tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64772168424591268032024-03-13T16:30:59.944+11:00Flockton Family HistoryLouise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-67165409649644541772020-06-07T16:27:00.002+10:002020-06-10T15:55:19.187+10:00Early Deaths in the Flockton Family of Turpentine Distillers<br />
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By the mid 1790s two Flockton brothers from Green Hammerton in Yorkshire had moved to London to take over the turpentine works of their father's childless cousin Edward Webster and his wife Mary née Stephens. Their three surviving Flockton sons also worked in the business.</div>
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The business had been based at Potters Fields, opposite the Tower of London, but subjected the surrounding area to such extreme risks of explosion and fire that an Act of Parliament in 1785 provided compensation for the factory to be moved upstream to Battersea. The first record of the new factory in operation at Battersea comes in 1802.</div>
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From around 1825 another branch of the family business at Spa Road, Bermondsey manufactured pitch, tar,
turpentine and varnish and in 1828 claimed to be the sole manufacturer of the
patent resin.</div>
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The Battersea factory moved upriver again, around 1840 to the Twickenham oil mills, and again to Weybridge around 1842. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKXejCL83LUVA3HguwUS0mbLxDwlBI5_9f1Z75uSGriIY7YMzCt4RGRHUty7wBs1-yrNXahyphenhyphen0YBQe8sYwZIYLb0KFLUSeTYjhnfC1mRf5KSTt1OHRgKMu7VEfUgUtYuHxZf3LvTj0KPuH/s3001/WeybridgeMill.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Oil Mill at Weybridge, 1924" border="0" data-original-height="1837" data-original-width="3001" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKXejCL83LUVA3HguwUS0mbLxDwlBI5_9f1Z75uSGriIY7YMzCt4RGRHUty7wBs1-yrNXahyphenhyphen0YBQe8sYwZIYLb0KFLUSeTYjhnfC1mRf5KSTt1OHRgKMu7VEfUgUtYuHxZf3LvTj0KPuH/w400-h245/WeybridgeMill.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oil Mill at Weybridge, 1924<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy Elmbridge Museum, Surrey</span></td></tr>
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It is interesting to consider the possible influence of their chemically-polluted working environment on the life spans of all the Flockton partners in the family business.</div>
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William Flockton, 1770-1818</h3>
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Elder brother William Flockton, born in 1770, had six children, all born in the parish of St Mary Battersea, of whom only a daughter and a son reached adulthood. William was apparently responsible for the Battersea factory operations of the turpentine business, until he died early in 1818, aged forty-seven. No details have survived for his cause of death. His widow Elizabeth reputedly kept the Battersea factory going for some years, working with her son Thomas (Tom). By the early 1840s their oil crushing business had again moved upriver, to Twickenham.</div>
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Here William's son Tom died of 'fever' in 1843, aged forty-two and Tom's only child, born in 1841, died in 1847. </div>
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William's daughter Mary Elizabeth, who had married the soap maker Samuel Thomas Moate in 1820, had 11 children. Two of their eight sons died in infancy. Their three daughters lived long lives in England. Their three sons who moved to Victoria, in Australia, lived longer than the three brothers who stayed in England, who died in their forties and early fifties.</div>
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Thomas Flockton, c.1772-1846</h3>
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Younger brother Thomas Flockton, born around 1772, lived in the parish of St John Horselydown, Southwark where his two sons and two daughters were baptised. From 1828 he and his two sons ran the office side of the business from the family home at 20 Freeman's Lane, Horselydown, and also factory operations at nearby Spa Fields, Rotherhithe. His sons having married, Thomas moved out of Freeman's Lane around 1833-4 and lived nearby. He effectively retired from the family business in 1839 through ill-health and died of 'general dropsy' in 1846, a condition he'd suffered for eight years. </div>
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Webster was an industrial chemist and inventor and he worked at the family's various factories while it seems that his younger brother Thomas Metcalf Flockton was the business manager. Both continued to reside at 20 Freeman's Lane until around 1837, when Webster and his family moved to Spa Cottages, Bermondsey. </div>
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In the early 1840s, Webster was also helping his cousin Tom at Twickenham. The relationship was close as Tom was also Webster's brother-in-law, being married to Webster's sister Thomasine. Tom died in 1843, the Twickenham site was soon abandoned and Webster moved with his family to Weybridge where a new seed crushing factory was built near the junction of the Wey Navigation Canal with the Thames. Webster's family now lived at Stanmore House, Weybridge.</div>
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Thomas Metcalf Flockton died four years after his father, in 1850. He died of dropsy of the chest, said to be aged forty-six although he had turned forty-seven. He had two stillborn daughters and one son, who died in a horse-riding accident in 1858, aged twenty-three.</div>
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Webster Flockton, who had spent his entire life in and around factories, died in 1853 at the age of fifty-one, of chronic bronchitis and effusion into the chest. His widow Maria Isabella née Cruikshank soon moved her family to Romford in Essex but kept the business going for another three years before amalgamating it with a similar business, in which she continued to play an active role for another decade.</div>
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Webster had 14 children and a number of his children also suffered from health problems which shortened their lives. The males who worked with chemicals generally lived much shorter lives than their sisters, who were not exposed to the same pollutants. Two of the sisters, Isabel and Thomasine, were artists who married fellow artists, but they were water colourists rather than painters in oils so were not exposed to the turpentine used to dilute paint and clean brushes. Thomasine succumbed early in life to typhoid fever but her sister Isabel lived a long life.</div>
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Webster Flockton's three children born at Freeman's Lane, Horselydown:</h3>
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<tr><td>1833- ?</td><td>Thomas, shipbroker, still alive in 1887, died of ?</td></tr>
<tr><td>1835-1917</td><td>Isabel Mary, aged 82, senile decay & cardiac failure</td></tr>
<tr><td>1836-1836</td><td>Ellen, newborn</td></tr>
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Webster Flockton's five children born at 'Spa Cottage', Bermondsey:</h3>
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<tr><td>1837-1901</td><td>Webster, aged 64, gas manager, <b>carcinoma</b> of neck & bronchitis</td></tr>
<tr><td>1838-1922</td><td>Anna Maria (Annie), aged 84, <b>lifelong mental health problems</b> but died of 'senile decay of considerable duration', Brookwood Asylum</td></tr>
<tr><td>1839-1882</td><td>Squire, aged 43, mercantile clerk, <b>suicide</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1841-1873</td><td>Berkeley St Vincent Cruikshank, aged 31, mercantile clerk, <b>phthisis pulmonalia</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>1842-1903</td><td>Mary Webster, aged 60, <b>carcinoma</b> of uterus (longstanding)</td></tr>
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Webster's six children born at 'Stanmore House', Weybridge, Surrey:</h3>
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<tr><td>1845-1870</td><td>Thomasine Browning, aged 25, typhoid</td></tr>
<tr><td>1846-1927</td><td>Arthur Cruikshank, aged 81, Royal Navy engine room fitter, senile decay</td></tr>
<tr><td>1848-1929</td><td>Maria Isabella, aged 81, <b>carcinoma</b> of the bowel and heart failure</td></tr>
<tr><td>1850-1907</td><td>John Cox, aged 57, gas manager, died in elevator accident</td></tr>
<tr><td>1851-1938</td><td>Beatrice, aged 87, heart failure and uraemia following fractured hip</td></tr>
<tr><td>1853-1916</td><td>Frederick Cox, aged 63, various occupations, cellulitis of the arm & toxaemia</td></tr>
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NOTE: The author Louise Wilson is a descendant of the artist Francis Stephen Flockton and his artist wife Isabel Mary Flockton, Frank's distant cousin. She has researched the Flocktons for many years and the above notes briefly summarise one aspect of her work. Louise Wilson's biography of the scientific botanical artist <i>Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</i> was published by Wakefield Press in 2016.<br />
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P.S. You are invited to 'Like' Louise Wilson, Author on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor/" style="font-weight: 400;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span>Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-50521118016378954542020-01-11T08:13:00.001+11:002022-06-18T12:41:18.713+10:00Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes<div style="text-align: justify;">
In my family there is an abundance of Flocktons. As <a href="https://www.louisewilson.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Louise Wilson</b></span></a> I have already written a biography about one of them: <b><i><a href="https://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</span></a>.</i></b> Although Margaret was an aunt of my maternal grandmother, she was still alive in my childhood and was known to us all as 'Aunt Mog'.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Aunt Mog's parents - my grandmother's grandparents - were Francis Stephen (Frank) Flockton and his distant cousin Isabel Mary Flockton. </span>Frank was a son of Stephen Fatt and Sarah Flockton, who was a daughter of Rev Jonathan Flockton and was living in the Vicarage at Melbourn in Cambridgeshire when she married. <span lang="EN-US">My grandmother passed down to us a family legend about how Stephen and Sarah first met, at</span> a country ball. The tale even encompassed what Stephen wore and what he said.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Saints, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire<br />
From website <a href="http://melbourncambridge.org/" style="font-size: 12.8px;">http://melbourncambridge.org/</a></td></tr>
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My younger sisters have good memories and vividly remember our grandmother's words. My role in recent years, as the family historian, has been to check out all the factual aspects of Stephen and Sarah's marriage and life circumstances. Fortuitously, I even found a document explaining Stephen's name change. It seems that Sarah made an excellent match when she married Stephen. They had ten children and lived in great comfort in a number of homes for the gentry close to London. All these highly interesting details are included in a non-fiction book I am drafting about the Flockton family.</div>
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Meanwhile, using the pen name <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouisaValentineAuthor/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Louisa Valentine</b></span></a>, I have written a creative non-fiction version of Stephen and Sarah's love story. It was entered into a competition run in 2019 by the Historical Novel Society of Australasia, with a strict 3,000 word limit. You can read it here: <i><span><a href="https://www.louisewilson.com.au/files/Take%20a%20Pair%20of%20Sparkling%20Eyes%20Web%20version.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes</b></span></a><span style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;">.</span></span></i></div>
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I'd love to know what you think of this story. Leave a comment below or contact me via my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouisaValentineAuthor/" target="_blank"><b>Louisa Valentine Facebook page</b></a>.Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-40383025435694647342019-12-13T15:37:00.003+11:002021-04-10T09:00:32.310+10:00White Island and La Soufriere<div class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the major eruption on White Island in New
Zealand this week, adventurous tourists and tour operators suffered loss
of life and catastrophic injuries. Their sad fate reminds us that human beings
remain ever-curious about the dramatic natural forces shaping our world. <br /><br />And so
it was more than 200 years ago when one of my relatives died as the result of climbing
an active volcano, La Soufriere, on the Caribbean island of St Vincent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kingstown, St Vincent,, c 1830 <br />
Picture
from Shephard, Charles, Esq, An Historical Account of the Island of Saint
Vincent, (W Nicol, London, 1831</td></tr>
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My 4<sup>th</sup> great-grandfather, James
Cruikshank, a merchant then aged around twenty-five, and Sarah Young, an heiress then aged
around thirty-six, married on St Vincent on 7 December 1808. The Cruikshanks
operated two estates, 'Cummacrabou' Estate and 'Mesopotamia' Estate, both inherited
from Sarah's father Dr George Young. It seems the estates were located some
distance from La Soufriere volcano, as the owners were not compensated by the
British government for financial losses sustained when the volcano erupted in 1812.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Two daughters of James and Sarah
Cruikshank were born on the island: Maria Isabella in 1810 and Ellen Sarah in
1812. When Maria Isabella was only two months old she was taken by her mother
to be brought up in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
where she remained for the rest of her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">On 30 April 1812, around the time Ellen
was born, La Soufriere erupted in a major volcanic event. The Times of London
reported the eruption in graphic detail, including an article on 30 June that
the Souffrier [sic]:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">had for some time past indicated much
disquietude; and from the extraordinary frequency and violence of earthquakes,
which are calculated to have exceeded two hundred within the last year,
portended some great movement or eruption. The apprehension, however, was not
so immediate as to restrain curiosity, or to prevent repeated visits to the
crater, which of late had been more numerous than at any former period, even up
to Sunday last, the 26<sup>th</sup> of April; when some Gentlemen ascended it
and remained there for some time. Nothing unusual was then remarked, or any
external difference observed, except rather a stronger emission of smoke from
the interstices of the conical hill, at the bottom of the crater. </span></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN-US">Young James Cruikshank must have been one
of these adventurous gentlemen. According to his daughter Maria’s recollections,
he died at the age of twenty-eight from a chill caught by ascending the
mountain. Inhalation of poisonous gases might have been the real cause. James
was buried at St George’s in Kingstown, St Vincent on 1 May 1812, the day after
the eruption. The Times described this day, May Day:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">the birth of May dawned like the day of
judgment: a chaotic gloom enveloped the mountain, and an impenetrable haze hung
over the sea, with black sluggish clouds of a sulphureous cast. The whole
island was covered with favilla, cinders, scoria, and broken masses of volcanic
matter. It was not until the afternoon, the muttering noise of the mountain
sunk gradually into a solemn yet suspicious silence.</span></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN-US">Six weeks after the death of James, his
second child Ellen Sarah was christened. The bereaved widow Sarah kept her second baby with her and remained on St Vincent
until her own death there early in 1820. She'd spent most of her almost forty-eight years in the
tropics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Aged around eight, Ellen was sent to join
her older sister Maria in England. Ellen was sick when she arrived and she eventually died
in England in 1830, aged eighteen. Maria, through her husband Webster Flockton,
retained ownership of both the estates on St Vincent until they were sold some
time in the 1830s or 1840s, by which time they had been in Maria’s family since
about 1773.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">No Will has ever been found for James in England
or Scotland. If only his Will could be found, it might explain some of his
family connections and thereby indicate where he came from. There were other
Cruikshanks on the island of St Vincent in the early 1800s, including another
James Cruikshank. They must have been relatives, but a connection can’t be
found. Can anyone help?</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">NOTE: This abbreviated James Cruikshank story forms part of a much larger and more detailed collection of material I have gathered over many years about the Flockton family. A book is planned but, as I have many other works-in-progress underway, I fear that I'm running out of time to finalise it. </span><br />
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P.S. You are invited to 'Like' Louise Wilson, Author on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor/" style="font-weight: 400;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-57419986764079193652017-12-19T19:02:00.000+11:002017-12-19T19:02:01.158+11:00On the Right Tram at Christmas<div class="MsoNormal">
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Some of us like to give ourselves a Christmas present ... so I was thrilled when one of my fellow family history writers, Bill Barlow, chose my book <i>Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</i> as his own gift to himself last Christmas. We both belong to the GSV Writers Circle in Melbourne (Genealogical Society of Victoria) and around this time last year Bill shared with our members an amusing story.<br />
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Busy and distracted by other events in 2017, I forgot to finalise it as a post for my blog (editing, pictures, etc). A tad belatedly, here it is now, before Christmas 2017 also becomes a distant memory. It comes with my best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy festive season and the very best of everything in the year to come.<br />
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The tale starts with Bill's comment to our GSV Writers' Facebook group a year ago ...</div>
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Spent the last part of today chasing down a copy of Louise's
latest book - literally!</div>
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Having picked up a copy in Readings at State Library of
Victoria, I made my way home on the train and tram with it in a nice brown paper
carry bag - too big to fit in my normal bag. Walked home from the tram terminus
in East Malvern and realised I had left it on the tram!</div>
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Ran back only to find the tram had already turned around and
headed back to the city. So ran back home, jumped in the car and chased down
the tram a few stops after Caulfield. Got on - but wrong tram, no book the
driver said.</div>
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Off the tram, walked back to the car and then continued to
chase the tram in front - all the way along Balaclava Rd and up St Kilda Rd
till I spotted a no. 3 and managed to park and board that tram- crowded with
city commuters. Driver said that he did notice his changeover driver carrying a
brown paper bag off the tram, so probably it is back at Depot Lost Property by
now.</div>
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Good news! After a long peak hour drive to the Glenhuntly
depot, there it was sitting on a shelf. Now it is safely home and I will next
see it on Christmas Day. I am sure it will be worth it!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1reEMACCzwEyjvRJ2XBOcWczwOJSPsY_KFcUbGzurmZyDEbT_YLideTUiS4RiriPfK-6biet024_0cPi1_XHp-u9jxcJ4fUb6xYCMLdCJ7X6pIG4VubDp1j0tUYpjOVxT0yxjW_0AasfV/s1600/IMG_2037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1reEMACCzwEyjvRJ2XBOcWczwOJSPsY_KFcUbGzurmZyDEbT_YLideTUiS4RiriPfK-6biet024_0cPi1_XHp-u9jxcJ4fUb6xYCMLdCJ7X6pIG4VubDp1j0tUYpjOVxT0yxjW_0AasfV/s400/IMG_2037.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No 3 Tram, St Kilda Rd, December 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Me: OMG, Bill. You'll never forget this book, will you?
