Sophia Johnston 1777-1821 Pioneer of Sydney and mother of 12

 

 Old Sydney Town
 

Sophia Johnston was my 4-x great aunt, sister to my 3x great grandmother Matilda Johnson. Born in Edinburgh in 1777, her parents were Robert Johnston and Elizabeth Watson.  They lived in Edinburgh old town. Robert was well known in the Shakespeare Square where he was wig maker to “the gentleman of the long robe” who frequented nearby Parliament House. He also owned an oyster Tavern in Shakespeare Square and was a vintner.  You could say they were a popular family in the centre of Edinburgh.

Shakespeare Square Edinburgh

Sophia was 4th of 11 children- her older brother Henry Erskine Johnston was a well-known Thespian in Britain. Sophia and her family would have frequented his performances at the nearby Shakespeare Theatre and participated in dancing reels as was the custom of the day.

At the age of 20 she married David Allan of Edinburgh in September 1797; a good-looking man destined for positions in the civil service. She had her first son Andrew in August 1798 in Edinburgh followed by David Hendry Allan in 1800, Robert Innis Allan in 1801, Henry Johnston Allan in 1803 and Henry Blair Allen in 1804.  Finally in 1805 her first daughter Sophia Allan came along.

The dashing David Allan

 

A posting to Heligoland
During the time of the Napoleonic War her husband David entered the Commissariat (23rd of July 1807) and they subsequently went to Heligoland in the North Sea in November. David Allan was to be “Assistant Commissary of stores, provisions, and forage to the forces”.

[source: Monday 14 September 1807, Caledonian Mercury, Midlothian, Scotland]

It’s a small German archipelago in the North Sea. The two islands are located in the Heligoland Bight (Part of the German Bight) in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea. It had been capitulated to Britain and during the Napoleonic War was held to restrict French naval aggression against the Scandinavians and German states. David was put in charge of stores at Heligoland. Sophia and David left their three oldest boys at boarding school back in Britain and took the youngest to Heligoland. 

Heligoland

 

Scotsman, William Lithgow, too was appointed to the army commissariat and was sent to Heligoland. He also tutored the children of Deputy Commissariat General Allan as well in this idyllic island. Sophia continued to have children; John McMahon Allan was born in 1808. William Osbourne Hamilton Allan was born a year later and then Maria Antoinette Allan came along in 1811. Sophia held a highly respected position as David’s wife and entertaining dignitaries was an important responsibility. Family back home would have been excited to read the events of 6th June 1811.

HELIGOLAND, June 6. - The King of Sweden has this day made arrangements for removing his residence from the house of E. Nichols, Esq. to private lodgings, from whence it is inferred that his Majesty’s stay here will be longer than was at first supposed. His Majesty is to dine this day with a select party at the house of David Allan, Esq. Assistant Commissary General. [source: Monday 17 June 1811, Caledonian Mercury, Midlothian, Scotland]

Off to Old Sydney Town

Soon David Allan was appointed to the new colony in Sydney. Sophia and family were to accompany him. Sophia reunited with her older boys for their trip to Sydney Town. In late October 1812 the Allan family made preparations to joined the “Fortune” for the 190-day voyage to Sydney. The 8 living children were aged between 15 and one-year-old.

"Fortune" Convict Ship

Did anyone say it was a convict ship? 200 male prisoners from all over England and Scotland we are joining them on their voyage along with some cabin passengers and military guards the original £10 poms with the 10 pound being around their ankle. There were 30 rank and file of the 1st battalion of the 73rd Regiment making their way for service in Old Sydney town as well as the Deputy Commissary General and his family. Other passengers were Mr and Mrs Hogan and some others holding appointments in the civil service namely Mr Brody and Mr Hobson. Benjamin Goddard and his daughter Susanna and Lucy and Thomas Wilford came as free passengers.  

They departed England on 3 December 1812 and the ship arrived on 11 June 1813 after sailing via Rio de Janeiro and stopping from 3 February to 22 March 1813. Caring for her young children on board would’ve been challenging.  I don’t envy Sophia having to entertain and educate her children as well as stop them from falling overboard for that length of time. 

Passengers ate smoked or salted meat, dried peas and basically a monotonous diet supplemented by fish. It was a long and dangerous trip with a distance from Plymouth to Sydney of 22,130 km. There was danger of smallpox, influenza, measles and TB.

It was a pretty uneventful trip with only two prisoners dying, 2 drownings and one soldier dying in transit. The Commodore was praised for his fine treatment of the convicts. The ship would’ve been much anticipated in the colony which besides human cargo it carried it contained much-needed merchandise and ironmongery for sale and use in the colony.

Sophia and David arrived in old Sydney town in 1813 -a time after the rum rebellion where the previous Governor William Bligh was subject to a coup by John Macarthur in 1808 and the installation of Lachlan Macquarie as the new Governor in 1809. Under Macquarie the colony was expanding west, south to Camden and the Illawarra and north to the Hunter.  Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson had crossed the Blue Mountains to discover the Western Plains and a few months later Lt William Cox began the road out west to Bathurst.

