Guide to the Collections held by Berkshire Record Office (as filmed by the AJCP)
M713, M866
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: 2018
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Berkshire Record Office
- Title
- Collections held by Berkshire Record Office (as filmed by the AJCP)
- Date Range
- 1751 - 1887
- Collection Number
- M713, M866
- Extent
- 22 items
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Australian Joint Copying Project
- Sponsor
- The Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) online portal was created with the assistance of the Australian Public Service Modernisation Fund, 2017-2020. The National Library of Australia gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the other foundation AJCP partners, the State Library of New South Wales and The National Archives of the UK, and all other organisations which supported the work of the AJCP, the world's most extensive collaborative copying project, operating from 1948 to 1997.
Introduction
Scope and Contents
Collections held by the Berkshire Record Office copied by the Australian Joint Copying Project in 1968 and 1973. Collections include: Papers of Bouverie-Pusey Family; Personal and estate papers of Benyon Family of Engelfield; Papers depostied by Cooke, Cooper and Barry, solicitors of Wokingham; Deeds and documents of the Buscot Park Estate; Correspondence and papers of the Dundas, Crawford and Willis families; Title deeds and papers of Lenthall Family of Besseleigh; Estate and family papers of the Pleydell-Bouverie Family; Deeds and papers of the Stevens Family of Bradfield; Papers of Walter Family; Papers of the Reynolds Family of Faringdon; Papers of the Williams Family of Warfield Lodge; Tilehurst Parish Records; Records relating to the Barrett and Belson Families; and Papers of Sarah Weedon of Reading and her family.
Conditions Governing Access
Available for Access.
Conditions Governing Use
Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.
Preferred Citation
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.
Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February-23 September 1770, British Library Add.MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
Archival History
Filmed selectively as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project, 1968, 1973 (AJCP Reel M713, M866). Original microfilm digitised as part of the NLA AJCP Online Delivery Project, 2017-2020.
Existence and Location of Originals
Berkshire Record Office, Berkshire, England.
For further information see Berkshire Record Office Catalogue (http://ww2.berkshirenclosure.org.uk/calmview/).
Collection References:
D/EBP - Papers of Bouverie-Pusey Family, c.1220-1890.
D/EBY - Personal and estate papers of Benyon Family of Engelfield, c.1250-1959.
D/ECB - Papers depostied by Cooke, Cooper and Barry, solicitors of Wokingham, 1417-1931.
D/ECH - Deeds and documents of the Buscot Park Estate, 1669-1949.
D/EDD - Correspondence and papers of the Dundas, Crawford and Willis families, 1782-1916.
D/ELI - Title deeds and papers of Lenthall Family of Besseleigh.
E/EPB - Estate and family papers of the Pleydell-Bouverie Family, 1497-1925.
E/ESV/M - Deeds and papers of the Stevens Family of Bradfield, 1614-1937.
D/EWL - Papers of Walter Family.
D/EX160 - Papers of the Reynolds Family of Faringdon.
D/EX169 - Papers of the Williams Family of Warfield Lodge.
D/P132 - Tilehurst Parish Records, 1630-2014.
D/EBT - Records relating to the Barrett and Belson Families, 1576-1960.
D/EWD - Papers of Sarah Weedon of Reading and her family, 1769-1926.
Existence and Location of Copies
The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [URL= Parent catalogue record] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.
Finding Aid Note
This finding aid is a revised online version of the original finding aid prepared by the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP), published by the National Library of Australia in 2018. The original AJCP finding aids were unpublished typescripts or photocopies available from libraries that held copies of the original microfilm.
Dates used in this finding aid refer to the date range of the records selected for filming rather than to the date range of the Series or Files.
Advisory Statement
Australian Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori people are advised that this Finding Aid contains material and descriptive information which may be considered culturally sensitive and may cause distress, including names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased. This Finding Aid contains terms that reflect authors' views or those of the historical period, but which may not be considered appropriate today. While the information may not reflect current understanding, it is provided in an historical context.
