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May 2019 – Edition 170

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April 2019 – Edition 169

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March 2019 – Edition 168

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February 2019 – Edition 167

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January 2020 – Volume 179

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Volume 179 | January 2020
Your monthly Jerrems news
Welcome to 2020 version of the Jerrems Journal.
Ray and I have made progress is getting the previous edition \s posted to the website. A lot of minor editing is still needed.
Please enjoy this edition about the Heyes family.
Donald in Georgia, USA
Ray in Sydney Australia
THE FIVE ENGINE DRIVERS
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Introduction
Here is a photo of Bendigo Cemetery. Its relevance will be revealed later.
This article is about George Heyes and his four sons who grew up in the famous Victorian gold mining town of Bendigo in the mid to late 1800s. Their rather indirect connection with the Jerrems family is that George was my wife Diane’s great grandfather, his four sons were my wife’s great uncles, and one of George’s daughters (Ellen) was my wife’s grandmother.
I had written three Jerrems Journal articles about the Heyes family in 2015, rounding off in the third Journal with the statement that I would write another article, but this slipped my mind until I re-read that article recently. I wondered what theme I had in mind? Here goes for my answer!
Engine Driver
The common theme for George and his four sons is that they were all stationary engine drivers in Bendigo.
Engine driving was a very responsible position which required the completion of a certificate course at the town’s School of Mines (a copy of a certificate, issued to my wife’s grandfather Walter Cook, is shown above). Wood fired steam engines were used to power the cables which raised and lowered the cages carrying the miners and the trolleys carrying the quartz which had been mined. They were also used to power the stamper batteries, puddling machinery, the pumps used to de-water the lower workings (if required), and pumps designed to fight underground or above-ground fires.
However the brothers, who would have begun their employment at the age of fourteen, would have spent up to at least fifteen years working in the mines or in the stamper batteries before they were considered old enough to be trained as Engine Drivers. For instance Walter Cook was 31 when he obtained his Certificate. [photo of Certificate in sidebar above]
Pitfalls of mining
At the top is a photo of an outdoor stamper battery, showing the stampers which pounded the quartz in the containers at the bottom.
The most common causes of death and injury in mines were probably mine tunnel collapses where the bedrock was unstable, foul air in coal mines, and industrial-type accidents caused by machinery (the machinery was all open with moving parts that could easily snag an arm or a leg). Battery workers were also working with hazardous chemicals like cyanide and mercury. 
However there was another killer, silicosis of the lungs caused by dust (incidentally, the term “silicosis” was derived from the word “silica” which is produced primarily from quartz). This dust would have been produced by the pounding of the stamper batteries and inhaled by the labourers shovelling the pounded quartz into bins or trolleys for further processing. This was exacerbated when the batteries were situated in large sheds and the dust hung in the air.
It is also likely that even though they had progressed to the roles of Engine Driver they would have still inhaled a lot of harmful wood smoke.
The tragic end result of these working conditions was that three of the five men died from silicosis.
William Valentine Heyes
William (b1873) died in 1913 aged 40, leaving a wife and four children (Roy William HEYES 1901 – 1982, Alfred George HEYES 1905 – 1945, Melva Elizabeth HEYES 1906 – 1960, and Norman Alwyn HEYES 1912 – 1973), with William Valentine HEYES 1908 – 1911 predeceasing him.
