Robert Dickson McIntosh & Grace Binning ...
Robert Dickson McIntosh, the first child of Robert McIntosh and Susan/Susannah Paterson, was christened on 13 January 1817 in Tynninghame, East Lothian, Scotland.
Baptism of Robert Dickson Mackintosh
Old Parochial Register, Parish of Whitekirk & Tynninghame, County of Haddington
Marriage Banns for Robert Macintosh and Grace Binning - Haddington 1841
A few miles west of Tynninghame, along the Tyne River, lies the market town of Haddington. It was in Haddington that Robert married a local lass, Grace Binning, on 13 June 1841 at the Old Kirk of St Mary’s. Grace was born in 1813 in East Linton, about 5 miles from Haddington, and was the fourth child and only daughter of William Binning and Margaret Thompson.
It is also interesting to note that on the road between nearby Tynninghame and Whitekirk lies a wooded area called Binning Wood. Given this, it would appear the name may have been established in the area for some time, and that the family most likely had a connection with Binning Wood.
Robert and Grace settled in Edinburgh, where he carried out the trade of blacksmith. Their three children, Margaret (1844), Susan (1846), and William Hannah (1849), were all born in Edinburgh.
Binning Wood
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A few years following the birth of their last child in 1849, Robert and Grace made the decision to emigrate to Australia. After farewelling family, they made the journey down to Liverpool, where they departed England for their new life in Australia on 1 March 1854, aboard the Lord Stanley.
During what was most likely a difficult voyage at times, Robert and Grace met and befriended another couple, Robert Telford Davidson and his wife, Isabella. Along with their young son Thomas, Robert and Isabella had also made the life-changing decision to emigrate to Australia in search of a new life, with their second son, John, being born aboard the Lord Stanley throughout the voyage. Tragically, Isabella contracted typhus fever and died on board just a couple of weeks before arriving at their destination, and their newborn son, John, followed her 12 days after, succumbing to diarrhea and dehydration.
The McIntosh family must have offered incredible support to the grieving Robert and his two-year-old son, Thomas, with Grace McIntosh and most likely her daughters helping Robert look after the young Thomas. This friendship was to last a lifetime and formed the foundation of a large and closely knit family.
Robert Dickson McIntosh
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Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923 - Lord Stanley, June 1854
The Lord Stanley finally dropped anchor in Geelong on 30 June 1854. The McIntosh and Davidson families joined forces and set off for the goldfields at Steiglitz, north of Geelong, determined to make a new start despite the tragic loss of Robert Davidson's wife Isabella, and baby John.
They trekked along the dray tracks, carrying their belongings, with Robert Davidson deciding to continue on to Ballarat in search of work, leaving young Thomas in the care of the McIntosh family until he was settled. Their eldest daughter, Margaret, took on the task of caring for Thomas between her lessons. Robert Davidson, a Master Builder, moved about the countryside plying his trade, returning every few months to visit his son.
Some 12 months later the gold in the Steiglitz area started to run out, so the McIntosh family and young Thomas Davidson made the journey to the Daylesford district. They originally pitched their tent on the goldfields at Hepburn, moving to nearby Eganstown a few years later, by which time Robert Davidson had rejoined them.
Planning to settle, both Robert McIntosh and Robert Davidson bought land in the area, with the McIntosh’s staying in the area until 1873 when they joined their eldest daughter, Margaret, and Robert Davidson who had married in 1858 and moved to Mt Egerton in 1869.
Undated map of Wombat Parish, showing land purchases of R. McIntosh and R. Davidson
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Upon arriving in Mt Egerton, Robert McIntosh purchased just under 20 acres of land on the Yendon Road where he built a cottage. He joined the local miners for a while, before returning to his old trade, opening a blacksmith’s shop in Mt Egerton in 1886. An in demand blacksmith, Robert went on to create all the wrought iron work for the town’s new Church of England. When sending out the account to the parish, he increased the total, over and above the cost of the materials. Once the account had been paid, he gave a donation of the extra amount back to the church. When he was praised for his generosity, he muttered: “I gi’e it to the B’s”.
Robert McIntosh was not a religious man. He was also often heard to mutter, in his broad Scottish accent: “Hell, Hell, Eternal Hell, send down hell, fire and brimstone, burn the buggers to the Fragments of Hell” when kicked by a horse while shoeing it.
His grandson, my great grandfather Joseph Henry Davidson, was taught the blacksmith’s trade by Robert and remembered learning the ‘code of the bellows’ from him. One tap on the anvil signalled that one puff of the bellows was required, two taps signalled one blow, and three taps meant full force on the bellows.
Robert Dickson McIntosh died at the age of 82 on 28 July 1899 in Mt Egerton. His wife, Grace, followed a few years later on 18 April 1902, at the age of 89. They are buried together in main family grave at Mt Egerton cemetery, alongside their eldest daughter Margaret and son-in-law Robert Davidson.
Grave of Robert and Grace McIntosh - Mt Egerton Cemetery
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EGERTON SUDDEN DEATH
A somewhat sudden death took place last Saturday at Egerton. Mr Robert McIntosh, blacksmith, 82, walked a distance of a mile to record his vote, late Thursday and caught a cold. This accelerated the asthma which he was suffering. His remains were interred on Monday in the Egerton Cemetery and the funeral was largely attended. The service was read by Rev. J. R. Hormley. The coffin-bearers were six of the deceased’s grandchildren, Edward, William, Joseph, Goodsir, George and Duncan Davidson. - Ballarat Courier
Sources:
The Egertonian: Kith and Kin of our Clan Davidson - written by Gail Chambers and Lydia Davidson 1995 (edited by Gail Erwood 2021)
Egerton Sudden Death, Ballarat Courier, 2nd August 1899