William Robertson's travel to the colonies was
no doubt assisted by the following letter from
24A Downing St, dated 14th Feb 1833
penned on behalf of
Frederich J Robinson, Ist Viscount Goderick 1st Earl of Ripon
UK Prime Minister Aug 1827-Jan 1828
Colonial Secretary, 1830-1833
Which read:
£20 Advance No 359. 24A Downing St, 14th Feb 1833
Addressed to Major Gen Bourke
Sir, I am directed by Viscount Goderich to request
that you will cause to be paid to Captain E Henley
the sum of £20 on account of W'm Robertson whom
is proceeding to New South Wales on board the SS Thomas.
W'm Robertson is a Tailor aged 37 years
he will be accompanied by the following family;
he will be accompanied by the following family;
Wife Aged 39 years, children, Elizabeth 15, Marion 12
James 10, William 8, Lillias 6, Jean 1.
James 10, William 8, Lillias 6, Jean 1.
I have the honour to be Sir
Your most obedient humble servant.
Your most obedient humble servant.
A water colour illustration of a
sailing ship of the time from
Maggie Robertson's 1908 Autograph book.
sailing ship of the time from
Maggie Robertson's 1908 Autograph book.
Exactly why William left Scotland for Australia is unknown. Stevenson McGilchrist in his book, William Robertson, Victorian Pioneer 1837-1890, writes,
"In my young days, I, and others of my generation were told that William Robertson was the rightful Earl of Airlie, but because of some ‘act of indiscretion’ on his part he refused to return to Scotland to claim the Earldom, and must have consented to the Title being transferred to some other person, because this was done by a special Act of Parliament".
A 1967 letter to Stevenson McGilchrist, from Brooks and Simpson, 69 Wigmore St, London, W1, a London firm of Genealogists has provided definite proof that the foregoing story is quite untrue. Then how did it come to be handed down from generation to generation?
Perhaps the real proof is contained in a short history told by James McGilchrist Robertson, elder son of the pioneer, to his son, William Robertson. This little history tells the following: The son James was told by his father, the pioneer, that his grand-father, or maybe great-grandfather, owned an estate in the Highlands of Scotland, but he was one who followed the fortunes of Prince Charles Stuart, and so lost his estate, and came to the Lowlands and settled there.
It is possible that this is quite true, but the estate in the Highlands was certainly not the Earldom of Airlie. Definite proof of this has been obtained for me by a London firm of Genealogists, and I pass on to my readers the following paragraph from their latest letter to me.
"We have given some consideration to the family tradition that your great-grandfather William Robertson, became the rightful Earl of Airlie after settling in Australia. You have informed us that he went to Australia in 1833. Therefore, his right, if there was one, would have arisen after that date. The Earldom of Airlie was subject to an attainder in the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century, but in 1826 David Ogilvy had his honours restored by Act of Parliament and became the fourth Earl of Airlie. He was born in 1785 and died in 1849. Since then the Earldom has descended from father to son. The present Earl of Airlie is the great-grandson of the fourth Earl".
The article about the Airlie peerage in ‘Burke’ does not indicate that anyone had a better right to the title than David Ogilvy, to whom it was restored. It may be significant that the attainder under which the Ogilvy family suffered arose because of their support of the Young Pretender. There is a considered school of thought, (Stevenson McGilchrist: William Robertson, Victorian Pioneer 1837-1890), that William Robertson may well have been a Dissenter. While Stevenson McGilchrist's thoughts on William's reasons for coming to Australia are purely speculative, William did become an active member of the Independent Church upon his arrival in in Hobart Town.
"In my young days, I, and others of my generation were told that William Robertson was the rightful Earl of Airlie, but because of some ‘act of indiscretion’ on his part he refused to return to Scotland to claim the Earldom, and must have consented to the Title being transferred to some other person, because this was done by a special Act of Parliament".
A 1967 letter to Stevenson McGilchrist, from Brooks and Simpson, 69 Wigmore St, London, W1, a London firm of Genealogists has provided definite proof that the foregoing story is quite untrue. Then how did it come to be handed down from generation to generation?
Perhaps the real proof is contained in a short history told by James McGilchrist Robertson, elder son of the pioneer, to his son, William Robertson. This little history tells the following: The son James was told by his father, the pioneer, that his grand-father, or maybe great-grandfather, owned an estate in the Highlands of Scotland, but he was one who followed the fortunes of Prince Charles Stuart, and so lost his estate, and came to the Lowlands and settled there.
It is possible that this is quite true, but the estate in the Highlands was certainly not the Earldom of Airlie. Definite proof of this has been obtained for me by a London firm of Genealogists, and I pass on to my readers the following paragraph from their latest letter to me.
"We have given some consideration to the family tradition that your great-grandfather William Robertson, became the rightful Earl of Airlie after settling in Australia. You have informed us that he went to Australia in 1833. Therefore, his right, if there was one, would have arisen after that date. The Earldom of Airlie was subject to an attainder in the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century, but in 1826 David Ogilvy had his honours restored by Act of Parliament and became the fourth Earl of Airlie. He was born in 1785 and died in 1849. Since then the Earldom has descended from father to son. The present Earl of Airlie is the great-grandson of the fourth Earl".
The article about the Airlie peerage in ‘Burke’ does not indicate that anyone had a better right to the title than David Ogilvy, to whom it was restored. It may be significant that the attainder under which the Ogilvy family suffered arose because of their support of the Young Pretender. There is a considered school of thought, (Stevenson McGilchrist: William Robertson, Victorian Pioneer 1837-1890), that William Robertson may well have been a Dissenter. While Stevenson McGilchrist's thoughts on William's reasons for coming to Australia are purely speculative, William did become an active member of the Independent Church upon his arrival in in Hobart Town.
Following their arrival on August 10th 1833, the Robertson family
(for reasons unknown) chose to remain at Hobart Town
rather than proceed to Sydney in the Colony of New South Wales
as was their original intention.
John Glover's "A view of Hobart Town" 1832
William and Marion settled in Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land, (renamed Tasmania
in 1852 when it was granted constitutional government), and established
a Drapery and tailoring business in Elizabeth St, from where
William carried out his business for the next five years.
in 1852 when it was granted constitutional government), and established
a Drapery and tailoring business in Elizabeth St, from where
William carried out his business for the next five years.
*************************************************
The following notices courtesy
Frank and June (Wilson) Buckman 3rd great granddaughter
Frank and June (Wilson) Buckman 3rd great granddaughter
are extracts from the Hobart Courier a weekly
paper of the time published every Friday.
Friday 16th August, 1833 - (from the shipping section)
Capt Edward Henley's reply
Friday the 27th September an account of a fire
on board the SS Thomas on Saturday 21 September
A list of items lost including names of
some of the owners of the items
While in Hobart Town, William Robertson became friendly with
John Pascoe Fawkner who in 1835 in company with John Batman
took up land on the Yarra at the head of Port Phillip Bay
making them the original European settlers of Melbourne.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/themes/2621/john-pascoe-fawkner-businessman-melbourne-pioneer-1792-1869
John Batman's Famous "Treaty With The Blacks"
Merri Creek, Northcote, June 6 1835
Merri Creek, Northcote, June 6 1835
