Chard Lothian Connection: Mitchell Grain Growers

The Mitchell Clan of Haddingtonshire. THE KIRKLISTON GRAIN GROWERS James Mitchell (1835–1915) Identified in this manuscript by Scottish tradition as James “Rogers” Mitchell, he was the first of the Mitchell settlers and the first of his clan to be associated with Bryan O'Lynn. He was James and Ellen Chard's cousin. The first of this clan of Mitchells to emigrate to Australia were seventeen year old James “Rogers” Mitchell and his 26 year old cousin John Stuart McLaren (1826 - 1916) [1]. They arrived in Melbourne during the spring of 1852 amongst the frenzy of the Victorian Gold Rush. Keen to be part of the promised prosperity, the lads headed to Forest Creek (near Castlemaine) to try their luck but found the prospecting competition fierce and the rewards hard to come by. After a little more than a year the cousins sold their claim and went their separate ways; John, yearning for the sea, set sail for New Zealand, whilst James, a landlubber, set about locating his second cousin - David Wilson at Purnim. Born on Lochend farm in the outer Edinburgh district of Kirkliston, James Mitchell was the third child of cropper and Edinburgh grain merchant William Hall Mitchell (1799 - 1859) and Betty Rogers (1805 - 1839), an Edinburgh grocer's daughter. James' arrival at Bryan O'Lynn virtually coincided with James Chards appointment - the pair striking an instant friendship. John Mitchell (1837–1917) Identified in this manuscript by Scottish tradition as John “Rogers” Mitchell. The youngster of the family, John became associated with Bryan O'Lynn upon his arrival. He was James and Ellen Chard's cousin. John Mitchell, two years James' junior, arrived [2] at Purnim (Bryan O'Lynn) with his aunt Eleanor and the Dowie clan in August 1855. Helen Robertson Mitchell (1833–1874) James' and John's eldest sibling. Helen Robertson married her second cousin - wine merchant John Burn Mitchell (1819–1892) in Leith, Edinburgh in 1860 and by October of the following year the couple had emigrated [3] to Australia. Whilst the majority of the couple's other emigrant siblings had established roots at Purnim (Bryan O'Lynn) in Victoria's western district, Helen and John sought out John's elder brother, James William “Lindsay” Mitchell (1817–1889) who had, not long after his arrival in the colony seven years earlier, [4] taken up land at Mangalore. Their stay with James was brief however as both gold and land prospects beckoned north of the Murray river. By 1864, now with baby William Lindsay (1864–1936) in tow, the couple finally settled on grazing land at Walbundrie, New South Wales. Here Helen and John raised three boys, the brothers to William being James John (1866–1948) and Hugh Lindsay (1870–1955). Helen died in 1874 and is buried in the Walbundrie Piney Range Cemetery [12]. Sadly, there appears to be no evidence to suggest that she ever reunited with her Bryan O'Lynn brothers, James and John.

The Kirkliston Mitchell's of Lochend farm.

Peter Mitchell (1770 - 1834) is Ellen Chard's grand uncle. All of Peter's children either cropped land or became wine merchants in Scotland, but three of his grandchildren (depicted in red) migrated to Australia.

The James Mitchell Odyssey - Purnim (Bryan O'Lynn) to Ballapur (Reedy Dam).

James “Rogers” Mitchell was the first of his clan to arrive at David Wilson's Purnim (Bryan O'Lynn) in 1855. His wife-to-be Mary Brown Patison arrived a year later with the Dowie clan. Married just a few months after the Purnim estate changed hands in 1867, they were the last to leave the station. On James and Ellen Chard's 1857 marriage certificate, witness / groomsman James Mitchell is identified as a carter from Purnim whilst his fellow witness Mary Brown Patison is resident of Bryan O'Lynn. Following her mother's death in 1859, fifteen year old Mary took responsibility for Bryan O'Lynn's housekeeping and remained in this post until her Uncle David's death. In his will he bequeathed one third of the Bryan O'Lynn estate to his niece Mary (subject to an annuity of 2.5% per year to be apportioned to his sister Margaret Wilson - Mary's aunt and Ellen Chard's mother - for the term of her life). Mary Brown Patison and her certificate of marriage to James Mitchell. The ceremony was conducted at the Woodford residence of her step-brother John Mitchell Patison. Note this marriage certificate has been digitally modified for the purpose of publication.