Compared with Scotland, they were not used to the heat and humidity Sydney would offer. Food shortages were still a problem as the colony was reliant on local and imported supply. The food had to be grown or hunted. Besides beef, lamb and pork, kangaroo, wallaby, mutton bird, turtles and seafood were popular.  They found a happy medium between bush cookery and old English cookery. Stews were flavoured with herbs and spices purchased on the long sea voyages. Vegetables had to be locally grown.

One of the first visits the Allans did after their arrival was to Darug land. This is the home of the traditional custodians Burramuttagal people of what is now known as Parramatta. They were accompanied on this trip to Parramatta and Windsor by Governor Macquarie and Mrs Elizabeth (Betsey) Macquarie aged 35. She was the second wife of Lachlan and a fellow Scot. This diary entry from Lachlan Macquarie records the tour.

Wedy. 7. July! —
I set out this day on an Excursion to Parramatta & Windsor, accompanied by Mrs. M. & Family; and also by Mr. & Mrs. Allan. —

The family lived in the Estate of Woolloomooloo.  They had been made a present of a grant of land embracing the greater portion of Woolloomooloo- about 50 ha. Today it’s known as the Finger Wharf an old cargo dock which is now a trendy fine dining and bar spot in Sydney. It’s about 1 mile east of Sydney with a population today at 3718 people and quite frankly worth a squillion dollars! 

 

Wooloomooloo today

Sophia may not have been prepared for what she found in this penal colony. A beautiful harbour but insufficient sanitation , water and too young for the infrastructure of a big urban city she had been used to. The colony was only twenty-five years old but under Lachlan Macquarie’s leadership and with the encouragement of his wife Elizabeth (Betsey) the settlement had a new hospital, Hyde Park Barracks, improved streets and the penal colony was becoming a thriving “Settler“ colony.

Sophia and David would’ve had quite a high social position in the hierarchy of things. They would have had quite a comfortable social life in the colony with the coming and going of officials and Government personnel. There were several Scottish officials and settlers making up their social circle.

There would be often an evening of entertainment with tea, coffee, cards and music or musical parties and supper. Lachlan Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth were frequent entertainers with celebrations marking the Queen’s Birthday usually involving a dinner of roast beef, potatoes, bread and punch with much merriment and dancing afterwards. There are no photos of Sophia but here are some of the fashions of her contemporaries.

Elizabeth Macarthur

Elizabeth Macquarie

Sometimes a dinner and at other times a ball. There was merriment and all-night dancing. On one occasion everyone celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the settlement. Macquarie recorded this entry in his diary to mark the frivolities.

Monday 26. Jany. 1818 !!!
This being the 30th. Anniversary of the Establishment of the Colony of N. S. Wales by Governor Phillip – who landed first at Sydney on the 26th. of Jany. 1788 – I directed 30 Guns to be fired from Dawse's Battery in honour of the occasion, corresponding with the age of the Colony, this day at 2, O’Clock, in token of my respect for the memory of the late Govr. Phillip as Founder of the Colony. — I also entertained all the Civil & Military Officers of Government residing at Sydney at Dinner –; and Mrs. Macquarie gave the Ladies a Ball and Supper in the Evening.

 

Pleasant weather and a vibrant town had seen Sophia give birth to a further two children: George Octavius Allan was born in 1817 and Erskine Johnston Allan was born on 26/7/1818. This brought her living children to 10.

The Duke of York had offered commissions to the eldest sons of David and Sophia but David was determined they would go on the land. Son Andrew was initially appointed to work in the Commissary in Van Diemen’s Land however it appears he mostly worked in Sydney.

In early 1817, David was offered a land grant of 2200 acres in the Illawarra which he called “Illawarra Farm”. His son Andrew was offered 700 acres land grant at the estate called “Waterloo” near what is now Albion Park. They were two of the original land grantees of the Illawarra. Neither resided on the Grant but employed managers or Stockman to look after the properties. The land was used for breeding necessary livestock for the colony.

Ships came and went with new settlers and convicts swelling the numbers in the economy.   The colony was growing and thriving and in the October 1816 muster there were 15,113 “souls” in the colony which grew by November 1818 to a total population of 25052 in the territory including Tasmania.

This rather rude slur on Sophia and David was revealed in the Journal of Dr J. Arnold, (Rix 1846 p.337) He was discussing Sydney society.

"The deputy Commissary is one of the most dashing men in the colony. He wears two epaulettes and a feather in his hat. He keeps a carriage and has a wife and family. It is easy to know how he came by this great advancement and why he was formerly (sic) introduced to the Prince Regent on his appointment to this place. Mrs Allen (sic) is sister to Mrs Harry Johnson and Mrs Harry Johnson (sic) is mistress to Col. McMahon and Col. McMahon is private secretary to the Prince Regent and Mr Deputy Commissary Allen (sic) sends great presents of shells and weapons and other curiosities to Col. McMahon."

