Emanuel Hungerford [E] and Catherine Loane [L.I.ii]

Emanuel Hungerford was born 1 February 1785, Co Cork, Ireland. He was the youngest son of John Hungerford and Anne Daunt. He was commissioned as Captain in the 32nd Regiment of Foot of the Cork Militia, 9 August 1791, and lived at his estate Novohal Court, Co Cork, Ireland.

He married Catherine Loane [L.I.ii], 2 October 1813, at Ballymodan, Co Cork, Ireland. She was the daughter of Robert Travers Loane and Catherine Moore, and was Emanuel’s third cousin once removed, as they both descended from Emanuel Moore, Baronet. They had 10 children.

Journey on the Alexander Henry

In 1827, Emanuel retired from the army, and he and Catherine decided to come to Australia joining Catherine’s uncles Roland and Boyle Loane, and several of her cousins. They travelled on the Alexander Henry to Sydney, leaving Cork on 14 December 1827 and arriving in Sydney on 17 May 1828. The Hungerford party consisted of Emanuel, aged 42, Catherine, aged 41, their children John B, aged 14,  Robert R, aged 12, Emanuel, aged 10, William M, aged eight, Henry H, aged six, Thomas aged five, Septimus, aged three, and Anne L aged one; their cousins Jonas Morrison Townsend and Morrison Townsend Somerville; and six servants namely Elizabeth Asum, Richard Boyle, Patrick and Ellen Brian John Calahan and John Knight.

This extended household group lived briefly on Pitt Street, Sydney, while Emanuel purchased Lochdon, an estate of 2000 acres, near Maitland, in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The family moved to West Maitland, New South Wales, and bought two cottages in Bourke Street residing there as Farley House was erected at Lochdon.

Farley and the family properties

They farmed at Farley for several years, obtaining land at Baerami and Thungalier. Some of this property was given over to the Hungerford sons as gifts upon their marriages. Notable among these were the Font Hill, Owlpen and Windella estates bestowed upon the three Hungerford sons who married three of the Roses of the Hunter, daughters of Tom and Ellen Winder. The Hungerfords became prominent members of the Hunter community, Emanuel serving as a Justice of the Peace, and as a founding Counsellor of the district of Maitland. The family attended St Mary’s Church, West Maitland, which is presumably how the eldest daughter Anne Hungerford met her husband the Reverend Robert Chapman.

In 1848 news reached the Hungerfords that Catherine’s only sister, Anne Payne, had died in Ireland, leaving Catherine as the sole the property. Septimus Hungerford was sent to Ireland to collect the inheritance, said to be about £40,000. Upon Septimus’ return in 1852, he discovered his father had been bankrupted, and was able to rectify the situation with the family’s new fortune. Catherine made a will in 1863, dividing the remainder of the inheritance between children.

A large legacy

About 1855 family left Farley House, although the youngest son Percy continued living at the Lochdon property. The building was eventually pulled down in 1870 a few stones remain. Emanuel and Catherine retired to Farley Cottage in Bourke Street, Maitland. Catherine died there from dysentery, 10 December 1867 (aged 82) leaving about 70 descendants, including several great-grandchildren. Emanuel went to live with his daughter Anne Chapman at St Mary’s Parsonage in West Maitland.  He died there of old age on 8 August 1872 (aged 87) and was buried with Catherine in Campbells Hill Cemetery, Telarah, New South Wales, where their gravestones may be visited today.

Emanuel and Catherine’s legacy to Australia is not inconsiderable. In numerical achievements alone, they produced 10 children and 74 grandchildren, and their descendants (excluding spouses) now number more than 5300. The family has been prominent in business, the church, law, medicine, primary industries, wine-making, the arts and many other areas.

Emanuel’s Ancestry

Peter Sherlock (a founding member and historian) has started researching Emanuel’s ancestry, Ancestry of Emanuel Hungerford.  The results of this research will be published on this website over the next few months.

 

Children of Emanuel and Catherine

John Becher Hungerford [E.1]	Thomas Hungerford [E.6]
Robert Richard Hungerford [E.2]	Septimus Hungerford [E.7 ]
Emanuel Becher Hungerford [E.3]	Anne Loane Hungerford [E.8]
William Moore Hungerford [E.4]	Percy Hungerford [E.9]
Henry Hungerford [E.5]	Catherine Hungerford [E.10]