The couple remained on Mitchell land in Purnim for a further eight years raising four children, David Wilson (1868 - 1942), Elizabeth Rogers (1869 - 1935), William Hall (1871 - 1948) and Helen Wilson (1874 - 1946). When their Auntie Margaret Dowie died in 1873, the couple's Purnim family ties were lost and with the Colonial Government offering very attractive land deals in the Wimmera wheat growing district, 1875 saw the Mitchells move to the Warracknabeal district taking up land at Ballapur (also known locally as Reedy Dam). Here the couple reared four more girls, Mary Annie (1876 - 1947), Margaret (1879 - ), Agnes Robertson (1881 - 1930), Amelia (1882 - 1947), Jamesena (1885 - 1942). A baby boy, George (1875 - 1875), born not long after their arrival in the district, sadly died before his first birthday. James and Mary cropped wheat at Reedy Dam with their sons until the couple retired to Werrigar (outside Warracknabeal) in 1898. Sadly retirement was brief as Mary died suddenly in 1901. James returned to Reedy Dam living with his sons until his ailing health saw him return to infirment and death in Warracknabeal. Just as descendants of James and Ellen Chard are still dairying in close proximity to their Purnim (Bryan O'Lynn) roots, descendants of James and Mary Mitchell are harvesting wheat at Reedy Dam to this day.

James Mitchell - Portrait, family gravesite and obituary. The family tombstone (centre) marks the site of the first burial in the Warracknabeal cemetery, that of their infant son George (1875 - 1875). James Mitchell's obituary under the name “David” was published in The Warracknabeal Herald on the 24th December 1915. Apart from this occasion James' activities were always recorded under his actual name. It is possible that the name “David” may well have become a permanent affectation following David Wilson’s death. The photographs of Mary and James Mitchell are published with the grateful appreciation of Merbein Thompson (Ancestry.com).

The John Mitchell Odyssey - Purnim to Natimuk (Polkemmett).

John “Rogers” Mitchell was more of a scholar than his elder brother, a fact noted on HMS Tay's manifest to his occupation as a clerk. Whilst his Dowie cousins settled into cramped living quarters at Purnim, John and his aunt Eleanor took up a freehold on lodgings in Kelp Street Warrnambool [5]; a purchase likely to have been made by Woodford township's new draper, cousin John Mitchell Patison. John's early days in the colony were spent labouring and commuting between Warrnambool and Purnim and whilst his aunt Eleanora took charge of housekeeping duties at Bryan O'Lynn he and his older brother James provided the carting services for uncle David Wilson's extensive station rebuild. One of his uncle's Purnim neighbours was a fellow Scotsman Peter Scott (1817 - 1896) who had arrived in the colony with his wife Isabella (nee Gibb; 1815 - 1888) and six children aboard HMS Calphurnia [6] in 1852. In May 1861, 24 year old John married the Scott's eldest daughter, 17 year old Elizabeth, the ceremony taking place in Woodford. The following decade saw John and Elizabeth raise four Purnim born children, Peter Henry (1865 - 1948), Isabella Gibb (1867 - 1872), Elizabeth Rogers (1869 - 1949), and William Henry (1871 - 1915). In the early 1870's John and Elizabeth, along with the entire Scott family, abandoned Purnim and headed north to the Wimmera wheat growing district around Horsham where, along with a few German Lutheran emigrants from South Australia, became the district's earliest settlers. Peter and Isabella Scott established Waterside Farm on what is now known as Polkemmett Road, Duchembegarra (in the Vectis district outside the Natimuk township), Isabella living there until she was 73. Her husband survived her by eight years, dying in 1896. The Mitchell family established their base on neighbouring Polkemmett land and remained there harvesting wheat until Elizabeth died in 1906. James survived his wife by 10 years spending the remainder of his life with his children orchard farming at Quantong. John and Elizabeth's descendants cropped wheat and grazed sheep in the Natimuk / Vectis area until the middle of the twentieth century.

