John George Winchester Wilmot is at present the root man in this study of the Wilmots. His Australian roots were set in or near the township of Benalla - which he is said to have founded and named. It is located in Victoria, Australia and has now grown to small city status and can be seen in the map below. Reputedly John was born in Winton, Westmoreland in England so it is perhaps significant to also see, some five miles north-east of Benalla, a small town with that name, which he is also said to have founded,
John George was first found mentioned in an article published in the Sri Lankan Daily News of 23 April 2012. The source of their information is not known but it says that he was born in England in 1831 and moved to Port Phillipe, a settlement which was later to become Victoria, Australia, in 1843. He would have been twelve years old at this time and the circumstances of this move are not known. He later went to Ceylon to become a coffee planter. After some years he returned to Australia and initially went to the gold fields. Eventually he became a surveyor, in which capacity he had much to do with the mapping of Victoria. Also, for many years he was the cartoonist of the Melbourne magazine Punch.
He was appointed as the District Surveyor of Benalla, Victoria in 1855 and one of the areas he subsequently surveyed in this capacity was 12 kilometres West-south West of Benalla town itself. Apparently his team was hungry when it arrived there and Wilmot named the area Baddaginnie, from the Sinhala ‘badagini’ (hungry). In 1862, he surveyed the area around the settlement of ‘Nine Creeks’, Northwest of Ballarat, in the Wimmera River region of Victoria which the Aborigines called the Watchegatcheca, meaning Wattle Tree and White Cockatoos. The town was gazetted and proclaimed in 1863 with the new name ‘Dimboola’, meaning "land of the figs", after a place in Sri Lanka where Wilmot had been a planter. It is possible that he may have named it thus because an abundance of fruit trees, including figs, grew in the area.
In genealogical terms John George's ancestry has not been fully established. Current members of his known descendants firmly believe that he descends from the Eardley-Wimot family because they are in possession of items which bear that family's crest. In-depth research has been undertaken, here in the UK and also in Australia, on both the Eardley-Wilmot and the Wilmot families and (abridged) information found concerning them, as far as it seems to be relevant, is given below.
An entry found by Lady Meriel Wilmot-Wright in the Baptism register for St Pancras, London for July 1830-May 1832 records that a John Giles (not George) Winchester was born on 16 September 1826 and was baptized some five years later on 27 March 1831 in St Pancras, London. This baptism event, which has been explored in great detail, was registered in his mother's name, Mary Winchester of Steward Street*, with no mention of either the father's name or of the child's place of birth. A similar entry can also be found in Pallots Index. In both of these this child is annotated as illegitimate, although that was not shown on the search result which was provided to Lady Wilmot-Wright by the Greater London Record Office and History Library in 1983. Given the gap between the stated birth date and the baptism date it is quite possible that the birth occurred somewhere other than St Pancras where the baptism was performed by the Rev A d'Arblay, apparently at the Church of St John the Evangelist, in Smith Square, Westminster. (Some items of interest are to be found via a Google search about Rev d'Arbley).
* A search of the National Archive records relating to the aforementioned Steward Street, around the period we are
interested, in reveals that it was a middle class area with a large Jewish element, including a Synagogue,and was, in
the mid 1830's , in the process of being demolished .
The real starting place for research stems from an entry recording John George's death, found in Victorian (Australia) death records, entry number 1895/8364, which gives his birthplace as Westmoreland, England. This is further confirmed by an item found in the archives of the National Library of Australia under heading 'Empire (Sydney, NSW: 1850 -1875, page 1) which records, in the Marriages section;
On 10th September 1867, at the residence of the bride's father, Tebbutt, Victoria, by the Rev A Brazier, John George
Winchester, second son of the late E C Wilmot, Windermere, to Hannah Louise, second daughter of William Whittakers
Esq, JP'
However, perhaps the most authoritative information found about him is from each of his two official marriage registration entries and from a notice of his death which was on page six of the Melbourne Argus on Monday 5 August 1895.