Unbelievable. I had to laugh though. It would have made a great skit for
someone with a camera. Now I'm hoping and praying that, post Christmas Day,
you'll think all this effort was worth it.</div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
--------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: I heard nothing for months. Was it so bad that Bill hoped
I’d forgotten his story? Just after Easter I heard from him again on this
matter, and we had this exchange of comments and responses via email. It was very valuable for me to obtain feedback from someone else struggling with the difficulties of writing family history. It often gets a bad rap as a genre!</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: Congratulations on the Flockton book! I held it over till
Easter to read when I knew I would have a few days in a row to read it as a
whole - rather than my half page in bed intermittently over a long period. </blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: I know exactly what you mean by the problems of reading a
page here & there before your heavy eyes won’t stay open any longer. So
thank you for saving your reading until you had time to properly evaluate the
book.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I think it is a very complete and thorough biography that
manages to deal with a lot of potentially boring technical quotes and source
material but in a way that is interesting and readable. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: I had to laugh when I read the words you chose to describe
the book: ‘interesting and readable’. That’s what everyone says about all of my
books! It’s why I decided to describe myself as a ‘nerdy’ writer!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I wouldn’t describe you that way – your writing is too
mainstream, readable and not wacky enough. Maybe ‘nerdy' if that means any
writer investigating history and the truth.</blockquote>
Me: What did you think of the book overall? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I enjoyed the book. It is very good and I am amazed at how
you pulled it all together so successfully. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: I’m glad you think it did come together. I tried hard to
generate a readable ‘text book’, to help art historians, art auctioneers,
botanists etc have accurate information to work from. At the same time I wanted
to create a ‘story’, showing readers who Margaret was as a person, although
that was difficult given the scarcity of her private correspondence.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: After our discussions about the value in having a strong
opening I was mildly surprised by your ‘cool’, non-gripping, opening sentence
and paragraph.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: I did run this introduction past the Writers Group back in 2011 and they
liked it, but that was then! We've all progressed as writers since!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFhFjZ4WQRi-0X6Z7cqrnxHMHVr6h8FcQaBYuM31xoOJfoajzjUGDKNcV8jQD3SF9Z77yf8LWjVUUFCV2Vwi9060hmNMBPV0i1NGbib-y3CcrRpgR2iN0vl2G6ejcJSqaP7PabqMIYvXZ/s1600/DSC00604+GSV+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1021" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFhFjZ4WQRi-0X6Z7cqrnxHMHVr6h8FcQaBYuM31xoOJfoajzjUGDKNcV8jQD3SF9Z77yf8LWjVUUFCV2Vwi9060hmNMBPV0i1NGbib-y3CcrRpgR2iN0vl2G6ejcJSqaP7PabqMIYvXZ/s400/DSC00604+GSV+low+res.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Meeting of the GSV Writers Circle, Melbourne, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And I seriously considered Prof Tim Entwisle’s suggestion
several years ago that I start the book with Margaret’s life in the 1890s and
her successes in Sydney (the ‘works of genius’ stuff) and then backtrack but,
since I personally don’t like that kind of story ‘flow’, I didn’t rearrange the
book. Call me stubborn! Also, I didn’t think you could understand Mog’s life
and the choices she made without knowing where she came from.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I had the same response, and thought of suggesting this, but
you have already published. I certainly agree with you that it is hard to
understand Mog's life without knowing where she came from. (Which is why we all
do family history.)</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: So I should have tried to make her seem like a 'star' at the start of the book?</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I <i>did</i> take a while to get into the story, as the early
England years are not particularly special if the reader doesn’t already know
about Flockton in her prime and thus want to know about her formative years.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Don’t think you’re alone in thinking that the first part of
the book was ‘slow’. That has been the reaction of almost every male reader to
date, whereas women have generally loved all the family stuff. Interesting!</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: The core of the book was very interesting and carried me
along (and I found myself getting out my Stan Kelly and gumnut books on the
eucalypts to check things). </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: By ‘core of the book’, did you mean the entire story
concept, or just the central, middle part of the book, the career section of
her life? I’m keen to know where the story flagged. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I did mean the ‘career section of her life’, not the ‘entire
story concept’.<br />
<br />
I did think the concepts listed in the Introduction were a
bit romantic. Lots of those subjects perhaps get a mention in the book, as you
say, they 'underlie the story', but I didn’t see this as enough to make it a
book about those things, e.g. ‘becoming an Australian’. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Point taken –the word 'underlie' would probably have been better
than 'about' in the Introduction! But the various themes flagged in the
Introduction are definitely drawn together at the end of the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I think your summary of her life is excellent.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Thank you.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I also had some queries about whether anything in her life
qualified her as a feminist, that is, one who advocates for women’s rights. I
guess that is why she is a ‘quiet feminist’ - one who, if asked, would agree
with women’s rights. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: You don’t have to be an 'advocate' to be a feminist. You just
have to live a life where you decline to be subservient to men and, I think, remain
financially independent of them. Don’t forget she was involved in the struggle
to grant her equal pay with her male public-servant peers.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: Her life was, as you say a ‘quiet’, non-squeaky-wheel one.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Today’s readers seem to like dramatic, over-the-top stuff,
with everything spelled out in a quick read. The subtleties of quiet
personalities like Margaret’s leave them cold. Some readers of this book,
clearly not attuned to nuance, have said ‘But who was she? As a person?’ I
never quite know how to answer such a question from people who’ve read this
book yet clearly didn’t ‘get’ Margaret. Others have understood the limitations
of depicting an introvert when available source material is limited.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I think you have done a great job integrating all the
letters, etc in the saga of her painting and scientific illustrator careers. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
It
is great having so many pictures and they are well-placed, within a page of the
relevant text. It is amazing how the WW1 gave us so many fine portrait shots of
the men but of course there are only a couple of Margaret in later life. Maybe
Picture 176 (pulled out of the office staff shot) is the only clear one of her
face at the height of her career years. You used this on the dust jacket I now
see, but I would have liked it perhaps enlarged in the book up-front, alongside
the Introduction instead of the maps.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihshlaTUPPLrSXgfq0eGK-G8Sdxk4ZeCyd_xyfZzmJ7QJKhzfyWyweNmtPdvfGuDS9SK59OED9ydzeEOeBlnSczIzAsblr-We0BVEoDs67sHh8TRkmSmKJH4gLZ3EBTr0ernLhPEJq0ecE/s1600/Pic+175.+Photo+-+staff+photo+detail+M.F+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="481" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihshlaTUPPLrSXgfq0eGK-G8Sdxk4ZeCyd_xyfZzmJ7QJKhzfyWyweNmtPdvfGuDS9SK59OED9ydzeEOeBlnSczIzAsblr-We0BVEoDs67sHh8TRkmSmKJH4gLZ3EBTr0ernLhPEJq0ecE/s400/Pic+175.+Photo+-+staff+photo+detail+M.F+%25282%2529.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Flockton, 1912 (Pic 176 in the book)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Me: The publisher Wakefield Press prides itself on the quality
of images in its books and the few pictures I had of Margaret were all less
than satisfactory - often blurry and of low res. So they wouldn’t use her
picture on the front cover or blown up from the original and they compromised by
placing a small version of the office shot on the inside of the dust jacket. I was happy with that, as
I think it depicts her character pretty well, right from the time you pick up
the book.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I’m not sure why there is some feeling (at the end of the
Introduction) of her being hard done by, in not becoming a professional
botanist. I felt she probably could have been if she had wanted to or if she
was in the right time and place. After all Sarah Hynes was not a male and also
wasn’t born after 1861.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: There was no intention on my part to convey a ‘hard done by’
impression. Blame my choice of words. I’m sure it never occurred to Margaret to
become a botanist, before she reached her mid-40s anyway, when she was working full-time
at the Royal Botanic Garden. There are lots of reasons (not spelled out in the
book) as to why her age-peer Sarah Hynes was able to become a botanist. Sarah did
not need to work to help support her parents, for one, and by the time Sarah
decided to go to University, in the late 1880s, she was living in Australia,
where the class structure impeded much less on educational opportunities for
women.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I was left wondering about the housekeepers and companions
(p. 222). They must have shared her life quite a bit, especially if they were companions,
but I can’t recall hearing anything much about them. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: I thought about them a lot too but, despite my best efforts,
I couldn’t find any information about them and I didn’t think it was fair to
speculate. Many young women became spinsters because of WW1 and Mog may just
have been doing ‘good works’ by employing a housekeeper and providing a roof
over her head. The Flockton family had a tradition of employing servants.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: I didn’t know what an INTJ personality type is (note 4, last
chapter) - even though I was Myers-Briggsed years ago. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Here’s a <a href="http://www.humanmetrics.com/personality/intj" target="_blank">link</a> summarising the INTJ personality profile. They are generally driven by a rational, big-picture view of the world
outside themselves.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: As you know, I'm in the process of writing a family history book myself. I wondered why the chapters did not get numbers?</blockquote>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Me: Possibly that was a ‘style thing’ with the publisher. It didn’t strike me as a problem. The chapters have meaningful titles</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: The categories of the bibliography, especially your groupings of the
genealogical sources, make a lot of sense. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: When you look at the bibliography, it’s amazing just how
many sources I did have to consult in order to piece her life story together
over so many years!</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: A chronological list of her known fine art paintings and whereabouts
would have been good. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Not possible, I’m afraid, but that’s why I included all the
works entered to the Art Society exhibitions each year, despite the unhelpful
nature of their titles. That’s the nearest I could get to a catalogue of her
fine art. The Art Society hasn’t kept any sales records so I don’t know who
bought most of the paintings, or where they are today. Maybe this book will
flush out some art lovers. Most of the owners who I have located wish to remain
anonymous.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: It’s interesting how one’s view about life colours how we
see the lives we write about. </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Pure objectivity is impossible!! And, if it could be
achieved, I think it would detract from the appeal of family history books.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Bill: Thanks for sharing this opportunity for an exchange of views, via the communication
channel your book has offered between the writer and a reader.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Me: Thank you, Bill, for taking the time to provide this
valuable feedback ... an easy kind of Christmas gift to give an author. I think all authors crave the evidence that their book has
provoked reader reaction. We need reassurance that, after all the effort
involved in the writing of a book, it didn’t just drop into the void, that someone
thought about what it meant! <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
POSTSCRIPT: For your information, <i>Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</i> sold out during 2017 but <a href="http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/product.php?productid=1320" target="_blank">Wakefield Press</a> has been collecting orders and looks likely to reprint it soon as a paperback. </div>
</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-53444806746020821572017-12-14T16:13:00.001+11:002020-06-10T15:58:36.938+10:00Bumping into Joseph Banks<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Everywhere I went in England during November 2017 I kept
bumping into Joseph Banks.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSbxwvf0hgAKCNQyikj5seDOeDtRcK0gynNdXGZodv8wQdNoOzwHq5J16qvXnZh1DaGkJQwKSNqZ6c3HEX2EjZSLOVgGi7k-g3WAavTOZIwMz1Zx2s4J11GcOcsgkav5BHoT2TOi3OhCw/s1600/banks-header-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="1200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSbxwvf0hgAKCNQyikj5seDOeDtRcK0gynNdXGZodv8wQdNoOzwHq5J16qvXnZh1DaGkJQwKSNqZ6c3HEX2EjZSLOVgGi7k-g3WAavTOZIwMz1Zx2s4J11GcOcsgkav5BHoT2TOi3OhCw/s400/banks-header-large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Header Picture on Sir Joseph Banks Society Webpage, www.joseph-banks.org.uk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Banks and botany were not on my agenda when I left
Melbourne on 1 November. I was on the trail of my Boulton forebears, significant
mail coach contractors in London in the 1780s and 1790s. Tracing their origins,
I spent three long days at the Lincolnshire Archives. Yet there was still time
to pursue tourist activities in the very historic town of Lincoln and the massive <a href="https://lincolncathedral.com/" target="_blank">Cathedral</a> at the top of the quaintly and appropriately named road 'Steep Hill' called to me first.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAfdNQszS9C66SSVPVqkv8Pe6jC4wIaq4rElwHQV3sZqQ7X1r18FBucGAkG9gpR6IbTztqd53iZg72UlvMHradofPQrS1g5VOPDPY926xMRk3Qwmq0M-n2hoxgYCufTHFzFCrIhWYzerl/s1600/IMG_1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAfdNQszS9C66SSVPVqkv8Pe6jC4wIaq4rElwHQV3sZqQ7X1r18FBucGAkG9gpR6IbTztqd53iZg72UlvMHradofPQrS1g5VOPDPY926xMRk3Qwmq0M-n2hoxgYCufTHFzFCrIhWYzerl/s400/IMG_1006.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln Cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The light streaming in through the stained glass windows created a spectacular rainbow effect on the columns supporting the roof of this magnificent building. (A professional photographer would have captured the colours much better than I did.)</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFB7FpjTfLUx1_qGp88yge5u262xrDNL43Oh94TbNWyeBS6LRiwGyAMAtVayTttBgCy_eCaxLb8J4-4u3TPaXYpbKlmsdvRaX5wFqS9pY5_mW-WvOimGJuy847Yks0U5SZEylsp9oc6lg/s1600/IMG_1010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFB7FpjTfLUx1_qGp88yge5u262xrDNL43Oh94TbNWyeBS6LRiwGyAMAtVayTttBgCy_eCaxLb8J4-4u3TPaXYpbKlmsdvRaX5wFqS9pY5_mW-WvOimGJuy847Yks0U5SZEylsp9oc6lg/s400/IMG_1010.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Lincoln Cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I turned around from taking this photo and there was Sir Joseph, with an unexpected tribute to him in pride of place, right inside the main door.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxbDrfbJEkv_8bdRCTjeu4tOIAYfvP9lOkNtUyRCfkGyonph6Qvcrjz4J2tzRDnxWO3GRYbU0k_2kTpM-N62H1n9LExkIPGuUxGBYCqt4yvi5GE07x3felVT64aYjOnRmZp4yHlv5uWq6/s1600/IMG_1011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxbDrfbJEkv_8bdRCTjeu4tOIAYfvP9lOkNtUyRCfkGyonph6Qvcrjz4J2tzRDnxWO3GRYbU0k_2kTpM-N62H1n9LExkIPGuUxGBYCqt4yvi5GE07x3felVT64aYjOnRmZp4yHlv5uWq6/s400/IMG_1011.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tribute to Sir Joseph Banks, Lincoln Cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A few days later I hired a car. Still pursuing my Boultons, I stopped in the market town of Horncastle – and walked right past the <a href="http://www.joseph-banks.org.uk/" target="_blank">Sir Joseph Banks Centre</a>, just off the main square in the heart of town.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgTFltCxVx3xUoHbu0ebDaI49faIuX-PzbD6sJgPak0rzqTG7gAT56-z0WZ2LGBryvpfZhOawZt7MvrM-onSs6ujFJUp8XPVBQUT72ms1O6Fey93o5m8c1DMmggV2ShgNgBqTpy4lztnq/s1600/IMG_1067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgTFltCxVx3xUoHbu0ebDaI49faIuX-PzbD6sJgPak0rzqTG7gAT56-z0WZ2LGBryvpfZhOawZt7MvrM-onSs6ujFJUp8XPVBQUT72ms1O6Fey93o5m8c1DMmggV2ShgNgBqTpy4lztnq/s400/IMG_1067.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Joseph Banks Centre, Horncastle, Lincolnshire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of course I crossed the road and discovered that Banks is a local as well as a county and national hero, for his work in draining the Lincolnshire
