Montague Chapman & South Australia

Dear Bill

Apologies for the long delay in getting back to you. I have heard of this Scheme but don't know very much about it. Have you checked out any available sources at the NLI website: http://sources.nli.ie/

There is also an article by Eric Richards in Irish Historical Studies that might make useful background reading: Irish Life and Progress in Colonial South Australia, Vol. 27, No. 107 (May, 1991).

Best wishes

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support 

Sir Montagu Chapman and South Australia.

I too am interested in the people who were tenants of Sir Montagu Chapman and who emigrated to South Australia in 1847. 

My great, great grandfather, Michael Naughton was from the townland of Cloran, Catholic parish of Clonmellon, civil parish of Killua. His baptism record states he was baptised on 7 October 1824.  He was one of the passengers on the Trafalgar, arrived in Adelaide July 1847.  Rose and Margaret Naughton were also on this ship.  I have not found their baptism records, but I think it is likely they were Michael’s sisters.

  Bell, Conlan,  Garrigan, Goorty, Lynch, Plunkett, Reilly and Sheridan are the last names of some of passengers who were on the Trafalgar. These names match the names of tenants in the townland of Cloran and Corcullentry in Griffith's Valuation. 

Little seems to be known about the tenants of Sir Montagu Chapman or how the assisted emigrants were selected. I would like to know more about Michael Naughton's life before he emigrated.

In 1856 he married Bridget O’Loughlin who was from County Meath.  They settled first around Auburn in the Clare Valley and then moved to the mid-north of SA. There were 8 children in the family.  He died on 26 October 1891 and is buried in the Peterborough cemetery.

For anyone interested I am currently writing up  material on Sir Montague Chapman his background etc and would be interested on any material including the tenants he helped.  Would particurly like a painting or likeness.

Ron

My great grandfather is Patrick Conlan/Conlon and his sister Mary who married James Charters, both on the voyage. Patrick married Sarah Dickson who also came from Clonmellon, but was Church of Ireland. She travelled in the Sultana in 1850. I don't know much about her family, but I recently traced Patrick's through the National Library website and found that all of his siblings except two older girls Bridget and Anne who married and stayed in Ireland, came out to South Australia. If I am correct his father Christopher died 8 Mar 1847. I have been unable to find the death of Christopher's wife Ann nee Dunagan/Doonagan/Dunican/ Donegan. An Ann Conlon died on the voyage to Australia on the Europa in 1855. On the ships list she was 42, if she is my relative she would be closer to 60.

So far i have been unable to establish where Patrick first worked in the colony and whether he worked on any of Sir Montague Chapman's land holdings

Hi Ron,

I am also very interested in the story of Montague Chapman and his tenants who travelled to Australia.  I live in Culleenabohoge, Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath and he was the landlord of this land in the mid 1800's. The number of tenants in this townland drastically reduced between the years 1840 and 1850 and I believe that many would have travelled on those ships you mentioned.  If you have come across any names from the Multyfarnham and Boherquill area would you please let us know.  Thanks Ron.

Regards,

Mairead

Hi Mairead & others,

The whole Chapman enterprise, while not a mystery, has many unanswered questions. Just what happened to the immigrants is one. Supposedly they were to work on the 4000 acres that Chapman bought just to the north of Adelaide, ( now all suburbs).

The Chapman estates appeared to be concentrated in Parish Killua and Parish Street, Westmeath, but i am sure that other lots could be elsewhere. There are some in Parish Athboy and Killalon. (Source: Griffiths Val'n)

I am attaching a PDF doct which has the passenger lists of the 3 ships in 1847 that contained our ancestors. (Source: Dianne Cummings: "Bound for South Australia", State Lib'y of SA). OOPS file is too big will have to rescan and have another go.  It is a bit of a guess sometimes as to whether someone was from the estates or not, (lots of Scots and Cornish and a Devonshire Dumpling), I have looked at many of the names which show in the Clonmellon RC Parish register since it came on line and have found a few families, but many just disappear from the SA BDM records. Some do turn up in Victoria. The Conlon/Charters(Chatres) marriage was juicy as it become a defamation court case with all sorts of threats.

Have a look at the lists and let me know if I can assist in following up any.

Regards

Bill O'Reilly

PS while I am redoing the passenger lists let me know if there is any specific family I can chase for you

Bill email: orunbarm@gmail.com

Further to my post above I have now rescanned the passenger lists for the 1847 ships. How we know that these contained people from the Chapman estates is revealed in a letter the Lady McnAughton Surgeon wrote to the Colonoal Secretary - see the McNaughton file.

