John Scholey (15 September 1840 in
Holbeck
Holbeck is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins on the southern edge of Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 postcode district. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is the o ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, – 14 April 1908 in
Mayfield, New South Wales
Mayfield is a north-western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, which takes its name from Ada May (born 1874) a daughter of the landowner there, John Scholey. Its boundaries are the Hunter River to the north, the Main Northern railway line t ...
) was an extensive landed proprietor, prominent businessman, colliery owner, Director of Aberdare Collieries, and a
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
.
He was a
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
and member of the Newcastle Land Board, a division of the New South Wales Justice Department.
Background
The Scholey family are to be found with various spellings in ancient manuscripts but often as de Scolay or Scoley. They were long resident at Gawber Hall, outside
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
, near the village of Barugh, in
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham.
In N ...
. By 1848 the mansion and its farms had been let and the family removed to the vicinity of
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
.
John was the son of a Leeds businessman,
Stephen Scholey
Stephen Scholey (22 January 1815 – 13 May 1878) was a former Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
Early life
Scholey was born on 22 January 1815 in a house on Garden Street in the village of Holbe ...
(1815–1878) who entered the service of the
Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of col ...
in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, and was a Member of the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...
for
East Maitland
East Maitland is a suburb in the City of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and it has two railway stations, Victoria Street (opened in 1857 with the Newcastle-Maitland line) and East Maitland (opened initial ...
. John's mother was Anne Spink John appears in the 1851 Census Return at 27 Trafalgar Street,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, aged 11, with his parents and his sister Mary Ann.
New South Wales
![John Scholey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/John_Scholey.jpg)
John Scholey accompanied his family on their first trip to the colony of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
in 1853, returning to England on the ship ''Speedy'' which left
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
on 1 November 1857, arriving in London on 1 March 1858. He arrived back in Leeds the following day. On 18 January 1860 he again set out for Australia, travelling from Leeds, via
Halifax for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, the following day taking up his cabin on board the ship ''Red Jacket'' berthed at the Queen's Dock, declaring the accommodation "splendid and superior to any ship I have been in before." He landed at
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
on 26 April. He made valuable contacts in Melbourne, but in 1862 commenced business in Newcastle.
and at the time of his marriage to Anne, née Greaves (1845–1931), on 16 January 1865, at Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Newcastle, the register states that he was now resident in that parish. His father was a witness at the ceremony. John was listed at that time: "Scholey, John,
Hunter Street, Newcastle
Hunter Street is a major road in the central business district, in New South Wales. The street, formerly three separate thoroughfares, extends from Pacific Street in the city's east, to Selma Street in and since 2008 has been the focus of comm ...
". On his daughter Jessie's birth certificate in February 1883, John Scholey stated that he now resided at
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, a garden suburb of Newcastle.
Business interests
According to ''
Australian Town & Country Journal
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
'' of 11 July 1887, "he carried on business so successfully that he was able to acquire a considerable share of landed property in the Newcastle and Maitland Districts."
On his daughter Agnes's birth certificate (1888) he is described as "Landowner". He eventually bought up much of the Newcastle district known as North Waratah, subdividing it as the city environs grew, and renaming it
Mayfield after Ada May, one of his daughters. Other streets in the suburb still bear his surname, his wife's maiden name of Greaves, and some of his daughter's Christian names: Clara, Ada, Dora, etc.
He sold at a handsome profit the land at Mayfield,
some of it bordering the
Hunter River Hunter River may refer to:
*Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia
*Hunter River (Western Australia)
*Hunter River, New Zealand
*Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada
**Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada
...
, upon which just before
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
was built the new
BHP
BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
steelworks (now demolished), and other huge heavy industries. Owning much coal-bearing land on the
Kurri Kurri
Kurri Kurri is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock LGA. At the , its population was 6,044. Kurri Kurri is the largest town in a group of towns and hamlets, including Stanford Merthyr, Pelaw Main, ...
and
Cessnock districts of the
South Maitland coalfields The South Maitland coalfields was the most extensive coalfield in New South Wales until the great coal mining slump of the 1960s. It was discovered by Lieutenant-Colonel William Paterson's party when they were engaged in an exploratory visit to the ...
, he also became involved in the coal-mining industry. In 1887 he employed Mr. T. W.
Edgeworth David
Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David (28 January 1858 – 28 August 1934) was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter V ...
to assess his lands for coal seams, and the following year he formed a syndicate including a Melbourne partner and established the Richmond Vale Coal Company. Scholey's investment in the new company was his land. In October that year they sunk a bore finding huge seams on this land outside Kurri Kurri, and in January 1890 they sank a new shaft, "the Scholey shaft". However the following year only 2500 tons was produced, the industry suffering a severe depression. In 1897 the company sold a lease of the operations to
J & A Brown J & A Brown was an privately owned Australian coal family firm founded by James Brown (1816–1894) and Alexander Brown (1827–1877).
