A bullock wagon hauling timber from the Rosewood Scrub 1890
Name: Charles YARROW jnr.
Occupation: Bullock Driver; Farmer
Birth: 4th January 1854, Bremer River, then New South Wales
Death: 24th August 1885, at his residence, Rosewood Gate near Ipswich aged 31 years.
Burial: 25th August 1885, Tallegalla Cemetery
Religion: Congregational
Father: Charles YARROW (Timbergetter, Teamster, Farmer)
Mother: Jane TITMARSH
Spouse: Matilda Hannah BATES
Birth: 25th January 1853, Drumagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Immigration: 14th August 1857, the Mary Pleasants arrived Moreton Bay from Livepool 27th April
Residence: 1903, Rosewood, Queensland
Residence: 1919, Rosewood, Queensland
Death: 10th February 1920, at her residence Mathew Street, Rosewood, Queensland aged 67 years.
Burial: 11th February 1920, Tallegalla Cemetery
Religion: Congregational
Father: Thomas BATES (Farmer)
Mother: Martha ELLIOTT
Marriage: 5th June 1871, Rosewood, Queensland
Children: 7
Charles YARROW (1872-1947) = Marion Mildred CARSON
Martha YARROW (1873-1949) = John Squire ASPINALL
James YARROW (1875-1961) = Clara FREEMAN
William YARROW (1878-1954) = Miriam FREEMAN
George YARROW (1880-1936) = Emma Maud WAIGHT
Thomas YARROW (1882-1942) = Emma Sarah SCHNEIDER
May YARROW (1884-1884)
Charles Yarrow’s parents (Charles and Jane Yarrow) were well known pioneers of Redbank Plains. They immigrated from England per the Argyle in 1852 with two daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. They lived at Coopers Plains where Charles worked as a farmer for Elijah Stubbins on his cattle farm for a short time before they moved to Richard Joseph Smith’s boiling down works and sawmills (“Town Marie”). There Charles found work. Town Marie was about four miles from Ipswich on the banks of the Bremer River at Karalee. The establishment was for curing meat by using the Morgan patent process, the technique of injecting a liquid brine into the meat.
While they were at Town Marie, Charles Yarrow junior was born in 1854, the first member of the family to be born on Australian soil in the Colony of New South Wales. It was the Colony of New South Wales until the northern part was separated to become the colony of Queensland on 6th June 1859.
Charles snr. selected 55 acres 3 roods of land in the parish of Bundanba, County of Stanley on 29th December 1862, adding another 99 acres in July 1870. They called their farm at Redbank Plains, “Spring Meadows.” Charles donated some of his land for the Wesleyan Methodist Church at Redbank Plains, where members of the family were laid to rest in the burial ground on the property. Charles and Jane Yarrow had seven sons and four daughters altogether.
Thomas and Martha Bates lived on the adjoining farm. Four of the Yarrow siblings (Elizabeth, Charles, Thomas, and William) married four of the Bates siblings (William, Matilda, Elizabeth and Fanny).
Charles snr. and his three sons, Charles jnr., Thomas, and William all had bullock teams and worked in the timber industry carting logs to the Rosewood mills. The three brothers eventually settled in the district. The eldest son, Charles Yarrow jnr., married Matilda Hannah Bates in 1871.
Matilda Bates was only 4 years old when she came to Queensland with her family in 1857. On board the ship, Mary Pleasants, were Thomas, Martha, Sarah Jane, Mary Ann, William, Matilda, and Margaret – all born in Tyrone and Presbyterian.
While the ship was lying off Moreton Bay on 10th August, Thomas and Martha Bates were two of the hundreds who signed a written address to the Captain and Surgeon:
WE, the undersigned, emigrants by the ship Mary Pleasants beg to return our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Captain S. LAWSON, and the Officers and Crew for the kindness and attention shown to us during the voyage from Liverpool to Moreton Bay.
