Bertha's final years

As the last decade of the 19th century dawned, Bertha Hughan Bishop was about to turn 51 years old. The portrait photo above is the last known photo of Bertha, and was most likely taken in the 1890s.The colour of her hair suggests early to mid 1890s rather than late as I have a lock of Bertha's hair from around the time of her death in 1898, and it is very silvery-grey in colour.

After many years of renting houses, the Bishops finally purchased their own family home in the suburb of Oakleigh.They named it 'Fairmount', and it was situated in Stamford Road. Stamford was Henry Bishop's birthplace, and I don't known if it was a coincidence that the Bishops found themselves living there, or if Henry, in his capacity as Town Clerk of Oakleigh in the 1890s, used his influence to have his street named after his native city.
'Fairmount' is pictured above. There are three women standing on the verandah, but it is difficult to pick out who they are. One is an older woman dressed in black and wearing an old-fashioned hat, but it doesn't appear to be Bertha.Next to her is a tall and willowy woman who looks like Olive, but could be her sister Daphne who was of similar appearance.
In 1894, the first of the Bishop children got married. It was Bertha's elder son, Roland, and he married Maria Celia Hughes from Tasmania.Roland was 27 years old (although his marriage certificate says 26), and his wife Maria was not 30 as she stated on the marriage certificate, but 37! I don't know if Roland knew of this deception...it certainly may have explained why the couple had no children.
I can't imagine that Henry Bishop was happy with his son's choice of bride...I think his line of thinking tended to go along with that of his Uncle Joseph Bishop's, and considering that Maria's father was Stephen Hughes, an Irish convict who had been sent to Tasmania for theft, I have a feeling that he wouldn't have been very appreciative of convict blood mixing with Bishop blood!
Bertha was a very maternal woman, and I wish that she could have welcomed grandchildren before her death. This wasn't to be, however...although Roland married in 1894, he and Maria had no children, and none of her daughters married before Bertha's death.
In about 1896, Bertha fell ill. Her symptoms were most likely abdominal-related, as her eventual cause of death was given as 'carcinoma of the omentum and exhaustion, 2 years duration.' (This can also be related to ovarian cancer).
Bertha's daughters would have cared for her throughout her illness,particularly Myrtle as she was a nurse, and Daphne who later became a registered nurse.Myrtle, however, was embroiled in her own drama during 1898...as well as coping with her mother's terminal illness, Myrtle did the unthinkable (as far as her father was concerned)and became pregnant without the supposed prerequisite of a husband.
It is very doubtful whether Bertha knew of the 'trouble' Myrtle had got herself into, as she died in late January 1898 when Myrtle would have only just conceived, or been only a week or two pregnant. Straight-laced old Henry would have been horrified, but I'm sure Bertha would have been a calming influence on the situation, had she been around to calm the waters.
Unfortunately, she wasn't. On January 25, 1898, at her home 'Fairmount' in Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Bertha Hughan slipped away, just one day before her 59th birthday.She was the fifth of the nine Hughan children to die...Malvina, Jessie, Allan and Fergus all predeceased her.
Surprisingly, Bertha's doctor, Dr. R.H Morrison, had not attended her since January 11, some two weeks prior to her death. I wonder if this suggests that her death was sudden, or if at that late stage of her disease there was simply nothing medically that her doctor could do.
Sadly, on the day that her family should have been celebrating Bertha's 59th birthday, they were burying her in the Melbourne Cemetery.(Except for the fact, of course, that for some unknown reason,Bertha had always celebrated her birthday on the 1st of January !)
Bertha was laid to rest in the elaborate Bishop grave with Mary Ann Bishop, the first wife of old Uncle Joseph Bishop who had died in 1858. The grave is located in the Melbourne General Cemetery, C of E section. In later years Bertha's son Guy would also be buried in this grave.
At the time of their mother's death, the Bishop children were aged as follows:
Roland 31; Olive Jessie 29; Guy Arnold 27; Violet Bertha Malvina 24; Myrtle Gwendoline Elaine 20 and Daphne Lorna Josephine 19.
Although the recognised family poet, Fergus McIvor Hughan, had died in 1887, eldest brother Oscar stepped up to the plate and wrote the following verse for his much-loved sister:
" BERTHA
Gone to thy rest at last, meek patient soul
The dearest flower that blossomed for a space
Within the now dead garden of my heart
Hath shut its petals 'gainst the gracious dew
Which rose like an incense from our steadfast love.
The joyous laugh, pure as the blackbird's song
Whose mate is building in the apple boughs
Is hushed for evermore, for evermore.
The light of thy dear eyes in darkness hid
And I alone, on life's bleak starless waste
Stumble and fall, robbed of thy guiding hand.