Correspondence between Sydney and the Government in London was slow taking four months to send a letter and a further four months to receive a reply and with other consequential delays it meant it was difficult to get news from England and information from Sydney. The situation in the colony was that although the Macquaries had made substantial changes and improvements to Sydney town and expanded the frontier of the of the colony there were others such as Macarthur who wanted different outcomes.  Enemies were made and gossip was rife. Sydney which was set up as a penal colony was fast becoming a trading economy.

In addition to that the management of David Allan in the Commissary was called into question and there was a falling out by with Macquarie and subsequently Drennan was appointed to take over David Allan’s position. The role David had been appointed to had changed with the increasing enterprise of the colony. The balance between supply provided by penal labour and the ability to be free traders was changing the mix. Rules could be bent and corruption was rife.

Return home

The family was to return to England so David could account for his actions. The furniture at the Woolloomooloo house was put up for sale in early 1819 and plans were made for the family to leave Sydney on 25 July 1819. Andrew had left a week previously. David, Sophia and the 9 children aged between 19 and 1 left Sydney on the “Surry” which got underway at noon and cleared Port Jackson and the heads by 2 pm. Mr and Mrs Hoskings and family, Mrs Maher and discharged soldiers of the 48th Regiment were returning home as well. The journey was going around Cape Horn and expected to arrive in England in four months. Macquarie wrote the following in his diary for that day.

Sunday 25. July !!!
Early this morning having finally closed my Dispatches for the Surry now on the eve of departure for England I delivered those for the Secretary of State to the charge of Ensign King, and those for the Commander in chief for Lieut. Metge of the 48th. Regt., taking the most particular care of them, both during the Voyage & afterwards.

The Ship Surry got under weigh at Noon and got out clear of the Heads of Port Jackson by 2, O’Clock!

The Detachment of the 84th. Regt. under the command of Capt. Rowe, the Discharged Soldiers of the 48th. Regt., Lieuts. Metge & Bunney and Ensign King of the same Corps, Depy. Comy. Genl. Allan, his wife & Family, Mrs. Marr, Mr. Joseph Underwood, Mr. Edward Lord, and a great many other Passengers (– including Mr. & Mrs. Hoskings & Family –) went Home in the Surry. — Capt. Raine goes round Cape Horn – and expects to arrive in England in Four Months.

Again, Sophia had to entertain, educate and keep her littlies safe on their long return trip. I wonder whether she looked forward to the cold Edinburgh weather and her family or whether she began to miss the vibrancy of the Old Sydney Town.

Tragedy happens
Upon their return to London the Allan family would have gone to Edinburgh to reunite with their Johnston and Allan extended family.  David was posted to a Commissary position in Barbados and returned to London in preparation for the journey. Before that they welcomed another Allan baby. Eliza Ann Allan was born on 8/8/1820 and baptised along with her siblings Maria, George and Erskine in London in November 1820. Eliza’s life was short lived with her death in January 1821.

Sophia Allan had children across four countries: Scotland, Heligoland, Australia and England. 12 children: 2 dead. That number of births combined with months on the ocean travelling between postings, risks associated with new lands and disease may have been compensated for by her lifestyle and standing in the community and the experiences she had with a loving and important husband. 

 

While awaiting their departure tragedy struck again however. The newspaper announcement tells it all. After final farewells at home in Scotland Sophia aged 43 and mother of 12 was suddenly taken ill in the London Autumn and died a few days later on 25^th October 1821.

So much crammed into such a short life.  Sophia Allan nee Johnston leaves in excess of 250 recorded descendants with many more to be identified and recorded. I’m happy to report they are mostly Australians who have made their mother proud through their endeavours and notoriety.  

Interestingly most of the Sophia’s family returned to Australia within the next few years.

 

Andrew Allan married Augusta Bayley and had six children. He became a landowner on the Goulburn Plains.

David Hendrie Allan stayed in Liverpool, England marrying Henrietta McGilvray. At least 3 children returned to Australia to live in Victoria.

Robert Innes Allan married Sophia Duis, returned to Australia and moved to Victoria. The pair had 11 children.

Henry Blair Allan return to Australia and died in Victoria.

Sophia Allan married John Tyre and after having five children died in Sydney.

John McMahon Allan married Caroline Bridget O’Farrell and died in 1877 in Victoria. Together they had eight children.

William Osborne Hamilton Allan married Allicia Mullaly and had 8 children. He farmed land in Warrnambool, Victoria.

Maria Antoinette Allan married George Rattray a Sydney businessman and had six children

George Octavius Allan married Emily O’Connell. They had one child. George died in Sydney.

Erskine Johnston Allan died in a skating accident in Scotland sometime before 1828.

 

What of David Allan Esq?

After the tragic death of his wife, he returned to Scotland in 1822 and doesn’t appear to have taken the position in Barbados. He was examined on his New South Wales administration by Commissioner Bigge and was not prosecuted. He married his second wife, a widowed Elizabeth Rennie in 1826. They had a daughter Eliza Ann in 1826 and a son Maxwell Rennie Allan in 1827. David and Elizabeth, Maxwell and Eliza returned to the colony in 1829. David lived off his half pay from the Commissariat and the proceeds of his land holdings until his death in Sydney in 1852.