To Dr. GUNN, the Surgeon-Superintendent, we would also refer with feelings of pleasure for his, unceasing efforts to promote the health, comfort, and cleanliness of all on board. And now, as we are soon to part from each other, we wish that health and prosperity may attend all under whose charge we have left our native land and we will long look back on this voyage as one of the cherished remembrances of happy days spent with kind friends. (1)
When the Bates family arrived at Ipswich, the construction of the One Mile Bridge was steadily progressing, the piles were being driven for the Three Mile Creek bridge and a number of men were working at the ‘Slough of Despond’, near the Seven-Mile Creek. A large road party was also at the Little Liverpool to open up a new section of road. The new stone watch-house at Ipswich was almost completed, and the weather was fine, clear, and beautiful.
After their marriage, Charles and Matilda Yarrow lived at Spring Meadows for some years before moving to the Rosewood district. There is mention of Charles collecting the pine logs from the scrub and piling them up at the railway station to load onto trucks in March 1876. He worked his bullock team with his father’s team, as did Thomas and William.
In April 1877, Charles entered into an agreement with a Lanefield settler, Joseph Hudson, to draw logs at 2s. 6d. per 100 superficial feet. 1s. 6d. per foot was to be paid on obtaining the timber, and the remainder waa to be paid when the timber was delivered at the mill. All went smoothly until 4th July. The Yarrows had drawn 37,000ft of timber for Joseph Hudson with approximately another 50,000 feet still in place. On the 4th, Joseph was loading the raft onto the trucks at the railway station and he was being assisted by the Yarrow men. In a conversation, Charles told Joseph Hudson that they were going away with the teams the next day. Hudson became angry and, after a bit of back and forth, he said the Yarrows would have a fight at law if they did.
Apparently Joseph Hudson hadn’t felled any timber for about three weeks because of bad weather and he said he wouldn’t fell anymore until he had sent what was cut to to Brisbane. In the meantime, a man named Andrew Stirling asked Charles when they could haul for him. Charles told him as soon as they had finished drawing out all of the felled timber for Hudson. That day was the 4th July. Joseph Hudson believed that his contract had not been fulfilled and he refused to pay the 1s 6d per foot (£18 4s) for the timber already sent to Brisbane until the contract was completed. Charles snr. told him that he had better fell some more timber then. Joseph said he would fell it when it suited him. Charles snr. told him that if he cut it they would stay in the locality and come back and haul it in a week. Hudson said the timber would rot in the scrub and he would not do that.
On the 8th, the Yarrow men drew timber for Mr. Dale for two days and William Yarrow went off with his team to draw sugar cane. They then waited and stayed with their teams for 4 days at the Hudson’s property, after which Joseph Hudson asked to extend the agreement by drawing another raft after the weather cleared up. Charles refused and they heard nothing further until they were notified in December, that Joseph Hudson had indeed felled the timber and it had been lying waiting for a few months.
On December 5th, Charles jnr. sued Joseph Hudson for £18 4s, the payment for the timber drawn, and he won the case with £3 9s costs. Hudson’s solicitor, Mr. Chubb gave notice of appeal.
At another hearing on the same day, Joseph Hudson claimed £7 17s 9d from Charles Yarrow jnr. for money paid for agistment (for the bullocks) and won the claim with £2 9s costs.
Then, in February 1878, Joseph Hudson took Charles Yarrow snr. and Charles jnr. to court for breach of agreement. After a hearing, Joseph Hudson was non-suited with £3 15s costs. i.e. he dropped the case.
The brothers, Charles Yarrow jnr, Thomas Yarrow and William Yarrow were living and farming in the district by 1880 and were added to electoral roll for Rosewood Gate in January 1881. Charles and Matilda’s children attended Ashwell State School.
Charles was only 31 years old when he died at his residence at Rosewood Gate in 1885, leaving Matilda and his six children. He must have been severely ill because his death notice read, “His end was peace. There is rest for the weary, There is rest for you.”