fens, the extensive marshland of his home district, thereby turning it into
productive farmland. The centre has created a small garden in his honour.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5_dsPNsf9BS3jqODzGFDZtAT0OryCIFWEjxbBzdMH83VE4xIJwTBRLLPbr0kxJ6W2J9lDvUbPq3feWWJtVKxxOKpXSOXJ_c8RmBTlnvbzOMWtza3BwqTnkfwCrEz6Jx8vMWgS2sZ3KwU/s1600/IMG_1063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5_dsPNsf9BS3jqODzGFDZtAT0OryCIFWEjxbBzdMH83VE4xIJwTBRLLPbr0kxJ6W2J9lDvUbPq3feWWJtVKxxOKpXSOXJ_c8RmBTlnvbzOMWtza3BwqTnkfwCrEz6Jx8vMWgS2sZ3KwU/s400/IMG_1063.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Joseph Banks Tribute Garden, Horncastle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As I drove south through Lincolnshire towards Norfolk the
evidence of his drainage idea was everywhere. The road took me right past his
old house at Revesby, although the property’s in private hands and not a tourist
destination.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In London I visited the <a href="https://www.nam.ac.uk/" target="_blank">National Army Museum</a> to drop off a copy of
my '<a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/brothers_in_arms.html" target="_blank">Brothers in Arms</a>' book at their library– and there was London’s oldest
botanic garden, the <a href="https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/" target="_blank">Chelsea Physic Garden</a>, almost next door. It's not directly
related to Banks, being established well before his day, but it continued the unexpected botanical theme to my travels.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3ZMQ491PnprbzWaoCp7xnK3qi4sDrx3cZTiLq1MCb9UuhIFcDSvLf9i75UIDAFfbQIkxrx1h0vqhJebr7CYPluOf81au-lXhyphenhyphenItFSa9cpo30l1tpXu2pnRPIjjEdYjXAClxBzTqBKCLc/s1600/IMG_1941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3ZMQ491PnprbzWaoCp7xnK3qi4sDrx3cZTiLq1MCb9UuhIFcDSvLf9i75UIDAFfbQIkxrx1h0vqhJebr7CYPluOf81au-lXhyphenhyphenItFSa9cpo30l1tpXu2pnRPIjjEdYjXAClxBzTqBKCLc/s400/IMG_1941.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Chelsea Physic Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The National Archives at
Kew is an unavoidable destination for dedicated researchers like me. When you leave the
District Line train at Kew Gardens, you choose between turning right to head for the Archives
or left and through the railway underpass to reach the Royal Botanic Gardens.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q-PoHcgrKlqcl6ovu1i7jle13Q2LuGHMefvQ41gdFMbaiBqWY7cTMhkfX_Hbn1uep_bPP-uD3mXbF1aVRx9BneD1BNE87GnOqB2DnUr417wTTOopE9iiunhmaTlbGZtjydh1Uqvq-5IM/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q-PoHcgrKlqcl6ovu1i7jle13Q2LuGHMefvQ41gdFMbaiBqWY7cTMhkfX_Hbn1uep_bPP-uD3mXbF1aVRx9BneD1BNE87GnOqB2DnUr417wTTOopE9iiunhmaTlbGZtjydh1Uqvq-5IM/s400/IMG_1678.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">District Line Station at Kew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Naturally I turned left on one of my trips, to visit the living legacy to
Joseph Banks, the magnificent gardens at Kew. Inside the <a href="https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/attractions/marianne-north-gallery" target="_blank">Marianne North Gallery</a>
there’s a striking picture of a <i>Banksia</i> but photographs are banned. I ventured into the adjacent building, the <a href="https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/attractions/shirley-sherwood-gallery" target="_blank">Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art</a>.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2E0G4GOL-Ttr6xL5mgv85IHiUxxjbyHKEMGVk6jd0azsEaeSU-NZ2XqNeWNfRQclbuPJRnxb11HFAlEbv1JX7bZ5m-cPcjhwIqF6j4-oYQ4iFiuyHyzKDWeC7E1hKLKuWnUwayjgL_nQi/s1600/IMG_1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1024" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2E0G4GOL-Ttr6xL5mgv85IHiUxxjbyHKEMGVk6jd0azsEaeSU-NZ2XqNeWNfRQclbuPJRnxb11HFAlEbv1JX7bZ5m-cPcjhwIqF6j4-oYQ4iFiuyHyzKDWeC7E1hKLKuWnUwayjgL_nQi/s400/IMG_1654.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shirley Sherwood Gallery in foreground, alongside Marianne North Gallery, Kew Gardens.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The beautiful painting of <i>Corymbia ficifolia</i> by Australian botanical artist Jenny Phillips grabbed my immediate attention.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu26-6XfVU89Up1n68knaltKlPLuaTKiaE6PfGU27QLYqBtcx_C5W1RbNgP85-gQgJZabMT0v2cYnf7I9Np_Fepf0Plja4NqviAT2k4O_YG_aENxgPtP2aurr5nZaSqRnkiW5pScxLyCK/s1600/IMG_1653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1007" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu26-6XfVU89Up1n68knaltKlPLuaTKiaE6PfGU27QLYqBtcx_C5W1RbNgP85-gQgJZabMT0v2cYnf7I9Np_Fepf0Plja4NqviAT2k4O_YG_aENxgPtP2aurr5nZaSqRnkiW5pScxLyCK/s400/IMG_1653.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Corymbia ficifolia</i> by Jenny Phillips, at Shirley Sherwood Gallery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On a drab winter's day, the colours in her painting were just right when the Gardens were everywhere dressed for Christmas.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKHM7zIHHUu0h1aNJp9slpic2P_508tzxS3ymret-oQU5LcFuNOPvFjcHmdA0FU6l91XC2qtGoVqczvD47i-lsxhlcisi6cx01_euMJtgpnIiiubAC4lrHh6H0-jgiAI0KPah9ilwQt1U/s1600/IMG_1657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKHM7zIHHUu0h1aNJp9slpic2P_508tzxS3ymret-oQU5LcFuNOPvFjcHmdA0FU6l91XC2qtGoVqczvD47i-lsxhlcisi6cx01_euMJtgpnIiiubAC4lrHh6H0-jgiAI0KPah9ilwQt1U/s400/IMG_1657.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, late November 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The name Joseph Banks means a great deal to Australians like me, because it was his journey with Captain James Cook which led
to the selection of Botany Bay as the place to send the first European settlers
to Australia. Cape Banks at the entrance to Botany Bay and the Sydney suburbs of
Bankstown and Revesby are named after him, as is a high school in Sydney and, of course, the <i>Banksia</i> genus of plants. Gnarled old <i>Banksias</i> are part of the environmental DNA of Sydneysiders.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I became
caught up in family history, I discovered that one of my ancestors sailed past Cape Banks in January 1788 and arrived in Sydney with the First Fleet. Another forebear <a href="http://flocktonfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/dr-george-young-c-1726-1803.html" target="_blank">Dr GeorgeYoung</a>, born nearly 300 years ago, had even had dealings with Joseph Banks (not
yet Sir Joseph). Dr Young established the first botanic garden in the western
hemisphere, on the island of <a href="http://www.bgci.org/garden.php?id=314" target="_blank">St Vincent</a> in the 1760s, and in 1773 he was in
England for meetings when Banks was setting up the Botanic Gardens at Kew. Dr Young was
living in retirement on his St Vincent sugar plantation when the breadfruit
tree was brought to the St Vincent Botanic Gardens in 1793 by William Bligh, who’d
failed on his first attempt to do so because of the mutiny on the <i>Bounty.</i> Introducing breadfruit as a source of food for West Indies slaves was an idea supported by Banks.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Banks stated in his will that he
was '<i>deeply impressed with an opinion, which he still continues to hold and
believes to be founded in truth, that the establishment of a Botanic-garden
cannot be complete unless a resident draughtsman be constantly employed in
making sketches and finished drawings of all new plants that perfect their
flowers or fruits in it’</i>. For this reason the artist Ferdinand Bauer had been
employed at Banks’ own expense for 30 years and Banks donated Bauer’s drawings to the British nation. I discovered these facts when I wrote a book about Dr George Young's direct descendant Margaret Flockton, the first professional scientific botanical artist employed in Australia (in Sydney, from 1901-1927).<br />
<br />
I'm thrilled that discussions are currently underway for '<a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank">Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</a>' to be offered for sale at Kew. The book in hardback format sold out earlier this year but the publisher <a href="http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/product.php?productid=1320" target="_blank">Wakefield Press</a> has plans to reprint it, most likely as a paperback. Orders are being taken, if you're interested in obtaining a copy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To cap it
all off, when I arrived back in Melbourne in December I discovered that 'The Conjurer’s Bird', a novel by Martin Davies with Joseph Banks as the central character, has finally been scheduled for discussion by my book club group in 2018. I suggested it as a possible title back in 2010 - see my <a href="http://louise-wilson.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/the-conjurors-bird.html" target="_blank">review</a>.</div>
<br />
<o:p></o:p>
P.S. You are invited to 'Like' Louise Wilson, Author on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor/" style="font-weight: 400;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-3720968540363134122016-12-19T13:16:00.000+11:002020-06-10T15:56:12.972+10:00Flockton Street, Everton Park, Brisbane and the Trouts<div class="MsoNormal">
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Margaret Flockton is an inspiration to many women because she
pursued a non-traditional profession, and had a career at a time when few middle-class women worked outside the home. She
was also an inspiration to Sir Leon and Lady Trout, because they
named a major Brisbane street after her. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLLBAO_lE4B9QESBMGLfC2EBMu-GFoNjE3vgERu1Ake9Zw-W1o0AUDQqpwzLZxrd3GLezGWf61aCi7TcZRppm8KG-Ko4LHLvM9oOVVBwS8g54u2oJOIsU9g7ZpdViGmxQzvAOjaTI4ZWL/s1600/Flockton+St+%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLLBAO_lE4B9QESBMGLfC2EBMu-GFoNjE3vgERu1Ake9Zw-W1o0AUDQqpwzLZxrd3GLezGWf61aCi7TcZRppm8KG-Ko4LHLvM9oOVVBwS8g54u2oJOIsU9g7ZpdViGmxQzvAOjaTI4ZWL/s320/Flockton+St+%25283%2529.png" width="360" /></a></div>
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This is busy Flockton Street, intersecting with Trouts Road in the inner suburb of Everton Park. It's a boundary road of what was once a large estate owned by the Trouts, who collected
art and were involved with the Queensland Art Gallery.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp8N0MGONam5agBxp_PobtZe2vAUIySXuFYVCDL-lfwDXe5bjnU4qjlfvfNjbPTQv4ZRNirxVgroUSbm-8_W73acdoGCU1SpECWoJA-rPJXT-Qe941-ha_k0FpB3GhSUon5-tS9XQitf9/s1600/1910+MLFc1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp8N0MGONam5agBxp_PobtZe2vAUIySXuFYVCDL-lfwDXe5bjnU4qjlfvfNjbPTQv4ZRNirxVgroUSbm-8_W73acdoGCU1SpECWoJA-rPJXT-Qe941-ha_k0FpB3GhSUon5-tS9XQitf9/s320/1910+MLFc1910.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Flockton, Gladesville, Sydney c 1914</td></tr>
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Pursuant to my research for the Margaret Flockton biography, I’ve known about Flockton Street since 2007. Enquiries I made
then at Brisbane City Council as to the origins of Flockton Street’s name
revealed only that the street did not appear in 1920 street directories, and
was named after 1920 in honour of ‘someone unknown’.<br />
<br />
Since Margaret was most
well-known through the 1890s and early 1900s, I looked for someone else named
Flockton who might have been ‘in the news’ after the 1920s. For a time I
wondered whether Flockton Street was named after a distant relative of Margaret’s, the
well-known NSW cricketer Ray Flockton, born in Sydney in 1930 and constantly in
the news through the 1950s.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy_zO-s4uYjMfUgnO6HAGv6GAwYH8tvsg_qa6xnCtp9UbGCTnhkQEKoCH-OMHzY0cQ4wuJTM_ZzJtSUUYF2vsQhfIxEi5cH-A4qBECALsoEisvNdA829-UtBvXoG4QG6EppEZyHB7rw4H/s1600/Sir+Leon+Trout+48181874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJy_zO-s4uYjMfUgnO6HAGv6GAwYH8tvsg_qa6xnCtp9UbGCTnhkQEKoCH-OMHzY0cQ4wuJTM_ZzJtSUUYF2vsQhfIxEi5cH-A4qBECALsoEisvNdA829-UtBvXoG4QG6EppEZyHB7rw4H/s320/Sir+Leon+Trout+48181874.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Sir Leon Trout<br />
by William Dobell, Christies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lately, thanks to Zoe Boccabella in Brisbane, I’ve discovered the Trout connection. The Trouts
began subdividing their substantial property ‘Everton House’ from the late
1950s, selling off portions for residential housing. The newly-created streets
of Everton Park needed names, yet Sir Leon Trout’s <b><a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/trout-sir-herbert-leon-11880"><span style="color: blue;">profile</span></a>
</b>in the Australian Dictionary of Biography outlines his obvious patronage of
artists but makes no reference to him as a cricket fan. A quick check on Google
maps for his former landholding uncovers streets with the names of Nerli, Bunny,
Cayley, Friend, Heysen, McCubbin, Namatjira, Streeton … and Flockton. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHySP98HI-yn2mHU037UaQZVPZyC9ZtHIqEEYF0iRuCLjjz7GlncZFLWxVt013xCTCNYBT_uwc-bkD4uOr97rKBzR2oHJJ_d5rLcQnce6jWSjiRrpiFUAfCAr6bR7ialGPoQLIwZsnknE_/s1600/Trouts+2%252C+Sunday+Mail%252C+11+Jul+1954%252C+p+16+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHySP98HI-yn2mHU037UaQZVPZyC9ZtHIqEEYF0iRuCLjjz7GlncZFLWxVt013xCTCNYBT_uwc-bkD4uOr97rKBzR2oHJJ_d5rLcQnce6jWSjiRrpiFUAfCAr6bR7ialGPoQLIwZsnknE_/s320/Trouts+2%252C+Sunday+Mail%252C+11+Jul+1954%252C+p+16+%25282%2529.png" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Trouts, Sunday Mail, Brisbane, 11 Jul 1954 </td></tr>
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I have no record that the Trouts ever met Margaret Flockton. She arrived from London in Sydney in 1888 and, apart from a year spent in Charters Towers in 1892, she remained in Sydney until her death in 1953. Clearly, since Flockton was chosen by the Trouts as the name of their longest street, Margaret's work represented something special to them.<br />
<br />
The history of Flockton Street’s
name is now abundantly clear to me. Why didn’t Brisbane City Council know this interesting history of Everton Park when I enquired years ago?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sir (Herbert) Leon Trout died in 1978 and his widow Lady Peggy Trout died
in 1988. The Board of the Queensland Art Gallery then <a href="http://www.smuggled.com/medre171.htm"><b><span style="color: blue;">sued her lawyers</span></b></a> over her will,
claiming that she had wanted to bequeath to the Gallery her collection, valued at $10 million. In June 1989 the Trout collection was offered for <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/31675143?selectedversion=NBD11378422"><b><span style="color: blue;">auction</span></b></a>
by Christies, the catalogue listing important Australian paintings and
decorative arts. At the auction the Queensland Art Gallery purchased at least
one painting, by Nerli.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brisbane thus missed out on a significant bequest of fine art, unlike several other Australian cities. At the turn of the 20th century Sydney enjoyed the
patronage of society matron Mrs Tom Marshall and later received the Marshall Bequest
to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria
benefitted from Alfred Felton and the Felton Bequest. Melbourne has also made
much of its artist community centred on Sunday & John Reed, preserving their home <i>Heide</i> as a museum in memory of that era.
