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| thomas_de_montmorenci_florence_mary_m-p [2024/01/17 14:08] – judith | thomas_de_montmorenci_florence_mary_m-p [2024/10/21 15:07] (current) – judith |
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| Thomas de M was baptised at //Bromelton// by the [[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/glennie-benjamin-3621|Rev. Benjamin Glennie]]((‘Questions to be answered by T.L.M-P’, 6pp Memoranda by the Herald Office, Somerset House, London re Burke’s Colonial Gentry.)) and went to school in Brisbane and Hobart. In 1862, when he was 14 years old, he won the prize for English at the Collegiate School, Brisbane.((The Courier, 22 December 1862, p.3)) For more on his and his brothers' education see [[William, Rosa (Praed), Morres, Lizzie (Jardine), Hervey, Redmond, Weeta, Hugh, Lodge, Matilda, Egerton M-P.]] After school, for a time at least, he worked on //Maroon//. A letter by his sister Rosa to her father in the late 1860s indicates that Tom encouraged, and to a degree shared, her literary inclinations. His praise was tempered by his times ('Tom liked it. He said it was like a man's work.') but he also shared and encouraged her writing the Marroon [[magazine|Magazine]] and her determination to educate her intellect: 'Tom and I had a long dissertation last night upon the cultivation of the understanding and he is going to follow my plan, and write notes and remarks upon everything he reads.'((Roderick, //In Mortal Bondage//, p.48.))\\ | Thomas de M was baptised at //Bromelton// by the [[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/glennie-benjamin-3621|Rev. Benjamin Glennie]]((‘Questions to be answered by T.L.M-P’, 6pp Memoranda by the Herald Office, Somerset House, London re Burke’s Colonial Gentry.)) and went to school in Brisbane and Hobart. In 1862, when he was 14 years old, he won the prize for English at the Collegiate School, Brisbane.((The Courier, 22 December 1862, p.3)) For more on his and his brothers' education see [[William, Rosa (Praed), Morres, Lizzie (Jardine), Hervey, Redmond, Weeta, Hugh, Lodge, Matilda, Egerton M-P.]] After school, for a time at least, he worked on //Maroon//. A letter by his sister Rosa to her father in the late 1860s indicates that Tom encouraged, and to a degree shared, her literary inclinations. His praise was tempered by his times ('Tom liked it. He said it was like a man's work.') but he also shared and encouraged her writing the Marroon [[magazine|Magazine]] and her determination to educate her intellect: 'Tom and I had a long dissertation last night upon the cultivation of the understanding and he is going to follow my plan, and write notes and remarks upon everything he reads.'((Roderick, //In Mortal Bondage//, p.48.))\\ |
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| At some unknown date, Nora chose lines from poetry to describe her step-children and children. The lines she chose for her eldest stepson were: 'Of comfort, & an open hand of help,/A splendid presence.'((M-P papers, NLA, Box 7, folder 42.)) His letters to her indicate why she made this judgement as they are affectionate and kind. In one undated one, he comments on his and his wife's happiness: 'Florence and I are as jolly and happy as two people can be.' - the qualification 'as two people can be', seems typical of his conscientious conservatism.((M-P papers, NLA, Box 1, folder 21.)) Nora later wrote to Rosa giving one of her usual penetrating character assessments: Tom is such a grand fellow, mellowed & softened – a little narrow perhaps.(( check date, 1883?)) Nora's high opinion of T de M. M-P was shared by his father, as TLM-P appointed his eldest son a trustee in his will (along with Nora's brother Charles Barton and, in a codicil, Anthony Darvall, the son of her uncle's second wife).((TLM-P, Last will and testament, copy with J. Godden)) After T de M M-P's death, his stepbrother Julius complained that the management of their father's estate had 'gone to pot', another indication of T de M. M-P's competence.((Andrew Darbyshire, A Fair Slice of St Lucia. Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, St Lucia History Group research paper no. 8, p.74.)) \\ | At some unknown date, Nora chose lines from poetry to describe her step-children and children. The lines she chose for her eldest stepson were: 'Of comfort, & an open hand of help,/A splendid presence.'((M-P papers, NLA, Box 7, folder 42.)) His letters to her indicate why she made this judgement as they are affectionate and kind. In an undated one, he comments on his and his wife's happiness: 'Florence and I are as jolly and happy as two people can be.' - the qualification 'as two people can be', seems typical of his conscientious conservatism.