An Acrostic Poem was placed in the Queensland Times after his death. (2)
Five years after her husband’s death, Matilda married a widower, William James BENNETT.
Occupation: Labourer (1884) Hawker (1898) Storekeeper in John Street (1910, 1912); Labourer (1925)
Birth: 21st October 1847, Bath, Somerset, England (Volume 11 page 48)
Residence: 1851, Bath St Michael, Somerset, England
Residence: 1861, 18 Bathwick Street, Bath, Somerset, England
Immigration: 11th January 1871, the Light Brigade arrived in Brisbane Roads, Queensland from London 2nd October; off the Isle of Wight 4th October.
Residence: 1903, Rosewood, Queensland
Residence: 1912, Clifton House, Union Street, Ipswich, Queensland
Residence: 1925, 1928, 1934, 1936, Herbert Street, West Ipswich
Death: 7th January 1937, Ipswich General Hospital, Queensland aged 89 years
Burial: 8th January 1937, Ipswich Cemetery
Religion: Church of England B, Row 57, Grave 11
Father: James BENNETT (Grocer)
Mother: Mary Anne BLENCOWE
Marriage: 9th October 1890, Matthew Street, Rosewood, Queensland
Children: 3
Margaret BENNETT (1891-1972) = James Lionel HOLBECK
Matilda Maude BENNETT (1894-1986) = Thomas MCMULLIN
Elizabeth Emily BENNETT (1901- 1979) = Arthur Allen SMITH
1st spouse of William: Margaret FLYNN
Birth: 1860 Tenterfield, New South Wales
Death: 28th February, 1884, at 1 William Street, Paddington, Sydney, NSW
Father: James FLYNN
Mother: Harriet BOSTON
Marriage: 1878 Tenterfield, New South Wales
Children: 2
Kate Melinda BENNETT (1879-1937) = James ANDERSON
William James BENNETT (1882-1966) = Cecilia Kathleen CLARK
William Bennett had many interesting experiences. As a boy of nine years of age, he distinctly remembered the celebration in his home town when peace was declared in the Crimean War in March 1856. The Crimean Memorial was unveiled in Bath on the day of national celebrations on the 29th May. There was a large procession of resident Crimean soldiers, recruiting staff, pensioners, military and naval officers, the Bishop, other clergy, the Mayor in his robes and chain of office, his mace bearers, police officers and an array citizens – all marching four abreast. The band of the North Somerset Yeomanry played the Dead March in Saul on the way to the memorial and the National Anthem on the way back. A cannon fired at intervals of a minute from Beechen Cliff. It was estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 people attended; certainly a memorable event for a nine year old.
William came to Queensland in 1871. One of his shipmates the Light Brigade was John Horton, of Kalbar. Here is a snippet of information about the voyage.
With regard to the social life of the ship, we hear that amusements of a harmless character were provided in abundance, the favorites being concerts by amateur Christies, acting charades, and other entertainments of a dramatic character. In these the passengers took great delight, and of the performers gave evidence of considerable ability as musicians and actors; besides these a number of instructive lectures were delivered on a variety of subjects, the most important being advice to the intending settlers, information respecting Queensland, and temperance. A series of readings were also given, in addition to all these aids in passing away the monotony of a long sea voyage, the ‘Light Brigade Express’, conducted by Mr J. C. White, was published weekly. Fourteen issues were published, which are said to be above the average of ship newspapers. (3)
The steamship Kate bought the passengers to the Brisbane wharf on Saturday 14th January. The following describes what happened next.