Subjects
Adelaide, South Australia; Ballarat, Victoria; Balmain, New South Wales; Barklamb Family; Barrett Family; Barrett, James W.; Benalla, Victoria; Bendigo, Victoria; Benyon Family; Boyce, John W.; Broome, Pinniger, solicitors; Bundaberg, Queensland; China; Clinton, Henry P., 5th Duke of Newcastle; Convicts: New South Wales; Cooke, Cooper and Barry, solicitors; Crawford, James C., Capt.; Crawford, Jane; Crawford, R.C.; Denison, Sir William T.; Eureka uprising (1854); Farms and farming: New Zealand; Geology: New Zealand; Golds and goldfields: Victoria; Hill End, New South Wales; Hulme, William C.; Huntley, Robert; Hussar, HMS (ship); Land: New Zealand; Land: Victoria; Lenthall Family; Maps Charts and plans: New Zealand; Mason, Joshua; Mills, Thomas; Miramar, New Zealand; Molesworth, Francis; Nash, Sir Walter; New South Wales; New Zealand; New Zealand Wars; New Zealand: immigration to; Photographs; Pleydell-Bouverie Family; Pleydell-Bouverie, William, 3rd Earl of Radnor; Queensland; Reynolds Family; Sherwood, Mary A.; Solicitors; South Australia: immigration to; Stevens Family; Stevens, John; Sydney, New South Wales ; Tilehurst, Berkshire, England; Trade: China; Trade: Dutch East Indies; Victoria; Victoria: Immigration to; Walter Family; Weedon, Edward M.; Weedon, Frank H.; Western Australia: immigration to; Williams Family (Warfield); Williams, Thomas; Wylde, James
Bibliography
Originally cited in Australian Joint Copying Project Handbook. Part 8: Miscellaneous (M) Series. Third Edition, published 1998. Entry 35, p. 12.
Item Descriptions
Fonds D/EBY. Personal and estate papers of Benyon Family of Englefield, 25 March 1826 - 5 October 1826
3 itemsCorrespondence of Richard Benyan, 25 March 1826 - 5 October 1826 (File C43)
3 items
Thomas Mills (Sydney) to his wife Ann Mills (Basingstoke), 25 March 1826 (Item)
Although described individually, this letter was originally microfilmed with a page from another letter. The last page of the letter described can be found at the beginning of nla.obj-761968824.
His innocence of the crimes for which he was transported; requests letter be given to Eastaff and Benyon.
Fonds D/ECB. Papers deposited by Cooke, Cooper and Barry, solicitors, of Wokingham, 1882
3 items
Papers relating to the marriage settlement of Rev. Henry Le Grand Boyce of Oving, Buckinghamshire, and Cordelia Mason (1846) and its subsequent administration to 1883 (File B86)
2 itemsItems of interest include:
Statement of John W. Boyce of Bundaberg, Queensland, concerning his life and family (2pp.)Power of attorney from J.W. Boyce (Bundaberg) to N. Cork (London) (4/03/1882).
Papers relating to the marriage settlement of John Hulme and Ann Donaldson of Rochester (1824) and subsequent administration to 1880, 1824 - 1880 (File B93)
Includes papers relating to Powers of attorney and other documents relating to William C. Hulme (d. 1858) of Bendigo, Gordon H. Hulme of Bundaberg, and John C. Hulme of Wagga Wagga, children of John and Anne Hulme.
Fonds D/ECH. Deeds and Documents of the Buscot Park Estate, 1864
1 itemBiographical / Historical
Buscot Park at Faringdon, Berkshire, was owned by the New South Wales pastoralist and gold trader Robert Tertius Campbell (1811-1887) and his heirs from 1860 to 1889.
Fonds D/EDD. Correspondence and papers of the Dundas, Crawford and Willis families
2 itemsSeries. Family Papers, 1839 - 1887
Miscellaneous correspondence, mostly of James C. Crawford, 6 June 1839 - 15 December 1887 (File F2)
The letters, which were filmed in their entirety, are arranged roughly in chronological order.
Items of New Zealand and Australian interest are numbers: 8, 19-20, 32, 35, 38, 43, 45, 47-53, 55-57, 61-66, 69, 71, 75-77, 83-84, 89, 93-95, 99-100, 105, 121, 132, 141, 144-145.
Correspondents of these letters include: Lord Camperdown, H. Keppel, Helen Shelley, E.J. Wakefield, G. Hart, F.R. Chesney, A. Fitzgibbon, F.J. Huon, F. Weld, D. Money, J.E. Featherston, W. Wells, T.R. Gunn, J.H. Hector, F. Whitaker, J. Haswell, W.L. Campbell, Bishop C.J. Abraham, Trubner & Co.
Subjects of these letters include: Bramble, HMS Rattlesnake, land purchases, Watts Peninsula, Novara, Wellington Provincial Council, Wellington Museum, geological papers and reports, Sydney International Exhibition, news of politics, family and friends.
Itemised breakdown of Australian and New Zealand material is available as supplementary material.
