John Barclay & Janet Johnstone ...
John Barclay (Barkley) married Janet Johnstone in Barony, Scotland, on 24th of June 1841. His occupation on the marriage register is listed as a Weaver. Their first six children were born in Barony before they made the decision to immigrate to Australia and start a new life there.
Old Parochial Register of the birth of
Janet Johnstone
(daughter of William Johnson & Elizabeth Higgens)
Old Parochial Register of the marriage of
John Barkley and Janet Johnston
John and Janet Barclay and their first six children departed from Greenock aboard the "Thomas Arbuthnot" in 1841. After what must have been an arduous voyage, they arrived in Port Phillip on the 2nd of October, 1841. The shipping manifest lists John's occupation as a "shepherd" and Janet's as a "housemaid". A point of interest when searching for this manifest was that their surname was transcribed as Buckley, not Barclay. Upon their arrival in Australia, John and Janet had a further two children, in 1843 and 1847. (Note: Please click on all images for descriptions)
Upon their arrival in Australia, John and Janet Barclay were engaged by Messrs. Robert Howe & Co. In July 1846, John took out Pastoral Licence Portland Bay No 31 which he named "Green Vale". The licence consisted of 9,000 acres on which he ran 3,000 sheep. The pastoral run was situated four miles south east of Hotspur and ran through to the Sunday Creek, north of Heywood.
Around the late 1850's, John Barclay built an inn approximately five miles north of Heywood at Sunday Creek which he named the Greenvale Inn. Vanda Savill's book "Dear Friends Drumborg ..." makes several mentions of the Greenvale Inn, including some artefacts which I believe are still in existence.
It would appear the Greenvale Inn was situated in an awkward spot for travellers, as is evidenced in the following:
'On the curve of today's road beyond the Sunday Creek Bridge, John Barclay opened the "Greenvale Inn" in July, 188, the deep black mud of this creek was a major obstacle to wool, etc., coming to the Port, one of the most dreaded of all the crossings it is referred to in documents of those days as "Barclay's Bottom".'
Source: The Story of a Port - Portland, Victoria by Noel F. Learmonth.
John Barclay died at his residence on the 17th May 1877. His death certificate lists the cause of death as being "natural decay". He was buried at Drumborg Cemetery on the 21st May 1877. Janet Barclay died in Tarrayoukyan in 1887 and is buried at Coleraine.
John and Janet had eight children, seven of whom had large families. As a result, the Barclay legacy, not only in south eastern Victoria, but elsewhere throughout Australia, is quite substantial.
A Bit About Heywood ...
Heywood is a small town situated on the Fitzroy River in south western Victoria. It is situated 357 kilometres west of Melbourne and 27 kilometres north of Portland.
In 1839, Surveyor Charles Tyers commented that the land surrounding the Fitzroy River was suitable for grazing and cultivation given there was a good supply of water available all year round. He also noted that its close proximity to Portland made it suitable for the location of a township.
Originally named "Second River", (and also known as "Fitzroy Crossing" and "Edgar's"), it was renamed Heywood after the town of Heywood in Lancashire, England.