The rather rambling newspaper report on William’s death in the Bendigo Advertiser of 20/9/13 did not refer to the cause of death, but it did say that he had been in indifferent health for the previous six months. Here is the full text of the report, which makes interesting reading due to its floral style, so typical of newspapers of that era:
The numerous friends of the late Mr. Wm. Valentine Heyes will learn with sincere sorrow that his serious illness terminated fatally yesterday, when he passed peacefully away at his late residence, McDougall road, Golden Gully, at the age of 41 years. The deceased gentleman had been in indifferent health for the past six months, but at times he improved, and was quite cheerful. Only on Wattle Day he was about the city quite bright, but unfortunately he contracted a chill, which developed serious complications, and though he was constantly tended by loving hands he gradually sank, until death came as a happy release. 
The late Mr. Heyes, who was well and favorably known and highly esteemed, was a native of Bendigo, his birth taking place in the same house in which death brought his life to a close. He was of a genial demeanor, and upright and honorable in character. For eleven years he was a faithful employee, as engine driver, at the New Red White and Blue mine, and was a brother of Mr. Grimshaw Heyes, the manager. His mother, who resides at Ballarat, survives him. In addition to his widow, three young sons and one daughter are left to mourn the loss of a devoted husband and affectionate father. The funeral is announced to take place to-morrow at 3.30 p.m., to the Bendigo Cemetery.
Causes of death
To recap, the newspaper article about George Snr’s death said that he died from “disease of the lungs”, which sounds as though it was silicosis. Also, my wife’s mother Nancy said on several occasions that two of her uncles were miners who died from “dusting”, leaving young families. It is likely that she was referring to George Henry and William.
George Henry
George Henry (born 1861 in Bendigo) died in 1910 aged 49. Briefly, he left a wife and three children (Nellie Isabel HEYES 1899 – 1979, Elsie Agnes HEYES 1901 – 1980, and George Henry James HEYES 1902 – 1965. All these children were born in Bendigo. 
The surviving brothers were Grimshaw and James Parkinson Heyes.
Grimshaw Heyes
Here is a photo of Grimshaw Heyes. Grimshaw (who I dubbed “Grim”), George’s eldest son, had a distinguished career, graduating from Engine Driver to Battery Manager and then to Mine Manager under the eminent mine owner George Lansell. He was also Chairman of the Mine Owners Association and had coordinated the much-publicised visit of the American sailors from the Great White Fleet in 1908.
James Parkinson Heyes (1853-1920)
The last son, James Parkinson Heyes (spelled “Hayes” in some of the records) seems to have a very simple story. In the 1903 electoral Roll his occupation is shown as Engine Driver, and in the 1914 and 1919 Electoral Rolls he is shown as Blacksmith, all located in Fosterville, Bendigo. It does not appear that he was ever married, and he died in 1920 at the age of 67.
Perhaps James switched occupation to avoid dusting, as Walter Cook may have done because he later worked as a saddle maker in Ballarat and Horsham.
What happened to George Henry’s children?
In my research I was able to track down William’s children, who were brought up by their mother, but George’s children had me baffled. I could not locate them in Bendigo. Later, as adults registered on the Electoral Rolls they popped up in Ballarat, which was quite a distance from their birthplace of Bendigo. 
Why was this?
The mystery cousin
Here is a photo of a steam engine, situated in a stamper shed.
It is here that I will provide a clue. Occasionally Nancy mentioned a mystery cousin who had lived with them in Ballarat when she was young. She did not mention the cousin’s surname name or say where he hailed from.
