used on all important documents. He was referred to as “Squire” Arnold.

He met a Lucy Maud Bennett, whose father's name was John Bennett (a landscape artist by trade),  and her mother's name was Emily Lowe.

Lucy was born in Sydney on 16th August 1837.  Her sister, Frances Bennett, married William Penfold of Penfold Wines.  They came from a long line of Bennetts which include Judge George Bennett and General Gordon Bennett, of Japanese war fame.  It is rumoured that there was Jewish blood on the Bennett side, but this cannot be confirmed.

Augustus and Lucy were married at Cooma NSW on the 23rd March 1855 in the Church of England - at that time they were both living at Bumcumbla.  On a lighter vein: one witness to their marriage was “Angus Rankin of Native Dog Flat”.

Lucy's uncle died in America, and from his estate she received $1,000, and this, together with what Augustus had, enabled them to buy a property near Bibbenluke in the Monaro district of NSW known as “Bald Hills”, where they raised sheep and turkeys and grew potatoes.  The name of their homestead was “Yarra Banks”.  They had a family of thirteen which included Louis Arnold, who was born at Bibbenluke on the 30th August 1874. Louis' birth certificate gives his name as Louis but he was always known as Louis Harold, and apparently he was so christened.

Augustus Arnold prospered and he and his wife Lucy had their own Cab and cabman to drive them wherever they wanted to go. Lucy always conducted herself in a very ladylike manner.

On the death of Augustus some disagreement occurred between the family regarding the estate and Louis left “Yarra Banks” on foot with absolutely nothing, and went in search of work as a very young man.  He obtained work on a farm at Towamba (NSW) owned by Hermann Bollman, who grew fruit and maize and had a dairy herd.

Louis fell in love with Henrietta Violet Bollman and they were married at Towamba on the 8th January 1900, Louis being 25 years of age abd Henrietta (Ettie) being twenty-one. Louis and Ettie moved from NSW to North Queensland in 1908 or 1909, travelling to Cairns on the ship “S.S.Wodonga” with their three children, Frederick Harold (born 1901), Louis Osborne (born 1902) and Ralph Brunswick (born 25/09/1907).  Three more children were born to them in North Queensland: Edna Affra, Augustus John and Max.

Louis had thirty shillings on him on arrival in Cairns with which to get them to Atherton, which was then developing.  They leased a small property a few miles out of Atherton and grew maize, and must have lived entirely on credit.  They were poor in circumstances and Louis obtained work in Atherton as a Ganger for the Tinaroo (now Atherton) Shire Council, so they moved into Atherton.

He studied for and passed a Public Service examination and obtained a position as a Land Ranger, later transferring to the Forestry Department in which work he remained until his retirement.

They moved from Atherton to Mareebain 1913, and later moved on to Cairns.  Henrietta Violet Arnold died in Cairns on 18th August 1856 aged 79 years, and Louis Harold Arnold died at Waugh's Pocket (N.Q.) on 23rd July 1959 aged 85 years. Both were buried in Cairns.

Ralph Brunswick Arnold was born at Mullumbimbi NSW on 25th September 1907 and had a State School Education at Mareeba.  He obtained a position on the Woothakata (now Mareeba) Shire Council office as Office Boy, commencing work on the 22nd June 1922. He was appointed as Shire Clerk in 1942 and remained with the Mareeba Shire Council until his retirement on the 30th September 1970 (at age 63) after serving the council for forty-eight years, which at that time was claimed as a record of service with one Shire Council in Queensland.

On retirement he was made an Honorary Life Member of the Australian Institute of Municipal Administration.  He obtained a Local Government Auditor's Certificate and carried out auditing work for various NQ Shire Councils until 1976/77.

Ralph married Martha Jessop Johnston in the Methodist Church at Mareeba on 24th April 1937.  Martha (Matty) was born at Chillagoe NQ on the 11th February 1915.  They had three children, all born at Mareeba: Donald James born 31/08/1939, Robyn born 14/11/1945 and Kenneth Ralph born 06/05/1947.