((M-P papers, NLA, Box 1, folder 21.)) Nora later wrote to Rosa giving one of her usual penetrating character assessments: Tom is such a grand fellow, mellowed & softened – a little narrow perhaps.((check date, 1883?)) Nora's high opinion of T de M. M-P was shared by his father, as TLM-P appointed his eldest son a trustee in his will (along with Nora's brother Charles Barton and, in a codicil, Anthony Darvall, the son of her uncle's second wife).((TLM-P, Last will and testament, copy with J. Godden)) After T de M M-P's death, his stepbrother Julius complained that the management of their father's estate had 'gone to pot', another indication of T de M. M-P's competence.((Andrew Darbyshire, A Fair Slice of St Lucia. Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, St Lucia History Group research paper no. 8, p.74.)) \\ |
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| The following three photos are of Tom de Montmorenci M-P. The first, of him as a boy, is from his father's album.((Provenance: J. Godden)) The last photo of Tom with his statement moustache is typical of the era.((Provenance of last two: T.A. & M.T. M-P.))\\ | The following three photos are of Tom de Montmorenci M-P. The first, of him as a boy, is from his father's album.((Provenance: J. Godden)) The last photo of Tom with his statement moustache is typical of the era.((Provenance of last two: T.A. & M.T. M-P.))\\ |
| Ledgers for //Maroon// shows that Tom was employed as manager on 1 January 1866 just before his 18th birthday. He was paid an 'allowance' of £50 pa for his first year but his allowance for first 6 months in 1867 was halved to £25 pa. He was paid £80 pa from September 1867.((MLMSS3117/box 8 & 9)) | Ledgers for //Maroon// shows that Tom was employed as manager on 1 January 1866 just before his 18th birthday. He was paid an 'allowance' of £50 pa for his first year but his allowance for first 6 months in 1867 was halved to £25 pa. He was paid £80 pa from September 1867.((MLMSS3117/box 8 & 9)) |
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| The younger Thomas was adventurous and by July 1874, for a short period he left working on Maroon to become a miner in the harsh [[wp>Palmer_River#Palmer_goldfields|Palmer River goldfields]]. It is not for nothing that an account of life on the Palmer goldfields was entitled 'shattered dreams'.((Gordon Grimwade and Christine Grimwade, 'Shattered dreams: Recollections of the Palmer Goldrush 1874-1875', //Queensland History Journal//23:7, November 2017.)) In the young Thomas' case, he contacted 'gulf fever' (typhoid or malaria) and nearly died.((Jane Black (compiled), North Queensland Pioneers, Country Women's Association, Townsville, ?1932.)) His brother Morres wrote in a [[letter]] that, after Thomas returned from the Palmer in ill-health, he remained on Maroon while Morres had to leave, presumably because the property could not support them both. \\ | The younger Tom was adventurous and by July 1874, for a short period he left working on //Maroon// to become a miner in the harsh [[wp>Palmer_River#Palmer_goldfields|Palmer River goldfields]]. It is not for nothing that an account of life on the Palmer goldfields was entitled 'shattered dreams'.((Gordon Grimwade and Christine Grimwade, 'Shattered dreams: Recollections of the Palmer Goldrush 1874-1875', //Queensland History Journal//23:7, November 2017.)) Tom's dreams were also shattered as he contacted 'gulf fever' (typhoid or malaria) and nearly died.((Jane Black (compiled), North Queensland Pioneers, Country Women's Association, Townsville, ?1932.)) His brother Morres wrote in a [[letter]] that, after Thomas returned from the Palmer in ill-health, he remained on //Maroon// while Morres had to leave, presumably because the property could not support them both.\\ |
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| In later life Thomas, like his father, bought a considerable amount of property in Queensland: Darbyshire lists nine purchases between March 1877 and January 1881, at Melcombe (Maroon), Telemon((//The Brisbane Courier//, 8 October 1873, cited in Darbyshire, described it as 640 acres of second class pastoral land)) and Mogill.((Andrew Darbyshire, 'A Fair Slice of St Lucia', p.123)) At some stage Thomas de M. M-P owned, with his brother Hugh, Annie Vale station.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) In 1880, he was listed as being at Moonbago, South Kennedy, Bully Creek.