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William Hunt

Male 1811 - 1883  (~ 72 years)


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  • Name William Hunt  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Birth ABT. 1811  Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [4, 5
    Gender Male 
    Baptism BET. 29 Sep 1810 - 1811  Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Residence 29 Oct 1849  Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [7
    Census 1851  Worth Matravers, Dorset, England - William Hunt - aged 40, born Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Emigration 8 Aug 1857  "City of Bristol" with wife and children Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Age at Death (Facts Pg) 71 yrs old Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Occupation Labourer, (29.10.1849); Yeoman, (04.06.1861); Farmer, (11.04.1866, 8.1.1876); Find all individuals with events at this location  [8, 9
    Burial Jul 1883  "Old Walkaway" Cemetery, Greenough, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Death 16 Jul 1883  Greenough, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location  [10
    Notes 
    • William Hunt was one of eight children born to Robert and Margaret Shepherd. He was christened at Worth Matravers Dorsetshire, England on the 29th September, 1811.

      He met Eliza Stickland (bapt on the 23rd July, 1820 Kimmeridge in Dorsetshire England dtr. of Henry Stickland bp: 22nd April, 1792 in Steeple Dorset and Mary (nee Crumpler) bp 14th February, 1796 Turners Puddle Dorset). Henry married Eliza on the 5th April, 1838 in the Parish Church of Steeple Dorsetshire in England.

      On the marriage certificate there is a Robert Hunt stated as being the father of William Hunt and his occupation being a labourer. William Hunts occupation is also stated as being a labourer.

      William Hunt arrived at the Swan River Colony in Western Australian on the "City of Bristol" 8th August, 1857 with his wife Eliza Stickland and 7 of there 9 surviving children. The two eldest had died as infants and were buried in Worth Matravers, Dorset, England.

      All the children of William and Eliza were born in Worth Matravers Dorsetshire in England except for daughter Eliza who was born at sea on there way to the Swan River Colony in 1857 . There youngest child Robert Henry Hunt was born in Western Australia.

      William Hunt was a labourer, and the first yeoman to purchase land at Greenough flats. Champion Bay district in 1861 - 26 acres & 100 acres in 1866 - Greenough. William Hunt by 1862 had several tillage leases and pastoral leases around Greenough. William's son in law George Booth had joined him in his leases. They were not producing much wheat, but in 1864 and 1866 the crops flourished as they were continually at Malley's Mill. Constant reference is made to "Hunt's Team" bringing or taking produce from the Mill.

      Mark Fripp also an exconvict was a Teamster and had married William Hunt's first daughter. This all suggests that William Hunt was the Squire, with George Booth a Farmer and Mark Fripp the Teamster.

      There was no fertilisers available. Every drop from the animals would have been prudently used, but because they had to continually crop their 100 acre tillage leases each year, the rich soil was only tilled a few inches the first year, then deeper the next and so on over the years until the fertility was depleted.

      One of the problems experienced by the farmers because of the size of the block was that after continual cropping, which they would have hd to do to exist, the corp yields would drop off to non economical proportions. To this day, even twith modern fertiliser, the land is experiencing similar characteristics. The heavy soil of the land also is difficult to farm with modern equipment becuae when it becomes wet the rotating wheels of motor vehicles collects the clay and layer after layer of clay build up on the tyres until they can no longer rotate properly.

      On the 28th September 1866, William Hunt and George Booth applied for a tillage lease on Lot 211 of 100 acres at Yardarino. It was forfeited by non payment of monies owed on 25th May 1868. William and son in law George farmed an area of about 500 acres in this area south of Yardarino Reserve, a rich fertile area called by the Aborigines "Moola-Moolatha". The area was a mixture of open flats and York Gum Forest. William Hunt was the first Yeoman to tak up land in this area and it was named after him. To this day it still bears his name, Hunts Flat, Hunts Farm Road.

      A large pile of lime stone marks the site of William Hunt's farm house and it would have been a regular stopping place for people travelling along the road to Perth. The well on the north side of Hunt's house was fed by a spring of crystal clear beautiful water and would have been a welcome resting place for many a thirsty traveller.

      A huge river gum tree grows beside the site of William Hunt's house, being solitary and far distant from others suggests that it was planted there to shelter the house from the hot summer afternoon sun.

      The sits of Hunt's farm house in on a very slight rise which afforded him views across his cleared land to the south and on to George Booth's adjacent farm. To the west of their farms about 1.5kms distance are some low hills laced with limestone ridges, from these ridges they carted the stone to build their houses.
      The first telegraph line to Perth crossed east to west just south of Hunts house.
      George took up his final tillage lease No. 5010 (later changed to No. 1246) of 120 acres, this was just south of lease No. 4412 and had a common boundary with leases of his father in law. The whole area was on what was then the main road to Perth, a road whose direction was basically controlled by available water sources as water was so essential for the weary traveller be it on foot or by horse or cart. The road to Perth ran south through Hunt's Flat then south west to Arrowsmith, south through the Lakes of Eneabba and onto the established farms at Walebing.