It seems that Sir Herbert and Lady Trout were Brisbane's uncelebrated
equivalents to these icons of Australian art history. There is a great deal of coverage of their activities in the digitised newspapers on the Trove website. Why don’t more Queenslanders
know this?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The large home of the Trouts still sits at the end of a long
tree-lined driveway entered through tall gates, but the Trout home is now
surrounded by modern brick houses. The spot where the property stands is high
on a hill and would originally have had sweeping views of the city and out to
Mt Coot-tha and the Taylor Ranges. Pictures taken in November 1954 and December 1960 show a single
storey structure with a pool. At some stage a second storey was added to the house. Inside
the house was an art gallery. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkHMAZitAflXumHKompCDLaWKdJzqRKGARYlUcYguXwG3CNJuc3b4aDrtxx9iRZegGaRhtrCoI1FHf9SqdUWkBJiBF0ctGHZ3Yy-CGH9g9DopS54EWnuFKQArnxOGl5dCkFSr6FxEd0pZ/s1600/Everton+House+situated+in+Everton+Park+Brisbane+Queensland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkHMAZitAflXumHKompCDLaWKdJzqRKGARYlUcYguXwG3CNJuc3b4aDrtxx9iRZegGaRhtrCoI1FHf9SqdUWkBJiBF0ctGHZ3Yy-CGH9g9DopS54EWnuFKQArnxOGl5dCkFSr6FxEd0pZ/s320/Everton+House+situated+in+Everton+Park+Brisbane+Queensland.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everton House, Nov 1954, Picture Queensland, Image 211776</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nv7tm3kpvrSUTdqkzYCboRvFh_qN_1LAK9oYP7ruA5xhj2L3DZ6KWzRIH0uSQM7aaFIAx0X3YhW_NAI3Rq8j-2TaSSohvbvmNK4AFnFw_aXYhM0g0xwfX86NiCZhIuW6y8sbCdAN-fUr/s1600/Guests+at+Everton+House+the+home+of+Sir+Leon+and+Lady+Trout+Brisbane+1960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nv7tm3kpvrSUTdqkzYCboRvFh_qN_1LAK9oYP7ruA5xhj2L3DZ6KWzRIH0uSQM7aaFIAx0X3YhW_NAI3Rq8j-2TaSSohvbvmNK4AFnFw_aXYhM0g0xwfX86NiCZhIuW6y8sbCdAN-fUr/s320/Guests+at+Everton+House+the+home+of+Sir+Leon+and+Lady+Trout+Brisbane+1960.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everton House, Dec 1960, Picture Queensland, Image 175783</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Developers are now seeking approval for the Trout's house to
be demolished, creating space to build a number of units. This little bit
of history is in danger of being lost. The 'Lost Brisbane' Facebook
page is <a href="https://m.facebook.com/Lost.Brisbane/posts/1071614499616317"><b><span style="color: blue;">running
a campaign to save the house</span></b></a> and the daughter of a cousin of Sir Leon Trout has offered to provide more information to help the cause (Beverley Henderson).<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a final touch of irony, Canberra also has a street named
after Margaret: <a href="http://www.planning.act.gov.au/tools_resources/place_search/place_search3?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkYyMDMuOS4yNDkuMyUyRlBsYWNlTmFtZXMlMkZQbGFjZURldGFpbHMuYXNweCUzRm9iamVjdElEJTNENzMzNiZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Flockton Place</b></span></a>, a modest little cul-de-sac in the outlying
Canberra suburb of Chisholm. I’m surprised that while both cities quietly celebrate her as an artist, neither the Queensland Art Gallery
nor the National Gallery in Canberra has work by Margaret Flockton listed in its catalogue!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Read more about Margaret Flockton in my book '<a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</span></b></a>', available through the publisher Wakefield Press and at good bookshops.</div>
<br />
P.S. You are invited to 'Like' Louise Wilson, Author on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor/" style="font-weight: 400;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></div>
</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-47688667473543822302016-12-14T23:11:00.001+11:002016-12-14T23:11:29.343+11:00Maiden's granddaughter Lucy Brown Craig<div class="MsoBodyText">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U9fVkJDl-GIozlcIu_f0fGiIOGtQ_p46o_97w1B2b5Yrf1XGBZr_S3ORcqE9Cs_kNAHO0uW_vDhmoQxWCtJebtDXx6PO4jz4dmHztvQSj_Ab3jDp67cgsMS7uFxavUFMXDoMRyciXKl_/s1600/Lucy+Brown+Craig.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U9fVkJDl-GIozlcIu_f0fGiIOGtQ_p46o_97w1B2b5Yrf1XGBZr_S3ORcqE9Cs_kNAHO0uW_vDhmoQxWCtJebtDXx6PO4jz4dmHztvQSj_Ab3jDp67cgsMS7uFxavUFMXDoMRyciXKl_/s320/Lucy+Brown+Craig.png" width="137" /></a><span lang="EN-US">At the age of 40, Margaret Flockton achieved a goal - a dream job with an ideal boss.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This was the botanist Joseph Maiden, with whom she worked for almost 25 years. She developed a close relationship with his family too, especially his daughter Mary. She taught Mary lithography and attended her 1911 society wedding to Dr Francis Brown Craig.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My new book <a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</b></span></a> (available from <a href="http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/product.php?productid=1320&cat=0&page=&featured=Y" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Wakefield Press</b></span></a>) mentions that the Maiden family suffered a distressing loss during the Second World War. Mary Maiden’s 19-year-old daughter Lucy Brown Craig disappeared on 12 April 1940 after she left her place of employment around 5pm to return home. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">Police at the time believed the report that "Miss Brown Craig left a tram at King's Cross on the night
she disappeared, and that she walked down Darlinghurst Road with a young man of
athletic build, who had a "toothbrush" moustache and wore a grey
suit. This report was made by a man who knew the girl well. Police would like
confirmation from others who may have seen the girl and the young man on the tram,
or later." (<i>Sydney Morning Herald</i>, 24 April 1940, p 15, col a, with picture of Lucy on p 16.)</span><br />
<br />
Despite huge media coverage, a year later Lucy was still missing and her fate, if known, was never revealed publicly.</div>
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That was my conclusion from my review of old newspapers in Trove. Lacking contact details for the Brown Craigs, I couldn't discover whether the mystery had ever been solved.</div>
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It seems that this story has recently attracted the attention of others and her fate is still unknown. Read this <a href="http://truecrimereader.com/2013/06/lucy-brown-craig-disappearance/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>article</b></span></a> of interest from <i>True Crime Reader</i>.</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-22165052153437558442016-09-29T21:42:00.001+10:002016-09-29T21:42:57.523+10:00Whiteley Woes<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Once again I have proof that, in a non-fiction book, you have to research every single line ... thoroughly. Here's what can happen if you don't.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">For five years in the 1980s I lived at McMahons Pt in Sydney, the promontory which frames Lavender Bay on its western side. At that time, local residents informed me that the famous Australian artist Brett Whiteley and his wife were my 'neighbours', viz: "They live in that white house with the tower, along Lavender St, with a fabulous view of Lavender Bay." </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNlZzFjTS3U7yleB7LAp_pZ5B1J09g8mbcFDt18UxjFluQzeRGTuIzgVejDYzAIWum8LxwBHH8cZVLCGnOeuSl_9c7JaE3QXu7PB56QOGi4XV7l05fx338nUfIkGaKdMwU9-_3t1X75Mo/s1600/DSC04980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNlZzFjTS3U7yleB7LAp_pZ5B1J09g8mbcFDt18UxjFluQzeRGTuIzgVejDYzAIWum8LxwBHH8cZVLCGnOeuSl_9c7JaE3QXu7PB56QOGi4XV7l05fx338nUfIkGaKdMwU9-_3t1X75Mo/s320/DSC04980.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Sydney Harbour from Lavender St</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">My house at the time was further around Lavender Bay - the pinkish house behind the car parked in King George St, partially hidden by the foliage in the top right hand quadrant of the picture below.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE08WIS0JRRxZ35DoCfhpaZgWLYGVdCN3k7vWi6JslHxOUbQwpn2bSRJGwqeLyxAQP87IHSrgPJ_HkKEoGdjPSVFCbVWUCVnqIGCbYdbTZwiZwe9zZtHqdr87poQfeAVyc2mTbV1GESAG/s1600/DSC04990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE08WIS0JRRxZ35DoCfhpaZgWLYGVdCN3k7vWi6JslHxOUbQwpn2bSRJGwqeLyxAQP87IHSrgPJ_HkKEoGdjPSVFCbVWUCVnqIGCbYdbTZwiZwe9zZtHqdr87poQfeAVyc2mTbV1GESAG/s320/DSC04990.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Housing at bottom of King George St, McMahons Pt</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I've always had a love affair with this area of Sydney. Back in the mid 1970s, although I lived then at Mosman, I was co-founder of the Cameragal Montessori School facing Lavender St. It's gratifying to know that the school still operates, forty years later.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpsIBcMh73wrDYRxUC02ZmEklsTUDzH3QPp9MQ-NlJllOlVJCk2MmvrYa1K542pDLKSR0KRhaWLwfjckoUuY0r8dTmHW7ZZZaoduor6xgDZmEEMO5SJj3WOZONI90sosYlvVdiLmR3Tb3/s1600/DSC04982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpsIBcMh73wrDYRxUC02ZmEklsTUDzH3QPp9MQ-NlJllOlVJCk2MmvrYa1K542pDLKSR0KRhaWLwfjckoUuY0r8dTmHW7ZZZaoduor6xgDZmEEMO5SJj3WOZONI90sosYlvVdiLmR3Tb3/s320/DSC04982.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cameragal Montessori School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When engaged in the research for my book about the artist Margaret Flockton, I was delighted to discover that she too appreciated the scenic beauty of this area. When she and her artist parents arrived in Sydney in 1888 they moved</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"> into a house overlooking Lavender Bay. Naturally</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> I searched for a suitable illustration of the harbour and found the following image in a newspaper of 1884, showing Lavender Bay in the centre, and Milsons Point on the left, half a century before it anchored the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In the foreground in 1884 was a white house with a tower overlooking Lavender Bay. Immediately I thought </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">'Ah, that white house with the tower must be what the Whiteley house looked like back then.' </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUh7JIl8UabvMHtyJ4TLGRLH445fZqUgpCT3amXQT0E4tkyN2t0kJSAyU3W_JfqX13oCEsQ9sPo4a-9BrDFopgLhHzRxd1q_EhomLXE2qB4lYJ6AhG1s-312yf4vg5uFq0iZg1H_qPgAwp/s1600/Pic+69.+Sydney1884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUh7JIl8UabvMHtyJ4TLGRLH445fZqUgpCT3amXQT0E4tkyN2t0kJSAyU3W_JfqX13oCEsQ9sPo4a-9BrDFopgLhHzRxd1q_EhomLXE2qB4lYJ6AhG1s-312yf4vg5uFq0iZg1H_qPgAwp/s400/Pic+69.+Sydney1884.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Lavender Bay & Sydney Harbour, 1884, from Supplement to ‘Illustrated Sydney News’, 25 October 1884</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Having been a resident of Melbourne for the past thirty years, I blithely incorporated that assumption into the Flockton book without cross-checking it. And </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I've referred to 'the Whiteley house' in talks on three separate occasions, without anyone disagreeing with me. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;">BUT - at my fourth talk on Margaret Flockton, at the Stanton Library on 8 September 2016, an audience member told a friend of mine who was present that the house I described as Brett Whiteley’s house was NOT his house. Dismayed, I hastily reverted to researcher-mode and discovered that 1) <i>his</i> house was not built until 1907 and 2) he added </span><i style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;">his</i><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> tower in the 1970s. It’s
a pity that this knowledge came far too late for me to change the wording on p 61 of the Flockton book, which says: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">A century after the Flocktons settled there, the famous Australian artist Brett Whiteley lived and worked in the white house with the tower, in the left foreground of the image. At the time of writing, his widow Wendy still resided there. </span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: #1f497d;">As an aside, Wendy Whiteley has achieved her own brand of fame for having created a magical '</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Whiteley" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>secret garden</b></span></a><span style="color: #1f497d;">', fully-accessible to the public, in the formerly-derelict strip of government-owned land running alongside her property. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpAkLMZ2-QEpnjPziA40RG-_KFc79x4oisZ-40SW288xnbv1Eqcm2d89-twCuCxyYenHUzMRAE6jyqbHvOyJ9tJz1A0GYYDA6ns3-KAkmCW8yM86Pr-Q94mNJtHyqbwfSM6jsCrHFvLUX/s1600/DSC04987+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpAkLMZ2-QEpnjPziA40RG-_KFc79x4oisZ-40SW288xnbv1Eqcm2d89-twCuCxyYenHUzMRAE6jyqbHvOyJ9tJz1A0GYYDA6ns3-KAkmCW8yM86Pr-Q94mNJtHyqbwfSM6jsCrHFvLUX/s320/DSC04987+low+res.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of Wendy Whiteley's Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Back to my book. I would have been correct had I written instead: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">A century after the Flocktons settled there, so did the famous Australian artist Brett Whiteley. He lived in a different 'white house with tower' to that pictured </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">in the left foreground of the image, but it </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">provided similar panoramic views across Lavender Bay. At the time of writing, his widow Wendy still resided there.</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So ... if you're a non-fiction writer, you can be sure your sins [of omission] will find you out. It's a rare slip up on my part. Usually I pride myself on devotion to painstaking research.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</span></b></a></i><span style="color: #1f497d;">, published by Wakefield Press, will be launched by Professor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO at the Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney on 17 November 2016 at 4pm. Please </span><a href="mailto:louisewilson@tpg.com.au" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>contact me</b></span></a><span style="color: #1f497d;"> if you have an interest in the book and would like to receive an invitation to the launch.</span></span></div>
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Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-61005128952550161802016-09-03T09:27:00.000+10:002016-09-03T09:27:08.427+10:00Margaret Flockton book launch on 17 November 2016<div style="text-align: justify;">
Good things come to those who wait. That's what many patient people must believe as they've wondered when my book <i>Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</i> will ever make its appearance. Most books do not have a protracted gestation period of more than twelve years.</div>
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After many trips up and down the Hume Highway and several trips to England, this book was completed several years ago. But books heavily illustrated with high-res art pictures obtained from many sources are a daunting proposition for publishers in today's market. Luckily my agent John Timlin knows a thing or two about placing books.</div>
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I'm delighted to say that <a href="http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/pages.php?pageid=39" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Wakefield Press</b></span></a> of Adelaide is publishing the book. Their motto is 'We love good stories and publish beautiful books'. I've found that to be entirely true. I hope you'll agree that they've done an excellent job.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnQW2SRtezVk-ljxy5MPTeb7SDiD2t4D2OKpojYNlgd5V_EHkWOKYlrcb3SJCxzpEi0rKUrKsYLec4rkb8eSF3SKoybK_QEvwqhdoEYJMDnhzetatJKAooCyXGS8re-XJsu2PCPlvyoOW/s1600/Cover+3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnQW2SRtezVk-ljxy5MPTeb7SDiD2t4D2OKpojYNlgd5V_EHkWOKYlrcb3SJCxzpEi0rKUrKsYLec4rkb8eSF3SKoybK_QEvwqhdoEYJMDnhzetatJKAooCyXGS8re-XJsu2PCPlvyoOW/s320/Cover+3a.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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And I have to thank botanical artist Catherine Wardrop, whose design of a farewell card for a colleague became the basis of a perfectly ideal cover for the book.</div>
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<i>Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory</i> will be launched by Professor the Hon Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney on 17 November at 4 pm. If you're dying to read Margaret's fascinating story, let me know so that you can be sent an invitation to the event.<br />
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My <a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>website</b></span></a> will give the details of where to buy the book, once it becomes available. I'm nervously awaiting reader reaction - hopefully this is one book that you <i>will</i> be able to judge by its gorgeous cover.</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-90869610463374533532016-09-01T22:28:00.000+10:002016-09-02T12:17:32.330+10:00Maggie Wheeler Remembers Aunt Mog<div style="text-align: justify;">
A lovely surprise has come my way, thanks to an email from Maggie Wheeler, who has just become aware of the forthcoming <i><a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Margaret Flockton, A Fragrant Memory</b></span></a></i> book.</div>
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It turns out that Maggie & I are third cousins and gr-gr-nieces of Margaret Flockton, who we both knew as Aunt Mog. I’m
descended from Mog’s elder sister Dora (Dolly), and Maggie from Mog’s younger
sister Phoebe. When Aunt Mog died in 1953 I was seven and my youngest sister
was a baby, as was Maggie. My mother Julia was very busy with four small
children, couldn’t drive, had no phone and my father was often away at the wool
sales around Australia. It was all Mum could do to keep up with visits to her
own mother. So, although Maggie’s mother Cynthia was bridesmaid at my mother Julia’s
wedding, I don’t remember our families meeting when we were all children.</div>
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Maggie has added an extra dimension to the Margaret Flockton
story. Unfortunately her contribution arrived too late for the book, which has gone to print, so it’s
being made public here.</div>
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<b>Maggie Wheeler
begins: </b>Aunt Mog died when I was six months old and her sister Phoebe, my
great grandmother, died when I was seven.