Obituary of John “Rogers” Mitchell from the local newspaper of the day.

The Mitchell Clan of Haddingtonshire. THE WINE MERCHANTS OF WHITEKIRK (“Stonelaws”) James Mitchell (1817–1899) Identified in this manuscript by Scottish tradition as James “Lindsay” Mitchell, he was also referred to as James William Mitchell on occasions. He was the first in his family of Mitchell's to be associated with Bryan O'Lynn and was James and Ellen Chard's bachelor cousin. James Mitchell was the eldest son of William (1785–1857) and Lilias (nee Lindsay, 1788–1826) of Stonelaws Farm Whitekirk in the district of Haddingtonshire, East Lothian. A first cousin to David Wilson, this 36 year old farmer cum Edinburgh wine merchant arrived [4] in the Warrnambool area towards the end of 1853. He was the first of the Edinburgh Mitchell clan to take possession of the 150 acres of Purnim land purchased on behalf of the Mitchell family by David Wilson upon his arrival in the area in 1851. At the same time as David Wilson was building lodgings on Spring Valley's Drysdale Creek, James set about establishing a humble abode on the Warrnambool to Mortlake thoroughfare, a lodging soon to be shared with his younger Kirkliston cousin James “Rogers” Mitchell. By the beginning of 1855 these living quarters became stretched when his younger brother William arrived [7], together with cousin, George Spankie Mitchell Burden Snr. - a fellow Edinburgh wine merchant. James' time in the Purnim district was brief but his association with Bryan O'Lynn was most productive particularly after David Wilson's business partner (and another Edinburgh victualler) Adam Dowie arrived. Together they established the foundation of the station's orchardry (later to be known as “Hoplands”). In 1859, the Stonelaws brothers liquidated their land stake in Purnim to pursue an opportunity to grow wheat in the Kilmore / Mangalore district on land that their Woodford (Farnham) neighbour William Rutledge [8,9] had claimed a decade earlier. With the Mangalore estate now established the arrival of recently married brother John and his wife Helen in 1861 presented new challenges for the Stonelaws siblings, especially since the new immigrants were keen to “try their luck” at the newly gazetted Wahgunyah diggings. The next decade saw the brothers establish the Walbundrie estate with James (and William) sharing their time between southern New South Wales and Mangalore. In 1874, following John's sudden loss of his wife Helen, James relocated permanently to New South Wales, initially at Walbundrie and subsequently to Adelong. James remained in the Tumut valley until 1892, then, following his brother John's death, the 75 year old returned to Mangalore to live out his life with his only surviving (younger) siblings. This was not to be as he outlived them both and after winding up the Mangalore property affairs relocated back to Tumut where he died in 1899. Not only was James William “Lindsay” Mitchell the first of his family to arrive in the colony but he was the last of his family to depart. William Mitchell (1822–1895) William became associated with Bryan O'Lynn when he took up Purnim land with his brother James. He was James and Ellen Chard's cousin. William, the youngest son of Stonelaws farmers William and Lilias, was 32 when he arrived at Bryan O'Lynn in the early months of 1855 to join his brother. By May of the same year he was joined [10] by his wife-to-be (and cousin) Mary Rennie. A builder / engineer by trade, he quickly set about finishing the living quarters on their family's Purnim land and was pivotal in the establishment and construction of Bryan O'Lynn's main homestead. William and Mary married in Woodford in 1858 and decided to make a fresh start. As outlined previously (see James “Lindsay” Mitchell) the couple, together with brother James, liquidated their stake in Purnim to establish new roots at Mangalore. Building construction was now second nature for the Stonelaws brothers, for having just completed their Mangalore residence, brother John Burn Mitchell arrived with his wife Helen