First marriage entry
1853/29973 IDE Fanny and WILMOTT John George Winchester married at Church of England, St Peter's Melbourne on
28 June 1853 by licence, both of this parish. Witnesses G. Atkinson Melbourne and J. Betts
It is also known that ten years later, John commenced divorce proceedings on grounds of Fanny's desertion and adultery after just 3 days of marriage
Second marriage entry
1867/2259 Hannah Louise WHITTAKERS and John George Winchester WILMOT married on the 11 Sep 1867 at
Tubbutt, South Gippsland. (Groom's place of residence illegible), place of birth London*, age 38, father Edward Charles
Wilmot, mother Maud Winchester. Bride residence Tubbutt, age 23, father William Whittakers, mother Louisa (other name illegible)
witnesses Wm Whittakers and Marcia Louisa Moore.
*London is consistent with the Sri Lankan news item, but at variance with the item below. Also note that here his mother's
forename is said to be Maud whereas we had previously found her recorded as Mary.
The picture above is a painting by Buvelot called 'Snowy River Run' and it shows the homestead which was built in about 1838 by Thomas Moore of Burnima Victoria. He was the bride's maternal grandfather. John George and Hannah Louise were married there and it became their home. John George eventually purchased the painting and it was passed down to his grandson, Chester Wilmot whose son, G W Winchester-Wilmot, offered it for sale by Christies in London in 2007 It was sold at auction for £26,900.
The Notice of John George's death was published in the Melbourne Argus and read as follows;
DEATH OF MR. J. G. W. WILMOT.
It will be learned with deep regret that Mr. J. G. W. Wilmot, of William street, died at his residence, Brighton, on
Saturday. Mr. Wilmot has been in indifferent health for some time past, and a few weeks ago suffered a chill
which produced painful and fatal complications. He was assiduously attended by Dr. Backhouse, with whom
other medical advisers were in consultation, but in spite of their skill he never really improved, gradually
becoming worse , expired on Saturday afternoon.
Mr. Wilmot, whose Christian names were John George Winchester, was born at Winton, Westmoreland, on
September 19, 1830. He was educated in France* at a school attended by a number of English boys, among
whom were Blanchard Jerrold and Vizetelly the well known publisher. When but a lad, in January, l843* (he
would have been thirteen), he came to Port Phillip, but at the end of that year went to Ceylon, where he was
engaged on a coffee plantation. There he learned surveying, and gained experience which stood him in good
stead when in 1852 he returned to this country. First he followed the life of a digger, but later on commenced
practice as a surveyor. The whole of Victoria was his field, and there is scarcely any part of it with which he
was not thoroughly acquainted. The Werribee Plains were surveyed by him. In 1855 he became district
surveyor at Benalla, having charge of the territory between Seymour and Beechworth, He laid out the Sydney
road, and ran the telegraph line from Seymour to Benalla It was mainly through his instrumentality that this
rich district was opened up for settlement. Subsequently he became district surveyor at Portland, Ararat, and
Bairnsdale, but in 1868 he determined lo retire from the public service and apply himself to private practice.
He left his imprint on the map of Victoria, in which he named a large number of townships and parishes,
such us Mangalore, Dookie, Baddaginnie, Miepoll, Stuarton, Glenrowan, Winton, Bessiebelle, Bellaura,
Dimboola, and others.
His private work was mainly confined to arbitration, land agency and valuing. As an arbitrator he held the
leading position in Melbourne, having been engaged in most of the important cases arising out of railway
construction. As a land agent his services were in demand, and as the representative of the holders he took an
active part in the classification of land under the Lund Tax Act of 1877. In this he was associated with the late
Mr Justice Kerferd, who appeared, under his instructions, for most of the appellants before the special land
commission appointed at the time. As a valuer he had wide experience and since 1884 made nearly all the
country valuations for the Master in Equity. In many cases such a degree of confidence was reposed in him
that he valued for both executors und the master.
Though he never sought nor desired parliamentary honours, Mr Wilmot was an enthusiastic and energetic
constitutionalist. As an organiser he could not be excelled, and he was one of the most active and most
persistent members of the splendid party which overthrew Berryism in 1880. Veterans well remember the
good work he did between 1877 and 1881 for the vindication of the principle of good government as against
class despotism, and it is to such as he that we owe in no small measure the well based Upper House of today.
Mr Wilmot's talents as a party worker found expression in many of the cartoons of the day in Punch when "T.C "
was a power in the land. He was a member of the council, which held weekly meetings - just such as are held
in connection with London Punch - and his colleagues were often indebted to him for points which helped to
make the magnificent series of cartoons of the day.