Like drowning swimmer by mad billows tossed,
A bleeding sacrifice, to expectant rocks
To which I cling, with feeble loosening hold.
Waiting amid the strife, thy whispered "Come".
Yet not of all sweet comfort am I reft,
For oftentimes, when in the glowing west
The day in purple cerements lies in state,
Waiting the closing of night's sepulchre,
An unseen presence, as of echoed prayer
Shuddering adown some dim Cathedral isle,
Fills up all space, embracing soul and sense.

And swift as passage of electrical flame
The bruising burden of the tired heart
Is lifted up, and the blue-eyed gentle Peace
Singing Hope's Anthem, fills the vacant place,
And then I know that thou art with me still.
And what men name as "Death" when loved ones fade,
Is but the waking up from troublous dream,
The putting off the soiled, unseemly rags,
That flutter round Earth's sorrow laden guest
For robes of richer wool, within whose folds
The soul lies down, a journey near God.

Oscar Hughan.
Balmain, February 14, 1898."

The Bishop's local newspaper, The Oakleigh and Fertree Gully Times, published a brief obituary for Bertha on Saturday, January 29, 1898:

" Again it is our regretful duty to chronicle the death of an Oakleigh resident in the person of Mrs Henry Bishop, of "Fairmount", Stamford-road. The deceased lady had been ill for between nine and ten months, suffering from a complication of ailments, which her naturally hopeful disposition enabled her to combat until the last ten days, when she gradually succumbed and died of exhaustion on Wednesday last.
Her remains were interred in the family grave at Melbourne General Cemetery on Thursday, the funeral, in compliance with the wishes of the deceased, being conducted privately.The funeral arrangements were carried out by G.D Sansion and gave every satisfaction.
The deceased lady, although not officially connected with any local body, was well-known and esteemed by many of the residents for her kind and thoughtful disposition and perfect ladylike manners. Her sympathies extended beyond their central object, the home, and were unostentatiously shown in many acts of private benevolence.
She leaves, in addition to her husband, a family of four daughters and two sons to mourn their loss. Doctors Morrison and Grant were most attentive during Mrs. Bishop's illness."

The same issue carried the following death notice:
" Death.
BISHOP- On the 25th January, at her late residence "Fairmount', Stamford-road, Oakleigh, Bertha, the dearly beloved wife of Henry Bishop, youngest daughter of the late Robert Alexander Hughan, Esq, of Creetown, Kirkcudbright, Scotland, and London, England, and Hannah Oakley Hughan, "The Chase", Colchester, England."

One of Bertha's grandchildren, Gordon Oakley, who was born ten years after she died, wrote the following description of his grandmother:
" Bertha was a clever woman- she had an appreciation of nice things and a judge of values. She had a very good sense of humour and was a wonderful optimist- Henry was often pessimistic."

Violet, Myrtle and Daphne Bishop

The photographers Yeoman and Co operated from 47 Chapel Street, Prahran, from 1884 until 1891, which assists in dating the above photo of three of the "Flower Sisters", as the Bishop girls were known.
At the back is Violet, who was almost three and a half years older than Myrtle. Myrtle is front left, and next to her is the youngest Bishop child, Daphne Lorna Josephine, who was only fifteen months younger than Myrtle.

The 1880s.