in the spring of 1861. The timing of their arrival coincided with the discovery of gold at Wahgunyah. So, leaving wife Mary in charge at Mangalore, William and his siblings head north to the Murray river. It is not known whether their prospecting was profitable but the brothers did establish a Mitchell residence for John and Helen at Walbundrie, just north of Corowa. William returned to the Mangalore farm periodically but was primarily occupied in mining construction projects in the Tumut valley regions north of the Murray. In the winter of 1895 at the Mangalore residence, William died - with brother James at his side - his wife Mary predeceasing him barely one year earlier. William died intestate, his estate being valued at £1909-5s-10d. He and Mary are buried in the Seymour Cemetery [11]. The Melbourne Argus Newspaper published the death notices of Mangalore residents Mary and William Mitchell. John Burn Mitchell (1819–1892) James and William's brother. He was James and Ellen Chard's cousin, but they never met. As outlined previously (see Helen Robertson Mitchell) John and wife Helen were primarily wheat farmers at Walbundrie, just north of Corowa. John and brothers James and William also spent time pursuing gold in the Tumut valley. When his wife Helen died in 1874 John, now with the responsibility of raising and educating three motherless boys (all under the age of 10 years), farming in a remote location was impossible, so, he and James liquidated Walbundrie and relocated to the Tumut valley. Here they acquired 320 acres on the Tumut to Tumbarumba road called Fernlea. Whilst the boys completed their education in the nearby Adelong township, John and James pursued a more profitable lifestyle extracting gold at the nearby Sandy Gully mining battery. John (and probably brother James) mined until 1882 when eldest son William took over the mine. John spent the last decade of his life on the Fernlea farm. The Whitekirk Mitchell's of Stonelaws farm. William Mitchell (1785 - 1857) is Ellen Chard's grand uncle. Three of William's sons (depicted in red) migrated to Australia. The Mitchell Clan of Haddingtonshire. EDINBURGH MERCHANTS and HIGHLAND ARISTOCRACY (“Auchingarrich and Easter Feddal”) George Spankie Mitchell Snr. (1814–1870) Identified in this manuscript as George or George Spankie, he did assume the name of George Spankie Mitchell Burden during his married life. He was the first in his family of Mitchell's to be associated with Bryan O'Lynn and was James and Ellen Chard's cousin. George Spankie Mitchell was the second son of Robert (1782–1854) and Janet (nee Spankie, 1786–1822), wine merchants of South Leith, Edinburgh. He and cousin William, arrived [7] on David Wilson's Bryan O'Lynn doorstep in the early months of 1855. Recently divorced, George was the father of five children, all of whom he abandoned to the custody of other family members when he immigrated. Life for the 40 year old, with his cousins at Purnim, was a great deal less stressful than his 13 years of marriage. The “burden” of marriage as an Edinburgh brewer becomes Lord of the Auchingarrich and Easter Feddal Estates. George was an 8 year old schoolboy when his mother Janet Spankie died. His father Robert, having married into the Spankie family brewing business was manager and had little time for George's care or that of his younger siblings. That responsibility fell to his aunt Mary, Janet's 26 year old sister. A lifelong career in brewing looked certain when in 1842, at the age of 27, he met and married 18 year old Anne McDonald Cleghorn Burden (1823–1900); the “Burden” suffix [13] referring to the aristocratic lineage of Anne Cleghorn's mother, Ann Graham Burden (1800–1840) [14]. George's bride was a titled lady having inherited the trappings of the family's Burden Estates after her mother's death. Husband George was now the Estate's laird [15] and thus acquired the “Burden” title. For the duration of his marriage he was Laird of Auchingarrich and Easter Feddal. Feddal House, Braco, Perthshire. The Burden family marker within the property grounds.

