Place names of the Central Coast - Gosford

In the early 1830s the Government decided that there should be a Government town at Brisbane Water as allotments in the private township of Samuel Peek (now East Gosford) were being sold.
The land selected for the township on the headwater of Brisbane Water was occupied by Thomas Allison Scott. The Government resumed this land and gave him the grant at Tascott by way of compensation.
In 1838 Alfred Holden applied to purchase six acres of the Township Reserve as he already had a house on the land - now Grahame Park. The application was refused.
Surveyor Dalgety then was instructed by the Colonial Secretary to prepare a plan of the ground for a township at Point Frederick.
On 27th February 1839, Dalgety forwarded "The Survey for the Township at Point Frederick" to the Governor. It was returned in April with the words "To be called Gosford" written across the survey plan.

From: Place Names of the Central Coast: origins & meanings (Historical Monographs No. 5) Eileen Pratt - West Gosford : BWHS : 1978

Town & County Journal

Henry Kendall sometimes wrote prose pieces for the Sydney newspaper, the Town & Country Journal. While he was staying with the Fagans, he had an article piece published titled "Arcadia at our Gates. In his own distinct lyrical and romantic style...he has given us a picture of the Brisbane Water of 1874, as seen through his eyes

"Here will be a refuge for aching heads and weary hearts. The kind wind of lakes, the gracious song of brooks, and the generous shelter of trees, will all play a restorative part. Limbs will receive new life, hearts new joy, minds new vigour."


From: The Fagans, the Cottage and Kendall (Historical Monograph No. 8) Joan Fenton : West Gosford : BWHS : 1996

The Poisonings at "Cooranbean"

"I find that the deceased Mrs Margaret Fagan aged 50, Bridget Gilligan aged 38 and Margaret Fagan aged 24 - died from the effects of Strychnine accidentally administered to them instead of Quinine by Peter Fagan of Cooranbean

Signed Boyd Horsbrugh J.P.

Sydney Morning Herald 11 December 1865

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT FROM POISONING AT BRISBANE WATER

The remains of Mrs Fagan, Miss Bridget Gilligan, and Miss Margaret Fagan were brought up to Sydney by one of the Illawarra Company's steamers, which arrived from Gosford, Brisbane Water, early on Saturday morning. An investigation respecting the cause of death was held at Brisbane Water on Thursday, the conclusion arrived at being that the poisoning was accidental. The bodies were taken to St. Joseph's Church, adjoining St. Mary's Cathedral on Saturday, and the interment took place yesterday afternoon. The other persons who also had the misfortune to take some of the strychnine in a fair way of recovery.


From: The Fagans, the Cottage and Kendall (Historical Monographs No. 8) Joan Fenton - West Gosford : BWHS : 1996

The Fagans, the Cottage and Kendall

Visitors to the Henry Kendall Cottage & Historical Museum at West Gosford are often intrigued by the relationship of the poet Henry Kendall to the small stone cottage built by a pioneer of Brisbane Water - Peter Fagan.
Many words have been written and published about Kendall: his life and his art have been well documented and commented upon ... Fewer words have been published about the life of Peter Fagan and his family of "Cooranbean", West Gosford.
The story of what is now Henry Kendall Cottage is really the story of individuals in three families: the Fagans, the Kendalls and the Adcocks
- Peter Fagan built the cottage
- Henry Kendall stayed in the cottage
- Garnet Adcock owned the cottage, lived in it for a while, developed the land around it, pioneered a significant business enterprise near it, and contributed to its preservation by selling it to the Brisbane Water Historical Society.

From: The Fagans, the Cottage and Kendall (Historical Monographs No. 8) Joan Fenton (Ed) - West Gosford : BWHS : 1996

Place names of the Central Coast

Erina

Erina is said to be a variation of "Yerin" of "Gerrin", an Aboriginal name meaning literally "an object of fear"... This name occurs as early as 1825 when James Stewart applied to the Surveyor General for a grant of 500 acres at Erina Creek.
In the first census of the native population taken at the end of 1828 by Willoughby Bean, the local magistrate, he reported five family groups of natives. The groups mentioned are the Mial or Broken Bay tribe, the Narara, the Erina, the Tuggerah Beach and Wyong tribes.

From: Place Names of the Central Coast: origins & meanings (Historical Monographs No. 5) Eileen Pratt - West Gosford : BWHS : 1978

Baby Doll

Does anyone have a Baby Doll that they would like to donate to our museum?
Sadly our doll in her pram has a "wonky eye" and many unkind remarks have been passed about her.

:-(

Snippets

When one of our new members, Norman Allan, was on Museum Duty recently, he gave an impromptu poetry reading of some of Henry Kendall's poems to a widening circle of interested and entertained visitors. Norman has only been in Australia for six months, coming from County Kildare in Ireland, and anyone who has the pleasure of meeting him will take delight in his Irish accent. Particularly enjoyed was "Song of the Shingle Splitters".

We are now thinking of appointing Norman as our resident poetry reader and look forward to more performances of this nature!