Wedding of Martha Herbert to Nathaniel Ellis, December, 1912 at her brother John’s property in Nutfield. Seated from left Elizabeth, John, Martha, George, Annie, Andrew and Isabella. William is at the back behind Martha’s right shoulder

The first member of the Herbert family to live in Diamond Creek was William Wandless Herbert who took up land to the north-west side of the creek in 1852.

William hailed from the Scottish Borders and Northumberland in northern England and the family has a rich and interesting history in that region going back many generations. His journey to Australia and the reason for leaving his home also tells a story of part of Melbourne and Victoria’s history in the 1840’s.

William’s journey to and arrival in Melbourne was not voluntary. He made a journey in 1844, from his home at ‘Rookland’ a farm near Alwinton in Northumberland, England, to take his son to school in the Scottish Borders, leaving him to stay with an uncle. On his return journey he came across two sheep and decided to take them to his home. This was the catalyst for a prosecution, some believe malicious, for sheep stealing. He was arrested some months later in April 1845 and charged, convicted and given a seven year sentence.

Imprisoned in Jedburgh Gaol, Scotland, where he spent many months, he was then moved to Millgate Prison in London, then to the new Pentonville Prison. At the end of 1846, William was sent to Australia as part of a program out of the Pentonville system that made efforts to rehabilitate prisoners. By that time, he had served nearly two years of his sentence, and he joined groups of Pentonvillians exiled from England for the remaining five years.

William Herbert lived with his 10 year old son Robert at “Rookland” a farm in the Cheviot Hills above Alwinton, Northumberland (photo ©Jean Verso 2006)

View to Alwinton and the surrounding Cheviot Hills

Alwinton Church and churchyard where many of the Herbert family are buried

William sailed on the ship Thomas Arbuthnot arriving in Hobson’s Bay in May 1847. The arrival of ships carrying exiles from 1844 to 1849 had the people of Melbourne concerned that transportation was starting up again. As an exile William was ‘free’ but could not return to England for the remaining five years of his sentence.

Little is known of the work he did in the years before he brought his property in Diamond Creek. He may have met John Wilson and his son William (Pioneer Families of Diamond Creek District – Wilson) who were already established in the area or travelled here when working. He became friends with a Presbyterian minister in Melbourne and his religion would have been a help during those early years having left his son and all his family behind.

William may have heard of the availability of land available in the district as the area was opening up and there were regular land sales advertised in Melbourne newspapers. In any case, he made his way here and took up his 100 acre property naming it ‘Greenhills’. He married Elizabeth Wilson, daughter of John Wilson in August 1854 at Se Enoch’s Presbyterian Church in Collins Street, Melbourne.

Map from 1866 showing William Herbert’s property surrounded by other early families in the district – Larimour, Ellis, Haley, Peers and Phipps

William and Elizabeth settled at ‘Greenhills’ and built a house on a rise above the creek, remains of which can be found today. Their first son John was born there followed by seven further children – three sons, Andrew, George and William, and four daughters, Martha, Annie, Elizabeth, and Isabella.

William purchased another 100 acres extending the property, so it covered an area from Broad Gully and Black Gully Roads to the creek and along the hills and creek flats to present day Wilson Road at Wattle Glen.

Gold was discovered in Diamond Creek in 1862 on a property across the hills to the south of ‘Greenshills’. The quartz reef, that ran from Allendale Road to the north towards Hurstbridge and Nutfield, was rich in a number of places. William opened a mine, the Nillumbik Mine, on the west side of the gully on his property – now Scrubby Creek on local maps.

The income William received from his mine allowed him, in 1872, to buy land in Nutfield – 320 acres on the east side of the Arthur’s Creek and later 220 acres on the opposite side. Over the years the family moved between the Diamond Creek and Nutfield properties. As William and Elizabeth’s children grew up it appears they lived there, on the property they called The Station, for extended periods as they attended both Doreen and Diamond Creek State Schools. With their family growing, they were able to manage work on both properties and in the mine, which would have also meant employing local men and women and possibly itinerant miners and their families.

William did not return to see his family and his first son Robert and we are told he would not have his photograph taken, apparently due to a level of shame he felt for the rest of his life. He died in February 1876 and is buried at Nillumbik Cemetery. When his will was being settled Robert, who was now married and living in Durham, asked for his share of the property. The family readily agreed, but he wouldn’t come to Australia to farm the land so the property was mortgaged to pay him in cash. They say they spent the rest of their lives paying off the mortgage.

By the early 1880’s three daughters were married, Annie in 1880 to Charles Verso from Northcote, Elizabeth in 1884 to Harry Limmer and Isabella to George Apted in 1886. We expect Martha did not marry at the time as being the oldest daughter meant she would need to help her widowed mother manage the home and around the farm.

Later that decade the creek flats at ‘Greenhills’ hosted the annual Diamond Creek Cup held on Boxing Day. Our website has an article – Herbert Family Property and the Diamond Creek Racing Club. The race meeting move across the creek to the Ellis property in the early 1890’s as the Herberts extended their orchards of mainly a variety of apples and pears.

With Elizabeth Herbert’s death in May 1890 both properties were split between sons and daughters. The older son John received part of the Nutfield property and did Annie, Elizabeth and Isabella. ‘Greenhills’ was divided between Andrew, George and William jnr. William eventually moved to Kangaroo Ground then on to Neerim, leaving the other two to continue working the orchards at ‘Greenhills’.

Apart from gold mining, orcharding was the main industry in the district in the late 1800’s and it naturally followed that a Horticultural Show would start so orchardists and other primary producers could showcase what they had grown and to meet and share advice and skills. Andrew Herbert was on the Diamond Creek Horticultural Show Committee.

By the early 1900’s the brothers were married – Andrew to Winifred Connell from Jolimont, George to Rose Haley of Diamond Creek, William to Janet McAdam at Kangaroo Ground and lastly John to Emily McDonald from Arthurs Creek. In 1912, Martha married a man she had known since they were young, Nathaniel Ellis her neighbour from across the creek who had been widowed, she was 52. Descendants of John, Annie and Isabella still live in the district today, with those of John and Annie on the original family properties.

Diamond Creek Horticultural Show Committee c1900 – Andrew Herbert is in the front row, third from left. Also in the photo are John Lawrey (standing 2nd from left), Patrick Robert Burke (middle 3rd from left) and Patrick Ryan (middle far right).