Item HT 29985 Documents - Crown Allotment Land Grant, Emberton, Victoria, 16 Aug 1871

Summary

Land title for allotment F One in Emberton, issued to Nicholas Dooling of Barfold on 16 August 1871. Nicholas purchased 10 acres of land in the County of Dalhouse, Parish of Emberton for 10 pounds. The document records the boundaries of the land and provides a map of the property.

Attached to the document are two pieces of blue note paper which have a letter and declaration. The letter was written by Nicholas Dooling to a Mr Neil of Kyneton and is dated 1878. In it Nicholas states he received Mr Neil's letter but that in regards to payment he is not able to get the amount and that as Mr Neil has the deeds he must make what he can of the land. Nicholas also describes the land, mentions that he is in failing health and states that if Mr Neil wishes to further discuss the matter he should contact his son in law Mr Hanrahan.

The declaration is written on the back of the letter and is dated 25 April 1884. It states that Mr Neil has sold and transferred to Michael Hanrahan of Emberton all his rights and interest in the land belonging to the late Mr Dooling for the sum of nineteen pounds. The declaration notes this was the result of a dishonest promissory note from Mr Dooling to Mr Neil for thirty two pounds which was due 10 May 1878.

Nicholas Dooling was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1804 he immigrated to Australia in the 1850s with at least two of his daughters, Catherine (born circa 1842) and Mary Ann (born 1848), possibly seeking his fortune on the goldfields. In 1862 Catherine married Michael Hanrahan and in 1868 Mary Ann married James Taylor at Redesdale. Nicholas died in 1879 aged 75, why he failed to pay the promissory note and what he used the 32 pounds for is unknown.

Physical Description

Document on parchment printed in black ink with handwritten details filled in, affixed to the lower right hand side of the document is the seal of the Colony of Victoria. There are three smaller pieces of paper stapled to the top left hand corner of the document. Two of these pieces are lined blue notepaper filled with handwritten text in black ink. The third is a white A4 sized piece of paper with typed black text and details in blue ink.

Significance

These documents are significant for their links to Irish immigration to Victoria. The Irish were one of the largest immigrant groups to Victoria in the second half of the 19th Century with more than one in four Victorians having been born in Ireland in 1871. During the 1840s many Irish immigrated to Australia due to the difficult living conditions caused by the Irish famine. Between the 1850s and 1890s many Irish migrants came on assisted passages with fairly equal numbers of men and women.

The documents are also interesting for the partially revealed story of Nicholas' settlement in Australia. He immigrated to Australia quite late in life with at least two of his children, possibly seeking new opportunities. He was successful enough to purchase 10 acres of land at Emberton aged 67; however he then went into debt for an unknown reason which he was unable to pay before he died in 1879. His son in law had land adjoining his property at Emberton and was able to purchase the title back in 1884.