Chapter 4.2
Archibald’s Legacy
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| Archibald Mosman a year before his death (c. Mosman Library) |
In June 1860 Archibald was sufficiently concerned about his health to make a Will. It was made before Alice was born and had provisions for all current and any future children. There may have also been unknown financial implications from the marriage settlement.
The Executors were brother George; cousin and long time close friend and business associate John Gilchrist; and son in law Arthur Palmer.
Shortly after making his will Archibald had a stroke leaving him paralysed on his right side.
Archibald left £25,000, a considerable sum at that time. The details are not clear but he left Harriet financially independent, probably a third share with a residual personal income of £250pa if she remarried which would to remain hers to control. This was very unusual for the time when female wealth became the property of the new husband and showed both his love for her and a realisation that she was young enough to remarry. Although there were rumours she had remarried she was still a widow at the time of her death.
Archibald appears to have left equal shares of the remainder in trust to each of his his children, to revert to Harriet if she was alive. This provision was invoked for the estate of Emily who died at age seven and probate was needed for all of her goods and chattels to pass to her mother. Probate at seven is unusual as most children at that age wouldn’t have property to leave.
When Archibald died he was 63 and Harriet was 41. She was left a widow and single parent to raise 9 children. At the time only Hugh at 20 and Cecilia at 19 were close to adulthood and baby Alice was under one. This was a huge burden for Harriet but Archibald had left her well provided for and it is very likely that she had at least one servant.
Byron Lodge, Randwick was leased and by 1865 the family had moved to a possibly less expensive rental property at Annan Grove Cottage in Petersham. The family needed a large property. It could possibly be this rental in the area described as having “11 rooms, servants’ accommodation, stables, orchard and paddock” for £100pa. They certainly had a paddock as in 1865 Harriet advertised that their “large well bred red and white Milch Cow” had strayed or had been stolen.
There were three notable occasions when the family was at Annon Grove Cottage, two happy, one sad.
In June 1865 her eldest daughter Cecilia and Arthur Palmer were married at Petersham and in April 1868 Cecilia gave birth to their first son at the Cottage. We don’t know how long she had been staying there or if Arthur was there at the time.
The sad time came in July 1867 when Emily Maria Mosman (twin of Charlotte) died at the Cottage of diphtheria at 7 years of age, then a far too common childhood disease. She was buried with her father and eventually her mother at St Jude, Randwick.
The family moved after 1868 to Paddington, where Harriet spent the rest of her days, and where she made her will in 1880. Three years later it seems likely that she traveled to London with Hugh and Eliza where Hugh had surgery on his injured arm. The trip was also the promised 20th birthday present to Alice from a newly rich eldest brother.
Sadly Harriet died in only months after their arrival in London and at her request Hugh and Alice took her body back with them for burial with Archibald at Randwick.
In the end, even though the amount left from her legacy from Archibald had decreased, Harriet still had £5,000 and was able to leave money to her children and make special provision in a bequest to Harriet McIlraith for the care and education of William’s daughter Ida.
As previously mentioned Harriet desired to be buried with Archibald and her body was brought back from London by Hugh and Alice for burial at St Jude’s, Randwick.
Nobody could have foreshadowed when she boarded the Mathesis 42 years earlier that she would have such an amazing life. Harriet left her legacy in her children, many of whom had even more amazing lives.
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| Archibald and Harriet’s memorial, St Jude’s, Randwick |
Next Chapter - 5 GEORGE MOSMAN 1799-1868
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