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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What was life like for William & Sarah Laws in Brisbane?

After arriving from England in 1868 they must have found life here so much different from their life on the Isle of Wight and Gosport in Hampshire.

Where they would have completed the formalities  (6)

Helen Butler kindly provided the following:
On 14 May 1868, William Laws and family landed in Brisbane  from the" Bayswater". William had paid for the passages out. So under the Land Act of 1868 he was entitled to select land for a farm, free of charge but with conditions attached.
On 18 May 1868, he obtained 76 acres at Brookfield.  This was Portion 183 Parish of Stanley,County of Mogill, District of East Moreton. It was named also Selection (or Homestead) Number 49. It was classified as Agricultural land.
By 1 May 1873, the conditions of residence and improvement were fulfilled.
On that exact date, William  obtained a statement that this was true from a neighbour, Charles Gregory, and another. The improvements were stated as 12 acres cleared and cultivated, and residence and outhouse built. So now William owned 76 acres of Freehold Land, no more conditions about it .  He could go and live somewhere else. He could rent the farm out.  He could even sell the land.

As the family has  a work reference from the Blue Mountain  tin mining company  that was in Stanthorpe dated 1873 he was obviously leaving Sarah to look after the family while he worked.

Being a ship builder no doubt William was a handy house builder too.  From looking at the 76 acres in Brookfield today it was not a very flat block so it looks like there was only a small flattish area next to Moggill Creek that would have been suitable for the house. Life would have been tough for the young family. The following story from  the newspaper  gives a glimpse of life then. (1 )
Brookfield. August 9 1875.
SINCE my last,  we have been favored with the kind of weather that maketh glad the hearts of the farmers, and as a consequence they are pushing forward the planting of their spring crop of potatoes, and at the same time reaping a plentiful crop of maize. The great difficulty with which we have to contend in this district is the fearful state of the roads by which we have to take our produce to the metropolis; and from the present appearance of the road estimates we are likely to remain in that predicament for some time to come—the total amount placed thereon for the various roads from Brisbane to Moggill, Brook field, and Wivenhoe, being some £260. Some time ago a meeting of the inhabitants of the left hand branch of the creek was convened, and a deputation appointed to wait on the Minister for Works, the result being that Captain Whish was sent out to report thereon, and I believe a promise given that some £200 would be placed on the estimates for the repair of that portion; not before it was needed, for that branch of the road is utterly impassable; but if £200, out of £250, is to be spent on this portion of the road, what becomes of the right hand branch of the creek, which has an equal claim, and which is in a worse state than the former, "if that were possible!" And what become of the various by-roads to other parts of the district ? As an instance of the extreme hardship I will just relate a fact for which I can vouch, of the difficulty of taking one load of maize to Brisbane. The owner yoked a team of bullocks and loaded a four-wheeled waggon with 100 bushels, or 60 cwt. From his barn to Brisbane is a distance of fifteen miles ; the first day he had to unload and reload twice ; the second day he capsized the whole concern twice, and had to unload once— thus necessitating the loading of 100 bushels of corn six times, and taking three days to reach Brisbane. If this is not enough to make a man forswear farming I don't know what is ; and the sooner there is a little of the money that is thrown away on ornamental works spent on the roads, where it would be of some use to the bona fide settler, the better for the colony. A public meeting was held on the 4th instant, to take into consideration a letter that had been received from the Board of Education, stating that if the attendance of children was not increased they would close the school for a time. A goodly number of the parents resident in the neighborhood attended, and the most of them had what they considered a serious grievance against the present master—a too liberal supply of the birch being the prevalent epidemic. If a really good master did find bis way to Brookfield the attendance of children, I have no doubt, could be easily increased to 50 or 60. A resolution was passed to the effect that a communication be sent to the Board that the parents will use their utmost endeavors to increase and keep up to the standard the attendance at the school. At the same meeting a vote of thanks was awarded to Mr. W. Laws, for his kindness in receiving and despatching letters by bag without remuneration of any kind. It is rather a strange thing that notwithstanding the fact that the population is some 200 we are yet without a post office. There has been a good deal of sickness prevalent during the last few weeks, and quite a chapter of accidents. One young man was thrown from his horse, falling across a log ; his life was despaired of for some time, but he is now in a fair way towards recovery. Another, a son of Mr. Bumblecomb, received a severe kick on the leg from one of his father's draft horses. Our penny readings are in full swing, and make up a very pleasant evening.