The decade encompassing 1880 to 1890 is one in which very little is known about the Bishop family.That Bertha had no more additions to her family of six is certain, as is the fact that they continued to reside in Melbourne. Henry continued to represent other ironmongers and hardware merchants as a representative salesman, but he also started to run his own importing business under the name 'Henry Bishop & Co.'His business address was " 79 Bourke Street East ( next to Theatre Royal)"
The education of their children was of paramount importance to both Bertha and Henry. Eldest daughter Olive was educated at Fitzroys Ladies College, where on December 19, 1887( her birthday) she won the History Prize.There is a record from December 1884 stating that Guy Bishop came 12th in a class of 23 in the "Lower School, Upper First" examinations of Church of England Grammar School, Melbourne.It is not known whether Roland also attended the school, although I imagine that he would have. I have a Grammar School straw boater and different hatbands which belonged to one of the two brothers during their school days.
When Roland finished school he went into business with his father, managing the Hobart branch of Henry Bishop & Co. The other children would have all been at school during the 1880s, although niece Ivy McCallum, who was like an older sister to the Bishop children, married from their home in South Yarra 1885.
The address given on Ivy's marriage certificate as her usual address was Punt Hill, South Yarra. A letter written to Bertha in June of 1893 was addressed to "Mona Place, Punt Road, South Yarra", so the Bishops were living at South Yarra for at least eight years, probably more.Mona Place is still in existence, off Punt Road,in South Yarra, but the area has been redeveloped.
Ivy McCallum after her marriage to Henry Robley settled in neighbouring suburb Toorak and their family was raised in the family home 'Tremaine', Toorak.
Living in South Yarra made it easy for the Bishop boys to attend Melbourne Grammar School, as the school had been situated there since 1858.
Bertha's brother Fergus McIvor Hughan and his family lived not too far away in Hotham, but Fergus died in 1887 of pneumonia, aged 53.Of her other brothers, Allan had died in Noumea in 1883, and brothers Oscar and Robert were interstate in NSW and Queensland respectively.
Roland was the first of Bertha's children to leave home when he went to Hobart to manage his father's Tasmania branch, but Guy and her four daughters remained at home for the duration of the 1880s.

Bertha Bishop and her children in 1877-78

With the exception of Henry Bishop and baby daughter Myrtle, above photos depict the Bishop family as they were in 1877-78. Top is Bertha Hughan Bishop with fourth child, Violet Bertha Malvina. Next is third child and second son,Guy Arnold Bishop, followed by Olive Jessie Bishop and finally eldest child, Roland Oakley/Oakleigh Bishop.
The photographs were taken in 1877-78, when Bertha was in her late thirties.

Photographs of the Bishop children.

The two children featured in the photographs above are my great-grandmother, Olive Jessie Bishop, and her younger brother Guy Arnold Bishop.Both photos were taken in Melbourne in October 1871, when Olive was almost three and Guy almost one.
The person who wrote on the back of Olive's photo made a mistake and wrote that she was born in 1869 instead of 1868.
I have these two photographs hanging on my wall in their original gilt plaster frames. I assume that there was also one taken of Roland at the same time, but have no idea what became of it.
I had for years assumed that the photo of Guy was that of a little girl, and could not for the life of me figure out who it was, since no sisters fitted in age-wise. Then, when researching early Australian photographers, I came across the fact that "It is virtually impossible to distinguish the sex of infants dressed in the layettes of the period. As they grow a little larger one can still be misled by boys in dresses or tunics, and having their hair curled. Boys could be dressed in tunics or dresses up to the age of seven, and as late as the early twentieth century could still be found thus." ( From the invaluable book 'Dating family Photos 1850-1920' by Lenore Frost, page 90).

Bertha in the 1870s.