Firm's Beginning at Four Mile Creek
In 1843 James Brown leased eighty acres at Four Mile Creek, near Ea ...
and Abermain Seaham Collieries, for £39,500
[ and Brown's changed the name from Richmond Vale to ]Richmond Main Colliery
Richmond Main Colliery is a heritage-listed former coal mine and now open-air museum at South Maitland Coalfields, Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the staff at J & A Brown's Engineering Workshops at Hexham under the ...
, although oddly continued to name their rail link the Richmond Vale railway line
The Richmond Vale Railway was a colliery railway line in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia, servicing coal mines at Minmi, Stockrington, Pelaw Main and Richmond Main. It was over long and passed through three tunnels, and was ...
. As time progressed this colliery produced the largest daily tonnage in the State, as well as providing, from 1912, all the electricity requirements for nearby Kurri Kurri
Kurri Kurri is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock LGA. At the , its population was 6,044. Kurri Kurri is the largest town in a group of towns and hamlets, including Stanford Merthyr, Pelaw Main, ...
and other townships.[
In 1904 he was also a Director of Aberdare Collieries Co. Ltd.
Scholey was one of the earliest directors of the Newcastle and County Building Company, and one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Waratah Municipal Gasworks] which went on to become the principal gas suppliers to the City of Newcastle.
Civic positions
John Scholey, as Alderman (elected 1882) and thrice Mayor of the Municipality of Waratah, New South Wales
Waratah is a north-western residential suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, from Newcastle's central business district and bounded to the north by the Main North railway line. Waratah station was opened in 1858 and is served by NS ...
, received an official invitation to the New South Wales Government's State Banquet held in Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
on Thursday, 26 January 1888, to commemorate the first 100 years of settlement in the colony. The Earl of Carnarvon
Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The current holder is George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The town and county in Wales to which the title refers are historically spelled ''Caernarfon,'' havi ...
and Lord Carrington
Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton, (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a British Conservative Party politician and hereditary peer who served as Defence Secretary from 1970 to 1974, Foreign Secret ...
were present along with a host of other well-known dignitaries.
A practising Christian, he was lay representative for Waratah to the 122nd Church of England Synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
held at Newcastle in May 1900; he was Diocesan Warden for Newcastle's Christ Church Cathedral, a member of the Newcastle Diocesan Council, and also a member of the Diocesan Church Property Committee. He was the sole surviving Executor of the Will of his father-in-law, William Greaves, another Newcastle businessman, when he signed the declaration that all affairs to do with that estate were now complete, 18 May 1907.
When the Foundation stone of the Waratah School of Arts was laid by Henry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and longest non-consecutive Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He has ...
, John Scholey became a guarantor for the building. He was also Patron of the Northern District Bowling Association from its formation, President of Waratah Bowling Club, and churchwarden (Lay Representative) of St. Andrew's Church of England, Mayfield.
Family and death
Until his death he maintained a continual correspondence with his family in Yorkshire, notably his first cousin, Stephen Scholey, a Professor of Music also born in Holbeck, who resided in Hunslet, and who outlived John.
In a full report of John Scholey's funeral the names of many of the most prominent attendees are given and it is stated that over 200 telegrams of condolence were received. He was buried in the Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
division of Sandgate Cemetery
Sandgate Cemetery is a necropolis in the Hunter region near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, and has been continuously operating since 1881. The cemetery caters for all religious, ethnic and cultural requirements.
History
Sandgate Cemete ...
. In his Will (proved 8 October 1908) he bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, by whom he had seven daughters, six of whom survived him. His daughter Clara married Robert,[ son of ]Charles Upfold
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
, the managing director of the Sydney Soap and Candle Company, "the largest such concern in Australasia". His youngest daughter, Agnes, died a spinster in 1972.
John Scholey was described in directories[ and upon his death certificate, as a "gentleman".
]
Mayfield House
His splendid sandstone mansion ''Mayfield House'', "an impressive residence",[Docherty, J C, ''Newcastle – The Making of an Australian City'', Sydney, 1983, , pp. 105-107.] is now a shadow of its former glory. It is currently leased as a hostel for Youth With A Mission and is owned by the Baptist Church
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
, its once magnificent gardens having been built upon.
Gallery
File:Scholey Grave.JPG, Gravestone of Anne Greaves, daughter of John and Anne Scholey. Grave is located at Christchurch Cathedral, Newcastle New South Wales.
File:Mayfield House.jpg, Mayfield house, as it looks now.
File:Mayfield_House_Fireplace.jpg, One of the original fireplaces in Mayfield House.
References
External links
The Scholey and Upfold Family Papers of Mrs Marion Faulkner
(Mrs Faulkner's maiden name was Upfold).
* Those wanting to research the Scholey family and to contribute to further research are invited to visit https://groups.yahoo.com/group/scholeyandschooley/ )
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scholey, John
1840 births
1908 deaths
People from Holbeck
History of Newcastle, New South Wales
19th-century English businesspeople
19th-century Australian businesspeople