Sailed to Australia

By Kay McMeekin 

John Caddies on the Cumnock Connections family tree. See the article towards the end for his experiences in his own words.

David Murdoch and his son in law John Caddies sailed on the Austral from London to Sydney on the 22nd February 1889. They soon found work in the mining town of Minmi, New South Wales and sent for their wives and children. They paid their deposit in March 1889.

The extended family of Murdoch/Fleming/Caddies sailed on the Cuzco arriving in Sydney on 6th August 1889.

They moved to Cessnock and David Murdoch junior became under manager at Aberdare Colliery. David Murdoch senior returned to Scotland at some point where he died in 1899 in the Poorhouse Ayr of "cardiac" aged 62 a stone breaker, husband of Elizabeth Fleming. The death certificate was signed by the Governor and his usual address was Dalrymple. Not found his passage home or any sign of him in Dalrymple. The poorhouse served as a hospital.

His wife Elizabeth Fleming was born in Beith  about 1843. They married in Cumnock in 1863, and they had 8 children between then and 1881. 

Their daughter Elizabeth Murdoch married John Caddies in 1887.

John Caddies lived into his nineties.  

 The following article was found on the website trove.  John (Jock) Caddis is over 86 years of age. His recipe for a long life is: 

STICK TO THE FOOTPATHS

Jock estimates that during his lifetime he has walked from Australia to Scotland four times and is somewhere near Colombo on the fifth trip. Born on February 10, 1864, at Kilmarnock, just two miles from the famous Cessnock Castle, from which the town of Cessnock (N.S.W.) takes its name, it was only natural for Jock to select Cessnock as the place to end his days. He came to Cessnock 45 years ago. Jock's first occupation was at the coal face at a very early age. In those days a miner usually took a lad into the mine in order to qualify for a double turn of tubs. John Caddis, when 22 years of age, married Miss Elisabeth Murdock at Cumnock (Scotland), and two years later sailed for Australia in the s.s. 'Austral' which, at that time was considered one of the fastest liners afloat. She was considered a large vessel, being over 4,000 tons. The 'Austral' caused quite a stir as she steamed through the Sydney Heads and still a greater stir when 14 days later she sank at her moorings. It was believed at the time that none of the crew wanted the return journey. They had heard about fabulously rich gold strikes. The captain refused to pay off the crew. It would appear that at least some of the crew became obsessed with the idea — no ship — no return voyage. Anyway, one night the seacocks were opened and the 'Austral' sank*. 

AUSTRALIA FOR JOCK. Jock secured employment as a miner on the South Coast and, while he liked the scenery, he didn't like the pay, so after a couple of months he heard about the mining boom town of Minmi, and after a few weeks work, he decided to send for his wife. Jock must have sent home a most glowing and pleasing account of Australia, and perhaps Minmi in particular, because the Murdoch family decided it was a better place than Scotland and accompanied their sister (Mrs. Caddis) to Australia. When the ship on which they travel-led arrived at Sydney, the captain was advised by the ship's agents to keep the Murdock family on board, pending arrangements for their transportation to Minmi, where they were given employment. The Murdocks soon made their name prominent, as most of the menfolk became colliery officials in the coalmining industry. 

THE MINMI RANGERS Jock Caddis was one of the footballers to leave Scotland and he soon found a place in the famous Minmi Rangers, then the soccer (or British, as it was called in those days) champions of the Common- wealth. For two years this famous team never lost a game nor had a goal scored against them. Despite the number of trophies Jock won, the only medal that dangles from his watch chain is the medal won in 1888, when the Minmi Rangers won the Common- wealth championship. Out of that famous team it is believed that only five survive. Of these, Tom Campbell, Jock Caddis, Frank Leckie and Bob Harden (the team baby), live at Cessnock, whilst Jock McCartney is at present accompanying his daughter, Miss Nellie McCartney, the world famous pianiste, on her present Australian tour. All are either 80 years of age or, near 90 years. 

A MILLER'S GUIDE After Jock finished playing as a football star, he took a keen interest in all sports, from a quoit match to the Melbourne Cup. He soon became the selected auth-ority or umpire, whose decision settled all arguments. One had only to ask Jock what horse won the Newmarket in 1900 and he would quote the name of the horse, its breeding, and weight carried, who owned it, who rode it, the colours and the time taken to run the distance. It was the same with fighters, foot runners, etc. Yes, Jock was a Miller's Guide. 

