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Manning Index of South Australian History
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    Place Names of South Australia - B

    Brentwood - Brightwood

    Brentwood

    Nomenclature

    According to Mr R.C. Sprigg of Arkaroola the name was bestowed by the Sprigg family who, having been forced off their pastoral lease at Oulnina because of drought, settled on Yorke Peninsula:

    Another fact which may have some bearing on its nomenclature is that the Register of 6 December 1910 says that Mrs Julia Wurm was born at Mountmeeting Hall near Brentwood, Essex, England and was apparently settled at Port Julia, with her husband, prior to the establishment of the Brentwood Post Office - see Observer, 10 December 1910, page 41a.

    In Essex the town is first referred to in 1176 and relates to an outlaw, one 'Reginald of the Burntwood'. The sheriff of Essex reported to the Exchequer the profits of the sale of the possessions of outlaws - those of Reginald being valued at eight shillings. In 1200 the district was described as the 'Forest of Brentwood'.

    General Notes

    Information on the district and school is in the Register,
    5 April 1879, page 6c;
    the village is described on
    23 April 1904, page 9e.
    A school Arbor Day is reported in the Chronicle,
    14 August 1897, page 14d: Also see South Australia - Education - Arbor Days

    Photographs of students are in the Observer,
    6 and 27 April 1907, pages 30 and 30.

    A sports day is reported in the Chronicle,
    14 March 1885, page 15d,
    6 March 1886, page 7c;
    a photograph of the football team appears on
    10 October 1903, page 44,
    of members of a RAOB Lodge on
    3 November 1923, page 38,
    of a tennis team on
    22 July 1931, page 31; also see
    Observer,
    6 October 1906, page 30,
    1 October 1927, page 38 (football teams).

    An obituary of Mrs G. Short is in the Register,
    18 and 19 August 1908, pages 4h and 5b,
    of Mrs John Sheriff on 21 August 1913, page 6f,
    of Mrs Margaret L. Anderson on 3 April 1919, page 6g,
    of Mrs Henry Sprigg on 30 August 1927, page 13c.

    The golden wedding of Mr & Mrs P.G. Vanstone is reported in the Register,
    17 December 1910, page 15b.

    A photograph of the Vanstone brothers is in theObserver,
    29 April 1911, page 31.
    An obituary of Phillip Vanstone is in the Register,
    5 June 1920, page 9e.

    A photograph of a women's football team is in the Register,
    4 September 1928, page 10.

    Brentwood - Brightwood
    B
    Place Names

    Briars, The

    Nomenclature

    A subdivision of part section 460, Hundred of Yatala by the executors of James W. Cowell in 1913; now included in Medindie. The land was first purchased by Samuel Stephens in 1839. He died, aged thirty-one, in January 1840, when his horse fell and crushed him during a return trip of an exploration to the River Murray with John Morphett. In 1856, George C. Hawker bought the property and extended an existing one-storey house into a two-storey mansion which he named 'The Briars', at a cost of £33,000.

    General Notes

    Samuel Stephens' obituary is in the Register,
    25 January 1840, page 4a,
    Mr G.C. Hawker's in the Observer,
    25 May 1895, pages 16b-24e and
    Mr R.J.M. McBride's on 22 October 1921, page 20a.

    "A Daring Burglary" is in the Express,
    2 and 20 October 1893, pages 3d and 2f.

    A photograph of the house is in The Critic,
    15 September 1900, page 25.

    Information on its purchase by the Salvation Army is in the Observer,
    29 November 1913, page 35a,
    7 February 1914, page 50a:

    Also see South Australia - Religion - Salvation Army.

    Information on the home is in The Mail,
    8 September 1928, page 14b.
    Photographs are in the Observer,
    29 November 1913, page 32,
    9 March 1929, page 37.

    Brentwood - Brightwood
    B
    Place Names

    Bridgewater

    Nomenclature

    In Adelaide it was a subdivision of sections 700, 701 and 703 Hundred of Port Adelaide and has the same derivation as Bridgetown. It is now included in Birkenhead and was laid out by Alfred Watts (1814-c.1885) in 1855 - The Register of 6 February 1856 at page 4b claimed it to be:

    He came to South Australia in 1838 and was employed by Philip Levi in his company. He entered parliament in 1855 as the representative for Flinders in the Legislative Council and assisted in framing the colony's constitution prior to 1857. He was a local director of the Bank of Australasia.

    The town in the Mount Lofty Ranges comprising 32 allotments was laid out in 1859 on part section 89, by John Dunn, senior and John Dunn, junior. 'Both the Radford and Dunn families have claimed the honour of naming the town. It is also true that Mr Radford was primarily responsible for changing the name of the post office (apparently for sentimental reasons, because he came from Bridgewater, in England).' (See Place Names - Cox Creek).

    Another interesting fact is that James Addison called the local hotel "Bridgewater'', four years before the town was laid out.' James Addison (c.1819-1870), subdivided section 1141, and one allotment was conveyed to J. and J. Dunn of Mount Barker in 1855 with a right to erect a flour mill.

    South Australia and England Exchange Greetings

    In 1927 the postmaster at Bridgewater received the following letter signed by the Mayor of Bridgewater, England:

    General Notes

    A Sports day is reported in the Chronicle,
    4 November 1876, page 4f,
    11 October 1879, page 10a.

    A field naturalists' excursion is reported in the Register,
    9 March 1885, page 7b,
    3 December 1889, page 6g,
    10 December 1895, page 7c,
    11 December 1905, page 8h,
    14 November 1919, page 4i.

    The school opened in 1882; see Observer,
    28 July 1900, page 16c.
    A photograph of students who were the recipients of service medals is in the Observer,
    5 January 1918, page 22.