((H. Mortimer Franklyn, A glance at Australia in 1880, p. xlvii.)) At the time of his father's death, in 1892, he was in partnership with his father running a property 'Bullywallah' (or Bulliwallah), Bulli Creek south-west of [[wp>Charters_Towers|Charters Towers]], Queensland - another M-P property, Aberfoyle, was due west, across the dividing range.((Andrew Darbyshire, A Fair Slice of St Lucia. Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, St Lucia History Group research paper no. 8, p.77 map)) Possibly Moonbago was part of this property. It would be interesting to discover if he named the property with its distinctive Anglo-Indian name of 'wallah' (Bullywallah: an inhabitant of Bulli). One source states that, after some years, Thomas de M. M-P. bought his father out to become sole owner of the property. On his father's death, he returned to Maroon.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) As there is no mention of Maroon in TLM-P's will, and T de M M-P was left the smallest legacy of any of his father's children (£1,000)((Judgement re T.L. M-P Trust, 11 Otober 1905, schedule 15. J. Godden's copy.)) the assumption is that his inheritance was secured (like much of that of his sister Rosa) before his father's death. A New Zealand paper reported that Thomas de. M. M-P, at the time of his death, owned Aberfoyle station, previously owned by his father and brother-in-law John Jardine; after he died the property was sold by his executors.((//Otago Witness//, 3 May 1905, p.8; //The Pastoralists' review : a journal and record of all matters affecting the pastoral and agricultural interests throughout Australasia//,15:2 (15 April 1905) p.76.))\\ | In later life Tom, like his father, bought a considerable amount of property in Queensland: Darbyshire lists nine purchases between March 1877 and January 1881, at Melcombe (Maroon), Telemon((//The Brisbane Courier//, 8 October 1873, cited in Darbyshire, described it as 640 acres of second class pastoral land)) and Mogill.((Andrew Darbyshire, 'A Fair Slice of St Lucia', p.123)) At some stage Thomas de M. M-P owned, with his brother Hugh, Annie Vale station.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) In 1880, he was listed as being at Moonbago, South Kennedy, Bully Creek.((H. Mortimer Franklyn, A glance at Australia in 1880, p. xlvii.)) At the time of his father's death, in 1892, he was in partnership with his father running a property 'Bullywallah' (or Bulliwallah), Bulli Creek south-west of [[wp>Charters_Towers|Charters Towers]], Queensland - another M-P property, Aberfoyle, was due west, across the dividing range.((Andrew Darbyshire, A Fair Slice of St Lucia. Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, St Lucia History Group research paper no. 8, p.77 map)) Possibly Moonbago was part of this property. It would be interesting to discover if he named the property with its distinctive Anglo-Indian name of 'wallah' (Bullywallah: an inhabitant of Bulli). One source states that, after some years, Thomas de M. M-P. bought his father out to become sole owner of the property. On his father's death, he returned to Maroon.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) As there is no mention of Maroon in TLM-P's will, and T de M M-P was left the smallest legacy of any of his father's children (£1,000)((Judgement re T.L. M-P Trust, 11 Otober 1905, schedule 15. J. Godden's copy.)) the assumption is that his inheritance was secured (like much of that of his sister Rosa) before his father's death. A New Zealand paper reported that Thomas de. M. M-P, at the time of his death, owned Aberfoyle station, previously owned by his father and brother-in-law John Jardine; after he died the property was sold by his executors.((//Otago Witness//, 3 May 1905, p.8; //The Pastoralists' review : a journal and record of all matters affecting the pastoral and agricultural interests throughout Australasia//,15:2 (15 April 1905) p.76.))\\ |
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| Like his father, Thomas de M. M-P took advantage of the 1868 act which allowed people to 'select' land to farm. Angela Collyer((Angela Collyer, //Rathdowney: Federation history of an Australian rural border community// Rathdowney, Qld.: Rathdowney Area Development and Historical Association, 2001 p.128)) lists his four selections around Maroon:\\ | Like his father, Thomas de M. M-P took advantage of the 1868 act which allowed people to 'select' land to farm. Angela Collyer((Angela Collyer, //Rathdowney: Federation history of an Australian rural border community// Rathdowney, Qld.: Rathdowney Area Development and Historical Association, 2001 p.128)) lists his four selections around Maroon:\\ |