FOOTPATHS Jock is so well known throughout the North that any person admitting no knowing Jock Caddis is immediately tagged a New Australian or Balt. Quite a lot of people believe that Jock is the General Superintendent of footpaths for the Municipal Council of Cessnock. He may have been, but for the past 12 years Jock has been in charge of Vincent Street. His beat consists of six trips (both ways) from the Railway Station to Conway's Corner. Recently, Jock inquired from Rover Motors when the next bus went to Belllird. He was informed by the man in charge, after consulting his watch, 'In 35 minutes time.' Jock replied, 'I'll not wait, I'll walk out and catch it coming back.' Jock recommends that any man can cure insomnia by walking a mere 12 miles a day, providing, of course, that he is over 80 years of age. Jock says that there is only one person killed each year in Australia on a footpath and the death is the result of a brawl. Thousands are killed on the streets and roads. Jock's only message, on the occasion of his birthday, is — 'Stick to the footpaths and live. Walk the streets and die.'   

APA citation

STICK TO THE FOOTPATHS (1950, April 6). The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder (NSW : 1913 - 1954), p. 7. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103583121

THE STEAMSHIP AUSTRAL

*The Austral was scuppered in November 1882, but it was raised in February 1883 and put back into service.

Raising the Austral. (1883, February 10). Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), p. 32. Retrieved February 21, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70995949\

The footballer mentioned in the article Jock McCartney is also an Ayrshire man from Cronberry. He came out in 1887, his younger brother David in 1910. David was a retired professional footballer and went back to mining  in South Aberdare.

John McCartney with daughters Nellie, left, the pianist and Hilda

Nellie took the stage name Nan Kenway when she changed from being a pianist to a comedy actress.

History of coal mining in Cumnock

 Author unknown. Was on rootsweb in 2000

Cumnock's coal mining began when John Wilson (1787-1851) an ironmaster from Coatbridge moved into the area. In 1843 his firm took over the old ironworks in Muirkirk. In 1846 they set up another ironworks this time in Auchinleck (Lugar) just outside Cumnock. In the Old Statistical Account (1793) and the New Statistical Account (1837) it was noted how rich the local mineral resources were, although in 1837 coal workings in the area were minimal, by 1886 coal mining was Cumnock's staple industry.  

The first area to be mined extensively was around the town and near the railway line, which had been completed in 1850. 

“outcrops beside the Lugar water had been worked from the beginning of the 18th century, if not before". 

The first sinking to be made was at Stepends in 1848. At that time Stepends was in Auchinleck Parish. By 1853 Stepends pit was working minerals under 'the glebe' on the Cumnock side of the Lugar. Around this time sinkings were also made at Barrhill. The 1857 Ordnance Survey Map shows Stepends pit and three coal and ironstone pits on Barrhill. South of the town at Shankston, ironstone was being mined from 1850. The map shows two pits at Shankston. There were also remote small coal pits at Garrallan and at Garlaff. The pits around the town were further developed in the 1860s. 

Around 1866 the new Lugar Works opened and production expanded. Glengyron was now also in production.  It would seem that coal mining in the area was 'intensively exploited' around this time and in fact as the 'seams' became exhausted the mines closed down. The Barrhill pits were abandoned before 1875; the Townhead pit followed in 1884, the first of the Shankston pits closed in 1875; the Stepends pit closed in 1892. 

Other areas of the town were being developed for coal mining, Glengyron pit was sunk in 1865 and miners’ rows built beside the railway line. 

At Garallan, pits were opened after 1875 with a total of eight sinkings in this area, with more miners’ rows. Knockterra pit was opened about 1880. 

Further away a pit was operating at Dykes from about 1865 to 1894. Around 1870 at Skares a mining village was established to house miners at Dykes, Hindsward (1880) and Whitehill (1897).  

At the end of the century there were five pits working in the parish, all those near the town were now closed. Glengyron, Garrallan, Knockterra, Hindsward and Whitehill were together producing 141,000 tons of coal a year. Ironstone was no longer worked, Barrhill, Townhead, Shankston and Stepends which had supplied it were closed and Glengyron was the only coal producing pit after 1878. There were in the parish, just over 400 miners, 350 working underground and 60 above. Only a few lived in Cumnock itself, most lived in the mining rows at Skares and Garrallan.  

In the second half of the 19th century the landward part of Old Cumnock Parish had grown steadily in population with miners coming from other parts of Scotland and abroad to find work in the new pits. The population was 

1,138 in1871

1,515 in 1881

1,608 in1891

2,056 by 1901.  