Nancy’s apparent reticence fuelled my imagination. Perhaps the “cousin” had been born on the wrong side of the blanket and had been quietly adopted to avoid a scandal in the extended family. 
As it turned out, Nancy was ten years younger than the mystery “cousin” and probably had not gone into any detail about him to me because she had not had a lot of contact with him. Her playmate was her younger brother Alan, by comparison George (probably working at the age of fifteen when she was only five) would almost have seemed like an adult.
The pennies drop
Finally I noticed that the “orphans” (now adults) lived at the same Ballarat addresses as some of the other Heyes families. George lived in Webster Street Ballarat, which I realised was the same address as the Cook family, Nellie lived at 5 Cobden Street Ballarat, which I realised was the same address as the Hardy family, and Elsie lived at 76 Cobden Street, which I realised was the same address as the Fraser family.
What was the connection?
It soon became apparent to me that the connection was that the ladies of the houses were the three Heyes sisters, Alice, Sarah and Ellen, the sisters of George Henry, the father of the “orphans”. All the sisters had moved to Ballarat.
A touching story
It was obvious that the three sisters, who all had their own established families in Ballarat, had put their heads together and decided to take in their late brother’s three children.
It was in fact quite common for families to take in children who were related and had lost one or both parents, due to the high mortality rates prevalent at the time. This would have been particularly common in towns where high-risk occupations were involved.
The simple formula apparently adopted by the sisters was that the oldest sister (Alice) took in the oldest child (Nellie), the middle sister Alice took in the middle child (Elsie), and the youngest sister Ellen took in the youngest child (George).
The age differences of the various children
In Alice’s case, at the date of her brother George’s death her seven children ranged from the age of 34 down to 19, so 11 year old Nellie (shown in this photo) was very much the “baby” of the family. 
In Sarah’s case her six children ranged from the age of 19 down to 3, with one on the way. Nine year old Elsie therefore sat neatly in the middle. 
By way of contrast, in eight year old George’s case Ellen already had a four year old, a two year old and one on the way, with three more children to come. Taking in George was clearly a major undertaking.
Why was it necessary for them to be taken in?
The situation must have been quite difficult for George’s widow, Rose Emmeline Dober, shown at the top left of the above photo (this photo shows her previous husband). The three children were from George’s previous 1895 marriage to Agnes Elizabeth Workings. Added to this, his widow Rose already had a 16 year old daughter by a previous marriage, and a three year old son (Richard Vernon Heyes) by their own marriage. 
Obviously Rose must have considered that she could not raise five children. George may not have left much money, exacerbated by the fact that he may have been off work for a long time before he died, and there were of course no social benefits available in those days.
The three children live in the same town
By coincidence the two girls lived in the same street, on the south east side of Ballarat, and would have attended the same Primary School in that street. Later they would have attended Ballarat High School.
On the other hand George lived in Webster Street on the north side of the town.
No hurry to leave home, later careers
A good indication that the two girls were happy living with their foster parents was probably the fact that they did not leave home until they were in their twenties or early thirties.
Conclusion
This concludes my account of the family of George Heyes, which had the very sad element of George and two of his four sons dying from silicosis, but tempered by the fact that the three children of his son George Henry were fostered by his three sisters.