As William was a contractor he was often away. He was contracting to Mr Basford on railways, building lighthouses near Cooktown and was away often according to an affadavit he gave for Clements Tonic in 1902 that appeared in the Brisbane Courier. (2)
FIFTEEN YEARS OF FEVER & AGUE.
A Remarkable Narrative,
The Case of Mr. W. F. LAWS.
(BY A LOCAL REPORTER.)
It is an ill wind that blows nobody good, and in the matter under notice below it will be found that, though the ill wind had been raging for a great length of time, still, it was succeeded by a serene and peaceful calm, and the good results to be acquired from the adverse experiences of Mr. William Frank Laws, of Bayne-street, South Brisbane, will be readily understood by those who read his remarks.
"Being a railway and bridges contractor," said Mr. Laws to our reporter, " I have had to forego many of the pleasures and comforts of life in order to pay strict attention to my business, and, of course, you know that we do not always build bridges and railways within such easy distances from home that make it convenient to go backward and forward for meals. On the contrary, a contractor in my line spends a great portion of his life under canvas, and I have had a fair share of it for I have been camping out of doors doing contract work on railways for about twenty years."
"A very healthy way of living," suggested the reporter, who gauged his opinion on the robust appearance of the gentleman he was addressing.
"Sometimes," replied Mr. Laws. "It all depends upon what part of the world you are located in. ' I have had a good deal of sickness in my time through working in unhealthy parts, yet now look so well that people can scarcely credit that I have seen seventy-two birthdays; but it is a fact, nevertheless, and I was very ill once with congestion of the liver, and, afterwards I suffered from fever and ague for fifteen years. '
" Your recovery from those complaints has evidently been remarkably complete," rejoined the interrogator. "How do you account for it ?"
"Well, when I had congestion of the liver I made the. acquaintance, of Clements Tonic, and it did me the world of good. I soon got all right again ; but after my long bout with fever and ague I was left in a frightfully debilitated, condition. I turned away from the sight of food, my appetite being so bad, and a most disagreeable taste was in my mouth. Of course I had to take a little nourishment of some kind to keep myself from collapsing altogether, but I always felt uncomfortable after it, with a sinking feeling in the stomach. I was so weak that I could hardly walk about, and my body was very deficient in flesh, besides which my nerves were completely shattered, there was no life or energy in me, for I always wanted to be lying down, and frequently I went to bed tor two or three days at a stretch; but even then I did not feel contented, as I was never otherwise than restless, the sleep I got being very sparse and unrefreshing, for I could not get rid of a distressing languid feeling no matter how long I laid up. My loss of strength was so pronounced that there did not seem to be sufficient resisting force within me to cause a pain, and my doctors could not understand why it was that I had no specific tortures to indure. They used to ask if I felt pain anywhere, and when I told them I did not they were perfectly astonished.' "My con-dition was probably all the more serious because there was no pain, because it showed how utterly run down and exhausted my system was, and this reflection made me lowspirited to a marked degree. The medicines which my doctors prescribed did not help me along at all well, so I fell back on my old friend, Clements Tonic, and then I effected a rapid recovery. As a stimulating medicine for the nervous system I consider Clements Tonic is pre-eminent, and it un-doubtedly made me sleep well, besides giving me a grand appetite and putting my digestive organs properly to work. All feelings of discomfort and fatigue were left in the lurch after I had taken a few bottles of Clements Tonic, and the strength I gathered from that medicine was really wonderful. My whole system was invigorated, and before long I was in the best of health, and felt like a man with an entirely new constitution." 
'.' You don't mind me reporting your remarks ""Not at all. I owe my health and strength to Clements Tonic, so publish what I say "
In 1880 perhaps they ventured to the city and climbed the Observation Tower( Now the Tower Mill) to see the view to the East (3)

From the Observation Tower  looking East 1880

or to the West (4)

From the Oservation Tower looking West 1880

They experienced the 1893 floods and it is a family story that William won the contract to refloat the 3 ships grounded at the Botanic Gardens  in the first flood but the second flood 2 weeks later refloated them. Supposedly he still got paid but I have never been able to find proof of this.

People inspecting the ships aground at the Botanic Gardens

( 7)

Over time maybe they saw funeral carriages such as these. (5)

1892 Funeral carriage  J.Hislop 

1910 J Hislop funeral hearse

1916 J Hislop funeral carriage
 South Brisbane Cemetery

South Brisbane Cemetery 1910

Then they were both buried in the South Brisbane Cemetery- William in 1911 and Sarah in 1916

What a different life they had  but built the foundations for the family today.

