Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

  A man who travelled to Australia to try his luck and who was lucky indeed! JAMES NORTON (ESQ) James was born in Hastings Sussex England on the 27 July 1795 the third son of John Norton and his wife Mary (nee Bradford). He received a legal education and was admitted to practice as an attorney and thus was known as Esquire. He sailed as Captain’s Clerk in the “Maria” that arrived in Sydney in September 1818 with the aim of making his fortune as a lawyer – at the time only four other solicitors were practicing in the town. His father, a brother and three sisters followed him to Sydney the following year and the family received a large grant of land in the Mulgoa district on the Nepean River. James also was granted a separate land title that he farmed. His youngest sister, Emma, married the explorer John Oxley in August 1822.   In the meantime, his legal practice flourished and in 1826 he created Australia’s first law firm when he took William Barker into partnership. Ja...

Today's blog is centered on a woman, seen as notorious in her youth, portrayed in wax by Madame Tussaud, who changed her name and sailed to Australia, nursed lepers, was a Matron of Parramatta Girls Institutional school, lived to the age of 100, was revered by many in Australia but in essence was a convicted murderess. CONSTANCE KENT Constance was born in Devon England on the 6th of February 1844, the fifth daughter and ninth child of Samuel Saville Kent an inspector of factories for the Home Office and his first wife Mary Ann (Windus), daughter of a prosperous coach maker and Portland Vase expert. Constance's mother died in 1852 when she was 8 years of age and this loss seems to have had a profound effect upon her. Her father had an affair with the nanny, Mary Drew Pratt, whilst his first wife was dying and subsequently married her. The second marriage brought three more children. One night in late June 1860, when the second Mrs. Kent was heavily pregnant with her four...

 For the first blog of the year, I have decided to embrace the great sporting season of summer - cricket! Ah, but there’s more to this blog than just cricket, read on… ARTHUR CONINGHAM Arthur was born on the 14th of July 1863 in Emerald Hill, Melbourne, Victoria. He was the youngest of five children both to William and Jane Ann Coningham (nee Wilson). He loved sport and became an all-round athlete. Arthur took to football, rowing, pigeon- shooting and particularly to cricket - as a left-arm fast medium bowler. Arthur played for the Melbourne Cricket Club and in December 1884 went to Queensland, representing the Club in a total of 3 games. He played 3 times for Queensland and twice for NSW. In the Intercolonial Games Arthur scored 510 runs at 17 and took 60 wickets at 23.46. He was a member of the Australian team that toured England in 1893, unfortunately not playing in a Test match but in other games he scored 260 runs at 12.8 and took 38 wickets at 25.6. Arthur's only te...