Biographical / Historical
James Coutts Crawford (1817-1889) served in the Royal Navy from 1831 to 1837. In 1838 he emigrated to Sydney and in 1839 he visited New Zealand. He purchased land near Wellington from the New Zealand Company and established a cattle station called Miramar. He later returned to England, where his wife Sophia died in 1852. Following his re-marriage, Crawford settled permanently in New Zealand in 1857. In addition to his farming and mining interests, he was active in public affairs: he was appointed the Wellington provincial geologist in 1861 and he was a member of the Legislative Council (1859-67), resident magistrate (1864-78), a captain in the Wellington Militia, and held office in several learned societies.
Series. Official Papers, 1811 - 1812
Orders addressed to Captain James Coutts Crawford, 1811 - 1812 (File O2)
13 itemsBiographical / Historical
James Coutts Crawford (1760-1828), the father of J. C. Crawford of New Zealand, served in the Royal Navy from 1776 to 1813. He commanded HMS HMS Hussar in the East Indies in 1811-1812.
Extracts from Admiralty despatches to Admiral W. Drury for information of Crawford, January 1811 (Item)
Capt. H. Heathcote (HMS Lion) to Crawford: orders to convey Admiralty despatches to Commodore Broughton, 7 June 1811 (Item)
Admiral R. Stopford to Crawford: orders Crawford to place himself under Stopford's command, 4 July 1811 (Item)
Admiral R. Stopford to Capt. J. Edcumbe (HMS Psyche)orders to intercept enemy near Sourabaya, 4 August 1811 (Item)
Admiral R. Stopford to Crawford: orders to intercept in the Sourabaya area, 19 September 1811 (Item)
Fonds D/EX465. Title deeds and papers of Lenthall Family of Besselsleigh, 19th Century
1 item
Photographs of Lenthall Family in Australia, 19th century (File F9)
Photographs of three unidentified individuals taken in Melbourne, Wagga and Sydney. The photographs were microfilmed out of order and were originally located between the Crawford Family correspondence and the orders to Captain Crawford.
Fonds D/EPB. Estate and family papers of the Pleydell-Bouverie Family, 1853 - 1856
1 item
Correspondence of William Pleydell-Bouverie, 3rd Earl of Radnor, 1853 - 1856 (File C59)
Correspondence concerning his sponsorship of Mary Ann Sherwood, an 18 year old girl living at the Faringdon Workhouse, as an emigrant to Melbourne.
The correspondents include Radnor, Elizabeth Herbert, C. Spoile, the master of the Faringdon Workhouse, and Ann Comely, the mother of Mary Ann Sherwood.
Fonds D/ESV/M. Deeds and papers of the Stevens Family of Bradfield, 1744 - 1769
2 items
Papers on private trade of Capt. John Stevens, 1744 - 1765 (File F7)
The documents include bonds on cargoes and insurance policies on the Godolphin, Portfield and Harcourt trading in India and Bencoolen in the East Indies.
Letters to Captain John Stevens, 1751 - 1769 (File F9)
John Massey (Fort Marlborough, Sumatra) to Stevens, 12 November 1751 (Item)
Effects of S. Goodman who died at Batavia.
Wotton Braham (Fort Marlborough) to Stevens, 24 December 1753 (Item)
Stevens's guardianship of orphan Phil Coates; sends information about estate belonging to the child.
Fonds D/EX 160. Papers of the Reynolds Family of Faringdon, 1847 - 1851
4 items
Account book of Elizabeth Reynolds and her son James Reynolds, with references to payments due to Robert Huntley and his wife Isett Huntley in Sydney, c. 1848-1856 (File)
Letters to Elizabeth Reynolds from her sister and brother-in-law Isett and Robert Huntley and their children Eleanor Huntley, A.S. Huntley and Bessie Griffith, 1847 - 1848 (File)
The letters were written from Braidwood, Sydney and Gundagai and refer to general family news, the health of Isett Huntley, the move of Robert and Isett Huntley from Braidwood to Balmain in Sydney, Robert's medical practice, the prevalence of influenza, economic depression in the colony, the 1848 revolution in France, English news, turmoil in the Legislative Council elections, and increased immigration to Australia.
Fonds D/EX 169. Papers of the Williams Family of Warfield Lodge, 1843 - 1859
4 itemsBiographical / Historical
Thomas Williams (d. 1881) was a banker and at one time High Sheriff for Northamptonshire. He was one of the largest shareholders in the South Australian Company. He and his family emigrated to South Australia in 1839 and he purchased a large property, 'The Hermitage', on the Little Para River north of Adelaide. In 1843 he was briefly a member of the Legislative Council, but he had to resign on account of insolvency. Williams and his wife returned to England in 1849, but their sons remained in South Australia.
Correspondence, 1843 - 1859 (File)
Items of interest include:
W. O'Halloran to Williams (12/06/1843): invitation to meet Governor Grey.
F. Bond to Williams (21/07/1848): sends details of Williams's pedigree.
Letterbook of Thomas Williams, relating to financial and property transactions, with some references to South Australia and Bishop M.B. Hale (1847-1859).
