Bye Bye Barnstaple.
In my last weeks here, I reflected on the incredible opportunity offered to me by this residency. To live and write in another country, to explore places, to dig into history has been a gold mine.
Speaking of which, being here has reminded me of the extraordinary impact of the Gold Rushes in Australia. Many people from Barnstaple, as well as other parts of the UK, Europe, the Americas and China flooded into the colonies. The population of NSW and Victoria trebled and its diversity expanded. Boats were built in Barnstaple and elsewhere to carry the people, provisions and the gold. The wealth generated led to improved transport and communication, and changed the place from isolated colonies to a connected country which eventually became a Federation. There were many downsides, not least being the impact on the First Nations peoples.
There were several stages to the Gold Rush. The main stage from 1851 to 1861 was in Victoria and NSW, and was alluvial. Almost anyone could undertake alluvial panning. Then followed the harder mining. In Queensland, this was from the 1860s to 1870s, in Gympie and Charters Towers. The Northern Territory overland telegraph route was in the 1870s and WA in the 1880s-1890s, at Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie. The end of the gold rush, among other factors, heralded in the Great Depression of the 1890s.
What interested me when I dug into this and other aspects of our history, was the impact on the lives, well-being and choices made by people, my family and ‘the pubs of Cocky Bennett’. This seemed clearer sitting at the dining table in Di’s apartment or at a desk in the library and led me down many mine shafts.
For me, historical research has been a bit like gold mining. At first there is the surface information, easily found specs of gold which excited my senses and fuelled my imagination. Collecting and assembling these was fun and satisfying. Until they ran out and I was hungry for more information, which was buried below the surface. Looking for the signs, the clues that a hole was worth digging, a rock worth blasting through. Sometimes it was bare, a fruitless search. Other times there was a rich seam of information which glowed in the dark and led to more digging and tunneling.
The texture of my story was enhanced by new information and insights, and often I have needed to rethink my narrative or revise my assumptions. At times it was frustrating and hard work. Then along came several people who caught my fever and dug beside me, unearthing facts and figures I had never dreamed of.
In this regard, I am very grateful to Gwen Wilson who has given me much useful information and many leads. One of these was to unearth the journeys of my grandfather, Alfred Shelton (who I mentioned in the last postcard), on the P&O line ships in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of these was the SS Mahuno, which was shipwrecked on K’gari (Fraser Island), many years after his trip.
The staff at the Barnstaple and Huntingdonshire libraries were also invaluable in helping me track down family members, ships and relevant historical information. Through Facebook, I made a surprising connection with another distant cousin on my grandmother’s side of the family. This is the Italian link and has led to a whole load of backstory as well as a fruitful connection with the NW Kent Historical Society.
My partner, John, who accompanied me to Barnstaple was at times my research ally and assistant, cook and driver. We recently did a research and road trip in Devon and Cornwall. This threw up new insights, in particular the dangers facing ships entering the estuary to Barnstaple. At John’s suggestion, we went to the port of Falmouth which was critical in trading ship journeys from Australia and the Pacific. In the 1800s, many stopped there to receive instructions on which port (usually London or Liverpool) was paying the best price for their wares, to restock and repair their ships and deliver mail. The staff at the Maritime Museum were very helpful, as were those in London.
How much of all this will end up in the final historical novel, I don’t yet know, but the journey has been fascinating and rewarding. Thanks again to the NSW Society of Women Writers and Di Yerbury.
Lady Ebrington, built by Westacott in Barnstaple in 1852 for local investors
wishing to cash in on the booming Australian run following the Australian Gold Rush,
took hopeful emigrants from Liverpool and Barnstaple to Australia
Hartland Quay where many ships were wrecked
Falmouth Port and Quay
Wreck of SS Maheno, photo taken in March 2023
Christine Sykes