Henry Lewis ENGLAND (senior)

Henry Lewis England was the second of 8 children born to convicts John and Rebecca England nee Jackson. He was born on Boxing Day 26 December 1854 but not registered until 1855. His father was a moulder and the family were living in Molle Street in Hobart.

His parents were married just two months before the birth. Henry had already had an older brother William born 1852 but he had died of convulsions in March 1854.

Henry was christened at St Georges Church, Battery Point in Hobart, Tasmania on 11 June 1855. So in reality, he was the oldest child and here are his other siblings:

  • 1857 Elizabeth
  • 1859 Edward
  • 1861 Mary Ann
  • 1864 William James
  • 1866 Lydia
  • 1868 George

Henry’s mother Rebecca died in 1887 and his father John died in 1905.

At the age of 30, Henry married Julia Charlotte Chandler on 14 October 1885 at St Georges Church, Battery Point. It is at this church where they probably met for the first time.

Four children were born from this marriage:

  • 1886 Ruby May
  • 1888 Henry Lewis
  • 1891 Gladice Emily
  • 1894 Lucy Grace

By 1891, Henry was employed as foreman of the works for the Queenborough Road Trust and this often got him in trouble.

On 17 January 1891, Henry had apparently used threatening language and had been brought up in front of the court.

In the Government Gazette of 10 Jul 1894, Henry was appointed Inspector of Health for the Town of Queenborough now called Sandy Bay. From 1895 he is often mentioned in the local papers as attending the monthly meetings of the Queenborough Town Board.

By 11 Jun 1895, Henry was now appointed as rate collector by the Queenborough Town Board.

Henry was back in court on 3 August 1899 in his role as Health Inspector. He had caught a resident depositing night soil on his property which was a breach of the health act.

Henry, by October 1899, is also a member of the Hobart Fire Brigade and is one of two firemen in charge of the reel held in Grosvenor Street.

In July 1900, Henry, as foreman of the works for the Queenborough Town Board, was accepting tenders for the erection of a post and rail fence between the properties Derwentwater and Lambert Park.

But at the end of March 1901, Henry must have been dismissed from the Queenborough Town Board. Many of the local residents got together to present him with a gift and best wishes for him and his family.

special meeting of the Queenborough Town Board was also held after the above report came out in the local paper. They felt Henry had been warned often of his bad behaviour and gross misconduct, so finally they had to dismiss him.

On Saturday 13 April 1901, the Queenborough Town Board met to get nominations to fill three vacancies. All were accepted except for one from H.L. England as it was considered to be an informal nomination.

February and March 1905 were not good months for Henry. First his father passed on 10 February then his wife Julia passed away on March 3, just 20 years into their marriage.

In February 1905, Henry was again in court but for an alleged assault on an architect who was inspecting a building in Regent Street, Sandy Bay.

In late April 1905, Henry was on the ballot paper to join the board again but missed out, gaining only 164 votes.

On Thursday May 11, Henry was found guilty of the assault and ordered to pay a fine of 10 shillings and also 9 shillings and sixpence as costs.

Henry was again putting himself forward as a candidate for the board in April 1906. Here is what he said when called upon to talk.

Henry was troubled with rheumatism and partial paralysis and on 9 April 1914, he took part in a demonstration of the Veedee specialist. This was by using a curative vibrator on the afflicted areas of the body.

In December 1914, his third daughter, Lucy Grace England, died just 8 months after giving birth to her son Lewis Maxwell England.

In October 1916, Henry’s son, Henry junior applied for exemption from going to war as he was the sole support of an invalid father and the only son in the family. Exemption was granted.

On 29 August 1932, Henry senior passed away at his son’s residence at 16 Grosvenor Street, Sandy Bay in his 77th year. A patient sufferer gone to rest as mentioned in the death notice.

Henry Lewis England Senior

Julia Charlotte CHANDLER

Julia was the eldest of nine children born to William Charles and Caroline Elizabeth Chandler nee Bryant. She was born on 1 October 1860 in Hobart and was not named until after her birth was registered on November 6 by her aunt Julia Winters (born Esther Julia Bryant) from Battery Point.

Julia’s siblings were:

  • 1863 William Charles
  • 1865 Robert Henry
  • 1867 Mary Ann Eliza (Doll)
  • 1870 Caroline Louisa
  • 1872 Sarah
  • 1874 George Edward
  • 1877 Ada Ellen
  • 1882 Fanny Ethel (Ettie)

Julia’s father William arrived in Hobart on the sailing ship Fortitude in February 1855. Her mother Caroline arrived with her mother Charlotte Bryant on the ship La Hogue to Sydney then on the steamer Tasmania to Hobart in January 1856. I wonder if they already knew each other back in England.

The christening of Julia took place at St David’s Cathedral in Hobart on 9 December 1860. She must have had a great childhood growing up at Government Gardens where, by 1863, her father was a gardener at Government House.

In May 1883, Julia’s grandmother Charlotte passed away aged 79 at the home of the Winters family at 41 Elizabeth Street.

Married life and children

In 1885, Julia married Henry Lewis England at St George’s church with witnesses being WC Chandler – either father or brother and MA Chandler – her sister Mary Ann.

https://stors.tas.gov.au/RGD37-1-44p139j2k

Over the next 10 years, four children were born to the couple:

  • 1886 Ruby May
  • 1888 Henry Lewis
  • 1891 Gladice Emily
  • 1894 Lucy Grace

The family must have been low in money during 1890 as Henry Lewis asked for an increase in wages as roadman for the Sandy Bay Road Trust and Mrs England, probably Julia, was given one pound for cleaning the offices of the Sandy Bay Road Trust over the previous year.

In March 1891, a Mrs England charged Annie Heazelwood for using abusive language towards her in the City Police court.

In 1898, Julia and the family headed to the beach near the battery and while absent their house was broken into and much money taken – both the taxes collected by Henry and the money saved by Julia.

Unfortunately, Julia didn’t live to see her children marry – Ruby May to Arthur John Sydney STIRLING in 1911, Henry Lewis to Hannah DAVEY in 1923 and Gladice Emily to Henry Gottman AMINDIE in 1921. She had already passed when her daughter Lucy Grace gave birth to her son Lewis Maxwell England in 1914 then Lucy also passed 8 months later in December 1914.

Julia Charlotte England passed on March 3, 1905 aged only 44. She was remembered in a memoriam in 1906.

At some stage the England family all sat for a photographer and here is the image of Julia Charlotte ENGLAND.