In the 1830s coal miners were being paid between 3 to 4 shillings a day. Women and children were still employed underground until the 1842 Mines Act. By the1840s wages had gone down to 2 shillings per day. The first Ayrshire coal strike failed to make any improvement in conditions. Later strikes led to eviction of strikers from tied houses (most probably if they lived in one of the miners’ rows) In 1857 miners were petitioning for an 8 hour day, and ventilation systems. There was also unfair fluctuation in wages; in 1872 wages peaked at 10 shillings a day but three years later it had dropped to 4 shillings. In 1887 miners were being paid between 2/6 to 4 shillings a day. Sometimes their weekly take home earnings would only be 12 shillings a week. In 1887 an improvement in conditions was made by prohibiting boys under the age of 12 to be employed underground.

Francis Carter

by Elaine Corbett

The discovery of rich mineral deposits in West Cumberland became an ideal point of convergence for a huge number of workers in the 19th century.

Francis Carter was born in 1857 in Lamplugh, Cumbria, the first son of Irish immigrants William Carter and Elizabeth Doyle. They had been married in Whitehaven in 1856. The 1861 census tells us that Elizabeth had come from Wexford, along with her brother Patrick and their mother. Along with William Carter they had come to West Cumberland attracted by the prospect of employment and had eventually settled in the small hamlet of Skelsceugh in the centre of a group of iron mines around Winder, Frizington, and Rowrah. 

William Carter became an iron miner. The Doyles, also iron miners,  lived a few doors away at Skelsceugh, and both the Doyles and the Carters had their first children in Lamplugh.

At the age of 13 Francis was listed as an iron miner in the census.
Francis would have been born in a typical two up, two down miners’ terrace house surrounded by open fields, and spoil heaps from the mines. There would have been worksheds and winding gear built around the mine shafts, and the landscape was criss crossed with train tracks trundling the tubs of ore.

Just to the north of the Winder mines, the Kelton and Knockmurton mines in Lamplugh were large producers of iron ore. The mines were owned by William Baird & Co of Gartsherrie, Scotland, who had ventured south in search of quality ore for their blast furnaces. Between 1869 and 1913 over 1.25 million tons were raised, much of which was transported to their works though some went to the Moss Bay and Harrington furnaces on the west coast, and a little to the Midlands.

This is the little engine built by Neilson and Co. to draw the ore wagons and bought in 1876 by William Baird and would be a familiar sight to Francis. The Kelton Fell now on display at the museum of Scottish Railways, Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway museum. Photos from Elaine Corbett.

In the census, Francis gave his birthplace as Lamplugh, while the rest of his siblings seem to have been born in Skelsceugh, so perhaps William, his wife Elizabeth, and the rest of her family, the Doyles came over to work in the Lamplugh mines of William Baird and Co.

Winder Mines link to maps

Holbeck mine owned by Dalmellington, Frizington

Another link to the Cumnock mining area can be seen in the name of the mine shown in the map above. This one would also be within walking distance of the Carter and Doyle families, although it was common for miners to hitch a ride on the ore wagons to get to their place of work.

The Dalmellington Iron Company, opened the Holbeck Mine in 1869 and worked it until its closure in 1900. Holbeck mine was a wet mine. In addition to the discomfort of working underground, the miners were persistently wetted with water dropping from the roof, and seeping through at the sides of their excavations. They came home wet every night, and cold in the winter. The stream running above the mine workings was encased in concrete and walls built to prevent overflow, and although the ammount of water was much reduced, the conditions were still poor.

At the age of 24 Francis, his parents, his six siblings, and an Irish boarder are all living in the same house. How did they all fit in I hear you ask? But most properties housed a boarder in addition their often large family. The usual haunt of the working man was the nearest public house where they could slake their thirst,  escape the children, smoke their pipes and play dominoes. 

Francis had joined his father among the ‘red men’ as yet another iron miner. Children often followed their fathers into the mine work, starting young and being mentored by their parent or uncle. Typically, iron mines would employ around 50 men and boys in small teams with a team leader. This mode of working helped foster a team mentality wherby each of the team members would look out for one another in terms of safety. If an accident happened to any of the team members - and accidents were worryingly frequent - there were many acts of valour among the team in recovering the situation. The Durham Mining Museum website lists all the mines in West Cumberland and details the fatal accidents and inquests held at the hotel a stone’s throw away from Francis’ house. A common theme would be deaths caused through falls from height, crushing injuries from contact with ore wagons, and roof/side rock falls. At the Inquest it is remarkable that most record no fault on the part of the mining company. 