    "The Bridgewater Mystery" is in the Register,
    4 November 1890, page 7a,
    1, 2 and 3 December 1890, pages 4g, 6g and 4h,
    Express,
    4 November 1890, page 3d,
    2 December 1890, page 3b.

    The reopening of the mill is reported in the Register,
    27 November 1903, page 4g and
    its destruction by fire on
    27 October 1909, page 5f;
    a photograph is in the Chronicle,
    23 October 1909, page 34;
    its rebuilding is reported in the Observer,
    6 October 1910, page 15a.
    Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Mills.

    Information on its water-wheel is in the Advertiser,
    13 June 1904, page 8c; also see
    The News,
    4 February 1926, page 6g.
    A sketch is in the Pictorial Australian in
    October 1880,
    Frearson's Weekly,
    13 November 1880, page 563.

    "Rare and Curious Flowers" in the district is discussed in the Advertiser,
    30 November 1911, page 11e.
    Also see South Australia - Flora and Fauna - Birds.

    Sketches are in Frearson's Weekly,
    18 November 1882, page 648,
    2 December 1882, page 679,
    5 may 1883, page 202;
    photographs are in the Observer,
    4 March 1911, page 30.

    A threatening bushfire is reported in the Register,
    22 January 1912, page 6g.
    Also see South Australia - Natural Disasters - Bushfires.

    A proposed institute is discussed in the Observer,
    11 May 1912, page 17e;
    the opening of a hall is reported in the Register,
    4 March 1914, page 6d.

    Photographs of a railway picnic are in the Observer,
    12 February 1916, page 28.
    Also see Adelaide

    A photograph of Bridgewater Estate is in the Register,
    2 February 1922, page 5.

    Biographical details of Mrs John Pepper are in the Register,
    5 March 1924, page 8g,
    13 January 1925, page 6h, 13 January 1926, page 8g,
    an obituary of Mrs Annie Pepper on 18 June 1926, page 10d.

    Mr Joyner's property is described in the Register,
    15 January 1925, page 4f.

    An exchange of letters between the Mayor of Bridgewater in England and the Chairman of the Town Council in South Australia is reproduced in the Advertiser, 22 November 1927, page 14h:

    A history of the town and district is in the Register,
    5 and 18 April 1928, pages 14c and 13d:

    Photographs are in the Chronicle,
    26 November 1927, page 41,
    Observer,
    26 November 1927, page 36,
    3 December 1927, page 38,
    15 December 1928, page 6 (supp.).

    Wine cellars are discussed in the Advertiser,
    13 April 1936, page 11b.
    Also see South Australia Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Viticulture.

    A commemorative tablet in respect of early settlers is reported upon in the Advertiser,
    14 December 1937, page 25a.

    Brief Historical Notes

    During 1937 the Head Teacher of the State school, Mr C.A. Walters, undertook some research on the history of the town and the following appeared in the Advertiser:

    Of further interest is the fact that in 1855 James Addison subdivided section 1141 when one allotment was conveyed to J. and J. Dunn of Mount Barker with the right to erect a flour mill.

    Prior to the establishment of Bridgewater the only pioneer settlement was called Cox's Creek, that is the stream that flows today through Bridgewater and emptying into the River Onkaparinga. In its early days the town was well known by reason of its flourishing flour mill built in about 1860 by John Dunn. A unique feature of the mill was that up until the 1920s it was operated by the largest iron water wheel in the Commonwealth.

    The mill was erected two years before the arrival of the wheel from England and the first bag of flour milled by it was used at a picnic dinner convened by Mr Dunn. In 1863 Mr Dunn presented a fine piece of land the Bible Christians upon which a church was erected; subsequently it became the property of the Methodist Union.

    Bridgewater - Obituaries

    An obituary of Mrs John Dunn is in the Observer,
    3 December 1870, page 7c.

    An obituary of C.H. Barton is in the Register,
    5 December 1898, pager 4h,
    Observer, 10 December 1898, page 28a,
    of Mrs Martin Kain on 22 November 1902, page 33c,
    of Noah Nicholls on 14 May 1904, page 34a,
    of Mrs Jessie Steer on 22 January 1910, page 38a,
    of Mrs M. Nichols on 1 April 1911, page 41a,
    of George Rudd on 11 November 1911, page 41a.

    An obituary of Noah Nicholls is in the Register,
    7 May 1904, page 7b.

    An obituary of William Ashenden is in the Register,
    3 November 1919, page 6g,
    of Mrs F.R. Schumacher on 3 October 1927, page 8g.

    Brentwood - Brightwood
    B
    Place Names

    Bright, Hundred of

    Nomenclature

    H.E. Bright, MP (1865-1884). Born in London in 1819 he came to South Australia in 1850 and turned his attention to farming, but soon abandoned it in favour of stock-dealing and butchering at Gawler. From 1873 he was Commissioner of Public Works in Sir Arthur Blyth's ministry and his administration was Commissioner of Public Works in Sir Arthur Blyth's ministry and his administration was notable for a large number of Railway Bills he introduced and he turned the first sod ot the Port Pirie line.

    General Notes

    Also see South Australia - Library.

    A school of this name opened in 1898 and closed in 1955.

    "Mr Bright and the Bunyip" is in the Chronicle,
    1 and 29 February 1868, pages 10a and 8d:

    Brentwood - Brightwood
    B
    Place Names

    Brightwood

    Information on this school in the electorate of Wooroora is in the Register,
    7 March 1890, page 5b,
    Observer,
    8 March 1890, page 29e:

    Brentwood - Brightwood
    B