OLD MARULAN FAMILIES

Residents of the old town 1841 Census Mid-century

The question ‘who lived in Marulan’ does not have an Only three records of Marulan inhabitants have There is a long gap before the next set of easy answer. We have good information about who survived - Joseph Peters, William Drovers and information becomes available in the 1860s. owned land in the town at different times but this is James Strachan – and their households. This period saw the rise of native-born whites not the same as being a resident. Apart from promi- [‘currency lads and lasses’] as a major part of nent locals, such as publicans Joseph Peters or the The 1841 census only contains three surviving the population, the aging of the ex-convicts, scandal-plagued Mary Ann Winter and William records that relate to Marulan. These are for three the rise of significant free immigration, and Hawthorne, records that list town residents are few men. The data for County Argyle generally was for the gold rushes. and ambiguous until the 1850s. an imbalanced gender ratio of 2434 males and 963 females. There were more than 400 married Electoral information 1863-64 Initial town lot owners couples in this total meaning that about 2000 single men were matched by about 500 single The 1863-64 electoral roll for the Argyle Land records document the first owner of each town women. electoral district lists 28 men who were eligi- lot sold, mainly in the late 1830s. Some of these ble to vote because of a Marulan connection. names are well-known from the history of the Joseph Peters’s household at the Woolpack Inn At the time all males who had lived in the Goulburn and Southern Highlands, while others [AB lists 15 people total, with 5 men and 10 women. electorate for 6 months previously were Spark and Charles Nicholson] were prominent Sydney His household, broken down by sex and age, had eligible as long as they were British subjects, citizens. Others are either unknown or have only the five men aged between 21-45, while six of the or had been naturalised at least five years sketchy biographical details. What was their motiva- females were less than 14 years old, one between previously with two years’ residence. Police, tion in buying a block in a small town in remote 14-20, and three of 21 or above. Peters had eight serving military, paupers and prisoners were Marulan? children, all girls. not eligible to vote.

1839 Post Office Directory William Drovers household contained him, aged 1871 Census between 45 and 60, and a boy between 7-14 years This was a listing of people serviced by different post old, which we can presume was his son. Drovers The 1871 census unfortunately does not con- offices in the colony. At Marulan if we exclude people had a ticket of leave and the boy arrived free. tain records of individuals. The village of who are located outside the town the following in- Marulan is listed as having 54 males and 58 habitants remain. James Strachan lived in a household of three females, for a total of 112 people. There males and three females. The males were all aged were 44 under twelve years old, another 26 Drover, John Blacksmith 21-45, while there was one female in this range, between 13-18 years and 23 males and 19 Dwyer, Edward Settler and two under 7 years. females 19 years old and above. By compari- Ellis, William Settler son Goulburn had 4453 individuals and Bun- Peters, Joseph Innkeeper One of the men had a ticket of leave, while the gonia had dwindled to 71. Powning, William Schoolteacher others came free. All of the three females arrived Vine, Ernest [no trade given] free. The men were all artificers. OLD MARULAN FAMILIES

Greville’s 1872 Directory The oldest married couple in the world The 11 possible candidates that remain are:

This directory is very important as it lists the oc- According to a report in the 25.11.1863 edition of Burne, James [age 33. Ship Scarborough] cupants of both Marulan and Mooroowoolen. the London Times, reprinting an item from the Clark or Hosier, James [or John or Charles] [age Sydney newspaper Empire, Marulan was the 33. Ship Scarborough] Greville also published a directory in 1875. This home of the oldest married couple in the world. Fuller, John [also known as William Saxby] [age only contained an entry for Mooroowoolen, and 35. Ship Scarborough] none for Marulan. 135 individuals are listed, but ‘There are living in Marulan, in this colony, two Hortopp,ough James [age 34. Ship Charlotte] the entries are less informative, mainly omitting persons, husband and wife, aged respectively 111 Page, Paul [age unknown. Ship Alexander] trades or exact residential location information. and 107 years. They are extremely feeble and Parr, William [age unknown. Ship Alexander] Sampson,lotte Peter [age unknown. Ship Scarbor- As a result it is not clear whether the increased bedridden, but are in possession of both sight and ] numbers reflect a prospering town or a larger hearing. The old man arrived in the first fleet in postal district taking in the old town as well. Smith, William [age unknown. Ship Alexander] 1788, and has consequently been for 75 years in ’ Squires or Squire, James [age 33. Ship Char- Marulan had 30 households listed, while the colony of New South Wales. ] Mooroowoolen had 52. Interestingly a third of Lets leave aside all the suspicions that arise when Strong, James [age 34. Ship Alexander]Watson, the Marulan households were headed by women. people change their age, such as avoiding military John [age 33. Ship Alexander] This may reflect the demographic of a dying service and assuming different identities. If the town, where the male heads of households have man was 111 years old in 1863 then he would None of these names pops up elsewhere in the died or may have left for the goldfields and never have been 35 or 36 at the time of the First Fleet. records of Old Marulan. Was this just another returned. The women would have not had many Can we track this marathon pensioner down? journalistic tall story from the Antipodes or can options as land values for townfolk would not we shed more light on this mystery? have been high. Using the First Fleet convict biographical database maintained by the University of Wollongong Can you help? The population of the two towns differs also in [http://firstfleet.uow.edu.au/objectv.html] we can the mix of trades. Many of the Mooroowoolen firstly narrow our search to exclude all females We have already been contacted by family men are carters and labourers, presumably tak- and males outside the age range of 33-37 at the history researchers who have Old Marulan ing on casual work that would come with the rail time of their departure from England. We can ancestors, and they have kindly passed on their line, while Marulan was more closely tied to pas- further narrow this down to exclude those known own research to flesh out our knowledge of the toral work. to have died or subsequently left the colony. This living town. If any of these names is familiar to leaves six men of the right age and a further four you and you have some background on their life for whom there is no age recorded whose deaths at Marulan, or perhaps what brought them her or have not been recorded as part of the database. what happened afterwards, we would love to It is also possible that the elderly man was one of hear from you. the ships’ crews or marines but there is no infor- mation readily available. WHAT KILLED OLD MARULAN?