 

January 2019 – Edition 166

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December 2018 – Edition 165

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December 2018 Edition 165 
Your Annual Summary of 2018 Editions
Long-time reader Leila sent the above image and brief story a few months ago. We love these old Jerrems stories and findings.
Oct 31, 1890 page 7–an ad for Jerrems. (Not certain of the newspaper source)
I saw this while on a search for John W Brittan (my husband’s great grandfather) and thought you might find it of interest–it’s not the whole ad for some reason I couldn’t get it all to clip.
Enjoyed the latest Jerrems issue, as always–the history fascinates me.
Leila
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Me too. In 1960 I visited a Jerrems store in Chicago. I bought a neck tie. Don
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In the rest of this edition we will recap some of Ray’s story lines during the year.
All the New Years best to our subscribers
Ray Jerrems, Sydney
Donald Jerrems, North Carolina
January
The side photo shows Avalon Beach, with its generous expanse of sand and high sandhills, looking north to its headland.
It seemed to me that a “beach” theme would be particularly appropriate for Australia’s current summer. You will be hearing a lot more about Avalon.
This article is about a great grandson of Big Bill, Arthur Jabez Small. Arthur was by far the biggest land developer in the Jerrems family, pioneering the development of 63 acres of land in the modern-day up-market Sydney beach suburb of Avalon. Perhaps it could be quipped that he was Small by name but not by nature.
He was also a prominent conservationist, being a founder of an association which later became the largest conservation organisation in New South Wales.
Briefly, Big Bill had a daughter Elizabeth who married William Small, and the couple migrated to Australia in 1850 with their three children, including Jabez William Small. 
February
Here is an old photo of St Helen’s Church, one of four churches which featured in the Jerrems history.
Ray started with this Church because it has featured extensively in the history of the local Jerrems families starting in the 1700s.
Churches and cathedrals have played an important part in the history of the Jerrems families, and they have been referred to in a number of Jerrems Journal articles in various contexts.
This has led Ray to write an article which consolidates some of the different references and provides additional information. In Jerrems history some churches are huge (for instance All Saints Church in Gainsborough and St Botolphs in Boston) and some are quite small (for instance St Helens in Willingham and St John the Baptist’s Church in Stainton By Langworth).
March
Here is a postcard photo of a long bullock team pulling a wool dray in 1909.
Unlike the United States, where mules were used, bullocks played an important part in Australia’s colonial history. While carrying out research for the Timbergetting article in the Jerrems Journal of May 2015 Ray realised that bullocks had been used extensively for timbergetting, however he did not realise how suited they were to this type of work as well as other rural work.
April
Here is a photo of Arthur Small, provided by Geoff Searl.`
This article continues the story of Arthur Jabez Small, a grandson of Big Bill Bilo!
Arthur had an entrepreneurial spirit which was only exceeded by Nicoll the Tailor. In the previous article we left Arthur in the throes of developing the rustic Sydney suburb of Avalon Beach. Here he moved on to some of the projects to attract discerning buyers (or so he apparently intended), including an ill-fated mini Putt Putt Golf Course, a service station and a general store
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May- SHIPWRECK COAST SECOND ARTICLE
Here is a photo of a salvaged ceramic peacock off the Shipwreck Coast (as it is popularly known), on the south coast of Victoria, Australia.
Ray’s story of the Shipwreck Coast has had a chequered career. His first article appeared in the November 2016 Journal, where he told you about a number of shipwrecks on that coast, mostly leaving the wreck of the Loch Ard in the Twelve Apostles area to a later article. 
The most famous shipwreck on the Shipwreck Coast was that of the “Loch Ard” in 1878. The ship was 260 feet long, 1700 tons and had 150 foot masts, which was quite large for those times, and it was very fast. With 54 people on board it left England in March 1878. Included in the crew as surgeon was Dr Evory Carmichael. Aged 45 he was migrating from Ireland with his family for health reasons, having contracted TB.
When the ship was some distance south of Cape Otway on 30th June there was a heavy haze which resulted in a poor “sight” which initially placed the ship’s longitude in doubt, and later obscured the coastline. At 4 am the haze lifted and the Captain saw high cliffs straight ahead in the moonlight. The southerly wind drove the ship towards the cliffs. It hit a reef and was swept into a gorge, smashing against the cliffs and then sinking.
June
This was the third (and final) article about Arthur Jabez Small, a great grandson of Big Bill (William Jerrems). 
This article was notable for the photo of a koala clambering over a fence.