The above business cards and letter give an indication of Henry Bishop's occupations during the 1870s.It appears that he worked as a travelling salesman for Ironmonger and Hardware Companies, travelling as far as New Zealand in 1875, as the letter above indicates (he sailed from Melbourne to New Zealand per the 'Alhambra' in April of 1875). Like his uncle, Joseph Bishop, Henry also loved dabbling with investments, particularly those involved with mining. Appearing in Victorian Gazettes from the 1860s and 1870s are several mentions of Henry Bishop and various investments. For example,in September of 1865, Henry was the 3rd largest shareholder (with 100 shares worth four pounds each)in the newly registered Erin-Go-Bragh Quartz Mining Company at Hiscock's Reef, near Buninyong.Irishman Morgan lee, who participated in the Eureka Stockade, was the manager of Erin-Go-Bragh.
In November of the same year he purchased five shares with the Atlas and Linton Park Freehold Gold Mining Company. Joseph Bishop and Edward Keep were also shareholders in this mining company. Other interests Henry held were with the White Hill Gold Mining Co in 1864; the 'Flying Scud Quartz Mining Company' in 1868 and the 'City of Dublin Mining Company' in 1869.
There is also a reference for an insolvency for Henry Bishop of Ballarat in the Victorian Government gazette which is dated February 4, 1870. This ties in with the Bishop family moving to Melbourne, as in December of 1870 third child Guy was born in Hotham.
Three daughters were born to Bertha and Henry during the 1870s, and all were named in accordance with the botanical theme instigated with the naming of first daughter Olive...Violet, Myrtle and Daphne ( I have often wondered why on earth their parents didn't select some of the far prettier botanical names like Rose or Daisey or even Primrose!) All three children were born at different addresses, revealing that the Bishops moved frequently throughout the 1870s.
First came Violet Bertha Malvina Bishop, who was born in a house in Victoria Parade, Fitzroy.With middle names honouring her mother and Aunt Malvina,Violet was born on January 18, 1874. The doctor who delivered her was Dr. Horatio St.John Clarke, husband of Bertha's niece, Margaret McCallum. Bertha registered her daughter's birth, and gave the information that her husband, Henry Bishop, was a 33 year old traveller from Lincolnshire, and that she was a 33 year old from London. Other children were Roland aged 7; Olive Jessie aged 5 and Guy Arnold aged 3.
By the time Myrtle Gwendoline Elaine Bishop arrived on May 5, 1877, the Bishops were living in a home with quite a history. The house, known as 'The Hermitage', was located in the suburb of Jolimont, and had the distinction of being a part of Governor LaTrobe's residence. It was transferred from Queenscliff in 1848 and set on the north eastern side of the main house. I located a description of the house from the 1880s, as delightfully written by Jessie Elaine MacDonald, who lived there as a child.The following was taken from an article published in 'La Trobeana; The Journal of the La Trobe Society of Australia; Vol 5, No.1, August 2006.'
"In Elaine’s words: 'It was at this stage that Donald first displayed a talent – almost genius – for discovering picturesque, old-fashioned houses of unparalleled inconvenience and discomfort. He loved their unconventionality and his wife and
servant had to put up with the discomfort. Fate led him to Jolimont to the small cottage that had been part of La Trobe’s Chalet. It was near the city, historical and picturesque. Also incredibly poky and inconvenient. Donald pounced on it with rapture.'

At the first subdivision of the La Trobe estate, Elaine writes that: 'The Chalet – or Hermitage – had been bought by Mr Robert Moore, an old Canadian who lived there with his sister. Solidly built of teak, it stood four square, with French doors opening on to a deep verandah. The rooms were absurdly small, the bedroom and the kitchen both opening from the living room, and a corner of the kitchen curtained off to make a sort of kennel for the servant.'
For the child, playing ‘happily’ in the remnants of the La Trobe garden cast the strongest spell. Over the summerhouse climbed a honeysuckle and grapevines whose gnarled trunks showed them to be as old as the cottage … Like a sundial, my memory marked only sunny days at The Hermitage – warm waves of perfume from the honeysuckle; the cool shade of the verandah and the elms; the sweetness of a bunch of black muscatels from under the leaves where Old Robert would not miss it, and of the luscious stolen pears."
There is a lovely sketch of the 'Detached Cottage, Jolimont' as drawn by LaTrobe's cousin, Edward LaTrobe Bateman, which I will endeavour to reproduce as part of a later blog entry.
From the description of The Hermitage, one wonders how Bertha coped with her ever-expanding family in such a small dwelling. Perhaps it was no surprise to see that by the time of the birth of Daphne in 1878, the Bishops had moved on from Jolimont and were living in St. Kilda.
First though, the information given on Myrtle's birth certificate was as follows: Myrtle Gwendoline Elaine Bishop, born May 5, 1877, at 'the Hermitage', Jolimont. father Henry Bishop, iron monger, 36, born Lincolnshire; Married March 8, 1864, St.Kilda, to Bertha Hughan, 36, born Colchester England. Other issue: Roland 10; Olive 8; Guy 6; Violet 3. Informant: Henry Bishop, father, 'The Hermitage', Jolimont, East Melbourne.
Henry made two mistakes in giving this information. Firstly, their year of marriage was 1865 not 1864, and secondly , his wife was born in London, not Colchester.Despite having a fantastic head for numbers and figures, Henry's downfall must have been wedding dates, because he also got it wrong on Guy's birth certificate (1866).
The baby of the family, Daphne Lorna Josephine Bishop, was born on August 8, 1878, at Inkerman Street, St. Kilda. Her father's occupation was given as 'accountant' and his age as 38. Bertha's age was stated as 38 also, but she was just a few months off turning 40.Other children were listed as Roland Oakley 11; Olive Jessie 9;Guy Arnold 7; Violet Bertha Malvina 3 and Myrtle Gwendoline Elaine 1. The informant was Bertha Hughan's niece, Ivy McCallum -"cousin, Inkerman Street, St.Kilda."