Railways? Rust? Land reform? And which farmers hadn’t made it? A decade earlier the Robertson Land Acts were passed in In the early 1870s Louisa Calvert, a gifted ama- New South Wales, which allowed small holders to teur naturalist and writer born in Berrima, wrote claim and start farming lands that had previously in her regular newspaper column about travelling been held by grant and grace by the squatting in the Southern Highlands: interest. Louisa’s own father, James Atkinson of Oldbury, was a founding member of the pastoral What has become of the former popu- elite, and had written a book on farming practice in the infant colony in 1826. He was very scepti- lation? Is the idea which constantly cal of the ability of small holders, at that time presents itself as the traveller passes mainly ex-convicts, to make a go of it, and his along the highways. Towns deserted, daughter repeated his misgivings fifty years little homesteads in ruins, fences fal- later: ‘it does not follow because the Land Bill ling to the ground. The people have enables a man to secure a few acres of land that he should instinctively become a farmer’. moved on! But where? – in all my

wanderings I have never overtaken Old Marulan sat at the edge of Louisa’s rural the tide; the wave of population was rides and firmly within her vision of the changing ever ahead. The Southern Road, be- landscape. The original Marulan became old pre- . tween Berrima and the Hanging Rock, cisely because the railway had bypassed it, creat- … offers numerous texts for such reflec- ing a new centre of gravity that drew the farm A few milestion beyond Hanging Rock is and road traffic that sustained the town, and Paddy’s River, with its almost deserted eventually drew in its businesses and residents. township. Here again arises the ques- Soon New Marulan simply became Marulan and tion – why so deserted? A ready an- Old Marulan was forgotten. The Robertson Land Acts brought a new population into the rich farm- swer that is commonly given – “the ing lands of Argyle but, as Louisa noted, they railways have ruined the country.” had many obstacles to success. The railway may Calvert, better known as Louisa Atkinson of have just made it easier for failed farmers to get Oldbury, was writing shortly after the Southern out of there. Railway had been put through from Sydney to Goulburn. She acknowledged that the railways may have been the trigger, but also blamed ‘our long drought, rust and caterpillars’ as undermin- ing the will of farmers to stay on the land.

WHY ARE WE DIGGING?

What is at Old Marulan? Our investigation will recover the often fragile and subtle archaeological evidence that records Old Marulan is recognised as being one of the our past. This evidence includes artefacts and most important archaeological sites in NSW, be- construction and subtle changes in soil deposits. cause it is largely intact as an early 19th century rural town landscape. Its abandonment and Who are we? later lack of development have preserved below- ground evidence of the lives of the occupants as Our team has members of Banksia Heritage + a record of some of our earliest local history. Archaeology Pty Ltd, Umwelt Pty Ltd—which is the company managing the environmental com- Previous surveys have identified many house pliance for the Lynwood Quarry, trained archae- sites, the remains of fences and road reserves, ologists from around Australia, some with inter- brick and lime kilns and plantings dating from the national experience, and members of Aboriginal 1830s-60s. representative groups.

The area we are investigating is at the back of Our overall research design and project plan the Woolpack Inn, the first building at Marulan have been approved by the NSW heritage Coun- and the main pub of three in town. There are cil. Our permit requires us to some structural remains visible, but we are also looking for evidence that does not appear on the surface, using test-pits and clearing to identify remains.