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Review: THE EVIDENCE:

• There is a family of Arnolds who resided in the vicinity of West Derby, Liverpool (“Croxteth”) who kept the name Augustus current through many members, both as a first name and middle name, for several generations. 
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• Augustus Arnold born ca 1804 who died 1889 West Derby, Liverpool, England, born France according to several census records. The IGI/census notes in the 1881 census the following: Birth Year <1807> Birthplace France Age 74  Occupation Retired Traveller Marital Status M <Married> Head of Household August ARNOLD Relation Head.
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• The Rose seal may be a relic of his Augustus snr’s employment as a Clerk of a Liverpool Company, hence the “Red Rose of Lancaster” so often as symbol of Liverpool/Lancashire in those times. (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rose_of_Lancaster>): “The rose... came to be seen as an emblem of the county of Lancashire, and as such was incorporated in the coats of arms of numerous Lancashire local authorities including the county council..”
•  Definitely incorrect: “PENFOLD, CHRISTOPHER RAWSON (1811-1870), medical practitioner and vigneron, was born on 2 August 1811, son of John Penfold, vicar of Steyning, Sussex, England, and his wife Charlotte Jane, née Brooks. Trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital, he practised medicine at Brighton in 1838-44. On 26 May 1835 he married Mary, only daughter of Thomas Holt, medical practitioner of Edmonton, London.... Penfold arrived in South Australia with his wife and daughter Georgina in the Taglioni on 18 June 1844 and took up land in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, about four miles (6.4 km) from Adelaide. Before leaving England he had paid a deposit to the Colonial Land and Emigration Commission and soon after arrival paid Edmund Trimmer £1200 for land originally held by Robert Cook and William Ferguson. This property in the district of Magill consisted of 500 acres (202 ha) of 'the choicest land, 200 acres (81 ha) of which [were] under crops'. Within two years he was producing large quantities of grain 'without the smallest attempt at cultivation'....After a long illness he died at his home, The Grange, on 25 March 1870, survived by his wife and only child....Mary continued to develop the vineyard assisted by Ellen Timbrell and later by Thomas Francis Hyland, a former member of the Victorian Civil Service who on 24 September 1862 had married Georgina. By 1881 a flourishing trade had been built up within Australia whilst a successful export market had been established in New Zealand. The family later extended its interests to Victoria and New South Wales. Mary Penfold died on 31 December 1895 and was buried beside her husband in St George's churchyard. Her property passed to Georgina Hyland and thence to her descendants who later adopted the name Penfold-Hyland.” http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050476b.htm
•  Most likely incorrect: “BENNETT, HENRY GORDON (1887-1962), army officer and businessman, was born on 16 April 1887 at Balwyn, Melbourne, second child of George Jesse Bennett, a schoolmaster from Cape Town, and his native-born wife Harriet, née Bentley. Alfred Edward Bennett was Gordon's younger brother. Educated at Balwyn State School and Hawthorn College, Gordon was employed by the Australian Mutual Provident Society as an actuarial clerk. On 14 August 1908 he was commissioned in the Citizen Military Forces and posted to the 5th Infantry Regiment. He was promoted major in 1912.” <http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130195b.htm>  Search of the archives reveals that Augustus left all his goods and chattels to his wife Lucy, which constituted the farm property, livestock, crops in the field, house and chattels.
• The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday 9 November 1897 p8 MOTIONS FOR PROBATE Motions for probate were granted to wills relating to the following estates -Esther Morgan Lena, Edward Vincent Eveston, Mary Steel, David Pie, Daniel French, John Charles Whetty, Thomas Treacey A Henry Herwig, Augustus Arnold, Alfred Stevens.
• The Bennett's had two wealthy uncles in England, who may have been the source of their inheritence, William Bennett and Joseph Bennett Hankin Bennett.
• Frances Bennett was married to David Penfold, a gypsy from England, transported, with whom she started a deFacto relationship with at age 18 (or thereabouts), marrying many years later.  There was bad blood between David Penfold and some of the Bennetts, particularly the Wilmott's (Emma Bennett's family).