“Burden” was indeed an apt title for George given the impost of a Supreme Court challenge to his and his wife’s claim to its legitimacy. By 1850 the couple had raised five children but had an unhappy marriage - the legal battles having taken their toll. By the census of the following year Anne had abandoned the family and Feddal house. The individual location of each family member is a mystery during the next three years but it is known that George immigrated to Australia in 1854 with “Stonelaws” cousin William - the children having been relocated to Edinburgh to reside with Mitchell family. Anne's movements can't be charted with any certainty, but it is likely she may have remained a local Muthill / Crieff resident controlling the Burden Estate with the help of a land manager. It would appear that George might have been deliberately travelling incognito as the ship’s manifest shows his occupation as a “farmer”. Why would a Scottish Lord of twelve years wish to pass himself off as a farmer? Further proof of his clandestine behaviour is seen in a newspaper advertisement [16] (pictured below) identifying the correspondent only by the reference to “Stonelaws” – his cousin William's family farm and a signature “G.S.M”. George's pursuit of anonymity may well be explained as an attempt to distance himself from his homeland’s judicial system, especially since he had filed papers for divorce - a decree that was publicly pronounced [17] just after his arrival in Australia.

As soon as George's divorce was legalised G.S.M Burden Snr. of Perthshire, Scotland became George Mitchell, farmer of Purnim. His cousins greeted his arrival warmly and welcomed his active input into the community's development. George lived 14 productive years in Purnim, expanding the original Mitchell plot into a valuable grazing property adjacent to Bryan O'Lynn. Sadly, aged 56, George was a tragic victim in the severe winter floods of 1870. As his gravestone relates, death could not relieve George of his “Burden”.

George Spankie Mitchell Burden Snr. Left: Warrnambool Cemetery Tombstone (in a plot adjacent to cousins David Wilson, Eleanora Mitchell Patison and the Dowies - Adam and Margaret. Note the inscription (no doubt on his son's instruction to the stonemason) includes the name suffix “Burden”. Right: Notification - published in the Australasian Newspaper in June 1880 - of the sale of the original Mitchell property in Purnim. The seller is George Spankie Mitchell Burden Jnr.

George Spankie Mitchell Burden Jnr. (1845–1902) George Junior was George and Anne's third child, their first to be born at their family Feddal estate in the Scottish highlands of Muthill, Perthshire. From the outset George had little contact with his parents, particularly his mother, with his care and that of his siblings undertaken by his aunt Janet (aka Jane, Anne's sister). His parent's continual absence was due to the fact that much of their time was spent in the courts of London settling an ongoing dispute with James Dewar - Feddal's previous occupier and young George's step-grandfather. Battle had raged over land entitlement and debt responsibility to their Braco house and the Easter Feddal Estate tenants since the Mitchells were deemed the legitimate heirs of the Burden entail in 1845. Final resolution, in favour of the Mitchell family was granted by the High Court of London (House of Lords) on the 25 March 1850. The next decade brought about the family's complete fracture. In September 1851 his mother fled [18] to the United States of America. Three years later his father departed [7] for Melbourne. George's parents officially divorced when he was ten years old leaving him and his siblings to find their own way in the world. George Burden became an apprentice to his “foster father” John Dewar, a Perth draper whilst sister Ann Jessie (1842–1915) Mitchell (without the Burden “burden”) was taken in by her Edinburgh Mitchell grandparents. Brother Robert (1843–?) Burden enlisted in the military at an early age eventually finding his way to the United States of America. Nothing is known of George's younger sister Alicia (b 1847), whilst his younger brother Alexander Cleghorn (1849–1926) Burden resided with his aunt Janet until he too was of an age to travel abroad. The 1857-58 Cess, Stent and Valuation Roll for the parish of Muthill in Perthshire's Crieff district records that George's mother had engaged Edinburgh solicitor James Bayne as Feddal estate manager whilst splitting her residency between Auchingarrich (Braco) and Comrie. George, not wanting to be encumbered by the Feddal entail, decided to flee Scotland [19] and join his father in Australia. Like his father, George had no farming acumen so it was fortunate for the 16 year old to find employment with his second cousin John Mitchell Patison, Woodford's draper. Now surrounded by Mitchell family he spent much of his leisure hours with the Dowie family at Bryan O'Lynn's general store and with the Kavanagh neighbours at the Purnim Bush Inn. David Wilson's death and the subsequent sale of the Bryan O'Lynn estate in 1867 created a domino effect for all the Mitchell cousins. The Spankie Mitchells, who had been living with James “Rogers” Mitchell on the Purnim farm, were somewhat compromised when James married Mary Patison. A quick solution was found when the Owen family cousins, teachers at the Wangoom School, moved from their Woodford residence Wangoom Villa to Melbourne creating the perfect opportunity for George and his father to move closer to, and be more involved in, the Woodford and Warrnambool communities. For a carefree 25 year old, 1870 brought about a significant life change losing both his parents. Little did he realise that he was his mother's chosen heir and that he was now responsible for the family's Burden estate and the Feddal entail. Like his father before him he was now Lord Burden of Auchingarrich and Easter Feddal.