Arthur had an outstanding career which places him in a unique position in the history of the Jerrems family. Two previous articles trace Arthur’s childhood and his later venture of opening up the Avalon Beach area, on the northern beaches of Sydney. This article continued this theme by describing his interest in conservation and town planning, commencing with his eulogy and moving on to projects with which he was involved. But first we need to see Arthur’s family.
Here is a photo of Arthur’s family taken at Christmas in Avalon in 1948, provided by local historian Geoff Searl who Ray referred to in previous articles. Top row (left to right), daughter Finetta (Winifred) Small, Arthur, daughter Muriel Hunt (nee Small).
Bottom row, Alison Hunt (child, daughter of Muriel), daughter May Small, Jessie Small (Arthur’s wife), son Geoff Small and John Hunt (child, son of Muriel). Ray understands that there is only one surviving member of Arthur’s descendants.  
July
In Ray’s words: 
Here is a painting which shows Sydney Cove in 1803. I have kept the history of the Lenton family up my sleeve for a number of years because I have received a lot of information which I have put off analysing. However, at last I have buckled down to the task with results which I am sure you will find very interesting.
My wife Diane’s maiden name was Lenton, and three of her ancestors were convicts who were transported to Australia in the late 1700s and early 1800s. In this article I will tell you about the earliest of them, James Moore, and his adventures as a convict, involvement in a mutiny, and his final tragic demise described in a later article.
Convict ancestry has become very popular in recent years and has almost reached the level of a status symbol in Australia. Gone are the days when convict ancestry was frowned upon, to the extent that some original archive records were destroyed.
August
This article continued the story of the Lenton family convicts, where James Moore, a convict sawyer on the sailing ship “Boyd” (pictured), was eaten by Maoris. Another convict, John Wild then appeared on the scene, at one stage hunting seals. Finally he settled down to farming.
John’s sentence of seven years expired in January 1801. The following year his daughter Elizabeth accompanied him to Norfolk Island and later lived on the Island with Samuel Larkin. 
September
In his first article about the Lenton family Ray said that it was clearly impractical for all convicts to be continuously kept under guard, nor was it necessary because 80% of the convicts had only been transported for larceny, not for crimes of violence. Quite a few of the convicts were skilled stonemasons and carpenters who were deployed on public works.
The system therefore evolved of some convicts being pardoned and appointed to administrative positions and others, like Lenton ancestors James Moore and probably John Wild referred to in previous articles, being assigned to “masters”. On the other hand intransigent convicts were kept in chains on roadworks and, often, construction of public buildings etc, being kept locked up at night in jails or stockades. 
This lead Ray to interrupt his dissertation on the Lenton family with an account of the range of works for which convicts were often employed. Initially, bearing in mind that for the first five years of settlement (during which there were two droughts) the only people landing in Sydney were convicts and soldiers, there was a strong emphasis on land clearing, farming and building rudimentary houses. High quality hardwood was abundant and was used almost universally for houses, bridges (including a bridge on Bridge Street), wharves, stockades, a navigation beacon on South Head etc. High quality softwood (cedar) was also abundant.
October
In this article Ray showed photographs of a number of gravestones of people who have been significant in his Jerrems narrative. 
At first glance you might conclude that the subject of gravestones is a rather macabre subject, however gravestones are a necessary part of life and come in numerous shapes and forms. In addition to their human interest and pictorial value they also form a useful tool for genealogical research. Ray selected gravestones from England, United States, South Africa and Australia. 
November
In the previous article by Ray about his wife’s Lenton ancestors, Ray finalised the story of convict farmer John Wild, except for his two children. Ray dealt briefly with them and move forward to John Frost, concentrating on his property grants and his service with Elizabeth Macarthur, a famous landowner and one of the most famous women in Sydney’s colonial history.  
Elizabeth was 21 when she married John Macarthur in 1788 and the following year the couple left England for the colony. She was seen as the “first woman of education and sensitivity” to reach NSW. She presided with her extensive family of children at Elizabeth Farm, the family’s home at Parramatta, where she established extensive fruit and vegetable gardens. 
In 1809 her husband was recalled to England, and she became responsible for the Macarthur merino flocks at Camden. Her intelligent and diligent husbandry in establishing and maintaining the flocks helped found the colony’s export wool industry. In addition she looked after her husband’s extensive commercial interests in the colony until he finally returned in 1817. 
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
As always, Angie our family guardian angel continues her mission to the family: keep them happy and healthy.