I recall my mother Cynthia and her sister Veda talking about Aunt Mog.
They believed that the name ‘Mog’ indicated that she wasn't very well treated
by her family, although I never heard that she herself didn't like the name.</div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am a botanist and when I was working in the Sydney
Herbarium around 1979 and was replacing herbarium paper covers on specimens, I
came across a letter from Aunt Mog. She was asking for equal pay - at that time
I think she was receiving approx. 70% of the male rate. She got it. I put it
back with the specimen, without taking a copy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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About ten years ago I spent several years working in Western
Australia so I know many species from both sides of the continent. Some of the
WA wheat belt still has Eucalyptus flocktonii growing there. It is a fairly
widespread species in the southwest mallee country. Because the word 'floccus' has one meaning as ‘tufts of wool’, one of my co-workers took delight in teasing me by calling her a
little sheep, knowing full well that she was anything but. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Recently I've noticed the Sydney Morning Herald's offering of a <a href="http://www.smhshop.com.au/fusanus-acuminatus-by-margaret-flockton-1914" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>print</b></span></a> of her partially-coloured drawing of the
sandalwood plant (a.k.a. the Quandong, pictured below as a black & white lithograph <i>Fusanus acuminatus</i>). I've never seen it growing in Sydney but it's very common in
the WA wheat belt, and I consider that it was done from fresh material. Did she travel there with Maiden? I doubt
whether photos would have been good enough in those days, and I remember my
Gran (Phyllis Flockton North née Clarke) frowning upon it. Gran was also a watercolour
artist, and taught me.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSyX2fRa-zYAdcDzwz1fbfmVYcYE2u4puyQkLXQCS3Y35qfpySKC3dHNwJn15Irhc2WsT6ghkWRe1dRJRvoiAR8-jNVQFn6FgpIIzyKn55k5xHkPYexdfIVBh1rfDRGAKm0QloI_XO9u5/s1600/Quandong+63017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSyX2fRa-zYAdcDzwz1fbfmVYcYE2u4puyQkLXQCS3Y35qfpySKC3dHNwJn15Irhc2WsT6ghkWRe1dRJRvoiAR8-jNVQFn6FgpIIzyKn55k5xHkPYexdfIVBh1rfDRGAKm0QloI_XO9u5/s400/Quandong+63017.jpg" width="405" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fusanus acuminatus, from the Forest Flora of NSW</td></tr>
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<b>Louise interjects:</b> The literature confirms that this plant does not grow in the Sydney region but in the semi-arid areas of Australia, which is why you came across it in WA. I’m pretty sure Margaret did not go on any field trips with Maiden. Shipping
records and news items attest to Maiden visiting WA with his wife, particularly
a 3 month visit in the last quarter of 1909, but there’s no mention of Margaret
in these shipping records. People did use the postal service widely to send
fresh (specially-wrapped) specimens to the Botanic Garden and there must have been a system for
drawing them straight away.</div>
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<b>Maggie continues:</b>
I am attaching a photo of Aunt Mog's oil painting entitled ‘Sydney Carton’, bottom left hand
corner. The frame is as old as the painting I think, and every so often I
repair the plasterwork again and touch it up. I had the painting cleaned and
they put some sort of coating on it to prevent further dust damage. I've
checked the painting front and back and it is unsigned. Not even
initialled. I have no reason to question
its authenticity since I grew up with it, and my mother always said that it was
Aunt Mog’s painting. The oil paints set (see below) were also full of the
Rembrant type colours.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4HmzSPmatF8X7h3jOsJLNxyT5yOZ-O7vopDjF2N7zHyFLCcfuEw5wp8fk6daOBggnE2N2BnvptWo0TGf6uqYbL6t6TAjx1jz5zp3Tk7tgyl2t62KnnV4tU4fAcoRkP9HNHnOliEQa-z0/s1600/P1040461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4HmzSPmatF8X7h3jOsJLNxyT5yOZ-O7vopDjF2N7zHyFLCcfuEw5wp8fk6daOBggnE2N2BnvptWo0TGf6uqYbL6t6TAjx1jz5zp3Tk7tgyl2t62KnnV4tU4fAcoRkP9HNHnOliEQa-z0/s320/P1040461.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney Carton, Margaret Flockton's copy of a photograph © Maggie Wheeler</td></tr>
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<b>Louise adds:</b> The
painting is obviously a copy of a striking <a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O180339/guy-little-theatrical-photograph-photograph-london-stereoscopic-and/"><span class="InternetLink"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><b>theatrical photograph</b></span></span></a> of
the actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0367590/bio"><span class="InternetLink"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><b>Martin Harvey</b></span></span></a>, in
character as Sydney Carton, the eventual hero of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. The
photo began to circulate in England in 1899. Somehow Aunt Mog obtained a copy
(I don’t have any knowledge of her returning to England once she arrived in
Australia) and she’s done a fantastic job as an artist, injecting her own
dramatic form of expression into those eyes. I have another record of her as a
copyist - Cayley’s birds, when she lived in Charters Towers in 1892. She made
no secret of that exercise. She painted very few portraits but clearly she
was very talented at it and should have done more of them.</div>
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<b>Maggie continues:</b>
I also have a vase of hers with beautifully hand painted male and female butterflies
with Christmas Bell flowers (<i>Blandfordia
grandiflora</i>). It was a cultural thing for people to paint the butterflies
with the plants that they were dependent on. On the bottom of the vase there is
written <i>Cethosia Cydippe</i> (the eastern
red lacewing butterfly) and what looks like 'M.F.'</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M8uBjilnjmQtzBeL3nGqeslA8zVACy465QF-xZ3rFt8LouUy-Ixb4S_DUeYE-D_xV5doTBDKwfLX_nLpiLNMzXuv4mJGnK4ofInow_YXQ0jE7takdDUe97byeZli8c9hrmVw5OXx3pcT/s1600/P1040463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M8uBjilnjmQtzBeL3nGqeslA8zVACy465QF-xZ3rFt8LouUy-Ixb4S_DUeYE-D_xV5doTBDKwfLX_nLpiLNMzXuv4mJGnK4ofInow_YXQ0jE7takdDUe97byeZli8c9hrmVw5OXx3pcT/s320/P1040463.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Worcester Butterflies Vase, © Maggie Wheeler</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXQOiuI-dxglUcElIdBrU6P0CGD6md7bKebrG-I7jRYqliLSXNJkmoBPBBttNuVjXmLKqRkBB-8PG3icHCE5iQlkkqn1nQBOvW98-UlXrzUF7Mn9UXBmhAkudE4UoMxcTc5DxX9wzJXFU/s1600/P1040464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXQOiuI-dxglUcElIdBrU6P0CGD6md7bKebrG-I7jRYqliLSXNJkmoBPBBttNuVjXmLKqRkBB-8PG3icHCE5iQlkkqn1nQBOvW98-UlXrzUF7Mn9UXBmhAkudE4UoMxcTc5DxX9wzJXFU/s320/P1040464.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Worcester Butterflies Vase Detail, © Maggie Wheeler</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6477216842459126803" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6477216842459126803" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRvhRfx2BRXTKHiWHFJq9KjlDwEXnLZs6v-1c_BRfEFM8JCkDc0u3sm_ngX6xb1rENcBgfEK3iR9A1hT1slZwj8s2BmVI6TLMzgvJq9ty7-Rwg40wz2w0JtjaqdtltEzGp5KXhEeiqAS6/s1600/P1040465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRvhRfx2BRXTKHiWHFJq9KjlDwEXnLZs6v-1c_BRfEFM8JCkDc0u3sm_ngX6xb1rENcBgfEK3iR9A1hT1slZwj8s2BmVI6TLMzgvJq9ty7-Rwg40wz2w0JtjaqdtltEzGp5KXhEeiqAS6/s320/P1040465.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Worcester Butterflies Vase Base, © Maggie Wheeler</td></tr>
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<b>Louise adds:</b> The
stamp on the bottom of the vase indicates that the art work was by Miss
Flockton Clarke, Maggie’s grandmother Phyllis, who also did a series of cabinet
plates for the Royal Worcester Porcelain Co – mostly mushrooms, but one
butterfly plate. However, the wildflowers on the vase do look very similar to
those painted by Aunt Mog and lithographed for the American Tobacco Co series.</div>
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<b>Maggie continues:</b>
I've always felt somewhat close to Aunt Mog, having also done some painting and
drawing. For two years I did some training at East Sydney Art School (now CAE),
and had two exhibitions in early adulthood. I haven't painted seriously for
many years but I do pick up a brush from time to time and I have a canvas nearly
ready for when I feel like painting again. I've also had a long term interest
in plants, particularly wildflowers, gardening for my granny when I was a
child, then spending lots of time in the bush as a teenager, walking, running and on my
horse, delighting in what was around me and eventually becoming a botanist.</div>
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As well as the family’s painting and gardening gene, I inherited Aunt Mog’s
oil and watercolour paints, and have used them as my own, updated of course
when required. In the picture you can't really see what colours of hers are
still in the paint box, but I've found that many of the sepias are still usable. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiif3metOBKokJaagy6CkXpjUklB1j0eksaqb_JSBpKQLhyQOwKozM-rNfTIAQ-El0JTYdszLZG_YDqgD4FX6v_Y8WZU6vFeCJxFt5xXdHZLwX2B10Z1Vu4Bat-gc5zSyQtlKQ-6ZpPbHQu/s1600/P1040467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiif3metOBKokJaagy6CkXpjUklB1j0eksaqb_JSBpKQLhyQOwKozM-rNfTIAQ-El0JTYdszLZG_YDqgD4FX6v_Y8WZU6vFeCJxFt5xXdHZLwX2B10Z1Vu4Bat-gc5zSyQtlKQ-6ZpPbHQu/s320/P1040467.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Flockton's Oil Paint Box<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.8667px;">© </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Maggie Wheeler</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3JLjqERpC_GcbQYORHw5zxNkvEgGNWJELNjax4q4dBxxwjuS2E-foQg3BHZZ7Ud7ZkaxN8Riwwqj3bIiLp5IbM7Rq6XYFwVYQx6Kg1_t9jov0mHSTduU8YZxU3MDsNGmAZL8oSGNEd5d/s1600/P1040469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3JLjqERpC_GcbQYORHw5zxNkvEgGNWJELNjax4q4dBxxwjuS2E-foQg3BHZZ7Ud7ZkaxN8Riwwqj3bIiLp5IbM7Rq6XYFwVYQx6Kg1_t9jov0mHSTduU8YZxU3MDsNGmAZL8oSGNEd5d/s320/P1040469.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Flockton's Oil Paints<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.8667px;">© </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Maggie Wheeler</span></td></tr>
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I returned about 7 years ago to my property in the hills behind Mullumbimby in the Byron Shire, where I'm working on rainforest regeneration at present.</div>
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Note: Maggie Wheeler can be contacted via <a href="mailto:marg.anne.wheeler@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>email</b></span></a>. Louise Wilson's book <i>Margaret Flockton, A Fragrant Memory</i> will be available in November 2016. Click <a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>here</b></span></a> for more details.</div>
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Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-78293293267361098282016-02-15T12:09:00.000+11:002016-09-06T09:30:30.978+10:00Serres Family Secrets<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dr George Young, physician, army surgeon and botanist, spent most of his adult life in the Caribbean prior to his death at Hammersmith, England in 1803. His wife Sarah also died at Hammersmith, in 1814. (See my earlier <a href="http://flocktonfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/dr-george-young-c-1726-1803.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>article</b></span></a> on Dr Young.) Both had previously lived for many years on the Caribbean Island of St Vincent.<br />
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In her Will of 1812, signed with her mark, Sarah gave <i>my infant Grand Daughter Maria Cruikshanks my Gold Watch and two Silver Table and six Tea Spoons</i> to be handed over when Maria reached the age of sixteen years, but otherwise everything of Sarah’s was to be <i>equally divided by and between my son Robert Serres and my said Grand Daughter Ann Serres</i>.<br />
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Robert Serres was described in the 1812 Will as a shoemaker of Hammersmith. Ann Serres appeared to be beyond the age of sixteen years in 1812, suggesting she was born in the 1790s or earlier and in turn that her father Robert was born in the mid 1760s or earlier. Sarah’s Will thus implies that when she married Dr George Young in the mid to late 1760s she was a ‘widow’ (see later) with a son.</div>
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I can’t find a record of Sarah's marriage to George Young but, as he made much of 'legal issue' in his Will, it must have taken place. His Will mentioned his two estates on St Vincent, Sarah and their three children (George, William and Sarah). George Jnr was born in the late 1760s in an unknown place (possibly the same place as his parents' marriage) while the younger two were baptised on the Island of St Vincent in 1771 and 1772, when Sarah was in her late forties. When Dr George Young wrote his Will in 1802 he made no mention of a Serres step-son.</div>
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The only definite record I can find for the Serres family present in the Caribbean at this time is the artist Count Dominic de Serres, born in France c 1720. Whether he was a Catholic to begin with and later conformed to the official religion in England has yet to be clarified. He was definitely present in the Caribbean during the 1750s, as master of a merchant vessel trading between Spain and Havana in Cuba. He was captured by the English during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and then sailed with the Royal Navy on expeditions to Nova Scotia and Havana, employed as an artist. He moved to London and was a founder member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. (There's more in the Dictionary of National Biography.) Dominic died in London in 1793 as a married man with children, and I'd love to locate a copy of Dominic's Will, but where is it?</div>
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From 1813 the Slave Compensation Records mention Ach<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">é</span> Serres and some of her children living on the island of Trinidad, relatively close to St Vincent. Ach<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">é</span> appears to have been born around 1760, with her children arriving in the 1780s, but details of her birthplace, maiden name and husband's name are unknown to me. Her daughter Adelaide Serres married a man named Rochard from neighbouring Grenada and Ach<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">é</span>'s grandson Charles Rochard was a solicitor and Freemason in Port of Spain, Trinidad.<br />
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Sarah, born around 1724, was in her 30s during the 1750s and might be connected in some way to Dominic de Serres or to the husband of Ach<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;">é</span> Serres, whoever he was. </div>
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George & Sarah Young's daughter Sarah gave birth to their granddaughter Maria Isabella Cruikshank on the Island of St Vincent in March 1810. Maria was baptised at Hammersmith on 30 December 1810 in a double ceremony with her first cousin Martha Young, who was described as a Creole of St Vincent, aged 13, indicating that Martha's mother was a coloured woman. Maria was not so described, meaning that Maria’s parents and therefore her grandparents including Sarah must have been European. But Sarah Snr's identity remains a mystery.<br />
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Likewise, all the usual genealogical sources for the Caribbean and England which are easily accessible online reveal no evidence of Robert Serres or his daughter Ann Serres. They've have proved elusive, existing in 1812 but with no trace of them before or after that date. A lot more time than I have already spent poring over the parish records of St Paul, Hammersmith may yield the information I seek, or perhaps Trinidad's records might hold the key. I'm hoping that this post will unearth additional insights into the Serres family.<br />
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Note: Maria Cruikshank's granddaughter Margaret Flockton followed in the footsteps of her botanist forebear Dr George Young and became the first botanical artist employed by the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. The book <span style="color: blue;"><b>'<a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/margaret_flockton.html" target="_blank">A Fragrant Memory</a>'</b></span> to be released in 2016 will tell Margaret's story. Contact me if you wish to join the waiting list.</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-63366229382490531102015-12-11T15:05:00.000+11:002015-12-11T15:05:40.353+11:00Frank Flockton's Art & Grandsons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have just come across an interesting story about Margaret Flockton's father Frank. Read it on Harold Peacock's <a href="https://historyoutthere.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/francis-flocktons-trees/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>History Out There</b></span></a> blog. Poor old Frank was nowhere near as good an artist as his daughter and I agree with Harold that Frank certainly did not understand the eucalypts.</div>
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While on the subject of Frank, I've just written a book about his Boulton grandsons, <a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/brothers_in_arms.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Brothers in Arms</b></span></a>. Two brothers, in different armies. Nigel Boulton, serving as a doctor in the British army, and Stephen Boulton, serving in the Australian artillery, wrote a unique set of letters to their mother during the Great War. The book's available from <a href="http://www.bookstore.bookpod.com.au/p/9096392/brothers-in-arms.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>BookPOD</b></span></a>.</div>
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My <a href="http://boultonfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Boulton blog</b></span></a> provides further background details about how the book 'Brothers in Arms' was written and about the Boulton boys as children. (Would you let your 10-yr-old travel on his own from Sydney to London by ship?)</div>
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Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-75390382977437300232015-09-26T17:38:00.000+10:002016-09-06T09:31:15.645+10:00Margaret Hope Fuels Hope<div style="text-align: justify;">