After landing in Brisbane, he obtained a situation at what was then the new settlement at Nerang. The blacks were very troublesome in those days, and Mr. Bennett related many thrilling experiences he had with them. He worked for a pioneer settler for 15/ a week and food. Owing to the state of his hands as a result of the rough work he was compelled tp walk back to Brisbane for medical attention. Shortly afterwards Mr. Bennett joined the rush to Eskdale for gold. There he first met Hon. George Thorn, M.L.A., a former State Premier, and for many years member for Fassifern. After a few days at Eskdale, the reported find not being substantiated, Mr. Bennett carried his swag to Toowoomba via Crow’s Nest. There he secured a position at Pechey’s sawmill about 2½ miles from Crow’s Nest. He was later promoted to the position of clerk and storekeeper at this mill, where he remained for over four years. While there he had a particularly painful experience. He was riding in the bush when he was thrown from his horse, breaking both his legs. This occurred in the middle of winter about 6 p.m., and It was 10 a.m. the next day before he was discovered. He managed to crawl round, and collect sufficient wood to keep a fire going. He was in the Toowoomba Hospital for over four months. (4)
William then went to Tenterfield (N.S.W.) where he worked as a fencing contractor. He met and married his first wife Margaret there, and after two years they moved to Sydney where William obtained work at his trade, as a grocer.
They couple had only been married for five years when Margaret was killed in a terrible accident which occurred in the back yard of their tenement home, while she was washing. They lived near the corner of Victoria and William Streets, Paddington, close to a building which was undergoing demolition. At about 3 o’clock in the afternoon a number of large stones fell onto her and crushed her to death. A man named Hodkin, in the employ of Messrs. Wilmott and Cooper, contractors, was at work on the building at the time, and it appears from his account of the incident, that while he was knocking some stays away from under the roof of the building, it fell in and drew a portion of the gable end with it. The detached portion of the gable fell outwards upon Margaret.
It was reported that Margaret was enciente (pregnant) and that morning had told William when as he left for work, that he shouldn’t be surprised if she sent for him before the end of the day. When the messenger reached William with the tragic news, without waiting to hear what it was, he said “I expected it, I thought somebody would come.” However, he had no idea of what had actually happened until later. (5)
The City Coroner initiated an inquiry and Dr. Backas gave evidence that her death had probably resulted from fracture of the base of the skull. The Coroner found that she died unlawfully and feloniously as a result of negligence and carelessness. Joseph Cooper, an elderly man, was charged with manslaughter. At the Central Criminal Court the evidence presented showed that the wall was ordinarily a safe structure, and the workman engaged stated that he had warned Margaret to keep out of the way. At the conclusion of the case for the Crown, his Honor said there was no evidence of any criminal neglect on the part of the prisoner and directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty. The prisoner was discharged. (6) Read the Inquest
Shortly afterwards William returned to Tenterfield with his two young children. In those days the railway ran only as far as Armidale, and the trio had to complete their journey from there by Cobb and Co. coach. He resumed his business as a fencing contractor at Tenterfield, but decided in 1885 to go to Rosewood, where he opened a store (where Rosewood Newsagency is today). He married Matilda Yarrow in 1890.
When the Rosewood Brass Band was formed in November 1891, William Bennett was appointed as Secretary.
In March 1898 William was admitted into the Ipswich Hospital. Ten days prior, he was thrown out of his vehicle and injured one of his hips. At first he didn’t call a doctor because he thought it wasn’t a bad injury, but when it didn’t improve he called Dr. Flynn, who sent him to hospital. He had a very bad injury to the hip joint.
The Coronation of King George 5th and Queen Mary in Westminster Abbey, London was celebrated on 22nd June 1911. Part of the local celebrations included a large picnic at the Rosewood school grounds including a sports programme. Tennis players from Goodman arrived by the early train, and were met at the railway station by Messrs. Ruhno, Collett, and Walsh, and were escorted to Mr. W. J. Bennett’s refreshment-rooms for breakfast.
In January 1912, William sold his business to Charles Hohnke and they moved to Ipswich to take over the Clifton Boarding House on the corner of Union and Bell Street. Six months later, the funeral of Matilda’s grandson from Benarkin (George William Yarrow), left from the boarding house for the Ipswich Cemetery. Eight year old George (son of Charles and Marion Yarrow) died as the result of being hit in the stomach with a school bag while playing with his school mates at Benarkin school. He was bought to the Ipswich Hospital, but could not be saved despite all best efforts.
