Hannah Luxon - Colonial Servant

Hannah Luxon: Colonial Servant

by Garry Norman Smith

Hannah Barnes was born in Northumberland, England in 1830, the daughter of William and Margaret Barnes. She was baptised at Earsdon, Northumberland on 16 April 1831.

Hannah Barnes married William Luxon (1819-1884) in 1850. The England census of 1851 records that Hannah and William and their 10-month-old son, Edward, were living at North Shields, Northumberland. William was a joiner and cabinet maker.

On 29 January 1853, the Luxon family arrived in the colony of New South Wales aboard the Tamar. The voyage had taken 100 days without any stopovers.

The Luxor Family listed on the 'Tamar', 1853

Hannah and William were to have at least six children, including Edward. Not long after their arrival, Hannah and William left Sydney for the Yass district. Five of their children were born in the colony and their births were registered at Yass.

In 1855 the Luxons were among the subscribers to the Patriotic Fund in aid of widows and orphans of soldiers, sailors and marines killed in action in the war against Russia in the Crimean War. Their ten shillings marked the family as good citizens of the colony and upright supporters of mother England.

William Luxon became a supporter of his local political candidate, Mr P. Faucett in 1861. The lives of the Luxon family were coming along nicely until 1864.

The Goulburn Herald and Chronicle (Wednesday 5 October 1864, 2) carried a brief report from the Yass Courier about the elopement of a married woman who had been in Yass with her husband and family for some years.

The Goulburn Herald and Chronicle, 5 October 1864

 A further and much longer article in the same newspaper on 19 October 1864 identified the woman as Hannah Luxon who had allegedly eloped with John Garland, a carpenter  and lodger at the Luxon house. William Luxon had taken out a warrant for the arrest of Garland with whom Hannah had run off, taking some money, some of her clothes and clothing for her youngest child – the legal property of William Luxon.

John Garland was charged with larceny for assisting Hannah to steal from William Luxon’s house. Mr Allman, acting for William Luxon, declared that Hannah should be thrown out of court and he declared that “…she had a most brazen face to come there on the case at all.” (The Goulburn Herald and Chronicle, Wednesday 19 October 1864, 2)

Hannah Luxon's "brazen face"

Following Hannah’s flight from William’s home, things went from bad to worse for William Luxon and his children. While William later left the Yass district and went to Queanbeyan, Hannah had, by 1865, gone to the home of Ambrose Alchin Junior where he lived with some of his children from his marriage to Eliza Roughan in 1852. At this time,1865, Ambrose was at Oolong/Jerrawa Creek and Hannah was at Felled Timber Creek.

Ambrose Alchin Junior was a widower, his wife Eliza had died in childbirth in 1860. Hannah Luxon was a married woman; she had eloped from her husband, left most of children but was not a divorcee.

In the home of Ambrose Alchin Junior Hannah Luxon became his “colonial servant”. She remained in this position until Ambrose Alchin Junior decided to “up stakes” in the mid-1870s and move to farm at Cungegong (Frampton) and later at Stockinbingal.

Ambrose Alchin Junior (1830-1918), son of Ambrose Alchin

 It is reasonable to assume that Hannah became Ambrose’s defacto or common-law wife; there is no record found of any marriage – she was after all still married. Nevertheless, the couple became known as Ambrose and Hannah Alchin once they had moved away from Oolong/Jerrawa Creek.

It appears that Ambrose Alchin Junior and Hannah Alchin (Luxon) had at least three children together. 

Samuel A. Luxon (1869-1869). Samuel’s birth (Ambrose’s name not recorded) and death (as Alchin) (1869/6670) (Ambrose and Hannah both recorded) both registered at Yass. 

Eva Luscan [Luxon] (1870-1955), born at Jerrawa Creek (1870/19354) (only Hannah’s name recorded), married Frederick West in 1894 under the name Alchin (1894/3259), died as Eva West (1955/13598) (both Ambrose and Hannah recorded). 

Sydney/Sidney Barnes (1874-1952), birth registered at Yass (1874/21683) (given Hannah’s maiden name; only Hannah recorded), died Sidney Alchin (1952/17381) (Ambrose and Hannah both recorded).

The variation in and changes to surnames supports the contention that Ambrose Alchin Junior and Hannah Luxon (nee Barnes) were not married.

Ambrose Alchin Junior’s “wife”, Hannah, died at Stockinbingal on 26 September 1906. She was buried at the Stockinbingal Cemetery. Several newspapers reported her death: Cootamundra Herald, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney), and Wagga Wagga Advertiser.

Stockinbingal, Monday. There passed away on Friday last at the advanced age of 75 years, Hannah Alchin, wife of Ambrose Alchin and mother of Mrs. F.M. West, Stockinbingal, and Mr. S. Alchin, Lockhart. The deceased, who was a native of Northumberland, England, came to Australia in 1856, first settling in Yass and afterwards in the Cootamundra district, where she resided with her family for 30 years. The cause of death was senile decay. She was well and deservedly respected by the whole of the people throughout the district, as evidenced by the great number who followed her remains to the Stockinbingal Cemetery. The Rev. A.E. Cooke, BA, officiated at the grave, and in a few well-chosen remarks paid a high tribute to the sterling worth of the deceased.

Ambrose Alchin Junior died at Stockinbingal on 12 July 1918.

The Late Ambrose Alchin. The above well-known and esteemed resident of Stockinbingal died in his sleep. He was 87 years and lived in Frampton and Stockinbingal districts since 1874. His family are Charlie Alchin, Brewarrina; Ambrose, Narromine; George, Narandera; and Sydney, Lochart; Mrs. Bush, Gunning; Mrs. Cahill, Sydney; Mrs. Dickenson, Muttama; Mrs. West, Stockinbingal.

The death and burial were mentioned in several newspapers, including Young Witness, Cootamundra Herald, The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate and Goulburn Evening Penny Post. Ambrose was buried with Hannah at the Stockinbingal Cemetery.