Four funerals and a wedding in my immediate family in recent months have deflected my attention from family history while I focused on my living and recently-bereaved relatives.<br />
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Meanwhile, my agent John Timlin has had no luck in finding a commercial publisher for 'A Fragrant Memory' - so far. Digital technology has forced massive change upon the publishing industry. Books like 'A Fragrant Memory', with a high pictorial content and appealing to a specialised audience rather than a mass market, are seen as expensive & troublesome ventures, especially when weighed against the likely number of paying customers within Australia. Margaret Flockton being English-born and bred, the book might better suit an English publisher, given that country's much larger population and long history of interest in botanic gardens and botanical art.</div>
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My gloom over this book has lifted slightly this week, with the 'encouraging' news that it took 130 years before Margaret Hope's book <b><span style="color: blue;">'<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-24/historial-tasmanian-wildflower-watercolours-revealed-130-years/6802552" target="_blank">Wildflowers of Tasmania</a>'</span></b> was published. A partnership between the Australian Garden History Society and the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts in Hobart brought it to life. I trust my book will reach readers sooner than that!</div>
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Margaret Hope (1848-1934) is an interesting peer of Margaret Flockton's (1861-1953). She was born in Tasmania 13 years before Margaret Flockton's birth in England, and when she died in Hobart in 1934 she was hailed as a <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/68166640" target="_blank">'<b>notable woman</b>'</a>. Both women loved Australian wildflowers but unlike English-born Margaret, Tasmanian-born Margaret was not a scientific botanical artist. However F.M Bailey, Queensland's Colonial Botanist, used her to <a href="http://www.harbeck.com.au/women.pdf" target="_blank"><b>illustrate</b></a> his 1887 book 'Plants Reputed Poisonous and Injurious to Stock'. (Margaret Flockton had not yet arrived in Australia.)<br />
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I've heard through the grapevine that experienced author Carolyn Landon also had difficulties finding a publisher for her book <a href="http://www.publishing.monash.edu/books/bl-9781922235800.html" target="_blank"><b>Banksia Lady: Celia Rosser, Botanical Artist</b></a>. Celia Rosser being a distinguished botanical artist still living in Victoria, Monash University Publishing has recently brought her biography to the public's attention. Here's hoping it's a great success.<br />
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Meanwhile, let me know if you'd like to join the waiting list for 'A Fragrant Memory.' It will eventually become a reality!</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-42324683780753976262015-05-04T15:39:00.000+10:002015-12-10T20:40:34.669+11:00Julia Woodhouse<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Margaret Flockton's 91-yr-old great niece Julia Woodhouse visited the Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition at the Royal Botanic Garden's Maiden Theatre in Sydney today. The exhibition runs daily until next Sunday, 10am-4pm, showcasing stunning scientific botanical illustrations of artists from around the world..</div>
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Julia is another in the long line of strong, independent Flockton women who have lived to a great age. Margaret herself died in Sydney in 1953, about 6 weeks before her 92nd birthday.<br />
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Julia, who has facilitated and revelled in the revival of Margaret's reputation as a botanical artist, is herself a talented artist, although she no longer paints. She is proud that her beloved Aunt Mog was her first art teacher, the lessons held on a weekly basis at 'Tulagi' in the 1930s.</div>
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While still at school, as Julia Dennis, she entered a Sydney-wide open-age art
competition, at her mother's insistence, and won. The prize was an easel which
she used all her life.<br />
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In 1940, at the age of 16, she undertook an Introductory
Art Course at the East Sydney Technical College, a.k.a. the National Art School
at Darlinghurst in Sydney. During her two years at the National Art School her
teachers included William Dobell, whose subject was Plant and Nature Drawing,
and who came to classes wearing a pin-striped lounge suit with tie. At one
point he asked to borrow some of Julia’s flower paintings to show a friend. She
had used poster paint, instead of the usual water colours or oils. Mr Vacchini
was her teacher for quick sketching, G K Townshend for composition. She can’t
recall whether these were her teachers who wore berets and smocks, apeing the
Parisian style. Another influence was Desiderius Orban who advised her to
forsake the sound but somewhat formal techniques then taught at this School.</div>
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She recalls having two teachers for drawing and painting, one being E M Smith, an
oldish man who came to classes in a black suit, shiny with age. At one point,
after Julia had inadvertently suffered a particularly short and perhaps
unflattering haircut, Smith defended Julia from the ridicule of her fellow
students, informing them that ‘she might have short hair but she’s still got
the same face’. Students sat on a donkey stool in Smith’s class, drawing statues and other subjects they considered to be boring.</div>
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Drawing from life was restricted to the more advanced students. Julia and another
student named Emmy Nagy felt
honoured when they were promoted to several life classes taught by Ernest
Badham. (Emmy's brother Gabriel Nagy, a medical student, knew that Julia liked to swim laps at
Greenwich Baths at high tide, and he often used to come at that time to watch her swim.)<br />
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There was nothing memorable about Herbert Badham’s attire, but at one
of his lessons in portrait painting, Badham selected Julia to act as the model
and she was too shy to say ‘no’. He asked her to wear her ribbon and pendant for the portrait, and the
jewellery is still a prized possession. After demonstrating his
technique to the class, he gave his (unsigned) portrait of Julia to her.
She put it in her art folio at home and there it stayed for 70 years until it
was rediscovered by one of her daughters, who said ‘I really like this, you have
to get this framed, Mum’.</div>
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Julia won a three year scholarship to continue her art studies. But she
felt morally obliged to make a contribution to the war effort, so she took up
draughting at the Cockatoo Dockyard in Sydney. After her marriage to Geoffrey
Woodhouse in 1944, she worked for a period at the Department of Aircraft
Production at Fishermen's Bend in Melbourne before returning to Sydney in 1946.
Much later, when her four daughters were teenagers, she worked again as a
draughtswoman for Phillips and other electrical engineering companies in Sydney.<br />
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Meanwhile, her innate creativeness was utilised in designing her home at
Newport, overlooking Pittwater in Sydney, and in making artistic use of flowers
and art throughout the house. After visiting major galleries during her first
trip overseas in 1981, a friend was able to convince her to recommence her art
lessons and she resumed painting part-time.</div>
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At long last, in 1990, a year after the death of her husband of 45
years, she began venturing full-time again along a path she began to tread
fifty years before. She displayed her work publicly for the first time and sold
watercolours at an exhibition in Balmain, Sydney. The same year she had her
first solo exhibition at the Ciclopii Gallery in High Street, Armadale
(Melbourne). In 1991 she had a second, larger and even more successful solo
exhibition at the Riverview Hotel, Balmain in Sydney. She almost abandoned
thoughts of an artistic career when she had a serious car accident in 1992. But
eventually she recovered enough to produce work for her third very successful
solo exhibition at Wellers Restaurant at Kangaroo Ground in Melbourne,
featuring aspects of life in Melbourne: people, gardens, the Yarra, farms.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl_KgKid4srE0UsqGJITgQ6sotmJ1j9ufhNgdDsDrSZyqs92mb2bDid8cvYHqQGoEWMa9BiI_Ar9UOs25nBLwitTXRa9tLnJWF81hMut1m4V8b9qju7WC-wf8XcWxaQaiukuDo0dlFLcq/s1600/Three+Sisters+DSC01479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl_KgKid4srE0UsqGJITgQ6sotmJ1j9ufhNgdDsDrSZyqs92mb2bDid8cvYHqQGoEWMa9BiI_Ar9UOs25nBLwitTXRa9tLnJWF81hMut1m4V8b9qju7WC-wf8XcWxaQaiukuDo0dlFLcq/s1600/Three+Sisters+DSC01479.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>
For some years she belonged to a group of artists painting Sydney
bushland and Pittwater/Hawkesbury landscape scenes. Later she painted with
Cynthia Hundleby at Genifer Williams’ studio. Julia’s watercolours are painted
from life, and are usually painted in one sitting, while the mood lasts. When
using oils, she prefers figure paintings (especially rear views) and portraits
as subjects. Her subjects mean something to her, being based on her friends and
relations and her own environment. The picture of three of her four daughters is a case in point.</div>
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Julia belongs to a family of artists. Her great grandparents were
the English artists Francis Stephen Flockton and Isabel Mary Flockton. Her
great aunt was the well-known Sydney artist Margaret Lilian Flockton. Her mother’s
cousin was the artist Phyllis Flockton Clarke. Her great nephew is the
Newcastle artist Andrew Gordon Dennis.<br />
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P.S. Please <a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/contact.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>contact</b></span></a> Louise Wilson if you wish your name to be added to the waiting list for the forthcoming biography of Margaret Flockton, <i>A Fragrant Memory</i>.</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-55805611513403309852015-01-16T20:52:00.000+11:002017-02-01T22:37:20.241+11:00The Signature of All Things - a Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLoZqAvM0wEg0FRbucEiAMX-nGigc0nVr5_wipEN2LV8Ols9I5XG1O_vix7mlLQ7wv6YU41RtQY89t9Rxr94oJOyGOA3a5WimoPXSu4sqiG1nYZM2z-igTAccCncAW5j_tkBB_YUxoFPP/s1600/Signature+of+all+Things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLoZqAvM0wEg0FRbucEiAMX-nGigc0nVr5_wipEN2LV8Ols9I5XG1O_vix7mlLQ7wv6YU41RtQY89t9Rxr94oJOyGOA3a5WimoPXSu4sqiG1nYZM2z-igTAccCncAW5j_tkBB_YUxoFPP/s1600/Signature+of+all+Things.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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Last Wednesday at noon I picked up a copy of ‘The Signature
of All Things’, the book for discussion at my book club meeting last Thursday
at noon. Imagine my horror when I discovered two things - a) it contained 580
pages and b) it was by the same author as ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, which I'd regarded as rather self-indulgent
and not particularly enjoyable. ‘Oh, no’, I thought. ‘I’d better send my
apologies and stay at home.’ </div>
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Then I read the opening line. <i>Alma Whitaker, born with the
century, slid into our world on the fifth of January, 1800</i>. I was hooked by
the end of the first page. </div>
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Alma is a child of the New World, born in Philadelphia, USA.
Four pages on, we step back to 1760 when Alma’s father Henry was born at
Richmond in England. Henry was the son of an orchard man at Kew gardens. Later
the imagined Henry meets Sir Joseph Banks, sails with Captain Cook and marries the
Dutch woman Beatrix van Devender, daughter of a custodian of the Hortus botanical
garden in Amsterdam. The scene is set for a novel embracing the grand themes of
an exhilarating period of intellectual discovery about the natural world, culminating
in the work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. </div>
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It’s lucky I’m a fast reader. Despite other commitments, I’d
read the entire book by 11am next day and was ready for our discussion group at
noon. </div>
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It spoke to me on many levels. I could not believe all the parallels in the imagined
life of Alma Whitaker and the real life of Margaret Flockton, a scientific botanical
artist. Margaret is the focus
of my next yet-to-be-published (non-fiction) book 'A Fragrant Memory'. Alma struggled to assert herself as a female, against both a
domineering father and a world unfriendly to women of scientific bent. So did Margaret
Flockton, born much later, in 1861. Alma was astounded by the botanical
drawings of Ambrose Pike. Likewise, Margaret Flockton’s work at the Royal
Botanic Garden in Sydney is superlative. Alma had strange links to Tahiti. So
did Margaret Flockton. Romance was lacking for both Alma and Margaret. Alma had
close connections to two women in her life – her adopted sister Prudence and the
troubled friend Retta. Margaret had close connections to her two sisters. Late in life Alma found herself a dream job in
a botanical garden. So did Margaret Flockton. Alma had 'a thing' about mosses, Margaret was fascinated by algae and lichen. The list goes on and on. </div>
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Visionary historical novels like this, peopled with memorable characters, are a joy to read. An imaginative concept, backed by research, has generated a fascinating
story which flowed effortlessly and is a wonderful example of good writing. At both the macro and micro level, even down to the little Tahitian dog Roger, this book is about the survival of the fittest, the need to struggle, adapt, overcome, and survive - the signature of all things. Congratulations, Elizabeth Gilbert.<br />
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Note - Contact Louise Wilson via her <a href="http://www.louisewilson.com.au/contact.html" target="_blank">website</a> or leave a comment below if you'd like to join the waiting list for 'A Fragrant Memory'.</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-36211986132016292602014-07-07T10:55:00.001+10:002016-09-06T09:32:03.005+10:00Kingfishers Revisited<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63CelKxnQUc1VPCAwrJoHLZy3im524Tu9JgQaALAnagFxFeNwUJ5DBvD9jiMBE0CiMPFAljVDFrMFtU_93Z00umrrZzEFeTl_FZQAtow7sslRZfJXTEii5LXNk_SkTHacQlnOFuhUFGf7/s1600/Kingfishers+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63CelKxnQUc1VPCAwrJoHLZy3im524Tu9JgQaALAnagFxFeNwUJ5DBvD9jiMBE0CiMPFAljVDFrMFtU_93Z00umrrZzEFeTl_FZQAtow7sslRZfJXTEii5LXNk_SkTHacQlnOFuhUFGf7/s1600/Kingfishers+2.jpg" width="165" /></a>After posting my story about Margaret Flockton's 'Kingfishers' watercolour, on 2 February 2014, a little more sleuthing made me conclude that Margaret painted her kingfishers in Australia, most likely in the 1890s. Its subject matter fits
the description and habitat for the Forest Kingfishers of Australia. According to Wikipedia this predominantly blue and white bird is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and coastal eastern and northern Australia. </div>
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'Measuring 21.5-25.5 cm (8.5–10 in), the Forest Kingfisher
has blue wings, head and tail with white breast, abdomen and nape. It has a
white patch in front of the eyes and a black band stretching from the bill,
through the eyes and to the ear coverts. A white patch is visible on the wings
in flight. The female is distinguished by a blue rather than white nape. The
iris is dark brown and the legs and feet dark grey.'</div>
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Margaret's painting fits this description completely. Wikipedia goes on to say that this bird: </div>
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'inhabits subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests,
and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests and Melaleuca swampland.'</div>
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That last-mentioned habitat also fits Margaret's landscape setting.</div>
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Her choice of subject shows her early fascination with Australiana
as well as her love of birds, dead or alive. During the 1890s she was fond of painting birds in the setting of a taxidermist's studio.</div>
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Somehow Margaret’s kingfisher watercolour found its way to England, the most likely explanation being that Margaret
sent it with Dolly as a gift for someone when Dolly made a trip to England in mid 1902.</div>
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The painting’s intended recipient may have been poor mad aunt Anna, suffering from mania and delusion, who’d been incarcerated at Brookwood Asylum since 1883. (Was Anna another casualty of a childhood spent in the polluted environment of her father's industrial chemicals factory?) Hers was a sad story. Patient records from the hospital reveal that for many years Anna Maria Flockton received no visits from her siblings, at the insistence of her next-of-kin sister Mary Webster Ashby, who claimed that visits caused Anna to become too agitated. </div>
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Yet in 1904 Anna was known to have ‘nieces living’
who were ‘in correspondence with her’. There were very few niece contenders other than the Flockton
sisters Dolly, Margaret and Phoebe. Mary’s daughters, including unmarried Zoe who lived with her, had
presumably been warned off by their mother. Anna’s youngest sister Beatrice had
a daughter too, but in 1904 she was only ten years old. </div>
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Beatrice reached out to Anna
after Mary’s death in 1903 and nominated herself as next-of-kin. However, the
demented Anna remained at Brookwood until her death in 1922, when her personal
possessions were presumably handed over to family members. Zoe died in 1937 and
Beatrice died in 1938. Around this time the kingfisher painting was purchased
by the current owner’s parents at an antique store in Farnborough (reasonably close to Brookwood Asylum).