Matilda and William ran Clifton House for 8 years until Matilda became ill. She died in 1920 at their home in Matthew Street, Rosewood. Nurse Domrow paid her tireless attention through her illness to the end. A memorial service was held for Matilda in the Rosewood Congregational Church. She had spent 41 years as a resident of Rosewood.
There was a very large attendance. The church was draped in black and white. The Rev. C. A. Capern was the celebrant and he delivered an impressive address, taking as his text, “Let not your heart be troubled.” (John 14-1), The choir sang “Now The Labourer’s Task is O’er,” also the anthems “What Are These?” “Jesus Lover of Soul,” “Nearer My God to Thee” “Abide With Me,” Miss R. Allen rendered the hymn, “Oh Rest in the Lord.” (7)
William and four daughters and five sons were left to mourn their loss. They were: Mesdames J. Holbeck, T. McMullin, J. S. Aspinall, Miss Lizzie Bennett (Ipswich), Messrs. Charles Yarrow (Kilcoy), James Yarrow (Gayndah), William Yarrow (Rosewood), George Yarrow (Ashwell) and Thomas Yarrow (Canungra). There were also a number of grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
William stayed a short time at the boarding house before he went to live at West Ipswich with his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Holbeck. On his 87th birthday the publican at the Club Hotel in Ipswich gave him a dinner.
87th Birthday Celebrated. Ipswich Citizens’ Tributes.
A happy gathering assembled in the dining room at the Club Hotel, Brisbane-street, on Saturday night, when Mr. and Mrs. A. E. O’Driscoll gave a dinner in honour of the 87th birthday of Mr. William J. Bennett Herbert-street. The tables were prettily decorated. The beautifully iced two-tiered birthday cake (made by Mrs. O’Driscoll) had an inscription, “In honour of W. J. B.’s 87th birthday, and hoping he will see many more.” Mrs. O’Driscoll was congratulated on the repast.
The Mayor (Ald. A. T. Stephenson) presided. Visiting Mr. Bennett “Many Happy Returns of the Day,” he expressed appreciation of his long record of splendid citizenship in the Ipswich district. He had reared a family, who, like their father, were splendid citizens, and were held in the highest respect. He hoped the veteran would be spared to celebrate many more birthdays. On behalf of assembled friends the Mayor presented to Mr. Bennett a silver-mounted walking stick.
Mr. and Mrs. O’Driscoll presented Mr. Bennett with a box of cigars, and he also received a personal present of a pipe. Mr. Bennett expressed his keen appreciation of Mr. and Mrs. O’Driscoll’s generosity, and his friends’ kindness. He was grateful for his splendid health up to the present. Mr. Mat. Rogan proposed the toast “Our Host and Hostess,” thanking them for their kindness, and congratulating them on the choice repast. Mr. O’Driscoll acknowledged the toast.
In the course of the evening the Mayor gave a recitation. A pleasant function ended by all present joining hands and singing “Auld Lang Syne.” (4)
William Bennett died in January 1937. His funeral cortege left from the home of his daughter (Mrs. J. Holbeck), Herbert-street, West Ipswich at 2.30 on Friday 8th January, for the Ipswich Cemetery.
© Jane Schy, 2025
References:
(1) The Moreton Bay Courier, Saturday 15 August 1857, page 3
(2) Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Thursday, 26 November 1885, page 4
(3) Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba), Saturday 14 January 1871, page 2
(4) Queensland Times, Monday, 22 October 1934, page 2
(5) Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney), Saturday 8 March 1884, page 23
(6) Goulburn Evening Penny Post Thursday 13 March 1884, page 2
(7) Queensland Times, Tuesday, 17 February 1920, page 6
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
England Census 1851
Queensland, Australia, Immigration Indexes, 1848-1972
New South Wales. Australia. Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896
Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980
Queensland Registry Births, Deaths, Marriages
New South Wales Registry Births, Deaths, Marriages