The Sanderson Family in Australia

ALTHOUGH ALL OF LANCELOT'S CHILDREN HAVE A LINK, ONLY DETAIL RELATED TO HENRY HAS STARTED

Lancelot Sanderson (3rd) was born on 28th January 1802 at Bolam in the parish of Gainford, County Durham, England, as the first son of Lancelot Sanderson (2nd) by his second wife, Ann Singleton. He probably received a formal education, as he was literate and his father left provision in his will for the younger brothers’ educations. As a youth he may have been apprenticed in the trade of butchering, as he gives his occupation as a butcher. Although after some years in Australia he states he is a carrier.

On the 20th December 1821 he married Ann Bond at Staindrop. Ann was eleven years his senior. Their only child, Lancelot (4th) was born 1823. Ann died two years later at Ingleton on 24th June 1825.

After the death of his wife and then his father in 1827 , Lancelot appears to have decided to migrate to Australia . Whether from necessity we are not sure.He and Elizabeth Stamp, also from the parish of Staindrop, travelled to London where they were married at St George Church, Bloomsbury on 27th March 1828 . Their son, George later claimed his father was ‘the black sheep’, although George had a reputation as being somewhat of a joke, and it is not certain whether this was his idea of a joke. Lancelot’s grandson, Frederick Sanderson claimed that according to the family his grandfather ‘married beneath his station’.Perhaps this could explain why Lancelot and Elizabeth were married in London and not in Staindrop where they both lived and why their son referred to Lancelot as ‘the black sheep’.

The ship ‘Caroline’ departed London on the 19th April 1828 with Lancelot and Elizabeth listed as steerage passengers.Lancelot’s son from his first marriage, Lancelot (4th) did not accompany them. For reasons unknown he remained in Durham , where he died on the 22nd July 1828 at Marshall Green. Perhaps he had always been sickly or he was ill at the time of their departure and it was thought he would not survive the long sea journey.Being mainly a cargo ship, the 'Caroline’ carried only a small number of passengers, among the cabin passengers are listed a Mr and Mrs Howden and their two children. Obviously Lancelot and Jonathan Howden got to know one another during the five month voyage and after the ship arrived in Sydney on the 12th September 1828, Lancelot went to work for him.
The 1828 Census states Lancelot Sanderson “a servant to Jno. Howden of Elderslie, Upper Minto ”.Jonathan Howden had apparently leased land at Elderslie from John Cox.William A. Bailey in his book, ‘Uplands Pasture.A History of Crookwellshire’ quotes the following from letters written by Jonathan Howden which are now held by the Mitchell Library of NSW. “The direct route between Bathurst and Goulburn was being used by travellers.It bore some miles to the east of Crookwell.In February 1829 John Howden of Elderslie on the Nepean River near Camden indicated his intention in a letter to a friend in England of travelling the route with Rev Hassall to see the country and also to purchase fifty heifers. In June the same year he wrote that he had set up Lance Sanderson with six men and seventy six head of cattle to fix a station about two hundred and fifty miles from Sydney. He said that it was at the junction of the rivers Abercrombie and Crookwell. Those rivers do not join but it may be presumed that the site was somewhere near the junction of the Abercrombie and Lachlan beyond Bigga or the junction of the Crookwell and the Lachlan beyond Narrawa.”

It is doubtful that Elizabeth accompanied Lancelot on this expedition especially as their first child, Ellen had been born on the 2nd April 1829 at Elderslie. Their second child, Jane was born at ‘Noanorah’ on the 18 th October 1830. Whether Lancelot was still in the employ of Jonathan Howden it is not known, but ‘Noanorah’ at the Cowpastures, was a 3,000 acre grant to John Dickson on 10 th June 1816, a proportion of which was acquired by llomas Barker in the 1830's. Thomas Barker also owned 'Mummel' on the Goulburn Plains. Lancelot's third child, George, was born at 'Mummel' on 22nd January 1833, so perhaps Lancelot may have now been employed by Thomas Barker.

Their fourth child, Henry, was born at Newcastle on 2nd October 1834 and their four other children at Morpeth. Mary Anne on the 24th August 1836 , she died on 16th February 1842 aged 6 years. The date, 17th February 1840, on the memorial headstone in Morpeth cemetery conflicts with the burial register of St James Church Morpeth. Williarn Robert Sanderson commissioned the stone in 1891 when his young daughter died and as his sister, Mary Ann, had died before he was born and nearly fifty years had intervened before the stone was erected, his mistake is understandable. John born on 23rd September 1838 , died at Avisford, Meroo River on 17th February 1856 aged 17 1/2 years. John died an accidental death from drowning and according to the coronial inquiry he was found drowned and intemperance a contributing factor. Avisford is between Mudgee and Hill End, so it is highly possible John had gone to seek his fortune on the goldfields, as the gold rush was in full swing at this time. Joseph born on 28th July 1841 and William Robert on 11th September 1845 .

The Electoral Rolls of 1859 1860 lists Lancelot's residence as Queens Wharf, Morpeth, which he held leasehold. Morpeth in the 1850's was a thriving river town, it was the first port of call for dozens of immigrants to Australia, as well as boasting three paddle wheel steamers which provided a daily service between Morpeth and Sydney. Perhaps Lancelot conducted both his carrying and butchering from his residence at Queens Wharf .

Lancelot died at Morpeth, probably at his residence, on 17th October 1861 from Bright's disease (a disease of the kidneys). He had been diagnosed with the disease 16 months prior to his death. He was buried at St James Church of England Cemetery at Morpeth on 18th October 1861 . His will bequeaths all his leasehold, freehold and real estate he held, both here in Australia as well as any held in Hilton Durham England, also any monies, securities for monies, household furniture, drays, horses, harness and farming utensils to his wife, Elizabeth Sanderson.

Elizabeth was widowed for four years before she succumbed to Bronchitis after being ill for a fortnight. She died at the residence of her daughter and son in law, Alexander and Jane Wilkinson in High Street West Maitand on 22nd May 1865 . She was buried on 24th May 1865 beside her husband in the Morpeth cemetery.

Alexander Wilkinson and George Sanderson were the executors of Elizabeth's will. In 1867 several letters passed backwards and forwards between Alexander Wilkinson and Anthony Sanderson, Lancelot's brother who remained in England . A right of way on the Hindbury Farm in Durham England was in question and the settlement was protracted. Both Lancelot's and Elizabeth's wills and their children's birth certificates where wanted by the solicitors for die Duke of Chester, who was making the claim, to prove the tide. It in its self must have proved difficult as registration of births in Australia did not begin until 1856 whereas in England it began in 1836. They may have made do with baptism certificates as their six surviving children were all born well before 1856. Another of Lancelot's brothers, Robert, had also died and apparently left cottages on Hindbury to the four sons of Lancelot and Elizabeth. Title deeds of these cottages were to be with the farm so as to cut down the expense of separate deeds. The problems were eventually solved and the matter concluded when the Duke bought the estate. Then beneficiaries received a share of 500 pounds wt.