      William Hunt (a farmer) died on the 16th July 1883 at the age of 72 of natural causes and was buried at Greenough Cemetery Western Australia.

      Eliza Hunt possibly went to live with one of her children until she was possibly put into a home where she died on the 10th February, 1904 of Senile Decay in Tower St Leederville Perth Western Australia aged 84. She was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery Perth on the 11th February, 1904 in the Salvation Army Section AA Plot 47.

      Hunt William: b abt 1813 d 16.0.7.1883 (Greenough) Arr: City of Bristol 8.8.1857 with wife Eliza (nee Sticklan) b1820 & 6 children, Elizabeth b1844; Ellen b1846; Leah b1850; Margaret b1852; Mary b 1855; Eliza b1857(at Sea); Robert Henry b1861-1941. Labourer First Yeoman to purchase land at Greenough flats, champion Bay Dist 1861 - 26 acres and 100 acres 1866 Greenough 1868 had 4 x 100 acre blocks.

      Source: Dictionary of Western Australians 1829-1914 Vol 5 (The Golden Years 1889-1914)
      Compiled by Rica Ericson
    Person ID I1485  Walsh - Wilson Family Tree
    Last Modified 17 May 2008 

    Family Eliza Kezia Stickland,   b. ABT. 1820, Kimmeridge, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 10 Feb 1904, 10 or 104 Tower Street, Leederville, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 84 years) 
    Marriage 5 Apr 1838  Parish Church of Steeple, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [11
    Children 
     1. Martha Maria Hunt,   b. 17 Jul 1839, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 19 Jul 1843, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 4 years)
     2. George Giles Hunt,   b. 6 Sep 1841, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1842, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
    +3. Elizabeth Mary Ann Hunt,   b. 20 Aug 1843, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Mar 1928, Leederville, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 84 years)
    +4. Ellen Amelia Hunt,   b. 7 Feb 1846, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1 Jun 1899, Strawberry, Western australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 53 years)
     5. Daniel William Hunt,   b. 1848, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1848, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
    +6. Lear (Leah) Hunt,   b. 29 Oct 1849, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Sep 1909, Midland Junction, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 59 years)
    +7. Margaret (Ann) Shepheard Hunt,   b. BET. 16 - 21 Oct 1851, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 18 May 1926, Guildford, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 74 years)
    +8. Mary Stickland Hunt,   b. 14 Apr 1854, Worth Matravers, Dorset, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 22 Mar 1887, Cossack, Roebourne, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 32 years)
    +9. Eliza Hunt,   b. 4 Jun 1857, "At Sea" ship per, "City of Bristol" Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 13 Jun 1940, Perth, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 83 years)
    +10. Robert Henry Hunt,   b. 22 Mar 1861, Greenough, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 9 Sep 1941, Midland, Western Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 80 years)
    Family ID F325  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Sources 
    1. [S03150] Rica Erickson, Dictionary of Western Australians 1829-1914 Volume 4 Part 1 "The Challenging Years" 1868-1888, (A - K), p 809.
      States William Hunt being father of Robert Henry Hunt

    2. [S03044] Registrar Generals Office, Death Certificate of Eliza Hunt (nee Stickland), (Perth, Western Australia).
      Marriage to William Hunt

    3. [S04147] Marriage Certificate of Henry Herbert and Leah Hunt.

    4. [S04874] Somerset & Dorset Family History Society, Worth Matravers, Dorset Indexes of the 1851 Census Dorset. Volume 7. - Corfe, Swanage and Wareham Sub Districts.

    5. [S02924] Correspondence with Robert Smith, (robert.smith66@virgin.net).

    6. [S02057] District of Swanage, Wareham, County Dorset, Birth Certificate of Lear Hunt, (General Register Office England), R008943/C.
      William Hunt stated as being the father and Eliza Hunt nee Stickland mother

    7. [S02057] District of Swanage, Wareham, County Dorset, Birth Certificate of Lear Hunt, (General Register Office England), R008943/C.

    8. [S04125] Registrar Generals Office - Western Australia, Marriage Certificate of Ellen Amelia Hunt and George Booth, (1838 / 1861).
      Yeoman

    9. [S04147] Marriage Certificate of Henry Herbert and Leah Hunt.
      Farmer

    10. [S03044] Registrar Generals Office, Death Certificate of Eliza Hunt (nee Stickland), (Perth, Western Australia).
      Eliza at her death was stated as a widow

    11. [S03044] Registrar Generals Office, Death Certificate of Eliza Hunt (nee Stickland), (Perth, Western Australia).
      States age of marriage 18 born abt 1820 = 1838 at approximate time of marriage