Family legend has it that John Bassett[Jnr] [my 2nd great granduncle] came out to Australia during the gold rush in the 1850s. After financial success, he went back to England and brought his brothers and their families to Australia.
The Context
of the Early Mining Environment in Victoria
There was a
lot of regulatory upheaval in the early 1850s caused at first by Victoria's
separation from New South Wales, and soon after by the discovery of gold and
the subsequent gold rush.
“From early 1852, news reached London of much
richer Victorian gold finds at Buninyong, then Ballarat, Mount Alexander and
Bendigo. These discoveries triggered a rash of nearly 40 British-based
Australian gold mining companies in 1852, twelve in January alone, including
the Port Phillip and Colonial Gold Mining Company”[i]
Many miners
were brought out to Australia by British-based Australian gold mining
companies. The miner’s contractual employment obligations included:
- working for the company for a five-year period.
- not participating in any other business or speculation during their contract.
Once the
contract term was completed, many were also entitled to a return trip home to
England.
The newly
separated Victorian Colony government was accused of being ‘pro-digger /
anti-company’ and favouring smaller mining enterprises. [ii]
Although many suspected that the companies “failed at this time, as
their funds were squandered through poor management or on futile ventures.”
[iii]
Consequently,
many contracted miners were let go by the companies that had bought them out to
Australia or did not have their contracts renewed when they expired.[iv]
Sorting
the fact from fiction - The Reconstructed Story
Before
arriving in Victoria, John Bassett, a miner, had been living in Horse Downs,
Crowan, Cornwall, in England, with his wife Catherine(27 years) and three
children Francis(7), John(4) & Catherine(2). In the same village next door was his married
sister, Anne (24), and her husband Stephen Davey (30, Miner) and their three
children Jane(7), Elizabeth (5) and John(2).[v]
[vi]
In March
1853 he left England on the SS Marco Polo and arrived at Hobson’s Bay on
29. He was in the employ of The Colonial Mining Company.[vii]
[viii]
[ix]
[x]
John
Bassett and Mr Nicholls, who were both working for The Colonial Mining were
“sacked” along with all the other staff, soon after arriving. They were
experienced miners, so became business partners, and took out a claim on the reef
for themselves. On 20 August 1856, he applied with three others for a
lease of 60 yards on a reef at Surface Hill Sailors Hill.[xi] They successfully obtained 30 ounces
of gold to the ton of quartz.[xii]
In 1861 John who “had been
in possession of the ground for 5 years” in Sailors Gully applied for a new
mining lease on the same land.[xiv]
John & his associates “prospered rapidly and steadily. A fine steam-mill soon supplanted the simple horse concern; substantial brick and stones houses arose on the sites of the calico tenements … [John] had come home a richer man than many in that company under whose auspices he emigrated as an articled labourer.” [xv]
Figure 2
1856 'Advertising', Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), 29 January, p. 3.
, viewed 09 Sep 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88048716
After his success, John returned home to England on the “Montmorency” departing on 14
October 1856. [xvi]
Eight months later he was on his way back to Australia aboard the “SS Royal Charter”. He Liverpool,
England on the 16th May 1857 and arrived in Hobson’s Bay on 18 July 1857. [xvii]
On board were John Bassett, 36 yrs, Miner, wife Catherine and children Francis,
John, Catherine and Martha.[xviii] Also onboard were William Bassett, 40 yrs,
Miner John’s brother and Stephen Davey, his brother-in-law.[xix] Additional extended family followed later.
After
returning to Australia, John applied for several mining leases both in his own
right and as a member of The Bassett Brothers joint company. The Bassett
brothers included amongst their numbers John Bassett Jnr, Francis Bassett(John’s
brother), William Bassett(John’s brother), James Bassett(John’s brother),
Stephan Davey(John’s brother-in-law). Note that all, except his younger brother
James, were aboard the Marco Polo in 1857.