The ore was blasted into rubble in the Room and Pillar method of working, the roof would be shored up and the ore shovelled into tubs. Miners were paid by their team leader based on the quantity of ore they extracted.

The working conditions in the mines were poor. There were no facilities at the mine for showers or sanitation. The lavatories were basic, two old tar barrels were reported as the norm. It wasn’t until 1950 that showers were provided.The men and boys came home coated in the red dust of the ore, and would have breathed in considerable ammounts of it, along with the fume from explosives, during their often short working lives. Their clothes would be dried overnight at the fire to be worn again the following day. There was no escape from the red dust, or mud in the case of wet mines. The bedclothes were stained with it, streams ran red with it, and the hemlines and petticoats of the wives and daughters were stained with it. 

There was a general belief held among the medical profession as well as the miners, that the iron dust was more harmful to the lung than coal and this may have been a consideration that persuaded Francis to leave for the coal fields of Cumnock. Another consideration of course is the pitiful wages that iron miners commanded, with most of the profits seemingly going to mine owners and land owners.

 The population of West Cumberland was swelled by the arrival of Irish workers. Around this time, mine worker terraces, Catholic churches and schools were built to accommodate them. This was the time of a great boom in iron extraction, and gave the area the nick-name ‘The Klondike’.

There was however, a sectarian divide arising from the influx of mainly Roman Catholic Irish workers with matters reaching a low point in the so called Murphy riots. The notorious anti-Catholic William Murphy was attacked by 300 Cleator Moor iron-ore miners at Whitehaven in 1871. At the time of the Irish Potato Famine, mining and associated jobs were plentiful and all of the West Cumbrian towns such as Whitehaven and Workington as well as large villages like Frizington and Cleator Moor developed sizeable Irish populations with the mix of Catholics and Protestants providing potential for sectarian quarrels. Murphy, a notorious anti-Catholic came to Whitehaven in April 1871 the Magistrates decided to allow him to speak in the Oddfellows Hall only for him to be attacked by 300 well-drilled iron-ore miners from Cleator Moor and around. The police, caught unawares and hopelessly outnumbered, could do little for him and before a rescue could be effected Murphy was horribly beaten. It was some weeks before he recovered sufficiently to face his attackers in court. As consequence five men were given 12 months with hard labour and two got three months. Murphy came back to the town in December, despite the entreaties of the local magistrates, but events passed off relatively smoothly. In March 1872 he died, Birmingham surgeons claimed, because of the lingering effects of the savage assault dished out by those Cleator Moor miners. The Press was horrified that a man could die for his views and there followed an Orange revival in Cumbria. Until recently Orange parades were a regular feature in West Cumberland.

There was only one newspaper clipping from this time that I found, which suggests that Francis was not particularly devout, and no indication whether he was Catholic, Protestant or of any religion at all.

From the Cumberland Paquet 1877…

The other people mentioned in the article are also miners, or have jobs associated with the industry, and gives an idea of what life was like in the ‘wild west’ at this time. Pitch and Toss seems rather tame in comparison.

In the 1881 census, when Francis was 24 there may be a hint of why Francis left; his younger brother James, at 21 was unemployed. James was later seen in Lancaster (1891 census) with the family of his friend and had become a tailor. 1911 census, James married and had a daughter, Alice, and was working as a tailor in a shop. Curiously, the 1901 census shows him as a ‘sailor seas’.

When Francis arrived in Ayrshire however, he lost no time in marrying and starting his own family with Maggie Murray, a Cumnock girl in 1884. Their first child was born in Auchinleck, which infers that Francis may have started working at the Ironworks, or a local iron ore mine. By the time of the birth of their next child, they were living in Cumnock, and Francis had transferred to the coal mines. They also supplemented their income by taking lodgers. Elbow Lane housed a number of miners of both coal and iron ore. The iron ore pit may have been Shankston.

There were several lodging houses on the lane for incoming workers. Cumnock must have been buzzing when the shifts were done and the wages handed out.

At the time, Cumnock sounds very similar to the town Francis had left behind. The people were a mixture of mining nationalities with a common aim of finding work. There were plenty of public houses and the town was in a rural area. In Frizington, although people were poor, there was ample opportunity to supplement the diet with rabbit, game, and fish from the river. The river Ehen is still well known for ir’s stock of Salmon and Trout that were regularly ‘tickled’ out for sale in the local pub or served up for supper. Most boys kept a few ferrets for trapping rabbits, and I’m sure the art would be continued in Cumnock. They also had Lurcher dogs that were bred to bring down game.