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NOTE: Don't forget to comment below, or send me an email, if you wish to be added to the 'Waiting List' for <em>A Fragrant Memory</em>, my forthcoming book about Margaret Flockton. If you 'Like' my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor" target="_blank"><strong>Facebook</strong></a> page you will also get to hear occasional news about the book's progress towards publication.</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-7320265652762209402014-06-03T15:58:00.002+10:002015-12-10T20:43:09.318+11:00Margaret Flockton Award, 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfFHQWe6rAeO0AUM9dXi2nSbAcD2xVatUiTWcu6epTCDoPuNb1T2zwDDabpj0b0TzhCbDdvdg4hpwr5VZnWJEYGDJwG8E7vA-rwLs32QonVxHfFaBeflIAuVmV4pL_3e9PG0joTQjBPA8/s1600/DSC00578a+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
This year's entries for the Margaret Flockton Award for Scientific Botanical Art, on show at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, are attracting well-deserved attention from the general public. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfFHQWe6rAeO0AUM9dXi2nSbAcD2xVatUiTWcu6epTCDoPuNb1T2zwDDabpj0b0TzhCbDdvdg4hpwr5VZnWJEYGDJwG8E7vA-rwLs32QonVxHfFaBeflIAuVmV4pL_3e9PG0joTQjBPA8/s1600/DSC00578a+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfFHQWe6rAeO0AUM9dXi2nSbAcD2xVatUiTWcu6epTCDoPuNb1T2zwDDabpj0b0TzhCbDdvdg4hpwr5VZnWJEYGDJwG8E7vA-rwLs32QonVxHfFaBeflIAuVmV4pL_3e9PG0joTQjBPA8/s1600/DSC00578a+low+res.jpg" width="200" /></a>Botanical artists from 10 countries have contributed works for judging. This year's winner, Lucy Smith of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, can finally rest easy as she has achieved her long-held ambition of winning the award, which is generously sponsored by the Maple-Brown family. Lucy Smith drew <em>Nepenthes petiolata</em>, a pitcher plant from the Philippines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUfkj4QtJjNIIn8AlrBry0COYAZeKDXJk2dzuycKudpHiNy5OKyE4YJH_3TJYH909nU-EXtOJr6QaAGGpdAqtoM6CQjzSmUFOhnpnrL1tgISh0m5OGaTfztCHY05BPBwHnUTVIC7lkjil/s1600/DSC00583a+med+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUfkj4QtJjNIIn8AlrBry0COYAZeKDXJk2dzuycKudpHiNy5OKyE4YJH_3TJYH909nU-EXtOJr6QaAGGpdAqtoM6CQjzSmUFOhnpnrL1tgISh0m5OGaTfztCHY05BPBwHnUTVIC7lkjil/s1600/DSC00583a+med+res.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
Award Curators Lesley Elkan & Catherine Wardrop, both Botanic Gardens Trust Botanical Illustrators, have done an excellent job of mounting a first-class, well-lit display of 33 works within the heritage space of the Maiden Theatre. Lesley Elkan was also one of this year's judges, along with Louisa Murray (Flora Botanist) & Karen Wilson (Senior Research Scientist). Catherine Wardrop's succinct description of the award greets viewers as they enter the room:</div>
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Unique among international art prizes, this award focuses exclusively on contemporary scientific botanical illustration, as distinct from botanical art.</div>
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To produce the work, illustrators create an accurate drawing that will accompany the taxonomic description of the plant, highlighting all of the distinctive features of the species. Taxonomic illustration is usually published in scientific journals as highly detailed black and white drawings primarily undertaken in pen and ink, more rarely in pencil.</div>
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Although the specifications of botanical illustration are strict, these selected works display a fascinating diversity of interpretation and expression while keeping absolute scientific accuracy at their core. </div>
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The award is judged on the following broad criteria:</div>
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1. Accurate interpretation and portrayal of the plant characters and diagnostic features highlighted in the botanical description</div>
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2.Technical merit</div>
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3. Artistic merit</div>
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4. Composition</div>
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5. Reproducibility</div>
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Today the specialty art form of scientific botanical illustration maintains its essential role at the interface of science and visual communication. With entries received from all over the globe, contemporary illustrations such as those exhibited in the Margaret Flockton Award continue to translate the complex science into a precise and meaningful visual medium for everyone to interpret.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZBYQadhvGnWSIboKuxExhZ3H4_V45LfDXVdBFYyUi0oqnsvK_XY-BgrW36Tza3mlDepCXwBQthI-Ye2_FeG4-HQNmfk60ii3pg7Y_9cODH4Lg2zjmjPeW1g2jgQFRiFFuZ0-zBKAjVsY/s1600/DSC00586+MargFlocktonAward+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZBYQadhvGnWSIboKuxExhZ3H4_V45LfDXVdBFYyUi0oqnsvK_XY-BgrW36Tza3mlDepCXwBQthI-Ye2_FeG4-HQNmfk60ii3pg7Y_9cODH4Lg2zjmjPeW1g2jgQFRiFFuZ0-zBKAjVsY/s1600/DSC00586+MargFlocktonAward+low+res.jpg" width="200" /></a>Many of the works had been sold by the end of the first week of the exhibition, when I made a second visit with my mother Julia Woodhouse. Margaret was my mother's great-aunt and first art teacher, and I too remember Margaret (Aunt Mog) as a tiny little old lady. My forthcoming book 'A Fragrant Memory' will tell Margaret's impressive life story.
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The Margaret Flockton Award exhibition closes on 15 June 2014 and it's well worth making the trip to this iconic part of Sydney to view it. Free entry. Once inside the Royal Botanic Gardens, just look for the signposts to the Maiden Theatre (on the Art Gallery of NSW side of the Gardens).</div>
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Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-61113666469091648932014-05-24T17:06:00.000+10:002016-02-16T17:07:50.300+11:00Margaret Flockton - Update<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Margaret Flockton’s name will be honoured again today,
Saturday 24 May, when this year’s entries in the Margaret Flockton Award for
Scientific Botanical Illustration go on show. The exhibition at the Maiden
Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney will run for 3 weeks, until 15 June. Pre-existing commitments in Melbourne mean that I can't be at the opening but I'll be going to see the show when in Sydney next week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Forward
progress on publishing 'A Fragrant Memory' has stalled, with a resounding silence from the two publishers approached before I headed off to Hong Kong on 'Gran duty' over two months ago. It's disappointing and frustrating but there are still a few avenues to try. The difficulties of finding a publisher explain why self-publishing is booming - but this book definitely needs a publisher able to handle its extensive pictorial content, so patience must prevail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">EXCITING UPDATE, 12 Feb 2016 - A publishing contract has been signed with Wakefield Press in Adelaide. 'A Fragrant Memory' should be available in August 2016.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Meanwhile, a couple of interesting new contacts popped up while I was in Hong Kong. The nurse who once cared for one of Margaret’s great-nieces was presented with one of Margaret’s watercolours way back then, and has sent me a digital photo. An image of another painting, this time by Margaret’s mother Isabel, was sent by a South Australian couple who've long held the picture in their family. The Brookwood Asylum records for Margaret's Aunt Anna have arrived and tell a sad tale. Relevant details from the three developments are now incorporated into the book.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRncEXchZnJN4vhoILFBsuOfNV2uIXwaYWY0Af5-c-VwDuRdWt7sNgyhB3P2oaM0dg_aID6I77ghnl4hoqEfsId69SUNaGdIafrSjtdRwnY8XekuYVEQkjlJFFfZItMYtH42KYkpVQfQRL/s1600/Zoe+Ashby+grave++(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRncEXchZnJN4vhoILFBsuOfNV2uIXwaYWY0Af5-c-VwDuRdWt7sNgyhB3P2oaM0dg_aID6I77ghnl4hoqEfsId69SUNaGdIafrSjtdRwnY8XekuYVEQkjlJFFfZItMYtH42KYkpVQfQRL/s1600/Zoe+Ashby+grave++(3).JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJsXVhKtl1Ob3plpMJW2dVDtU5jdtpJFqdwuE5eOmaVD_yaUuRoOOTp6Wq_sQnQDlG68sIf4fNpQwwu7OvYLqnDy86kjSAm-NhmU_8Wax8rKUjTpdOfKAKEWGyaJ5CjDgWIv2uNR6QoB5/s1600/Zoe+Ashby+grave++(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJsXVhKtl1Ob3plpMJW2dVDtU5jdtpJFqdwuE5eOmaVD_yaUuRoOOTp6Wq_sQnQDlG68sIf4fNpQwwu7OvYLqnDy86kjSAm-NhmU_8Wax8rKUjTpdOfKAKEWGyaJ5CjDgWIv2uNR6QoB5/s1600/Zoe+Ashby+grave++(2).JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xatoc1dw7hcp3B6LvhIPr30hBBAWKQLmluOgAzNJiy0sPHPBtUwchaWcB0lwqVWfL9Ud0MGSVbFn-R_7pwy2menGYKsYolvxTg-4YrK0l_OH4OQtGPryKfLVRuZh76BMOYczfdptsUmo/s1600/Zoe+Ashby+grave++(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xatoc1dw7hcp3B6LvhIPr30hBBAWKQLmluOgAzNJiy0sPHPBtUwchaWcB0lwqVWfL9Ud0MGSVbFn-R_7pwy2menGYKsYolvxTg-4YrK0l_OH4OQtGPryKfLVRuZh76BMOYczfdptsUmo/s1600/Zoe+Ashby+grave++(1).JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> At one point it was suspected that Margaret's first cousin Zoe Louise Ashby (1865-1937) might have been the custodian of Margaret's kingfisher painting. The current owners of that painting have gone scouting for Zoe's grave at Byfleet, Surrey and have sent me several pictures. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Zoe, a few years younger than Margaret, always lived at home with her mother (née Mary Webster Flockton). Because Zoe left virtually no digital footprint of her own on the world, the Byfleet churchyard photos are included here as a small tribute to her. The thoughtfulness of Jonathan & Joan Foster, my newly-discovered friends in Surrey, is much appreciated! They even took a primrose from their garden to place on Zoe's grave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">All these little snippets have added further depth to my understanding of Margaret's life. I welcome contact from anyone else whose path has crossed with Margaret Flockton's family. Those interested in the book about her are welcome to join the waiting list for 'A Fragrant Memory' - just email me. As indicated above, the book should be available in August 2016.</span></div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-20289520708839612202014-02-26T14:43:00.000+11:002014-02-26T14:43:21.570+11:00Publishing Progress<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the past four weeks I've worked solidly on the manuscript for 'A Fragrant Memory', the book telling botanical artist Margaret Flockton's story for the first time. There's been endless culling, tidying, re-organising, chasing up pesky little loose ends and, of course, indexing, indexing and yet more indexing. Finally, the book is in good enough shape to risk showing it to a publisher. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H_8Q5WfRV-bn6OtpDw_oUuY7UVPlYm5x0UGxOQLSao6V3vOov5F3Fint1iX9fElvC36QWlcxkQFEcptH9OA5q3YC9MaKt6KN9NhSnACdE-e4ovqmD4cHY4XPZ3PP0YB9mBKjdflnhMlq/s1600/MogDixon1869+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H_8Q5WfRV-bn6OtpDw_oUuY7UVPlYm5x0UGxOQLSao6V3vOov5F3Fint1iX9fElvC36QWlcxkQFEcptH9OA5q3YC9MaKt6KN9NhSnACdE-e4ovqmD4cHY4XPZ3PP0YB9mBKjdflnhMlq/s1600/MogDixon1869+low+res.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a>Preparing a submission for a publisher's consideration is a time-consuming task requiring a different set of skills. It's yet another challenge on the long road to getting an illustrated non-fiction book into print. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today, I'm happy. At last I've pressed the Send button for the Margaret Flockton manuscript proposal. It was emailed to one publishing house yesterday, and another company today. Responses are due within 3 months & 3 weeks respectively. I'll keep on trying until someone says the magic word - 'Yes'.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Want to join the waiting list for this book? I promise - one way or another, it will eventually see the light of day! And you'll see that the years of effort will have been worth it.</div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-50763497366469302392014-02-09T12:20:00.000+11:002014-02-09T12:20:50.835+11:00Prof Tim Entwisle's Supportive Comments<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNWOJ9b1jHSpYw6uAXGOwk5JHlTka2MK3XidRnfJgBXbftX-qE0vEgsXiu2jux2AayripTY1IEiMfEHftwhL5giOKT265Ykfqtz6pY55kSUA6s0tKDkZjD_1-E584ZGwgEh3HtvLUlQxL/s1600/Tim-Entwisle-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNWOJ9b1jHSpYw6uAXGOwk5JHlTka2MK3XidRnfJgBXbftX-qE0vEgsXiu2jux2AayripTY1IEiMfEHftwhL5giOKT265Ykfqtz6pY55kSUA6s0tKDkZjD_1-E584ZGwgEh3HtvLUlQxL/s1600/Tim-Entwisle-2.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most writers devote single-minded attention to whatever book
they are working on but my efforts with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Fragrant Memory</i> regrettably and unavoidably have been spasmodic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s an example. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before my last trip to Hong
Kong on extended ‘Gran duty’ I left the Flockton manuscript with Prof Tim Entwisle,
Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. (His picture is from RBG Melbourne website.) He has a
particular interest in Margaret Flockton, being the former Director of the
Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, and his role there in setting up the current Award in her name is
mentioned in my book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I appreciate that he was quick to respond, and this is what he said,
back on 30 October 2013: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin-left: 2em;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank you very much for offering me a look at your
manuscript on Margaret Flockton before its publication. I’ve made a few edits
on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Fragrant Memory</i> in black pen but
nothing of much substance. … She will remain a slightly hazy character I fear
but you have done a huge job in revealing all there is to know about this
remarkable person. … I’m not sure if the next paragraph might be helpful or not
but feel free to use it, or any other part of the letter, in seeking support
for the publication of this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Botanical artists Catherine Wardrop and Lesley Elkan, both enthusiastic
supporters of Margaret Flockton and part of her artistic legacy in Australia,
noted that Margaret’s life ‘has barely been noted in any way’. That omission
has now been addressed. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Fragrant Memory</i>
experienced biographer Louise Wilson has catalogued, chronologed and celebrated
the life of a reclusive and overlooked Australian. From fragments of her life
Louise has been able to paint an engaging portrait of a woman ahead of her
times and someone of great ability and humility. It was clearly a tough job. It
seems there is almost nothing of substance written by Margaret herself and in
places her life remains sketchy and unfinished. That said Louise Wilson has
done her best with conjecture, inference and hearsay to patch together this
narrative. I’m sure <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Fragrant Memory</i>
will become a much loved and cited compendium of Margaret Flockton’s life, one
that shines a light on a life until now almost completely obscure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Three months have gone by. See what I mean about interruptions? Demands from my
living family have taken precedence over the demands of those who’ve gone before, such as my
great aunt Mog. I’m only just able to turn my attention back to this project,
which has been dear to my heart for the past ten years.</div>
</span><br />Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-9645581037048983382014-02-02T13:57:00.000+11:002016-09-06T09:32:58.138+10:00New Painting Comes to Light - of Kingfishers<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
On the off-chance that others in England may
also have a Margaret Flockton painting hanging on their walls, I'm posting the following unexpected message,
just received from a stranger in England. Isn’t the internet wonderful?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 2em;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
'Good morning, Louise.<br />
<br />
When my wife's parents died, she inherited a handsome watercolour by 'M L Flockton'
of two kingfishers with a lake background, which has been adorning our lounge
for many years. She believes it was bought in an antique shop in Farnborough,
Hants, maybe before she was born (1937), as it was in the family home as long
as she can remember.</div>
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</div>
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By chance, while I was online with Google recently, I glanced up at the picture,
entered the name & lo & behold! your name came up with many other sites
detailing Margaret's accomplishments and images. Now, it seems strange that all
these are botanical paintings in Australia and, unless it was copied from a
photo, this one would probably have been painted in England.</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
As you're clearly immersed in the lady's life & work, I thought you may be
interested to see the attached photos of the work (approx
22"x18") (apologies for the poor quality & reflections).'</div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWWAUw4LcTp8u5vYoevgocCKGzT4-4Qe3h8fdzZykafrZv1KT4dor2P4z3qvLW7jeV_QjwYc9gBZEGa5MtGq0P2kM_88xvafxRWaDFTU_8qnXXlwcPsbf8XGmh24H8zb9Ciu38yd5tZyt/s1600/Kingfishers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWWAUw4LcTp8u5vYoevgocCKGzT4-4Qe3h8fdzZykafrZv1KT4dor2P4z3qvLW7jeV_QjwYc9gBZEGa5MtGq0P2kM_88xvafxRWaDFTU_8qnXXlwcPsbf8XGmh24H8zb9Ciu38yd5tZyt/s1600/Kingfishers.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Wonderful news. This is the first example which has come to light of anything Margaret
painted in England. She arrived in Sydney just before Christmas in 1888, and never returned to England, suggesting that the kingfishers were painted during the 1880s.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdizhNcPFAA8WLFu3YY_7NN40WIuq7wx6QYZSGfzG691cA6Vp03DxajYsALKVwH4dTp9VLjw1n9FaNg6TxFx6mo13gyARr7kNhyphenhyphensMP_unZHGxWt4QP_byWiQrUobffcfgL_fjWzUhsfU7/s1600/Kingfishers+MLF+Sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdizhNcPFAA8WLFu3YY_7NN40WIuq7wx6QYZSGfzG691cA6Vp03DxajYsALKVwH4dTp9VLjw1n9FaNg6TxFx6mo13gyARr7kNhyphenhyphensMP_unZHGxWt4QP_byWiQrUobffcfgL_fjWzUhsfU7/s1600/Kingfishers+MLF+Sig.jpg" /></a>The
painting’s size and medium is consistent with Margaret’s other work.
