Gepp's Cross School

Gepp’s Cross - The beginning Gepp’s Cross - The beginning Pubs and Publicans of early Gepps Cross, Grand Junction, and Dry Creek in the colony of South Australia Lance Merritt i Original text by Lance Merritt [1949- ] of Western Australia (2015). lancemerritt@hotmail.com Bibliography Includes endnotes ISBN ………… 1. Gepps Cross, Grand Junction, and Dry Creek – History – South Australia 2. Publicans – South Australia – History 3. Liquor –Law and legislation – South Australia 4. Australia – History 5. Genealogy – Adelaide northern suburbs – Merritt Family Cover page: ‘Country Water Cart’, engraving by William Henry Pyne (1769 – 1843) Image courtesy of Luton Culture Title page: Walker and Hall pint tankard, measure and mark (Queen Victoria - Sheffield); and quarter gill (noggin) spirit measure. version – 6 September 2016 ii Gepp’s Cross – The beginning – Pubs and Publicans of early Gepps Cross, Grand Junction, and Dry Creek in the colony of South Australia CONTENT Early development of Gepp’s Cross, Dry Creek and Grand Junction and adjacent areas in the Hundreds of Port Adelaide and Yatala in the County of Adelaide in the colony of South Australia. Early South Australian landholdings, roads, teamsters, railways, schools, licensed houses and 19th century inhabitants in the area, and the fortunes of some local identities and events that influenced them. Interesting commentary on South Australia’s early liquor trade and how discoveries of gold and copper affected colonists. Detailed reference to the inhabitants and publicans in the Gepp’s Cross, Dry Creek and Grand Junction areas. SOURCES Over 800 endnote references, and a table of birth, death and marriage registrations relating to people in the area before 1900, containing 2,400 registry office references. AUTHOR Lance Merritt worked in Western Australian courts administration, as senior clerk of courts, Magistrates’ Courts administrator and deputy sheriff. In addition to managing courts, he conducted legislation reform and implementation of laws specific to courts. His English, Irish and Prussian ancestors arrived in South Australia in eight unconnected migrations to between 1838 and 1855. His Merritt family colonists settled at Gepps Cross. Family members at various times owned and ran hotels at Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Gawler and Wallaroo. Other works are, MATTERS OF INFLUENCE- Life of Lance Merritt at Bunbury, Wyndham, Katanning and Perth, Western Australia, MERRITT-KITSCHKE FAMILY HISTORY – Biographies of Kenneth Albert Merritt and his wife Plenda Annie Kitschke and their ancestors, and with Kevin Coate FINCH TRAPPING IN THE KIMBERLEY – A History of Commercial Finch Trapping in the Kimberley Division of Western Australia. ISBN 978-0-85905-621-2 iii Parts South Australian land ............................................................................................................................. 1 Burra mine copper cartage before railways ......................................................................................... 8 Effects of gold discoveries on South Australians .............................................................................. 17 Gepp’s Cross and surrounds ................................................................................................................ 24 Education ................................................................................................................................................ 43 Liquor trading in early South Australia ............................................................................................. 51 Rural inns North of Adelaide............................................................................................................... 59 MERRITT family .................................................................................................................................. 114 MERRITT family trees......................................................................................................................... 143 FIGG family trees ................................................................................................................................. 148 ELDRIDGE family trees ...................................................................................................................... 150 Applications for assisted passage to South Australia ..................................................................... 151 MARRETT family of Dry Creek ........................................................................................................ 154 COLONISTS and families around Gepps Cross ............................................................................. 157 Endnotes ............................................................................................................................................... 206 Index to text ........................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Table of contents Money Values ─ Historic Exchange Rates .................................................................................. vii Preface ............................................................................................................................................... viii Note on sources and terms ................................................................................................................ ix Map - Gepp’s Cross and Grand Junction late 1850s ....................................................................... x Road names ...................................................................................................................................... x South Australian land ............................................................................................................................. 1 Rights of ownership ............................................................................................................................ 1 European settlement ........................................................................................................................... 2 Tenure of divided lands ..................................................................................................................... 3 Fences .................................................................................................................................................... 5 Burra mine copper cartage before railways ......................................................................................... 8 Effects of gold discoveries on South Australians .............................................................................. 17 Gepp’s Cross and surrounds ................................................................................................................ 24 Early land sales .................................................................................................................................. 24 Gepp’s Cross locality ........................................................................................................................ 27 Grand Junction locality ..................................................................................................................... 33 Dry Creek locality ............................................................................................................................. 38 iv Roads................................................................................................................................................... 40 Education ................................................................................................................................................ 43 Grand Junction School ...................................................................................................................... 45 Gepp’s Cross School ......................................................................................................................... 45 Adelaide and Gawler Town railway .............................................................................................. 46 Liquor trading in early South Australia ............................................................................................. 51 Rural inns North of Adelaide .............................................................................................................. 59 Roadside inns ..................................................................................................................................... 59 Harp [1843-1844] ............................................................................................................................. 61 Dry Creek / Bird In Hand [1843-1878] ....................................................................................... 62 Shepherd’s [1844-1847] ................................................................................................................... 71 Gepp’s Cross [1846 - onward ] ...................................................................................................... 73 Blacksmith’s Arms [ The inn with one customer ] ...................................................................... 77 Hand and Heart [1848-1870] .......................................................................................................... 78 Cross Keys [1849–onward]............................................................................................................. 84 Grand

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