| Notes |
- GORDON, Charles. Came free per "Experiment", 1804; son of Thomas Gordonof Richmond
1816 Jan 16
On list of persons to receive grants of land in 1816 (Fiche 3266; 9/2652p.23)
1822 Mar 5
Memorial (Fiche 3046; 4/1829 No.131)
1822 Mar 5
Re reply of Macquarie to claim (Reel 6008; 4/3504A p.520)
1825
Memorial (Fiche 3133; 4/1842A No.313 pp.83-6)
1825 May 6
On list of persons who have received orders for grants of land; for townallotment (Fiche 3266; 9/2652 p.90); on list of lands granted & reservedby Sir Thomas Brisbane (Fiche 3269; 9/2740 p.13)
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Jeannie Mabel Lesslie, 1881 - 1961, was a second generation Australian.Her maternal grandmother was Hepzibah Gordon, daughter of Charles MolstonGordon who arrived as a young boy in Australia in 1804 from London withhis family. Charles father received a grant of 100 acres on the riverflats at Richmond N.S.W. and it was only natural that he was brought upwith an agricultural background.
With this background he was selected by the Rev Samuel Marsden, who hadpurchased the Brig ACTIVE in 1814 to go to the first missionarysettlement at Rangihoua, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, to promoteagriculture in that colony. He was accompanied by his first wife, MariaLees, his sister Mary and his brother in law, William Carlile. On hisreturn to Sydney his first wife died and he then married a friend of thefamily, Mary Brown. Hepzibah was his second daughter.
Charles Gordon set up a windmill at Paddington, a horse mill at thecorner of Pitt and Bathurst St's Sydney and he purchased two blocks ofland at Double Bay in the first sale of land by the government there. Onone of the blocks he built a home, later to be occupied by his daughterwho married Captain William Lesslie.The other was rented to the wellknown botanical garden designers, the Guilfoyles who conducted a nurserythere.
Mabel's paternal grandfather was Captain William Lesslie who arrived inAustralia as master of the sloop / cutter VANSITTART a ship of 80 tons intime to celebrate his 24th birthday on the 30th January 1836. He was aScotsman who had travelled out from London. He came from a long line ofmaster mariners. His uncle Robert, a whaler, had been master of the BrigACTIVE in 1812.
Mabel's grandfather, Captain William carried goods and passengers betweenHobart, Spencer Gulf and Nepean Bay, now Kangaroo Island, SouthAustralia's first settlement, prior to the founding of Adelaide inJanuary 1837. He travelled to Port Phillip [now Melbourne] then only oneyear old and on two voyages he carried J. Gellibrand an associate of JohnBatman who founded Melbourne. Captain William Lesslie died at the earlyage of 43, leaving his wife to bring up three young children includingWilliam Charles, Mabel Lesslie's father.
William Charles attended St Marks School, Darling Point, and enteredemployment as a mercantile clerk. He married Jeannie Gillespie of Woollahra and in the late 1800's the family moved to Burwood, which wasthen regarded as the country.
http://www.clanleslie.org/j_mabel_lesslie.html
It was at Lindsay St., Burwood N.S.W, that Mabel the eldest daughtershowed talent in design and studied pottery and china painting at SydneyTechnical College in 1910 - 1911. Mabel accepted the traditionalclassical design but more particularly recognised the beauty of Australian flora and fauna and used these in her work. Her interestsranged from the painting of ceramic tiles and imported china to theproduction and decoration of her own pottery. She imported her own glazesand had an arrangement with R.Fowler & Sons to fire her work. She wasprepared to experiment and even used clay from the home property atBurwood N.S.W.
Mabel's work was highly regarded and exhibited widely in N.S.W, oftenwith the Arts and Craft Society of N.S.W. and at Anthony Hordern's FineArt Gallery of N.S.W. Her work won prizes and her style varied accordingto her love of the craft. Mabel identified most of her work, with herinitials, JML. Mabel sold very few pieces. Most of her pottery and chinapainting has been retained and handed down within her family. Publicdistribution was rare. However, examples of her work are held by the ArtGallery of N.S.W, Sydney, and the National Gallery of Australia,Canberra.
Mabel otherwise successfully supported herself through the judiciousmanagement of investments in shares and real estate. Her other selfsupporting interests, natural to a country house in those times,included, gardening, fruit preserving and egg and chicken production.Mabel travelled widely both in Australia and overseas.
She was an early visitor to Ayers Rock and after travelling by sea toBritain, viewed the Coronation of King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth. Shewas a regular attendant at St James Presbyterian Church, Burwood, whereshe supported its community activities particularly the annual flowershow and the churches local and overseas missions, including Sholingur,in India.
Jeannie Mabel Lesslie died at Burwood on the 15th May 1961 and was buriedat Rookwood Necropolis Sydney N.S.W.
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1791 - 1862 (71 years)