Anthony Brooking

BMDB data

     Anthony Brooking was baptized on 14 Nov 1813 Egg Buckland, DEV, ENG; privately baptized, to Anthony (yeoman) and Mary in this parish.^4,2,1
     Anthony Brooking married Honor Dawe, daughter of John Dawe, on 25 Dec 1841 in the Par. Ch, Par. of Charles Martyr, Plymouth, DEV, ENG, cert. shows both Anthony and Honor were of full age, Anthony a carpenter resid. Jubilee St, s/o George Brooking a carpenter (should be Anthony), and Honor resid. Ham St, d/o John Dawe a labourer, both signed, wit by M Rickard (?Richard?) and Robt Lewis.^5,6
     Anthony Brooking remarried on 16 Oct 1854 St Paul's Ch, Melbourne, VIC, AUS, to Mary Ann Jasper, daughter of William Jasper and Mary Ann Betty.^7,8,2,9
     Anthony Brooking died on 12 Nov 1872 by the Hunter River, SA, AUS, at age 58; on a wild cattle expedition, believed to have been eaten by alligator whilst asleep on the banks of a creek.^3,2,8,10

Migration

     Anthony Brooking immigrated cir. 2 Feb 1853 to AUS on the "Caroline Chisholm" settling in VIC and thence in New Plymouth, Taranaki, NZ. The date of departure from Devon, is derived from his surviving account book in which is a witnessed copy of his will dated May 13, 1853 whilst on board the ship "one hundred days out from England and about one thousand miles from Port Phillip". One wonders if they were in a storm and doubted arriving - in which case there doesn't seem much point in leaving everything to your son on the same ship?^11,12
     Anthony Brooking immigrated bet 16 Oct 1854 - 1856 to New Plymouth, TNK, NZ; Some sources³ show Anthony as a traveller on the "Onkaparinga" leaving "4 mths after arriving in Victoria", "arriving Nelson at the time of the Wellington earthquake". Anthony's brother Francis Lang Brooking was definitely on board, as his journal attests, but we only have circumstantial evidence that Anthony and William travelled with him, namely Land Office records mentioned in 'The Lure of New Lands'¹³ showing Anthony purchasing 300 acres of farmland at Omata within 3 weeks of the Onkaparinga's arrival - and selling part of it (off Frankley Rd) to his brother Francis 10 mths later in Jan 1856. Francis' ship has also (erroneously) been called the "Pukaparina"¹⁴ with the destination being New Plymouth, arriving 10 Feb 1855. "At New Plymouth Brooking left the ship and joined members of his family who had arrived as Plymouth Company emigrants" (?the siblings John Whiddon, William and Alice, chidren of John and Harriet Brooking of Malborough, marr. Thurlestone 1816?). It's just as well that whoever was on the "Onkaparinga" left it in Feb 1855, as it ran aground at the mouth of the Wanganui River in July 1855 and broke up. The extracts of Francis' journal included in Peter's book 'The Lure of New Lands' don't explicitly mention Francis landing at Nelson but show they arrived at Wellington 26th Jan after experiencing a violent earthquake on the 23rd. "we found the best houses, walls & Chimneys down, and the Town a mass of ruins, with Soldiers guarding the Banks and other publick buildings, most of the walls, Roofs, Plastering, windows and doors being gone."^{3,14,15,16,17,18,19,13}

Census/Where lived/Occupations

     Anthony appeared on the census of 7 Jun 1841 Oldtown Mill, Tavistock Rd, Plymouth Charles, DEV, ENG, enumerated as Anthony BROOKING, 27 no occ listed, not born cty, in hsehold of ? (28, miller) and Fanny (30) Gullett. In 1851 Fanny was a widow and the miller at Efford Mill, Eggbuckland, aka Gullett's mill or Eggbuckland Mill.^20,21
     By Dec 1841 Anthony Brooking was a carpenter of Jubliee St, Plymouth, DEV, ENG, when he married Honor(which seems a rather drastic change to the miller/baker of later times, although 15 yrs later in Australia he describes himself as a carpenter).^5,22 By Jun 1844 Anthony was a baker Shoreditch, LND, ENG, when son William Francis born.²³
     The census of 31 Mar 1851 showed Anthony as a 37 yr old widower, miller & baker emp 16 men b Egg Buckland in the household of his parents Anthony and Mary Brooking 37 West St, East Stonehouse, DEV, ENG.¹
     Anthony Brooking appeared on the census of 1854 Sandridge, nr Melbourne, VIC, AUS, with William Francis Brooking, enumerated as Anthony, carpeter, widower, Wm Francis aged 9.²² On 27 Aug 1854 Anthony Brooking was living Sandridge, VIC, AUS, as his brother's journal has this entry: "and the next morning Sunday started in a small boat...for Sandridge, we found Anthony at home and on the Tuesday following I went on board with Anthony and his little man William for the boxes."²⁴
     Anthony Brooking was involved in milling New Plymouth, TNK, NZ, as he is reported to have bought the water wheel of the original flour mill, the Alpha and used it for his saw mill.²⁴

Wills/bequests

     Anthony Brooking wrote a will on 13 May 1853 leaving his entire estate to William Francis Brooking who was assumed to be travelling with him as the diary of his brother Francis mentions visiting Anthony and "his little man William" in Sandridge (Victoria, Australia) Aug 1854. The will describes Anthony as "late of [..]ewport St Stonehouse, Devon but now on board the "Caroline Chisholm" ..."¹¹
     Anthony Brooking were named as beneficiaries in the 10 Feb 1860 will of their uncle William Rowe of Honicknowle, St Budeaux, DEV, ENG.²⁵

All the other info

     Although Anthony's marriage cert. to Honor Dawe clearly shows his father to be George not Anthony, this is believed to be a mistake on someone's part. I initially thought that the occupation might also be a mistake, but he was obviously a multi-talented indiviudal. Anthony is with his father Anthony in 1851 together with his son William Francis and William Francis' birth cert shows his mother to be Honor, formerly Dawe so I'm convinced the cert is mistaken.^5,12
     Anthony Brooking also outlived his 2nd wife Mary Ann Jasper who died on 19 Nov 1854 of dysentery, 6 weeks after arriving in Australia and barely a month after marrying Anthony.^26,27,2,8 He was definitely in New Plymouth in 1860 as surviving letters provide graphic accounts of what it was like living in the area in those turbulent times.²⁸