A Biography of George William Knight

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A Biography of George William Knight Of Railways, Wine and Flowers: A Biography of George William Knight Robyn Hunter Bachelor of Arts (La Trobe University), Graduate Diploma of Education (La Trobe University), Master of Education Studies (Federation University) This thesis is submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Education and the Arts Federation University P.O. Box 663 University Drive, Mount Helen Ballarat, Victoria, 3353, Australia Submitted for examination 1 May 2018 Abstract The title page photograph1 has been used for many decades as the quintessential representation of George William Knight (1832–1923), railway engineer, viticulturist, horticulturist and Bendigo Council’s building surveyor and city surveyor. He is cursorily remembered by railway, viticultural and horticultural historians and enthusiasts. However, he remained unknown by some of his descendants, including me. Yet, his contribution deserves to be recognised. Knight is representative of English, middle-class, liberal young men who flocked to Australia in the 1850s, but who did not obtain high political office or financial success. This study uses a biographical approach to explore his role in building Victoria. It examines his conflict with Bendigo councillors who could not abide his forthright stance or his refusal to acquiesce to their whims, a conflict that exploded into a vicious battle that Knight lost. Unshackled from council, he expended his huge intellectual and physical energy developing nurseries and vineyards. Yet, these battles with council are remembered, and Knight’s reputation has suffered because of them. This thesis examines misunderstandings surrounding class and reveals Knight to have been a member of the petty bourgeoisie—aspirational, yet understanding and empathetic towards working people. Knight was an erudite, respectable gentleman, an intellectual, a man of culture, committed to liberal values and the code of the gentleman, and a defender of the oppressed. Highlighted in this study are the high tides, low ebbs and pivotal turning points that beset Knight’s life. A noted writer and raconteur, he was an influential figure in Bendigo and the colony. Covering more than ninety years, Knight’s story encompasses London 1832–56, early colonial Victoria to 1923, and shines a light on one of the many oft-forgotten people who helped to build the colony. 1 Male Portrait of G.W. Knight. Source: Bendigo Historical Society, PH2011:2155, Box 127. ii Statement of Authorship iii Acknowledgements I wish to express my sincere and lasting thanks to all who helped me over the course of this project. I am indebted to my wonderful and committed supervisors, Dr Anne Beggs- Sunter and Dr Rani Kerin, for support and wise counsel. Anne and Rani were always available to answer questions and offer encouragement and critical appraisal of my work. Federation University’s Collaborative Research Centre in Australian History (CRCAH) provided interesting and intellectually stimulating programs to challenge doctoral students. For these I thank Professor Keir Reeves, Director of CRCAH, Rani Kerin, who delivered many of the programs, and my fellow researchers who provided both dynamic discussion and friendship. This thesis has relied heavily on digital resources. My sincere gratitude goes to the many unknown staff and volunteers in libraries and archives who have tirelessly digitised collections and made them freely available online. The British Newspaper Archive, New Zealand’s ‘Papers Past’ and, requiring special mention, ‘Trove’, the National Library of Australia’s site, supplied the many digital newspapers that underpin this thesis. The Public Records Office Victoria and its regional arm, the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre (BRAC), also provided extensive digitised items and ready access to original documents. Special thanks goes to Dr Michele Matthews at BRAC who offered not only access to resources for Bendigo, but also ongoing interest in this project. Thanks also to the volunteers at the Bendigo Historical Society. I wish to thank the following people assisted with gathering specific information: Darren Wright, Bendigo; Philip Bertling, Royal Botanical Gardens; Philip Mernick, Chairman, East London History Society; Nicolle Shekin, personal assistant to the secretary, Athenaeum Club; Mary van den Heuvel, Old Liquors Trading, The Netherlands; James Halliday AM and Suzanne McLoughlin (information on phylloxera); Phillip Sharpe (use of images); and Lynette Aitchison, Northern Territory Library. Carole Winter (nee Knight) generously shared photographs and her research of George Knight and his children. I am indebted to Carole for sparking my interest in Knight. Dr Neville Knight, Rosemary Brown (nee Knight) and her husband, Dr Bill Brown, provided support, encouragement and access to documents. Jenny Debney encouraged iv me to formalise my research into George Knight and I will always be grateful for her encouragement, critical appraisal and enduring friendship. Most importantly, I acknowledge my family. My husband, Nick Butler, has always provided invaluable encouragement, comfort and critical assessment. My son, Sean Butler, his wife, Katie Archibald, and my granddaughters, Beth and Nicola, provided necessary diversions and unquestioning certainty that Mum/Grandma would get the writing done. I thank them for their patience, encouragement and enduring support. Finally, Capstone Editing provided copyediting and proofreading services, according to the guidelines laid out in the university-endorsed national ‘Guidelines for Editing Research Theses’. v Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Statement of Authorship ................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ix Acronyms ......................................................................................................................... xii Archive Acronyms ........................................................................................................ xii Currency, Weights and Measures Conversions ......................................................... xiii Editorial Notes ................................................................................................................. xv Prelude: The Spanish Maiden ........................................................................................ 16 Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................. 23 Biography ...................................................................................................................... 25 Class and Liberalism ..................................................................................................... 32 Class ........................................................................................................................... 33 Liberalism .................................................................................................................. 42 Sources .......................................................................................................................... 52 Chapter Outline ............................................................................................................. 57 Chapter 2: The London Years ....................................................................................... 58 The Family .................................................................................................................... 58 To School ................................................................................................................... 63 Tower Hamlets .............................................................................................................. 66 Class in Tower Hamlets ............................................................................................. 70 A Hands-On Approach .............................................................................................. 74 Forming Views .......................................................................................................... 76 1853—A Turning Point ................................................................................................. 78 Swiftsure: To Australia .................................................................................................. 83 Chapter 3: The Railway Years, 1857–62 ...................................................................... 98 Railways for Victoria .................................................................................................. 102 To the Railways ........................................................................................................... 106 The Melbourne–Williamstown Line ....................................................................... 107 The Diggers Rest–Lancefield Road Section of the Sandhurst Line ........................ 113 Cornish and Bruce ....................................................................................................... 124 Railway Contracts Investigated ..................................................................................
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