'Nothing is known about Brickhill's early life in Tasmania but in 1833 he was in charge of property belonging to the Rev. W.J.P. Bedford. In 1836 he purchased a town allotment in Campbell Town and built a large retail store, one of the finest in the district. Brickhill was connected with many business ventures and was a devout Methodist. In his store he kept a large Airedale hound, to scare would-be burglars. One night the dog turned on him and he never fully recovered from the injuries sustained. He died on 28 February 1865 aged 65' (McNeice, pp.71-72).
The Tasmanian Pioneer's Database shows that Joseph Brickhill was born in 1800 and died in 1865 in Campbell Town.
In 1854 Brickhill was listed in newspaper advertisements as a licenced sub-agent for Holloway's pills, a popular cure-all of the time.
Brickhill issued his only token in 1856. The maker is unknown. According to the inscription on his tokens he was a draper and general importer. An 1856 list of Campbell Town jurors, transcribed by genealogist Alicia Herbert, states that his business was in Bridge Street. In 1863 a Joseph Brickhill of Campbell Town was listed in Walch's Tasmanian Almanac and Guide to Tasmania as the holder of a Wholesaler's Licence.
'A solid reminder of this token issuer, is the Brickhill Memorial Church which is located at 109 High Street, Campbell Town. The building was erected in 1880 from the funds left by Joseph Brickhill who conducted a store on the corner of High and King Street, Campbell Town. The original building [Brickhill's store] was demolished many years ago and the site is currently occupied by an agricultural supply business' (Tasmanian Numismatist, Internet Edition, March 2004). The church is listed and illustrated on the Australian Register of the National Estate website. Amongst other features, the church is notable for its Gothic Revival architecture.
References:
McNeice, R., Coins and Tokens of Tasmania, 1803-1910, pp. 71-72.
Andrews, A., Australasian Tokens and Coins, p. 32.
1856 Campbell Town Juror's List, transcribed by Alicia Herbert http://www.rootsweb.com/~austas/campbell_townjur.htm
Petterwood, G., 'Tasmanian Tradesman's Tokens', in Tasmanian Numismatist, Internet Edition, Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2001 http://www.vision.net.au/~pwood/Nov2001.htm
Register of the National Estate, Listing for Brickhill Memorial Church: http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=13102
Tasmanian Pioneer's Database, http://resources.archives.tas.gov.au/Pioneers/taslink3.asp?ID=49547
Advertisement, Hobart Mercury, 8 July 1854, p.4.
More Information
-
Keywords
-
Localities
-
Authors
-
Article types