(1)
"Our Country Correspondence," The Queenslander, 28/8/1875, p. 6; digital images, National Library Australia (http://trove.nla.gov.au).

(2) 1902 'FIFTEEN YEARS OF Fever & Ague.', The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), 19 February, p. 11. , viewed 23 Jul 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19138276
(3) State Library of Queensland
(4) State Library of Queensland
(5) State Library of Queensland
(6) State Library of Queensland
(7) State Library of Queensland

Laws Family Items carried across the world.

William and Sarah Laws and 4 children arrived in Brisbane in 1868.
There were various stories about why William left the employ of his Uncle William Camper  in the Camper shipyard  at Gosport Hampshire in  July 1862.

Silver cup 

Citation

So one branch of the family has the silver cup and citation that the workers at the shipyard gave him when he left. It states-

To Mr. William Laws

Respected Sir,

We are glad to see you here amongst us this evening to have the opportunity of expressing to you, on the one hand, our feelings of regret as far as ourselves are concerned, that you have left the place and position, which you have for so many years, so faithfully held as the Foreman  of our employers, Mr Camper: but on the other hand, we cannot but rejoice to find you starting in a  business we think, very likely with your well known perseverance and integrity to prove a successful one. And rest assured Sir, you leave us with the best feelings of every man and boy (some of whom you have known since childhood) and nothing will please us better than to hear you are prospering in your undertaking.

As a mark of the respect the whole of us feel for you, we now beg your acceptance of this silver cup & we heartily wish you every blessing, may your business prosper & may yourself, your wife & children enjoy health & happiness.

Signed on behalf of the employees of Mr. Wm Camper    I Nobes, T Goodall

Where did he go next? His son Ernest Albert was born on the Isle of Wight in 1864 and further evidence is provided by the  copies of 2 contracts that he signed for the construction of 2 yachts in his own shipyard on the Isle of Wight in 1863 and 1865. The one in 1863 was for Paul Artis Esq. of Portsmouth for a ship of 35 tons and would cost £265. The one in 1865 was for Courtnay Philipps Esq. of Brighton for a yacht of 75 tons.

Ship's compass

Another branch of the family has inherited a ship's compass with a lovely story attached. This story was told by Percy Murray Laws Snr. to his son.
" When my father passed away  at the age of 82 years on the 15 th July 1911 my father's wish that the compass be passed onto the senior male of this  Laws family. It came into my possession on his passing. Percy Murray Laws jnr.
William Laws borne 1829  This compass was given to William Laws by a Prussian Prince ( name unknown) who brought his yacht from Germany for repairs to the Camphour and Nichols boat yard England on or about 1854.Camphour was his uncle and he W Laws was foreman of the yard and was responsible for the repairs. Mr Camphour died in 1866 and through some deceitful work of the part of some person, when the will was read neither Mrs Camphour nor  W Laws, my grandfather received nothing. This shocked my grandfather(W Laws) and he decided to mygrate to Australia. At the age of 38 years in the year 1867.
This was told to me  (K Laws) by my father Percy Murray Laws jnr. it being left to him by his father."
As you can see by the citation  above we have, some of this tale is not quite right.
It intrigued me about the will so I bought a copy of the will of William Camper( note the correct spelling of the name) who died 8 February 1863.  Mrs Camper had died in 1851 so she definitely would not inherit anything from the will. His three daughters Mary Ann, Susanna and Amos( Amy) inherited most of the personal wealth. There was no mention of the shipyard in the will. However in the newspaper there was an advertisement  in the Hampshire Telegraph 31 January 1863 ( just 8 days before he died)
as follows:
Notice is hereby given that WILLIAM CAMPER of Gosport in the County of Southampton, has this day DISPOSED OF and ASSIGNED his business of a ship and yacht builder carried on by him at Gosport to MR BENJAMIN  NICHOLSON( foreman to him for many years), and in the future the Business will be carried on by the said Benjamin Nicholson on his own sole  account, on the same premises as heretofore, under the name of "CAMPER & NICHOLSON"
Gosport 24th January 1863
So was the deceitful act done in 1862 to make William leave the shipyard?  I guess we will never know.

A  shot gun was presented to Br Wm Laws P C R by the Brother Foresters and friends as a Mark of  Esteem and Respect Gosport Novr. 1867 just before they left from London in December 1867.

From Michael Langham: My Dad Les always told me of the story of Frank always having a shotgun loaded in the tent while he was away on his trips on the railway construction, just in case he ever needed some protection in a hurry. 