Fonds D/EBT. Records relating to the Barrett and Belson families, 1840 - 1866
5 itemsFamily records of the Barrett Family of Milton House, Milton, Berkshire, 1670-1947.
Correspondence of the Barrett Family, 1840 - 1866 (File D/EBT/F150)
Includes:
Letters of James W. Barrett (Melbourne) to his sister, Elizabeth Barrett (lodon and Newbury) (1844-1866)(9 letters). The letters describe the voyage from Plymouth to Melbourne in 1840, economic depression in the colony (1844), business misfortunes, his involvement in smuggling, travels in the Australian colonies and New Zealand, his acquaintance with men of the Wiko Wiko tribe, the oppressive heat, his experiences as a customs officer, work on a whaling vessel in the Pacific, the improvement in his circumstances (1851), the separation of Victoria from New South Wales, Bishop Goold and his denunciation of secret societies, family news from England, and the disappearance of his brother John in Australia.
Elizabeth Barrett (London) to James Barrett (20/10/1854): family news.
James W. Barrett (Melbourne) to his cousin James R. Barrett (Abingdon) (14/12/1854): Forwards letter for his sister; Barrett's success at the goldfields; Eureka uprising; fears of a war of independence.
John R. Barrett (Melbourne) to his sister, Anne Barrett (London) (17/09/1852): Voyage from England to Melbourne; impressions of Melbourne; prices, parties leaving for goldfields.
Elizabeth Barrett (Newbury) to Inspector of Police, Melbourne (2/04/1855): Seeks information about her brother John R. Barrett, aged 26, who arrived in Victoria in Sept. 1852.
Biographical / Historical
Barrett was the son of J.W. Barrett of the legal firm Barrett and Eystone of Grays Inn, London, and later Newbury, Berkshire.
Fonds D/EWD. Papers of Sarah Weedon of Reading and her family, 1838 - 1856
4 itemsSeries D/EWD/C1-16. Weedon Family letters, 1852 - 1856
Frank M. Weeden (Melbourne) to his mother (Reading), (4 letters), 1852 - 1853 (File D/EWD/C1-4)
The first item is a letter-diary describing his voyage to Australia and the other letters give his impressions of Melbourne, and refer to prices, 'canvas town' in Melbourne, a journey to the Forest Creek goldfields, his work carting supplies to the goldfields, a visit to Bendigo, his lengthy illness, and his decision to return to England.
Edward M. Weeden (Dunedin) to his mother and brother (12 letters), 1853 - 1856 (File D/EWD/C5-16)
The first item is a letter-diary describing his voyage on the Carnatic and the later letters refer to his arrival in Otago, food prices, his apprenticeship with Edward B. Atkinson to learn the business of sheep and cattle management in the Waitaki district, work on a sheep station, travels in the country around Dunedin, and wheat prices.
Some of the letters have crossed writing and are virtually illegible.
Series D/EWD/Z1. Memoirs of Joseph Mason (114pp.), 1838
The memoirs were written in England after Mason returned from his exile of seven years and were addressed to Charles Bastin of Wherwell, Hampshire.
The memoirs refer to the 1830 disturbances, the voyage on the Eleanor, his assignation to Hannibal Macarthur, the difficulties of adjusting to his new life, slab huts, cooking, impressions of Vineyard Cottage, Parramatta and Pennant Hills, journeys to Liverpool, farm work at Westwood, the remoteness of the farm, the productivity of various crops and fruit trees, the geography and history of the colony, the spread of settlement, the Blue Mountains and rivers, a visit to Campbelltown, the clearing of land and forests, bushfires, thunder storms, the culture, beliefs, skills and social organisation of Australian Aborigines, killings and massacres of Aborigines, Australian animals, birds, reptiles and insects, the grant of a pardon to Mason in November 1836, his visit to Newcastle and Maitland to see his brother, food and clothing prices in Sydney, impressions of Sydney, and the remarkable progress of the colony in fifty years.
The memoirs were reproduced in David Kent and Norma Townsend, eds. Joseph Mason, assigned convict 1831-1837 (Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1996).
Biographical / Historical
Joseph Mason (1799-1863) and his brother Robert, who lived in Bullington, Hampshire, were agricultural labourers and political activists. In November 1830, at a time of widespread agricultural disturbances in southern England, they were leaders of a large demonstration at Sutton Scotney. In the following month they were convicted of robbery by a special commission in Winchester and were sentenced to transportation for life. Joseph Mason was transported on the Eleanor and arrived in Sydney in June 1831.