In private life Mr Wilmot was very highly esteemed. Few men were better known in the city, and few will be
missed more than he. He was married in 1807 to the second daughter of the late Mr William Whittakers, of
Tubbutt Station, Monaro, and latterly of Loy Yang, Gippsland. Mrs Wilmot and several children survive the
deceased.
*These points imply that John George was at school in France when quite young and that he went to Australia in 1843 when
only thirteen years of age, and then - when fourteen - went to Ceylon. Presumably each of these moves would have been
with either his father or some other responsible adult. No evidence has been found of a Wilmot family living in France pre
-1843.
Note here that Sir John Eardley Eardley-Wilmot became Governor of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) - also in 1843 - and, significantly, it is recorded that he took some of his young son's with him, leaving his (second) wife and his other children in England .... co-incidence? From several published accounts there were some distinctly odd aspects about Sir John's morals and competence which led to his enforced premature departure from his post as Governor. One can only draw their own conclusions and consider the possibility that perhaps the young John George was an illegitimate son who Sir John had brought with him with his other young sons on taking up his Tasmanian post.
Also, in 1831, another Wilmot, Sir Robert John Wilmot-Horton, whose youngest recorded son was a similar age as John George, was appointed Governor of Ceylon (Sri-Lanka) and was holding that office when young John George first travelled to that country from Australia. Other possible candidates for being John George's father could be either of the two elder sons of Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton, Sir Robert Edward or Christopher. Each individual in the relevant generation bands of both the Wilmot and the Eardley-Wilmot families from which our subject could have originated have been exhaustively examined by two independent researchers but their endeavours have so far failed to reveal any positive link between any of them with either John George or his stated father Edward Charles - but the search continues.
It should be also be noted here that official registration of births was not required in England until 1 July 1837 and searches of relevant baptism entries and probate and/or Will entries have not so far borne fruit. Perhaps one should not be surprised by the lack of baptism records, particularly in churches in smaller communities. These are thought to have been haphazard in many instances. Also, in many cases, illegitimate children were probably not baptised or recorded at all.
So for now, following the information currently available to us, we concentrate the search for John George's ancestry by looking for details of his stated father, Edward Charles Wilmot, his mother Maud (or possibly Mary), nee Winchester, his early education in France - all with his declared birthplace of Winton in mind. Winton must have been a very small place indeed as, in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales in 1870, it is described like this:
WINTON, a township in Kirkby-Stephen parish, Westmoreland; 1½ mile NE of Kirkby-Stephen. Acres, 3,383. Pop., 301. Houses
59. and an endowed school.
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The Notice of John George's death was published in the Melbourne Argus and read as follows;
DEATH OF MR. J. G. W. WILMOT.
It will be learned with deep regret that Mr. J. G. W. Wilmot, of William street, died at his residence, Brighton, on
Saturday. Mr. Wilmot has been in indifferent health for some time past, and a few weeks ago suffered a chill
which produced painful and fatal complications. He was assiduously attended by Dr. Backhouse, with whom
other medical advisers were in consultation, but in spite of their skill he never really improved, gradually
becoming worse , expired on Saturday afternoon.
Mr. Wilmot, whose Christian names were John George Winchester, was born at Winton, Westmoreland, on
September 19, 1830. He was educated in France* at a school attended by a number of English boys, among
whom were Blanchard Jerrold and Vizetelly the well known publisher. When but a lad, in January, l843* (he
would have been thirteen), he came to Port Phillip, but at the end of that year went to Ceylon, where he was
engaged on a coffee plantation. There he learned surveying, and gained experience which stood him in good
stead when in 1852 he returned to this country. First he followed the life of a digger, but later on commenced
practice as a surveyor. The whole of Victoria was his field, and there is scarcely any part of it with which he
was not thoroughly acquainted. The Werribee Plains were surveyed by him. In 1855 he became district
surveyor at Benalla, having charge of the territory between Seymour and Beechworth, He laid out the Sydney
road, and ran the telegraph line from Seymour to Benalla It was mainly through his instrumentality that this
rich district was opened up for settlement. Subsequently he became district surveyor at Portland, Ararat, and
Bairnsdale, but in 1868 he determined lo retire from the public service and apply himself to private practice.