The 1878-79 Cess, Stent and Valuation Roll for the parish of Muthill in Perthshire's Crieff district. This is the last recording of George Spankie Mitchell Burden's involvement as the proprietor of the Feddal Estate. His name first appeared on the roll for the 1871-72 edition, his hand-written name superimposing that of his mother's who had recently died.

In 1872 George married 24 yo Mary Jane Kavanagh and the couple set off aboard HMS Yorkshire on their honeymoon to the Scottish highlands, a trip which also included an evaluation of his Feddal assets. It is not known how long George and Mary remained in Scotland but in March 1877 the Warrnambool Advertiser reports that George and Neil Black are on a committee of the Western Caledonian Society organizing the 12th Highland gathering at Warrnambool. In May of the same year the Camperdown Chronicle newspaper reports that the Spankie Mitchells are selling their Wangoom Villa possessions in preparation for a visit to Europe - a trip that saw the sale of their Scottish estate. The couple returned to the western district in the summer of 1878/79 and in July The Warrnambool Standard reports that the Spankie Mitchells purchased a townhouse previously owned by the mayor. Now an affluent gentleman George became an active property speculator, investing in the homestead and adjoining allotments (207 acres of 4866) in the much vaunted Yallock Marsh Estate, land adjoining James and Ellen Chard's Devondale, and a Melbourne city apartment complex at 42 Robe Street St Kilda which he named “Mooreville”.

Muthill, Perthshire, Scotland and Garvoc, Victoria, Australia. Left: On his honeymoon trip in 1872 George visits Muthill (Braco). It's not clear whether the newlyweds did spend time residing at Feddal House (as promised in this newspaper article) but it is known that the couple were back residing in Warrnambool by 1877. Right: Notice of public auction of the Yallock Marsh Estate (Garvoc) in 1883.

Left: Description of George's Yallock Marsh Estate in 1883. Managerial control of this property was handed to the neighbouring Blain family and when, in 1886, George decided to liquidate his livestock assets and move to Melbourne permanently, the Blains were offered (and accepted) the estate tenancy with the Spankie Mitchells holding the mortgage. Right: Death and probate notices at the time of George's death.

The Spankie Mitchells had no children and when George died his 54 year old widow was financially blessed. Mary had become a seasoned sailor during her married years and now she yearned to visit her ancestral homeland, Ireland. Selling up her St Kilda home, she booked passage [20] on RMS India bound for London and onto Ballylynan, the birthplace of her parents. Based in Dublin she met Irish song composer Thomas Whitwell O’Brien Butler (1861-1915) [21]. Although thirteen years her junior Mary was smitten and the couple married in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 7th December 1904 [22]. The union was fated from the start when O’Brien Butler, consumed by his music, moved to the United States. Mary returned to Melbourne where she shared much of he remaining years with her widowed sister Annie. She lies at rest in St Kilda cemetery with husband George.

The Edinburgh Mitchell's of South Leith. Wine merchant Robert Mitchell (1782 - 1854) is Ellen Chard's grand uncle. One of Robert's sons and two of his grandsons (depicted in red) migrated to Australia.