It was not
until new lease regulations were issued in 1859, that a lease was secured by
the Bassett Brothers.[xx]
Records show that the original lease application was received by the Mine’s
Warden on 24 August 1854, although it is not clear why the lease was not
granted or acted upon. Perhaps this was the Colonial Company's original
application, which John Bassett took over when the Colonial Company failed in
their bid to secure the land for mining.[xxi]
By 1858,
John and his former business associate Nicholas were operating independent
Steam Mills, on the opposite side of Sailors Gully.[xxii]
[xxiii]
John became ill in 1861 and passed
away on 17 November 1865 from “miner’s complaint” after going bankrupt in the
same year. [xxiv] [xxv]
Useful Links and Background
WikiTree profile for John Bassett (1820 - 1865)
Blogpost Meta Data
Sources
[i] Woodland,
R. H., 2002, Bland and the Port Phillip and Colonial Gold Mining Company,
PhD Thesis, School of Historical and European Studies, La Trobe University, (https://doi.org/10.26181/21841971.v1
: accessed 6 September 2023) page 8
[ii] Woodland,
R. H., 2002, Bland and the Port Phillip and Colonial Gold Mining Company,
PhD Thesis, School of Historical and European Studies, La Trobe University,
(https://doi.org/10.26181/21841971.v1 : accessed 6 September 2023) page 19
[iii] Woodland,
R. H., 2002, Bland and the Port Phillip and Colonial Gold Mining Company,
PhD Thesis, School of Historical and European Studies, La Trobe University,
(https://doi.org/10.26181/21841971.v1 : accessed 6 September 2023) page 19
[iv] Kelly, W, 1860, Life in Victoria, or, Victoria in
1853 and Victoria in 1858 : showing the march of improvement made by the colony
within those periods, in town and country, cities and diggings, London
: Chapman and Hall ; Melbourne : George Robertson, (https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Life_in_Victoria/N84NAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP2&printsec=frontcover : accessed 6 September 2023)
[v] 1851
England Census; John Bassett (30, Born in Breage) head of household in
Crowan in Helston registration district in Cornwall; Class: HO107; Piece: 1913;
Folio: 486; Page: 26; Household schedule number: 97; (Ancestry.com :accessed 9
September 2023)
[vi] 1851
England Census; Stephen (30, Born in Gwinear) head of household in Crowan
in Helston registration district in Cornwall; Class: HO107; Piece: 1913; Folio:
485; Page: 25; Household schedule number: 5; (Ancestry.com :accessed 9
September 2023)
[vii] Schedule
A Passenger List for “Marco Polo” signed 12 March 1853 VPRS
947/P0000, Apr - May 1853 https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3402227A-F96C-11E9-AE98-FF6251ADC8F4?image=272
accessed 6 September 2023 Images 266 to
275 [of 387]
[viii]
1853 'VESSELS AND PASSENGERS REPORTED.', The Argus (Melbourne,
Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 30 May, p. 4. , viewed 09 Sep 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4793045
[ix] 1853
'SHIPP[?]', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 30 May, p. 4. , viewed
09 Sep 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4793048
[x] Kelly, William, 1860, Life in
Victoria, or, Victoria in 1853 and Victoria in 1858 : showing the march of
improvement made by the colony within those periods, in town and country,
cities and diggings, London : Chapman and Hall ; Melbourne : George
Robertson, (https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Life_in_Victoria/N84NAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP2&printsec=frontcover : accessed 6 September 2023) p.199
[xi] O’Donohue,
A & Hanson, B.,1995, Eaglehawk & District Pioneer Register 1850-1880
Vol A, B & C., Publisher Annette O’Donohue, Bendigo
[xii] Birrell, Ralph Winter, 2005, The Development of
Mining Technology in Australia 1801 - 1945, PhD Thesis, Department of
History, The University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne. (http://hdl.handle.net/11343/36521: accessed 2023) page 56
[xiii]
Kelly, William, 1860, Life in Victoria, or,
Victoria in 1853 and Victoria in 1858 : showing the march of improvement made
by the colony within those periods, in town and country, cities and diggings,
