My Richardson family

William Richardson was born in Mayfield, Sussex, England on February 8, 1833 and was known as Billy. He was a bricklayers apprentice in Mayfield, Sussex, England in 1851.

William Richardson married Harriett Luck at St Peters Church of England in Brighton, Sussex, England on August 9, 1853. Harriett was born on September 27, 1833 in Mayfield, Sussex, England. In 1853 she was a general servant.

On November 19, 1856, William, a heavily pregnant Harriett and their daughter Harriet, aged two years, sailed from Liverpool on board the ship Herald of the Morning as assisted immigrants. The passenger list shows the ship carried 48 married couples, 96 children, 22 single males and 239 single females.

About two weeks before reaching Melbourne, Harriett gave birth to their second daughter Charlotte Heralda (it is most likely that Charlotte was the first birth on the voyage, for it was the rule in those days that the first born was to be named after the ship). The nominal list of passengers shows that the family's religious denomination was Church of England and that William and Harriett could both read and write. The ship arrived in Melbourne on March 1, 1857 and the disposal list shows that William found work as a bricklayer on his own account on March 14, 1857.

Family stories relates that examples of Billy's brick laying skills were evident around Cheltenham, particularly brick fences at houses near the Old Cheltenham Cemetery. The family lived in Gipsy Village, Pic-Nic Point, Brighton, Victoria, Australia. They were to live at Gipsy village for about ten or eleven years. Development of Gipsy Village commenced in 1852 when a land investor purchased 280 house allotments in the area surrounding Bamfield and Bridge Streets. Features of Gipsy Village were that underground water was available and the blocks were almost perfectly square (165'x166'). A school opened in Gipsy Village in 1855 and horse drawn trams connecting with the railway at Brighton provided transport to and from Gipsy Village from 1857. In latter years the Sandringham City Council has commemorated Gipsy Village by establishing a small park in Bridge Street, Hampton.

They lived at Charman Road in Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia in 1868. Although originally Beaumaris, the area was taken over as Cheltenham when the Frankston railway line passed through the area in 1881.

It is recalled by descendants that Billy Richardson was an enthusiastic musician and conductor and musical evenings with lusty community singing were regular features at the Richardson home. Home births were the practice when Harriett was having her children and family history recalls that on some occasions after extended 'singsong evenings' in the absence of Harriet, a new born baby would be introduced to the other children the following morning.

Harriett died in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia on February 15, 1895. She had suffered from exhaustive gastritis for about six months and was buried on February 17, 1895 in the Old Cheltenham Cemetery in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia. Billy died from bright's disease and uraemia at Albert Street in Mordialloc, Victoria, Australia on October 23, 1898. Bright's disease is the chronic inflammation of the kidney and uraemia is the build up of urea (colourless compound in the urine) in blood which occurs when the kidneys are unable to filter it out of the bloodstream. If the urea level is up it is an indication that the kidneys are failing. He was seen by Dr. George J. Scanthlebury only two days before his demise. William was buried on October 25, 1898 in the Old Cheltenham Cemetery, in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia.

William Richardson and Harriett Luck had the following children:

• Harriett Elizabeth Richardson was born in Mayfield, Sussex, England on January 8, 1855 and was known to the family as Margaret Alma Richardson (if you think that had me fooled for a while - you're right!). Harriett married Charles Daniel Brassington at St George's Church in Queenscliffe, Victoria, Australia on August 14, 1882. Charles was described as a clerk and labourer and Alma was a domestic servant. Although married at Queenscliff, the marriage certificate shows that Charles's usual place of residence was Sandridge, and that Margaret's was Cheltenham, although she was living at Sandridge at the time of the wedding.
  
  Queenscliffe was the resort capital of Victoria at that time. It was a constituted borough which would be reached by train from Geelong all year and by bay steamer in the summer. It had the added attraction of being at Victoria's front door. Residents and visitors alike found it absorbing to watch the traffic of ships with their attendant pilots and mail boats, threading their way across the Rip and along the buoyed and marked channels of the bay.
  
  Charles Daniel Brassington was born in 1858 in London, England. He emigrated to Australia arriving on February 22, 1879, when 20 years of age on the Melanope. Listed as a gentleman on the passenger list, Chas travelled as a saloon passenger on this small vessel which only carried 57 passengers. The Melanope departed from Liverpool, England on 23 November 1878, on its voyage which was expected to take 140 days.