References John Stuart McLaren was the only son of John McLaren (1786-1861) and Charlotte Mitchell (b 1796). After spending a brief time prospecting in Victoria, John McLaren migrated to Wanganui, New Zealand where he became a steamship captain and harbourmaster. Wellington Press; Volume LII, Issue 15689, 7 September 1916, Page 4. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, Victoria, 1839–1923. HMS Tay departed Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland on 11th April 1855 with 19 adults and 1 child on board. It docked at Melbourne Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 31st July 1855. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, Victoria, 1839–1923. HMS Great Tasmania departed Liverpool, England on 11th July 1861 and docked at Melbourne Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 16th October 1861. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, Victoria, 1839–1923. HMS Abdalla departed Glasgow, Scotland on 7th April 1853 and docked at Melbourne Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 17th July 1853. James William Mitchell was listed as a wine merchant on the ship's manifest. Villiers and Heytesbury Electoral Roll. Division of Villiers, 1856 ; Index 552 through 1172. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, Victoria, 1839–1923. HMS Calphurnia departed Plymouth, Devon, England on 30th December 1851. It docked at Hobsons Bay Victoria, Australia on 29th March 1852. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, Victoria, 1839–1923. HMS Earl of Eglinton departed Greenock, Scotland on 24th September 1854 and docked at Melbourne Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 4th December 1854. William Mitchell was listed as a carpenter and George Mitchell a farmer on the ship's manifest. Victorian Places - Kilmore. William Rutledge, in 1841, obtained a special survey area of 8 square miles which he named Kilmore. This special survey was a speculative venture with subdivided lots being offered for sale in 1843. Rutledge became known as the town's founder and gave land for a Roman Catholic Church. Victorian Places - Mangalore. Farm selections began in the Mangalore district in the 1860's. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, Victoria, 1839–1923. HMS Sea King departed Southampton, England on 20 February 1855 and docked at Geelong, Victoria, Australia on 15 May 1855. The ship's manifest states that her intended destination on leaving the ship was “gone to uncle, Warrnambool”. Public Offices of Victoria. Probate and administration files for William Mitchell. No: 58/212. Australian Cemeteries Index. Memorial of Known Unmarked Graves. The Solicitors Regulation Authority of the United Kingdom explains that in 16th century England, owners of vast land estates, who subdivided plots to tenant farmers, were subject to a title condition. The Scottish equivalent was called a “burden” which behoved the owner of said land (i.e. the owner of the “burdened property”) either to do something or to avoid doing something. The Entail of Burden. Ann Graham Burden's grandparents were Robert Graham (1740–1823) of Land Graham in Port of Monteith, Perthshire, Scotland and Agnes Campbell Burden (1742–1812), of Auchingarrich and Easter Feddal, inheritor of the Burden entail passed from her mother Anna. Upon marriage Robert Graham was entitled to add the suffix “burden” in his name and become laird of the family estate. Agnes and Robert's first son was christened Robert Graham Burden (1760–1834) and he inherited the entail which he subsequently passed to his only daughter Ann. History of the Burdens, Lords of the Barony of Feddal for 400 years. The Scots Peerage; Founded on Wood’s Edition of Sir Robert Douglas’s Peerage of Scotland; Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of That Kingdom; Volume 2 by Sir James Balfour Paul. The Lord Lyon - Scotland's authority on titles - states that “the term ‘laird’ is generally been applied to the owner of an estate; sometimes by the owner himself or, more commonly, by those living and working on the estate”. In the Scottish order of precedence a laird ranks below a baron and above a gentleman. James Mitchell from Stonelaws. The Argus; January 9, 1855. The Divorce of George Spankie Mitchell Burden, Australia and Anne Cleghorn Burden or Mitchell Burden: 1855. Unextracted processes, 1st arrangement, Adams-Dalrymple office 1664-1868. National Archives of Scotland. Reference No. CS228/B/20/37. Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1820-1902. HMS Crescent City departed Liverpool, Lancashire, England in September 1851. It docked at New Orleans, Louisiana on 10th November 1851. Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, Victoria, 1839–1923. HMS True Briton departed London, England on 21st September 1861. It docked in Melbourne Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 21st December 1861. Shipping News: Departures from Melbourne. RMS India departs for London on 24 February 1903. The Australasian; Saturday 28 February 1903. Dictionary of Irish Biography. Thomas Whitwell O’Brien Butler. Family Notices: Marriages. O’Brien-Butler marries Mitchell-Burden on 7 December 1904. The Augus; Saturday 31 December 1904. This was also published in The Belfast Newsletter on 12 December 1904.