He left his imprint on the map of Victoria, in which he named a large number of townships and parishes,
such us Mangalore, Dookie, Baddaginnie, Miepoll, Stuarton, Glenrowan, Winton, Bessiebelle, Bellaura,
Dimboola, and others.
His private work was mainly confined to arbitration, land agency and valuing. As an arbitrator he held the
leading position in Melbourne, having been engaged in most of the important cases arising out of railway
construction. As a land agent his services were in demand, and as the representative of the holders he took an
active part in the classification of land under the Lund Tax Act of 1877. In this he was associated with the late
Mr Justice Kerferd, who appeared, under his instructions, for most of the appellants before the special land
commission appointed at the time. As a valuer he had wide experience and since 1884 made nearly all the
country valuations for the Master in Equity. In many cases such a degree of confidence was reposed in him
that he valued for both executors und the master.
Though he never sought nor desired parliamentary honours, Mr Wilmot was an enthusiastic and energetic
constitutionalist. As an organiser he could not be excelled, and he was one of the most active and most
persistent members of the splendid party which overthrew Berryism in 1880. Veterans well remember the
good work he did between 1877 and 1881 for the vindication of the principle of good government as against
class despotism, and it is to such as he that we owe in no small measure the well based Upper House of today.
Mr Wilmot's talents as a party worker found expression in many of the cartoons of the day in Punch when "T.C "
was a power in the land. He was a member of the council, which held weekly meetings - just such as are held
in connection with London Punch - and his colleagues were often indebted to him for points which helped to
make the magnificent series of cartoons of the day.
In private life Mr Wilmot was very highly esteemed. Few men were better known in the city, and few will be
missed more than he. He was married in 1807 to the second daughter of the late Mr William Whittakers, of
Tubbutt Station, Monaro, and latterly of Loy Yang, Gippsland. Mrs Wilmot and several children survive the
deceased.
*These points imply that John George was at school in France when quite young and that he went to Australia in 1843 when
only thirteen years of age, and then - when fourteen - went to Ceylon. Presumably each of these moves would have been
with either his father or some other responsible adult. No evidence has been found of a Wilmot family living in France pre
-1843.
Note here that Sir John Eardley Eardley-Wilmot became Governor of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) - also in 1843 - and, significantly, it is recorded that he took some of his young son's with him, leaving his (second) wife and his other children in England .... co-incidence? From several published accounts there were some distinctly odd aspects about Sir John's morals and competence which led to his enforced premature departure from his post as Governor. One can only draw their own conclusions and consider the possibility that perhaps the young John George was an illegitimate son who Sir John had brought with him with his other young sons on taking up his Tasmanian post.
Also, in 1831, another Wilmot, Sir Robert John Wilmot-Horton, whose youngest recorded son was a similar age as John George, was appointed Governor of Ceylon (Sri-Lanka) and was holding that office when young John George first travelled to that country from Australia. Other possible candidates for being John George's father could be either of the two elder sons of Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton, Sir Robert Edward or Christopher. Each individual in the relevant generation bands of both the Wilmot and the Eardley-Wilmot families from which our subject could have originated have been exhaustively examined by two independent researchers but their endeavours have so far failed to reveal any positive link between any of them with either John George or his stated father Edward Charles - but the search continues.
It should be also be noted here that official registration of births was not required in England until 1 July 1837 and searches of relevant baptism entries and probate and/or Will entries have not so far borne fruit. Perhaps one should not be surprised by the lack of baptism records, particularly in churches in smaller communities. These are thought to have been haphazard in many instances. Also, in many cases, illegitimate children were probably not baptised or recorded at all.
So for now, following the information currently available to us, we concentrate the search for John George's ancestry by looking for details of his stated father, Edward Charles Wilmot, his mother Maud (or possibly Mary), nee Winchester, his early education in France - all with his declared birthplace of Winton in mind. Winton must have been a very small place indeed as, in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales in 1870, it is described like this:
WINTON, a township in Kirkby-Stephen parish, Westmoreland; 1½ mile NE of Kirkby-Stephen. Acres, 3,383. Pop., 301. Houses
59. and an endowed school.
Follow the drop-down tabs above for more information