  Alma died at 22 Auburn Parade in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia on November 13, 1931. The doctor noted on her death certificate, that she had died in her sleep and that everything pointed to cardiac failure. She was buried on November 14, 1931 in the Fawkner Cemetery in Fawkner, Victoria, Australia.

• Charlotte Heralda Richardson was born at sea on February 12, 1857 on board the Herald of the Morning. Charlotte married Thomas Charles Henman in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia on February 26, 1884. Thomas was born on January 29, 1857 and was known as Tommy. Tommy died on January 31, 1898.
  
  After she was widowed, Charlotte supported herself and her daughters from work which included cleaning of city office buildings in Melbourne. She also assisted with seamstress work at the Broadmeadows Children's Home. She lived in Ballarat Road, Footscray near Kinnears Rope Works and then with her youngest daughter Ivy and her family in Alma Street, West Footscray.
  
  Charlotte died in Footscray, Victoria, Australia on December 12, 1942 and was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery in Carlton, Victoria, Australia.

• Annie Maria Richardson was born in Gipsy Village, Pic-Nic Point, Brighton, Victoria, Australia on July 6, 1859. She married Leonard Augustus Erck at All Saints, Church of England in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia on January 26, 1888. Leonard died circa 1941. Annie was buried at Brighton Cemetery in Brighton, Victoria, Australia.

• Philadelphia Agnes Richardson was born in Gipsy Village, Pic-Nic Point, Brighton, Victoria, Australia on May 10, 1861 and was known as Delph. She married Albert Henman in Stawell, Victoria, Australia on March 24, 1891. Albert was born on April 23, 1863 in Taradale, Victoria, Australia. He was a member of Hopevale Rifle Club in Hopevale, Victoria, Australia circa 1900 and lived in Willenabrina, Victoria, Australia in 1930. Albert died in Rainbow, Victoria, Australia on August 17, 1930 and was buried at the cemetery in Rainbow, Victoria, Australia. Delph died in Nhill, Victoria, Australia in June 16, 1948 and was buried on June 18, 1948 at the cemetery in Rainbow, Victoria, Australia.

• Sarah Loanna Richardson was born in Gipsy Village, Pic-Nic Point, Brighton, Victoria, Australia on March 30, 1863 and was known as Sissy. Sarah married Christopher Powell in Victoria, Australia in 1905. Sissy lived in Windsor, Victoria, Australia. In her latter days, Sissy was confined to a wheelchair. Sissy died in Prahran, Victoria, Australia on January 30, 1943 and was buried on January 31, 1943 in the Old Cheltenham Cemetery in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia. Buried with her sister, Emily May.

• George Richardson was born in Gipsy Village, Pic-Nic Point, Brighton, Victoria, Australia on June 17, 1865. He died in Gipsy Village, Pic-Nic Point, Brighton, Victoria, Australia on January 5, 1866 and was buried in Brighton, Victoria, Australia.

• William Henry Richardson was born in Gipsy Village, Pic-Nic Point, Brighton, Victoria, Australia on January 6, 1867 and was known as Harry. Harry lived at 150 Langridge Street in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia in 1898 and in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia in 1948. William Henry Richardson married Nellie ????. Known as "Wild Harry".

• Mary Jane Richardson was born in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia on May 19, 1869 and was known as Marmie. She married twice. First she married ???? Marsden. Then she married Robert Henry Kenny in Victoria, Australia in 1903. Marmie lived in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia in 1948. Marmie died in Pascoe Vale, Victoria, Australia in 1961 and was buried in the Old Cheltenham Cemetery in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia.

• Emily May Richardson was born in Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia on July 21, 1871. She died in Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia on June 15, 1873 and was buried in the Old Cheltenham Cemetery in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia.

• Eleanor May Richardson was born in Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia on September 21, 1874 and was known as May. She married twice. May married ???? Fullerlove in 1900 (estimated), and Edwin George Scott in 1910 (estimated). He was known as Ted. May lived in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia. She died in Parkville, Victoria, Australia in 1946 and was buried on January 2, 1946 in the Old Cheltenham Cemetery in Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia with her parents.

• William George Thomas Richardson was born in Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia on November 25, 1876. William married Jane Mason at St Mary's Church in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia in 1908. William died in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia on September 26, 1945 and was buried at the White Hills Cemetery in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.

Return to Lauren's Main Page

© 1997-2003 Lauren Thomson, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
Last revised: April 20, 2003
Email: Lauren