History Matters || Boultons return to England
On 25 August 1852, Edward Baker Boulton and wife Mary sailed for Australia accompanied by the two children born while the family had been living in England, Emily (1851) and Edward Oswald (1852).
Boulton was now a member of the Darling Point intellectual elite whose members included Charles Nicholson and Robert Lowe, later Viscount Sherbrooke.
The family settled back happily into Darling Point life with its mixture of literary and artistic endeavour, intellectual discussion, balls, picnics and other social outings. Five additional children were born during this Sydney period.
We know as much as we do of this period because of the letters of Blanche Mitchell, the daughter of surveyor and explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell. Mitchell's death in 1855 had left his family in some financial difficulty. Blanche seems to have been accepted as part of the Boulton family group and described their activities in her letters.
The Boulton brothers seem to have purchased Bergen op Zoom station outside Walcha soon after Edward's return, for in August 1853 Edward mortgaged Bergen op Zoom plus other assets to raisethe then large sum of £5,900.
In 1855, Edward entered into a partnership with David Bell that would last until 1876. Bell, who seems to have lived on and controlled the actual management of Bergen op Zoom, would become a very successful pastoralist, buying Muluerindie station in 1873 then Rimbanda station in 1875.
Despite his growing success and the attractions of Sydney life, Edward missed England and Europe. On 18 May 1859, the family sailed for England on the SS Camperdown.
While advertised as a fine ship, it was a bad trip especially for Mary who was pregnant again. In December 1859 Mary died at her parent's place in Ireland, probably from complications associated with the birth of her new daughter, also named Mary.
Following Mary's death, Edward moved his large brood back to his English home area, installing them in Tilley House near Wem. There on 6 June 1861 he married Rachel Gwynn. Over the next 10 years they would have another 10 children, making for a very large brood indeed!
Edith, their first child, has already appeared in our story. An accomplished artist, she was to be the mother of writer Arthur Ransome and Edward's confidant when it came to the painting they both loved.
During this English period, Edward pursued his artistic endeavours both painting and exhibiting. The family itself lived in some style. The 1871 census shows that they had seven servants including a governess and two nurses. I think the last three were badly needed!
I suspect that Edward might have stayed in England. However, events now intervened that required his return to Australia and to Walcha.
Jim Belshaw's email is ndarala@optusnet.com. His New England life blog is http://newenglandaustralia.blogspot.com/: his New England history blog http://newenglandhistory.blogspot.com.au/