Regards

Bill O'Reilly

Hi All 

The origins of my Australian family are on the ships The Birman and the Buckinghamshire

My great great grandfather Michael Darmody and gg Grandmother Bridget Darmody arrived in 1840 with their 4 young children,John, William,Anne and Michael.They boarded the ship from Greenock via Cork. They were from Tipperary, so not tenants of Chapmans.I have seen a record of a doctors report on their health which seems to be part o the process of getting a berth on the Birman

It has been difficult to find any records of this family prior to them coming to Australia so their passage on this ship and how it came to pass is of great interest to me 

My great Grandmother Mary Anne Darmody (O'Connor) was born at sea aboard The Buckinghamshire and married John Darmody in1866

The family settled in South Australia at Macclesfield,where it seems a large number of Irish familires lived.I have assumed that initally they worked on Chapmans lands.By the late 1800's the family is engaged in farming and the running of hotels ,principally in the Flinders Ranges but also in the goldfeilds of Koolgardie and Calgoolie.The records show the families were successful business owners and farmers who played impoertant rols in their communities

Micheal and Bridget are buried in Mt Barker cemetry S.A.

I'd love to know more about Chapmans ships and how they came to be on one and thus avoid the disaster of the famine 

...     Hello Ron, I would like to contact you again. We were in contact about 8 years ago Eugene  my email is  eugenesheridan54@gmail.com

Your old emai address is not working

In early 1839 Robert Torrens decided to launch his long held vision of an emigration program and approached Montague Chapman for support - Chapman himself was actively involved in emigration issues - the 2 were probably more accurately working together. It was his support with 4,000 acres that in effect gave Torrens the necessary land to establish an Irish community.  

The Birman was allocated by the emigration commissioners to carry his emigrants which were selected by Bagot largely in Clare and I don’t think any of his tenants. It also included tenants selected by Torrens and John Bernard - hence the Tipperary people - some were also on the William Nichol and some smaller groups sent via England.

Emigration was stopped in 1840 until late 1845 because of SA financial problems  which is why the 1840 arrivals feature so much in our history. 

There is a much deeper and extremely interesting story behind all this which I am writing a paper on as time permits. 

Regards

Ron

In early 1839 Robert Torrens decided to launch his long held vision of an emigration program and approached Montague Chapman for support - Chapman himself was actively involved in emigration issues - the 2 were probably more accurately working together. It was his support with 4,000 acres that in effect gave Torrens the necessary land to establish an Irish community.  

The Birman was allocated by the emigration commissioners to carry his emigrants which were selected by Bagot largely in Clare and I don’t think any of his tenants. It also included tenants selected by Torrens and John Bernard - hence the Tipperary people - some were also on the William Nichol and some smaller groups sent via England.

Emigration was stopped in 1840 until late 1845 because of SA financial problems  which is why the 1840 arrivals feature so much in our history. 

There is a much deeper and extremely interesting story behind all this which I am writing a paper on as time permits. 

Regards

Ron

Further to the above with the 1840 halt to emigration Chapman was unable to use his entitlement to emigrants from his land purchase despite claiming was unable to until the Trafalgar etc as described  by William O'Reilly above.

Hi

I am trying to research my ancestor Denis O'Loughlin who emigrated to South Australia onboard the Birman in 1840 with his wife (Honora?), 2 sons and 2 daughters. He was listed as shepherd from Lisdeen Ennis County Clare. 

I have no information predating their arrival in South Australia or how they came to be onboard the Birman and am interested in any information on them or the early settlers to SA from the Birman. 

I am descended from their son John Laurence O'Loughlin who married Bridget Ryan, they lived in Tothill's Belt in South Australia.

I am thinking Denis lived in or around Kapunda and perhaps worked in the copper mine there but he seems to disappear and I don't have a death for him but his wife died in 1887.

Any information you can share would be much appreciated

Thanks Teresa

Hi All

I am aslo interested in the Montague Chapman emigration program.

My search has "suggested" my great great Grandfather John Mulvihill (Mulvehill)  Circa 1812- 26/5/1875 who arrived in Adelaide South Australia and farmed at Dry Creek (Montague Chapman Estate ????). He arrived on the ship Trafalgar on 2nd July 1847 with his wife Maria (Mary) Cleary 21/2/1814-12/11/1906 and 3 children. Both John and Mary died at Dry Creek/Gepps Cross which is in area of the Montague Chapman Estate,

Prior to leaving Ireland I have births for 3 children  for John and Mary. Michael 1/11/1840, Catherine 1842 and Annie (Ann Agnes) 5/1/1843 all of the RC Parish Woodforde Co Galway.

On arrival in Australia they had a child Margaret born at Dry Creek in 1847 (presumes Mary was pregnant) during the voyage and in 1848 they had two further children, Charles Born at Dry Creek and my great Grandfather John Joseph born In Adelaide (Two in 1848 does NOT make sense)

I believe John Mulvihill was born in Galway Ireland but cannot confirm this.

I think John Mulvihill's parents were Patrick Michael Mulvehill (Circa 1790-1868) and Ann Hackett Circa 1783.  I think Ann Hackett's mother was Ann Hanrahan.

I am assuming/guessing John and Mary with some children moved from Galway to Dublin to work on Montague Chapmans Estate and then had the chance to emigrate to Australia in 1847 on the Trafalgar (UNLESS of course they applied directly from Galway to Montague Chapman and he used them to fill his quota.

I am intested in any records from the Irish Estates of Montague Chapman showing who used his emigration system to come to Australia so that I can confirm or refute any of the above details. Names DOB etc.

Regards

Michael Mulvihill

email mjmulvas53@outlook.com

ADELAIDE South Australia