Transfer of ownership of the shot gun of William Frank Laws

 Great great grandfather William Frank Laws was a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters when he was in England. You paid a subscription to belong and if you fell on hard times they would be able to help you. In November 1867 just before he was to leave for Australia they presented him with the gun.

A family story says he carried it with him  and slept with it close by while out contracting all over Queensland.. 

After William died it was passed down the Langham line and was with Michael until recently. He asked me to find a Laws family that would like it. He kindly offered it to a Laws family member as he had no one to leave it to. Now it is with another Michael but this time a Michael Laws.

The Langham men had been keen shooting sportsmen so have kept the gun in good order and managed to add  shot and powder pouches, shot moulds, cleaning brushes, wads for the gun and a leather bag to carry the accessories. There is also a letter from the Police to identify the gun as not needing a licence as it was made before 1901.  This was kindly done by Michael to ensure I would not have any trouble while I was transporting it.

It is so lovely to be able to hand it on to a family line where there are more Laws men  to be able to be custodians of this special gun.

THE Brooch

Sarah Sophia Laws was my Great great grandmother. She was christenend in April 1835 and was the eldest child of Richard and Caroline Goodall of Fareham Hampshire England. After marrying William Frank Laws in 1858 in Alverstoke Hampshire and having 5 children they set out for Australia. William Camper Laws was born in 1859, Florence in 1860, Lilian in 1862, Ernest in 1864 and Constance in 1866, Sadly Constance died in 1867 and William was left in England with his Goodall grandparents. ( see a previous blog post William Camper Laws). On the voyage out she gave birth to my great grand father Lionel and then had Percy in 1873 and Frank in 1876 in Queensland.

Around about that time Sarah was given or purchased this lovely brooch in England. A jeweller friend has suggested that it was carved in Turkey as at that time many items were being made in Turkey and being exported to Europe. 

This is the 4 generation  photo of Sarah with her daughter Lillian and grandson Arthur Leslie Langham and great grand daughter Edith Madeleine Langham who was born in 1914.

If you look carefully you will see the brooch Sarah is wearing.

I now have the honour of being caretaker of Sarah's brooch. The centre has mice carved in the wood and then dainty little flowers carved in ivory and surrounded by engraved gold. Supposedly mice are a sign of neatness. Did someone think Sarah was  a very neat and tidy person?

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