November 2018 – Edition 164

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October 2018 – Edition 163

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September 2018 – Volume 162

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Volume 162| September 2018

Your Jerrems Journal
Another in the series of early development and construction in 1800’s Australia.
Enjoy.
LENTON HISTORY – CONVICT WORKS PART 1
Introduction
Above is a photo of the Sydney Opera House which I will refer to later in this article.
We have now had two articles about the ancestry of the Lenton family, of which my wife Diane is a descendant. Three ancestors were convicts so I thought that in this article it would be interesting to see how convicts were employed.
Previous articles
In my first article about the Lenton family I said that it was clearly impractical for all convicts to be continuously kept under guard, nor was it necessary because 80% of the convicts had only been transported for larceny, not for crimes of violence. 
Quite a few of the convicts were skilled stonemasons and carpenters who were deployed on public works.
The system therefore evolved of some convicts being pardoned and appointed to administrative positions and others, like Lenton ancestors James Moore and probably John Wild referred to in previous articles, being assigned to “masters”. 
On the other hand intransigent convicts were kept in chains on roadworks and, often, construction of public buildings etc, being kept locked up at night in jails or stockades. 
In my second article about the Lenton family I described how John Wild was punished for stealing clothes in Sydney Town, being sentenced to a flogging of 100 lashes and six months in an iron gang.
This leads me to interrupt my dissertation on the Lenton family with an account of the range of works for which convicts were often employed. 
Early convict works
I
nitially, bearing in mind that for the first five years of settlement (during which there were two droughts) the only people landing in Sydney were convicts and soldiers, there was a strong emphasis on land clearing, farming and building rudimentary houses. High quality hardwood was abundant and was used almost universally for houses, bridges (including a bridge on Bridge Street), wharves, stockades, a navigation beacon on South Head etc. High quality softwood (cedar) was also abundant.
An exception was a small stone fort built at Dawes Point in 1791 to protect the colony from France during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Sydney area was dominated by sandstone, which was very resistant to excavation. A classic example was the huge amount of work involved in excavating tanks in the bed of the Tank Stream to hold the colony’s water supply. The sandstone outcropping throughout the colony made road construction by convicts very laborious.  
On the other the sandstone was excellent for building purposes, and was far more resistant than the sandstock bricks baked on Brickfield Hill. Sandstone was used to advantage when the colony had passed beyond its infancy and more permanent structures were needed.
But first I need to describe two of the major influences in colonial architecture, Governor Macquarie and Francis Greenway.
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Governor Macquarie
Briefly, Major General Lachlan Macquarie (1762 –1824), shown in the above illustration, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony. 
He is considered by historians to have had a crucial influence on the transition of New South Wales from a penal colony to a free settlement and therefore to have played a major role in the shaping of Australian society in the early nineteenth century.
I will be mentioning him frequently in this article and later articles. 
Francis Greenway
Francis Howard Greenway (1777 -1837) was an English-born architect who was transported to Australia as a convict for the crime of forgery. In New South “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales”Wales
He worked for the Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, as Australia’s first government architect.
He became widely known and admired for his work, displayed in buildings such as St Matthew’s Church, Windsor, St James’ Church, Sydney, Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (as it is now known).
I will start with buildings and bridges constructed during Macquarie’s term of office and then talk about roads. 
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Hyde Park Barracks
Here is a photo of the imposing building now known as Hyde Park Barracks, in the middle of Sydney. Designed by Greenway it was originally built in 1817 to accommodate soldiers, later becoming a Womens’ Asylum. It is now a museum which houses historic displays and documents.
St James Church
St James’ Church is an Anglican parish church in King Street close to Hyde Park Barracks. Consecrated in 1824 it became a parish church in 1835. It was designed in the style of a Georgian town church by Greenway and its memorials provide a record of important elements of Sydney’s history.
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Below is a photo of the modern-day Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Originally commissioned by Governor Macquarie in 1815 as the stables (no, this is not a printing error!) for the proposed Government House, the oldest Conservatorium building was designed by Greenway. 
Being in the Gothic Picturesque architectural style, the building was described as a “palace for horses” and demonstrates the romantic vision of Governor Macquarie.
Perhaps it also demonstrates that the Governor loved horses. But what would he have thought if someone told him that his stables would be used a century later for teaching music?
It is the only example of a Gothic building designed by Greenway still standing. Its cost and apparent extravagance was one of the reasons Macquarie was recalled to Britain.
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Additional buildings
