Contents:
Blue Gum Forest, by Nevell Hungerford;
HAFS Meets Stan Hungerford, by Judith Fitz-Henry
A Farthing Makes the Difference, London in 1845, by Ron Prentice;
From Sydney to Auckland: A Letter to Waimarie Hungerford, by Minna Hales;
Hungerford Heraldry Part 1, by Ron Mathieson;
Ellen Johnson Winder: Update, by Peter Sherlock.
Editorial
Welcome to the sixth volume of our Society’s Journals. In this issue, we make some corrections to Hungerford history as recorded by genealogists and the public at large. Ron Mathieson’s next instalment on heraldry, this time focussing in on the Hungerfords at Farleigh Castle, clears up the identity of the wife of Sir Edward Hungerford of Corsham (d1648). Nevell Hungerford corrects long-standing tales about his father’s role in the sale of ‘Blue Gum Forest’ in the Blue Mountains, and in the process gives us insights into life in the 1930s.
Our Founder, Ron Prentice, makes yet another contribution to our pages, this time bringing together two events that occurred in London in l845, yet seem worlds apart: the opening of ‘Hungerford Bridge’, and the death of a pauper child John Hungerford.
Hungerford Bridge is currently in the news in London, as it is being extensively renovated — hopefully more successfully than the recent Millennium Bridge, which, although beautiful, is yet to open for practical purposes. We hope in other issues of Volume six to provide some more details of Hungerford Bridge and Hungerford Market, featured on our front cover, as well as Hungerford House, the family’s London residence until the late 17th century.
One of the most important Hungerford historians of recent times, Stan Hungerford of the USA, visited Sydney for the Olympics last year, and an interview by Judith Fitz-Henry gives details here of his experiences in collecting Hungerford data over the last twenty-five years or so. We also print a recently uncovered letter of Minna Hales to a New Zealand cousin, written in the wake of Septimus Hungerford’s 100th birthday.
Finally, a short update on my piece of last year on Ellen Johnson’s parents. We are always on the look-out for more Journal articles. The topics are endless — wineries, travellers, intermarriages, longevity, personal memoirs are just some on which you may care to write. All contributions are welcome!