London : Chapman and Hall ; Melbourne : George Robertson, (https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Life_in_Victoria/N84NAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP2&printsec=frontcover : accessed 6 September 2023) p.199
[xiv] Bendigo
Lease Register, Department of Energy and
……. Registery of Applications, photocopy provided by Noelene Wild
[xv] Kelly, W, 1860, Life in Victoria,
or, Victoria in 1853 and Victoria in 1858 : showing the march of improvement
made by the colony within those periods, in town and country, cities and
diggings, London : Chapman and Hall ; Melbourne : George Robertson, (https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Life_in_Victoria/N84NAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP2&printsec=frontcover : accessed 6 September 2023) p.201
[xvi] Outward Passengers to Interstate,
U.K. and Foreign Ports, Sep - Oct 1856, Passenger List “Montmorency” ,
bound for Liverpool, London; VPRS 948/P0001, Sep - Oct 1856, ( https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/236E662A-F7F0-11E9-AE98-71788719474E?image=237 [Images 237-240 of 271] accessed 13
September 2023) Unnumbered page [image238]; ]; [research note: this is a
passenger departure list-created in Australia] Passenger entry for
John Bassett, aged 36
[xvii]
1857 'SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 -
1957), 20 July, p. 4. , viewed 19 Jul 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7135589
[xviii] Inward Overseas Passenger Lists,
British and Foreign Ports, Jul - Sep 1857, May 1857 , Passenger List
[Schedule B] “Royal Charter”, bound for Melbourne, Australia; VPRS
947/P0000, Jul - Sep 1857, (https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3B05F129-F96C-11E9-AE98-27F6998F8082?image=107
[images 107-115 of 342]: accessed 13 September 2023) Unnumbered page
[image 113]; [research note: this is a passenger departure list-created in
England] Passenger entry 256 for John
Bassett, aged 36, miner and family, Catherine(33), Francis(11), John
(10), Catherine (8), Martha (6) travelling 2nd Class
[xix] Inward
Overseas Passenger Lists, British and Foreign Ports, Jul - Sep 1857, May 1857 ,
Passenger List [Schedule B] “Royal Charter”, bound for Melbourne,
Australia; VPRS 947/P0000, Jul - Sep 1857, (https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/3B05F129-F96C-11E9-AE98-27F6998F8082?image=107
[images 107-115 of 342]: accessed 13 September 2023) Unnumbered page [image
109]; [research note: this is a passenger departure list-created in England]
Passenger entries 152 for William
Bassett, aged 40 & 1853 Stephen Davey, aged 36, miner, travelling
3rd class
[xx] Birrell,
Ralph, Anatomy of a Failed Miner – The Colonial Gold Company 1852-1857,
Journal of Australasian Mining History, Volume 9, September 2011; (BirrellFinal
(mininghistory.asn.au) : accessed 6 September 2023) page 136
[xxi] Leases
102 & 103 in 1859 in the Registrar of Applications for Gold Mining Leases
Unit 195 Sandhurst Bendigo, 1-200 VPRS 7842/0002
[xxii]
Tulloch, Thorold (Compiler); 1859, The Bendigo district general directory :
with calendar (1859), Melbourne, W. Fairfax & Co., (FamilySearch Film # 008138964
[Images 150 - 180 of 621] ); Street Listing, Sailor’s Gully – Right
Side:- Bassett, and Bros., John, crushing; & Davy, Stephen, engineer, steam
crushing mills, & Left Side:- Nicholas and Co., steam crushing mills, Page 37;
(Image 170: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK3-6TRJ?cat=219278 : Accessed 13 September 2023)
[xxiii]
Tulloch, Thorold (Compiler); 1859, The Bendigo
district general directory : with calendar (1859), Melbourne, W. Fairfax & Co., (FamilySearch Film # 008138964
[Images 150 - 180 of 621] ); Avocation[Trade] Listing, Bassett, and
Bros., John, crushing, Sailor’s Gully, Page 50; (Image 177: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK3-6TG6?i=176&cat=219278 : Accessed 10 September 2023)
[xxiv]
Insolvency Proceedings for John Bassett, PROV VPRS759/P Insolvency's,
Unit 91 Documents relating to John Bassett's Insolvency Proceedings
[xxv] Victoria State Government, Registry of
Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, Australia; Death Certificate of
Stephen Davey, Registration number 9587/1865