Why do we dig?

Readymix Pty Ltd sought development consent from the NSW Government for the quarry under The Lynwood Quarry development is taking place about 3 km from the site, the state’s planning laws. As there would be im- but the entry to the Hume Highway has to be sited opposite the South Ma- pact on the site of Old Marulan development rulan Road. consent was given only on condition that the ar- chaeological resource of that part of the ton to be affected was salvaged.

The design of the interchange was minimised to reduce the total impact, and only that part likely to be disturbed will be excavated.

OLD MARULAN TOWNSHIP

Most of the town lots of Old Marulan fall within the State Heritage Register-protected site [black line]

The town plan of Marulan was based on regulations put in place in 1829, to create more regular and formal towns in rural NSW. The blocks were almost ll half an acre in extent, and ran back from the roads. Buildings were expected to be placed close to the road- side.

This is the first plan for the town of Marulan. It shows the long lots running back from the road front- In the modern plan we can see how the line of the highway was widened and straight- ages, a reserve for the Anglican Church, and a small creek that was just a series of waterholes. This is now a deeply eroded gully. ened. This resulted in the loss of the front part of the blocks around the Woolpack Inn along with their buildings. The archaeological site is restricted to the rear of these town blocks. OLD MARULAN ARCHAEOLOGY

The archaeological work is looking at a range of evidence, being excavated in two metre squares for spatial control.

Artefacts are collected from trenches and sieves and will be analysed and catalogued in the coming months.

A range of documentation is created, with detailed forms, photography, and even video.

The results of the excavation are put into a report, the artefacts are retained for research within the local area and the results disseminated in museum displays and publications. OLD MARULAN HISTORY

The town of Marulan was established along the line of the Great southern Road, one of the three major roads that were planned to radiate from Sydney to the north, west and south into the areas newly opened up for grazing.

Marulan was located at the junction of roads that would lead to Bungonia and Goulburn, with convicts from stockades at Wingello and later Towrang constructing a substantial good quality road. Other older roads that still sur- vive serviced the early land grants in the area. Jules Joubert’s Information for emigrants to Sydn Goulburn was to be the main town of County [1873] shows the twin towns of Marulan and Mooroowoolen during the short pe- Argyle with Marulan servicing a small local riod of their co-existence.

population and travellers. It ey, New South Wales, Australia never grew to any extent, and may have only had a popula- tion of about a hundred people at most.

When the Southern Railway Map of the area around Marulan in c.1837, showing the range of roads that were established before the Great Southern Road was formed, and the came through in the 1860s it clustering of land grants away from the town site [J and C Walker 1837] crossed the road about 3 km north of the town. Gradually businesses and the town ser- vices shifted to the new loca- tion, resulting in the gradual death of the town. In the early 1870s the new town of Mooroowoolen had already overtaken Marulan in popula- tion. By the mid-70s Old Ma- rulan had effectively died. THE WOOLPACK INN

Joseph Peters bought two lots for the Woolpack Inn in 1834, then adjoining two in 1838. This drawing shows the lots he applied for, but such control by one individual was not approved by the government. Eventually three other owners controlled the middle four lots.

The Woolpack Inn kept a ledger book detailing who was given credit for different services. The ledger provides a detailed list of locals, travellers and regional landowners. Services included drink, stabling, accommodation and loan of tradesmen [Copy held by Mitchell Library].

The Woolpack Inn was Marulan’s main pub. Its builder and licensee was In a country where cash was in chronic short supply, the provision of Joseph Peters. He had been a superintendent of convicts at Emu Plains in credit and cashing in of cheques essentially kept the rural economy going. the 1820s and eventually made his way to Goulburn, opening a pub on what he thought would be the main road south. It wasn’t, so in 1834 he The Woolpack Inn’s ledger gives us an insight into the many hundreds of began buying lots in the new town of Marulan, getting two prime blocks pounds of credit that Peters had issued at any one time, having to judge at the road junction. a new arrival’s character and trustworthiness. At this time impersonation was rife, with many ex-convicts disguising their identities. With no way of The role of an inn in a country town was much more than serving grog to independently verifying a person was who they said they were, stolen locals. It was the focal point of the community, where gossip was shared, documents could easily be re-used or cheques cashed. travellers learned about road conditions and bushrangers, horses were fed and re-shod, and hungry bellies filled. SITES BEING INVESTIGATED

A timber-lined well is located on the southeastern side of the road in the road reserve. It will be recorded and a determination made whether any of the lining or contents can be salvaged.

Survey of the area identified a range of evidence that could have been part of the old town. Most falls outside the impact area and therefore does not need to be disturbed.

Circular sheep-dip from the site’s later rural period is to be recorded. A pise building at Lynwood Farm.