Additional buildings included:
(a) Sandstone warehouses built in 1810 at West Circular Quay for the Commissariat
(b) The General Hospital (1811-1816), Supreme Court Building (1823), Macquarie Lighthouse (1818), and 
(c) Fort Macquarie (1817) with 15 guns, now the site of the iconic Opera House (see photo at top of this article).
Much later, after excavating 20 wheat silos on Cockatoo Island (established as a convict jail from 1839) the convicts met their match in 1843 when they attempted to excavate Argyle Cut, which linked the eastern and western sides of the main ridge. Later, Council employees took over, blasting the rock. 
Bridges
At first glance a reader might conclude that building bridges was hardly noteworthy. These days they are merely expanses of boring reinforced concrete, but in colonial days they had a character of their own, as you will see.
Lennox Bridge, Parramatta 1836-9
This single span sandstone bridge of 23 metres was constructed with convict labour across the Parramatta River. Modified slightly, it remains a rare example of early nineteenth century engineering. It was designed by David Lennox, who became famous for his bridges.
But who was David Lennox?
David Lennox
David Lennox arrived in Sydney in 1832. He was experienced in bridge building under the famous engineer Thomas Telford having worked on a stone bridge across the Severn in Gloucester. After the death of his wife, he sought employment in the colony, arriving as an unassisted migrant in 1832. His talents were soon recognised and he was appointed as Superintendent of Bridges, becoming the first skilled bridge builder on the mainland. 
Any doubts about his ability were dispelled after his design and construction of a horseshoe shaped bridge at Lapstone (1833) and the 110 feet clear span bridge at Lansdowne over Prospect Creek (1834-1836).
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Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook
This is a photo of the picturesque Lennox Bridge, Glenbrook, which opened in 1833 and is the oldest surviving stone arch bridge on the Australian mainland. It was also unusual because it was built on a curve, as can be seen from the photo.
It crosses Lapstone Creek on the road known as Mitchells Pass. A nearby quarry is thought to have been created for the purpose of providing stone for the bridge.
The bridge, now closed, served the main route to the Blue Mountains for 93 years until 1926, when the Great Western Highway was re-routed.
The turnoff to the picturesque Mitchells Pass was not well signposted, so it was a handy way of avoiding heavy traffic. I used it often in the 1960s before the bridge was closed.  
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Lansdowne Bridge
Bridges are not just functional, they can also be scenic and engineering attractions. Lansdowne Bridge was built by convicts from 1834 to 1836 and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Colonial Architecture in Australia. The sandstone arch has the largest span of any surviving masonry bridge in Australia and the size, appearance and durability of this bridge make it an outstanding example of colonial engineering.
The bridge carries the Hume Highway across Prospect Creek. It was designed and built from 1834 to 1836 by David Lennox.
The clear sandstone span is 110 feet long while the clearance above water level is a deceptive 76 feet at the centre.
These statistics would be largely wasted on modern-day car drivers who would hardly be aware that they were even crossing a bridge.
In 1832 the Surveyor-General at the time, Sir Thomas Mitchell, commissioned Lennox for the princely sum of A£1,083 to build the bridge. The excellent sandstone used in the bridge was found in a quarry only 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) from the proposed site of the bridge, allowing workers to row a punt to transport the stone to the construction site. This provided the solution to the common problem of finding suitable stone and a simple means of transporting it.
A convict mutiny 
However some of the convicts employed at the quarry were obviously less than enthusiastic about breaking rocks. In July 1833 Lennox told Mitchell of a mutiny that had occurred at the quarry while he had been away on an inspection tour. Some of the convicts had rebelled and had consumed the contents of a nearby liquor still, where spirits were distilled. Returning to the camp drunk they threatened to kill the supervisor and destroy the camp and quarrying equipment. The police from Liverpool were called and arrested the offenders. Retribution at Liverpool Court was swift and savage; those who were spared the iron gang received up to fifty lashes of the “cat”. 
Roads
Road construction was one of the main occupations of convicts. However two roads stand out as being the most significant. One was the road over the Blue Mountains and the other was the road linking the colony with the Hunter Valley (the Great North Road).
The Blue Mountains Road
While you cruise effortlessly in your car, train or bus from Sydney, over the Blue Mountains to Bathurst, spare a thought for the intrepid traveller of yesteryear.
The Blue Mountains were first crossed in 1813 by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson. The following year William Cox, a magistrate and private contractor, was commissioned by Governor Macquarie to build a road from Emu Plains (at the foot of the Blue Mountains) to Bathurst. It was to be four metres wide and 170 kilometres long, and finally had over a dozen wooden bridges.
Cox, with a gang of handpicked convicts, completed this remarkable feat in six months. The convicts were then granted their freedom as a reward.
I had always assumed that this road was built by a mere handful of men and that it was very rough and ready. However Cox’s diary presents a different picture, which I will describe to you in a later article.
Conclusion
In a later article I will tell you more about the Blue Mo
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