1.Victoria. Department of Crown Lands Survey. (1884). Jika Jika, County of Bourke [cartographic material]
Photo-lithographed at the Department of Lands and Survey, Melbourne, by J. Noone 22.2.84.
(Haughton collection). (Melbourne: Department of Lands and Survey.(In Part))
There were two Campbells owning land in the Parish of Will Will Rook, part of which was to become Campbellfield, which originally encompassed the suburb of Fawkner.
There has been a lot of confusion by several writers of early local histories, they did not have the information as readily to hand as it is now with the internet. They acknowledged James David Lyon Campbell as the man who named ‘Campbellfield.’
The confusion has come about as there is no actual death certificate for J.D.L. Campbell – only burial information from the Church, which states he died at ‘Campbellfield’ on the 31st May and was buried on the 3rd June 1844 – recorded at St James Church of England, Melbourne. He was buried in the Old Melbourne Cemetery, and later his headstone moved to Fawkner Cemetery.
This ‘Campbellfield’ was on the Yarra River near Dight’s Falls. “Georgiana’s Journal,” edited by her grandson Hugh MaCrae, makes several mentions of walking from ‘Mayfield’ to ‘Campbellfield’ for her boys to play with the Campbell boys and have tea.
James David Lyon Campbell, had property closer to Pentridge (Coburg) that was named ‘Newlands.’ It consisted of 640 acres, which was situated on the now Murray Road, Newlands Road and Elizabeth Steet in Coburg, Parish of Jika Jika. (see image 1 above)
1839 Dec – was appointed Magistrate with two others – his address, ‘Newlands,’ Port Phillip, – Macrae of Melbourne, Port Phillip and Powlett of Melbourne, Port Phillip.
1841 – was appointed, together with Farquharson Macrae (brother in law of Georgiana Macrae), and Joseph Hawdon as Magistrates.
1841 – he was appointed one of the 11 Trustees of the ‘Port Phillip Savings Bank.’
1841 – the New South Wales census shows he was living at ‘Campbellfield,’ Yarra Yarra – Brick House – 15 inhabitants.
1843 June – appointed a Justice of the Peace together with Macrae, Hawdon and many others for the Port Phillip District, Colony of New South Wales.
1843 September – was appointed a Melbourne Councillor for the Bourke District.
1844 April – he was a member of the Central Committee as part of the overall committee for Separation from New South Wales.
31 May 1844 – died – believed from a heart attack as he was always racing around on his horse and ingesting Mercury.
Robert Campbell Jnr, from Sydney, also purchased large parcels of land, some were adjacent to Neil Campbell’s land, in Will Will Rook and also in Keelbundora in 1838. The land in Will Will Rook was not sold until 1910 by a nephew Colonel Francis Selwyn Campbell, 57 blocks which took in the South side of now Mahoney’s Road and the Merri Creek down to a block passed Jukes Road.
Robert Campbell came to Sydney, N.S.W. and worked for his uncle Robert Campbell, a merchant, so to differentiate between the two he added Junior to his name. He never lived in Victoria as far as I can find.
2. Victoria. Department of Crown Lands Survey. (1878). Will-Will-Rook, County of Bourke [cartographic material]
Photo-lithographed at the Department of Lands and Survey, Melbourne, by J. Noone 4.10.78.
(Haughton collection). (Melbourne: Department of Lands and Survey. [Melbourne: S.n.]. (In Part) (Pierce))
Neil Campbell is the only man who can really lay claim to the naming of ‘Campbellfield.’ He provided land for the Presbyterian Church & Graveyard in Sydney Road and the Will Will Rook Cemetery in Camp Road, marked on the above plan which are situated in the Campbellfield area. (see image 2 above)
Neil Campbell did live on his land – 1180 acres, as per the 1841 New South Wales census of Port Phillip. He occupied a Wood House containing 19 people, all of whom were free.
Sources:
1. Trove Newspapers (National Library of Australia website) as is most of this information.
2. Research by ‘Friends of the Will Will Rook Pioneer Cemetery Inc.’- – – – o – – – –
I thought this may be of interest to some of the members. I am Secretary of the ‘Friends of Will Will Rook Pioneer Cemetery,’ and have done a lot of research into the area as my husband’s family are buried in the cemetery, and also had land in Somerton. The original arrival, David, in 1841 from Scotland, went to work for John Rigg at ‘Rocky Water Holes’ (Kalkallo), his brothers following in 1849 & 1851. These brothers had the land in Somerton and at Woodstock. David had land at Bulla, Yannathan & Parwan, four of his sons going to Queensland and leasing many square miles in the Mackay – Proserpine area which are now coal or oil fields.
There has been a lot of confusion over the years by the authors of Local History giving James David Lyon Campbell the honour of naming Campbellfield, as he was a prominent person in the city of Melbourne. His property on the Yarra was named ‘Campbellfield,’ and the property he had closest to Will Will Rook was ‘Newlands’ in the Parish of Jika Jika.
I have another article which covers more on the area and Neil Campbell, who I feel is the only one who can be given the accolade of naming Campbellfield.
Contributed by Beryl Patulla – PPPG Member No. 563