Farnborough also makes sense as a geographic area: various relatives of
Margaret’s are known to have lived in that general region from the 1840s (at Weybridge) to 1922, when her maternal aunt Anna Maria Flockton (Annie) died at Brookwood Asylum, Woking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
The painting might well have belonged to Annie, who was unmarried and a long term
resident of Brookwood. It's easy to imagine Margaret giving her poor aunt Annie a painting to help
decorate the wall when Annie was moved into Brookwood (some time before 1891).
Annie’s effects might have been sold when she died in 1922. Obviously, I must
now investigate her more closely. And it seems that my new-found friends in
England will help with the sleuthing:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p>
</o:p>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 2em;">
'We stayed up till past midnight doing
a bit of gentle delving into the Flockton family. An Interesting Lot. <br />
<br />
The Asylum's been converted into
swanky flats now and we drive through what used to be the site 2 or 3 times a
week, but we wouldn't want to live there - too many ghosts. Just up the road at Woking is the
Surrey History Centre. If you would like anything else looked up at the SHC,
please ask.'<o p=""></o></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
How could I resist such an offer. Until this message arrived, I hadn’t realised that Annie might have direct significance to
Margaret’s story, so I’ve never obtained a copy of her death certificate (Anna
Flockton, Jun Qtr 1922, Guildford, Vol 2a p 113) and don’t know where she was
buried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her mother (Maria Isabella
Flockton), aunt (Mary Webster Ashby) and uncle (Webster Flockton) are buried at
St Mary, Staines. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
Annie was apparently born (in 1838) with some kind of disability, as census records show that
while her parents were raising her numerous siblings, Annie was often
in the care of other members of the family (in her paternal grandfather’s
household in 1841, in her paternal aunt’s household in 1851). She was back with her widowed mother and
unmarried siblings in the 1861 census and she participated in family events, such as the 1859 marriage of her sister Isabel,
Margaret’s mother. I haven’t found Annie in the 1871 or 1881 census but by
1891, when her mother was over 80 and most of her siblings had left England,
Annie was in Brookwood, classified as a lunatic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
I suspect Annie suffered the consequences of the chemical pollution of her
father’s turpentine business, as did other members of her family. There were
many early deaths among the men running the business, and among Annie’s 13
siblings, many of whom were born in the factory residence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s another reason (apart
from knowing what personal effects were in her possession when she died) for my
renewed interest in Annie’s life at Brookwood. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
I had previously checked Brookwood’s records online, of course, but the process of
trying to obtain (from Australia) any information about Annie seemed very
cumbersome, with many administrative hurdles to overcome despite Annie having no descendants
to 'offend'. <br />
<br />
So, I say 'thank you, thank you' to my very kind new English friends with local knowledge and contacts. If you can help fill in some of Annie's life history to explain the provenance of the 'Kingfishers' painting, I'll be delighted. Luckily, 'A Fragrant Memory' is still able to incorporate relevant new information of this type.<o:p></o:p></div>
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-88884961389403045842014-01-10T10:50:00.000+11:002014-01-10T10:50:32.357+11:00ASBA Article on Margaret Flockton<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliCKcYulZhjo3YR7cOFr2Q1Wk-05fpwx4gglYot-RWPAOXBp5BL-9m-PWsYA9izM-fTUr4y69nUB4GBlq76nbOgwwxQ2PmmaycCzpf0lqTedlbqPK22_R5z5606JKby8Eh-xWnLfjVfb_/s1600/DSC06309a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliCKcYulZhjo3YR7cOFr2Q1Wk-05fpwx4gglYot-RWPAOXBp5BL-9m-PWsYA9izM-fTUr4y69nUB4GBlq76nbOgwwxQ2PmmaycCzpf0lqTedlbqPK22_R5z5606JKby8Eh-xWnLfjVfb_/s320/DSC06309a.jpg" height="200" width="153" /></a>Last year I was thrilled to be asked by RBG Sydney to write an article on Margaret Flockton for the Journal of the American Society of Botanical Artists. It was published in December 2013 (Vol 19, Issue 4, pp 30-32). Here's a 'quick pic' of the first page.<br />
<br />
Many thanks to Catherine Wardrop of RBG Sydney for helping me to sort out and explain the technicalities of Margaret's lithographic work.<br />
<br />
Publication of 'A Fragrant Memory", the book on Margaret's life, inches ever closer. It didn't help that I was away unexpectedly for the last few months of 2013.
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-2946080349861822072013-10-01T10:29:00.000+10:002013-10-01T11:09:58.303+10:00'A Fragrant Memory" - Join the Waiting ListHallelujah, the draft of <em>A Fragrant Memory</em> is finally complete, and here is the first comment back from one of my beta readers, Dr Roger Dedman:
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NTcpzMLiI3SCsQ-z8k0sbfH7D-q-U7DehXgdLX_u8kf5tJ1N6s3Wo4gtOBQYmD3jZYPjjfUab9HQ8ufdwHWzFPSkOKRfCmmCyEgmI7bI-tcxEsbUpWbT9iuqnNJ8jo0jESWemldeq51O/s1600/DSC05933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NTcpzMLiI3SCsQ-z8k0sbfH7D-q-U7DehXgdLX_u8kf5tJ1N6s3Wo4gtOBQYmD3jZYPjjfUab9HQ8ufdwHWzFPSkOKRfCmmCyEgmI7bI-tcxEsbUpWbT9iuqnNJ8jo0jESWemldeq51O/s400/DSC05933.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
"I've just read a draft of Louise's latest venture, on the life and work of botanical artist Margaret Flockton. I know that this project has been close to Louise's heart for many years, and this passion is evident throughout the book. Margaret Flockton's achievements have been undeservedly neglected for far too long, and <em>A Fragrant Memory</em> does them full justice. Louise's care for detail, and the extent of her research and referencing, will satisfy the most demanding academic, yet any reader will be engaged by the book's easy narrative flow. Lavishly illustrated, it will be of particular interest to those interested in botanical illustration, but it also exemplifies and highlights the difficulties faced by women working in the area of science in the early twentieth century to have their achievements recognized and appreciated."
<br />
<br />
Thank you Roger. And thanks too for casting an eagle-eye over the text. <br />
<br />
This book is well beyond my capacities as a self-published venture. Now that I have something definite to show, I'm about to commence discussing the book with professional publishers, who I hope will do full justice to the art work and illustrations. The proposed publication date has been moved back to 2014. <br />
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Readers - let me know if you’d like to join the 'expressions of interest' waiting list for Margaret Flockton's biography. Send me an email (address given on my profile page), or post a message on my Facebook page - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor">www.facebook.com/LouiseWilsonAuthor</a> Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-68475910827520600372013-02-23T18:51:00.000+11:002013-02-23T18:51:19.392+11:00Margaret Flockton talk at Royal Botanic Garden, SydneyIn October 2012 I gave an illustrated talk about the life of the botanical artist Margaret Flockton as part of the highly successful <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://flocktonfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/capturing-flora-at-ballarat.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Capturing Flora </span></a></span>exhibition at the Ballarat Art Gallery.<br />
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On Monday 15th April 2013 at 10.30 am I’ll be giving a similar illustrated talk at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney (Caley Seminar Room). Admission to the talk is free but bookings are essential. The RGBS website has <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/welcome/quick_links/foundationandfriends/events/friends_events/friends_of_the_gardens_calendar/event_view?SQ_CALENDAR_VIEW=event&SQ_CALENDAR_EVENT_ID=125366" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">booking details</span></a></span>. Hope to see you there. <br />
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I remember Margaret Flockton (1861-1953), a.k.a. 'Aunt Mog', from my early childhood and have spent many years researching her life. The resulting book has been a long time in the making, but hopefully will be published in 2013.<br />
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Some of Margaret Flockton's beautiful work forms part of the current <a href="http://www.shervingallery.com.au/whats-on" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Capturing Flora</span></a> exhibition at the S H Ervin Gallery in Sydney. The exhibition runs from Friday 15 February to Sunday 17 March.
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477216842459126803.post-76010637328408127802013-02-10T18:37:00.000+11:002017-02-01T22:36:46.810+11:00'Eucalyptus', by Murray Bail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>Eucalyptus</em>, the book which won Murray Bail the 1999 Miles Franklin Award and Commonwealth Writers Prize, is one of the Athenaeum Book Club selections for 2013. The basic ‘plot’ of this book, as described to me when I collected my copy from the library desk, did not spark my interest: <em>a father decides that any suitor seeking the hand of his only daughter, Ellen, must correctly name all the eucalyptus trees on the father’s land</em>.<br />
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Nor did the book itself grab my undivided attention when I began to read - it lulled me off to sleep for four or five nights in row. Losing track of the characters and the story line proved easy, but my enjoyment of Bail's imagery and use of language did not flag:
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Silver light slanted into the motionless trunks, as if coming from narrow windows. The cathedral has taken its cue from the forest. The vaulted roof soaring to the heavens, pillars in smooth imitation of trees, even the obligatory echo, are calculated to make a person feel small, and so trigger feelings of obscure wonder. In cathedral and forest, making even a scraping noise would trample soft feelings. For this reason, Ellen unconsciously continued on tiptoe.</span><br />
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Not a bad way to describe walking through the Australian bush (p 100). <br />
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Of course, as I read further, I marvelled that an author would think of eucalypts as a premise for such a highly original novel, blending fiction and non-fiction. I loved the mentions of eucalypts in far-flung corners of the globe, and the drawing of various clever analogies, but the randomness of the story-telling in the book tried my patience.<br />
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Afterwards I looked for the online commentary on this book - analysis, reviews – and found these more interesting, in a way, than the book itself. Ah - why hadn’t I seen instantly that it was a fairy story, a deliberately Australian fairy story, requiring the reader to suspend belief? Now I understood my incredulity that a female covered in small brown-black moles and described as speckled could be so irresistible to men; and that two men standing side-by-side and pissing against the trunk of any eucalypt less than 10 years old could somehow miss seeing Ellen standing on the other side of that same slender tree trunk.<br />
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This magical tree was <em>E. maidenii</em>, Ellen’s favourite tree, the one with the nail where she later hung her wet dress. My brain snapped to attention with the word <em>maidenii</em> – was Bail about to introduce the reader to Joseph Henry Maiden, Sydney’s famous botanist? Sadly, no. Maiden wasn’t mentioned and his magnum opus <em>A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus</em>, published in eight volumes from 1903 to 1933 and still used as a basic text, received absolutely no credit for its massive contribution to Bail’s text and story-line. (Maiden was following in the footsteps of another famous botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller, who published <em>Eucalyptographia</em> in 1883.) Neither botanist was mentioned in an SMH article on 5 Feb 2005 taking Bail to task for <i>almost</i> verbatim 'lifts’ of text (one describing <em>E. maidenii</em>) from an out-of-print book, <em>Eucalypts</em> Vols One & Two by Stan Kelly, George Chippendale and Robert Johnston, published in 1969 and 1978. I haven't checked the nominated 'lifts' against the Maiden or Mueller versions of the text, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that the exact matches come from these earlier books.<br />
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Bail’s focus on <em>E. merrickiae</em> (p 95) while he completely ignored <em>E. flocktoniae</em> offended me too. Miss Mary Merrick was a librarian at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, where her colleague Miss Margaret Flockton (the subject of my next book) was Maiden’s famous scientific botanical artist. Maiden claimed that Margaret was practically his joint author, but Bail’s only indication that she even existed came with his passing acknowledgement of ‘a few watercolour artists’. <br />
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So these are my personal criticisms of a book entitled <em>Eucalyptus</em>, but what other reviewers disliked, I quite enjoyed – especially the analogy on pp 32-4 between a paragraph and a paddock. <br />
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Now that I better understand the book, and its unusual love story, I realise I should have paid more attention by reading it more slowly, savouring it in solid blocks of time. Margaret Flockton would have loved its focus on her beloved eucalypts and the central role played by <i>E. Maidenii</i>. I think I’ll re-read it.
Louise Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09220084273709377095noreply@blogger.com2