Henry Bennett (1816 - 1882)

Born 2 Apr 1816 in Long Sutton, Spalding, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Rebecca (Goulding) Bennett — married 18 Jun 1839 in Holbeach

Descendants

Died 4 Nov 1882 at age 66 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Mark Chalk [send private message] and Jack Bennett [send private message]

Biography

Henry Bennett was born on 2 April 1816 at 9 pm, named and registered at Surfleet. He was vaccinated with cowpox in 1817, had whooping cough in 1820, measles in September 1823. Henry Bennett was apprenticed to or trained by his uncle in Long Sutton. Then he established in business as an ironmonger at Holbeach with the assistance of his father and uncle about 1836. In Pigot’s 1849 directory for Holbeach he was an ironmonger, agricultural seedsman, and agent to the Globe Fire and Life Insurance Company, High Street. Here Henry met Rebecca Goulding, second daughter of Robert Goulding a farmer and grazier in the Holbeach Marsh. They married on 18th June 1839 at All Saints, the Holbeach Parish Church.The life cannot have been easy and in a slow, small town (Holbeach) and income would not have been great. Five children were born here and in 1848, at the time of the birth of the fifth, the eldest, Sarah, was taken in by Henry's parents now living at Whittlesey. At this time Henry came to the "resolution to emigrate" and departed on 16 March 1850 from London on the "Herald" to Durban in the Natal Province of South Africa. Extracts from my journal from March 5th, 1850 to July. Henry Bennett March 5th Arrived in London, where much to my disappointment I found that the ship was not likely to start until the 14th or 15 inst -this being the third delay. 8th Having brought with us from Whittlesey (a lady) who purposed going out with us, were most surprised to learn this morning that she had got married to an old blade of hers & has of course changed her mind and means going with her husband to Adelaide Australia. I find there is a great deal of troubles experienced in taking out goods for trading purposes together with your expenses such as cartage, wharfage, clearing, freight, interest, bill of landing, & etc. March 12th I have just paid the expenses & find them enormous -(mem) Be sure to advise my friends to pack all goods in square packages as the measure for everything is taken the length and breadth -thus a plough is measured from the tip of the hales to the end of the plann say 12 ft long x 2 feet at the hales, & 1 ft 6 deep at the breast making 36 ft costing 36/-, whereas if taken to pieces it and many other things can be put into a case 6ft by 2 ft square costing 24/-. Passage money & freight cost me £125. 11.10 March 13th The ship Herald has this day left the Katharine dock, we purpose joining her at Gravesend. I have had a good deal of trouble to take out gunpowder (50lbs) as they will not allow it to be taken into the docks. I have also been much bothered to get tobacco free on board. 14th Left London & found the ship at Gravesend. It is the first time I have ever slept on a ship in my life. 15th Much to our annoyance have had to lay to till night, before the government agent examd. us & the ship. My wife & children have all had to be examd. & go before him. He seemed very particular in his examinationas to our health, capabilities, &tc. Henry established himself in West Street, Durban as “a dealer in bar, sheet and hoop iron” & “a tin, zinc and iron-plate worker, blacksmith, shoeing smith and farrier.” [Directory of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, 1852] In July 1851 the Natal Independent noted that Henry had presented some books to the Durban Commercial and Literary Institute, the town’s second attempt at a public library. He was an ironmonger and the boys, Henry and Robert, attended the government school there in 1850 and 1851. [Natal Archives Office CSO 41 No.74] A sixth child was born and Christened Charles Pine after the governor of Natal. We know little more of their life in South Africa, but it cannot have been as good as they had hoped and news from Australia must have tempted them to move again. They travelled aboard the ship "Wee Tottie", a small vessel with a crew of 12 and 60½ adult passengers. They left Port Natal on 22 February 1853 bound for Melbourne with a compliment of passengers including 29 English, 14 Irish, 7 Scottish, 2 French and 2 German, plus about 20 infants. The passenger list included: Henry Bennett, age 34, tinsmith; his wife Rebecca age 32; Sarah, 9; Rebecca, 8; Eliza, 4; Henry, 6; Robert, 5; and Charles, aged under 1 year. They arrived at Port Phillip on 10 April 1853 and disembarked on 14 April. They were probably met by Henry's brother Edward, who had arrived only a month earlier with his wife. The brothers kept in touch all their lives, exchanging letters and newspapers from home. According to a report on ex-Natalians in Australia which appeared in the D’Urban Advocate in December, he was doing remarkeably well at his trade there. We do not know what happened to the family over the next two years, but the eldest son, Henry Goulding Bennett, returned to Birmingham where he studied engineering. No doubt he was staying with or at least was helped by the cousins in Birmingham. Henry and the rest of the family moved to Ballarat and from about 1855 Henry was employed by the Messrs. Eyres Bros. in their hardware store. The relationship seems to have been very satisfactory and Henry took up residence nearby at 43 Armstrong Street. The children were growing up now and just a few years later the two eldest daughters each took to husband an Eyres brother. Eliza Goulding Bennett was born at Holbeach on 28 July 1848 and died of fever in Ballarat aged 17 on 20 June 1866. Sarah Jane was born at Armstrong Street Ballarat in 1860 but died of diptheria and was buried at the Old Ballarat Cemetery on 6 April 1862, aged 21 months. Henry died at 43 Armstrong Street North on 4 November 1882 aged 66. Born 2 APR 1814. Long Sutton.

Died 4 NOV 1882. Ballarat: Ballarat Courier, 6 November 1882 and death certificate

Residence

Occupation: Ironmongery.

Note: #N72.

Notes

Note N72Travelled to South Africa with five children in 1850 (March thru May) on a one-sail ship the "Herald".

Found living conditions terrible and about 1852 moved on the Australia where the Bennett family flourished.

Note

Note: In 1836 he commenced business at Holbeach but in 1849 he emigrated to

Australia and finally settled at Ballarat, Victoria where he died. He lived

to see a large family of children and grandchildren by whom he was much

respected.

Sources

England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973 Name: Henry Bennett Gender: Male Marriage Date: 18 Jun 1839 Marriage Place: Holbeach, Lincoln, England Father: Henry Bennett Spouse: Rebecca Goulding FHL Film Number: 1542148 Reference ID: 33