I have Frank's shotgun now, it was presented to Frank by the Forrester's Lodge in Gosport when he left to come to Australia in 1867. 

The shotgun is still in good working order, the maker's name was " HAIG" it is a 10 Gauge muzzle loading shotgun, it came with two bullet moulds, they were to cast different size solid lead round balls. One is for a large round ball, the other casts a smaller one approx 1/4" diameter, a number of the smaller balls would be loaded at one time usually about 9 or 10. 

I have used it on many occasions, there is a oval silver plaque on the side of the stock of the shotgun with an inscription on it.

  

His Foresters Regalia was also brought to Australia but was last seen in the 1980's. Anyone seen it since please?
Below are other items handed down in the family.

 William's clay pipe

 William's clay pipe in case

Sarah's bag probably used for storing her brush & comb

Clay pipes were probably made by Sarah's family as they were clay pipemakers in Fareham Hampshire.

Sarah's Hymn Book given to her in Dec 1851and then given  to Frank Goodall Laws in Jul 1905

The brooch that Sarah is pictured wearing in this photo was handed down to Lillian's family

Do other members of the family have  any other items?  It is interesting to see what has lasted the test of time.

Fred & Colin Laws Part 1: The family

Notes prepared by Patrick Flynn  for a presentation for the induction of Fred Laws and Colin Laws in to the Allora Regional Sports Museum Hall of Fame at Allora on 25 February 2017

Truth (Brisbane, Qld.: 1900 - 1954), Sunday 17 May 1931, page 5
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206274114

Fred and Colin Laws

Colin in his youth

The Family

Frederick Charles Laws was born on 5 March 1905 and Colin Chamberlain Laws on 9 September 1906 both in Brisbane. They were the seventh and eighth children of Lionel and Louisa Laws. There would be two further children born later to complete the family both of whom were born on the Downs.

Their father Lionel Edgar Laws was born on board ship on the way to Australia from England in 1868. Lionel learnt the trade of bridge carpenter under his father who did this type of work in Queensland, building wharves in Brisbane and railway bridges in Brisbane and in the country.  When Colin was very young his father won a contract to build a bridge across the Condamine at Warwick. After completion of the bridge, Lionel and his older sons engaged in road and bridge work on the Southern Downs.  Fred and Colin’s younger siblings Jack and Thelma were born in Warwick.  Their second oldest brother Richard enlisted in the Army and fought in the First World War. He was killed in France 3 months before the war ended.

In 1916 Lionel Laws was appointed Shire Engineer on the Allora Shire Council.  The family moved to Allora where they would remain for 9 years.  Frank, Fred, Colin and Jack all went to school at the Allora State School.  For Colin, Allora would be home for the rest of his life.  For Fred and the younger half of the family Allora would be a place where they spent most of their formative years. Indeed four of the brothers married Allora girls Lionel Edward to Bessie Holmes, Victor to Norma Holmes, Frank to Marjorie Stay and Colin to Kit O’Neill.

It didn’t take long for Fred and Colin to participate in football success after arriving in Allora but it wasn’t in rugby league. That would come later. They were members of the Allora State School premiership soccer team of 1917. The team consisted of W. J. Burge, H

Slater, H. Spink, L. Holmes. H. Mason, M. Davis, J. Foster, A. Ellis, F. Laws, (captain), H. Sharp, C. Laws

The Laws family were keen on sport. According to Fred and Colin’s brother Frank

Lionel and Richard were both good rifle shots………… They both played Rugby Union in competition at Warwick. (prior to rugby league)…………………… Richard was a very good footballer and a very good racing cyclist both road and track and a fairly good swimmer.

 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/82180249 Warwick Examiner and Times (Qld. : 1867 - 1919), Wednesday 12 November 1913, page 2

 Lionel was also a good footballer but he had less time to play sport.

Victor, Frank, Fred, Colin and (Jack) all played football at Allora

Fred and Colin both went to Warwick High School from Allora for about a year- bicycle to Hendon, train to Warwick and reverse after school.

Fred left school to take a job as a compositor at the Allora Guardian Newspaper to learn printing. He shifted to Warwick Daily News and later was apprenticed as a plumber.  He played rugby league in Warwick in 1925. Colin secured a job with Barnes & Co where Frank also worked.

 In 1925 Lionel and Louisa Laws moved from  Allora to Killarney for 12 months before relocating to Toowoomba. Colin and his two brothers then working in Allora stayed behind and boarded at the Commercial Hotel