So now to the Farrall’s and a story of a family which has made it big in Australia. The Farrall connection comes from the marriage of Laura Hope Farrall to William Gould in 1875. Laura Hope was born at sea on the Hope ship, which left England in 1852 with her mother, Emma and father William, and his brother, Harry’s family, onboard. It is understood that the two brothers were hired to go out to Australia at the height of the gold rush. Most young tradesman in Victoria had gone off to seek their fortune and qualified tradesman were in short supply. Below is a photo of Laura.



So the money was good and both Harry and William went out to earn a good wage. The link below will take you to a copy of the passenger list showing the family on the Hope ship which was kindly supplied by Shirley Gardiner.

Passenger List for Hope Ship

William and family would return to England around the early 1870’s by which time they had further children born in Australia. Harry, whose actual name was Samuel Harry, remained there and seemed to want to populate the place. With his first wife Margaret Hussey he had 18 children, followed by another 2 with his second wife. No wonder the Farrall’s are all over Australia, particularly Victoria. One of the descendents, Lois Farrall, has in fact researched and published a book on the Farrall’s titled not surprisingly "Farrall’s Galore". In September 2002 I was contacted by a Sherry Morris in Australia who was writing a history book about the Kangaroo Route March, which left Wagga Wagga in December 1915. 88 men left Wagga including Fred Farrall, who was 18 and William Robert his father. William Robert was one of Samuel Harry’s sons.

Most of the book, Farrall’s Galore, discusses the Australian Farrall’s and I will not even attempt to start to cover them here, but the first part of the book looks at William and Harry’s father, William’s (1) line which I will briefly cover here. There are no more copies of the book available but I can provide information from it if required.

She talks in the book about William (1) working at Sherborne Castle. He was Manager of buildings at the Castle and so well remembered was he, that on a visit there during the 1980’s, Lois enquired to a young man in the car park about William Farrall. To her amazement he turned round and pointed to a cottage and said " This is William Farrall’s house". She was a bit unconvinced by this as over 100 years had passed but he went onto say " We only demolished his office 3 years ago, which was in the middle of the yard"

The house referred to above is pictured below:



William Farrall’s house in Sherborne Castle grounds

The upstairs window at the front on the left is where it is said that one of William’s children, Fanny scratched her name in the pane of glass sometime in the middle 1800’s. On a recent trip there Shirley Gardiner was fortunate enough to be allowed into the house and viewed the etched name in the window.

William was married to Laura Miles and between them they had 6 children, following their marriage in Brighton in 1829. William and Harry as mentioned earlier, Thomas, who will be discussed below, Laura, Charles, and finally Fanny.

Family Group Sheet

Subject* William FARRALL (555)

Birth* 10 Mar 1808 Arundel, Sussex.
Marriage* __ ___ 1829 St Nicholas Church, Brighton, Sussex.
Witness: 16 Jun 1850 Marriage; William FARRALL (333) and Emma DICKENS (334); St Mary Abbots, Kensington.
Witness: 26 Jul 1852 Marriage; Margaret HUSSEY (563) and Samuel Harry FARRALL (557); Kensington.
Death* 11 Mar 1888 Norwood.
Father* Thomas FARRALL (567) (b. 1781, d. 1854)
Mother* Elizabeth Hudstone (568) (b. 1783, )
_______________________________________________________________________
Spouse* Laura MILES (556)
Birth* 30 Jan 1808 Worthing, Sussex.
Death* 9 Feb 1884 Norwood.
Father* William MILES (561) (b. 2 Aug 1783, d. 2 Aug 1874)
Mother* Sarah Smith (562) (b. 1786, )
_______________________________________________________________________
Six Known Children
_______________________________________________________________________
M William FARRALL (333)
Birth* __ ___ 1831 Worthing, Sussex.
Marriage* 16 Jun 1850 Emma DICKENS (334) (b. 25 Aug 1830, d. before 1901), daughter of Samuel DICKENS (335) and Anne BUTLER (336); St Mary Abbots, Kensington.
Son: __ ___ 1851 William Samuel FARRALL (589)
Daughter: __ ___ 1852 Laura Hope FARRALL (196); At Sea.
Son: __ ___ 1855 Edward FARRALL (582); Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Daughter: __ ___ 1857 Ann Ellen FARRALL (581); Prahran, Victoria, Australia.
Son: __ ___ 1860 Frank FARRALL (580); Prahran, Victoria, Australia.
Son: __ ___ 1862 Thomas Adolph FARRALL (579); Prahran, Victoria, Australia.
Daughter: 9 Nov 1864 Emma Phoebe Dickens FARRALL (503); Ballarat East, Victoria, Australia.
Death* after __ ___ 1871
_______________________________________________________________________
M Samuel Harry FARRALL (557)
Birth* 5 Nov 1832 Worthing, Sussex.
Marriage* 26 Jul 1852 Margaret HUSSEY (563) (b. 3 Feb 1833, d. 21 Oct 1905); Kensington.
Daughter: 17 Jul 1853 Frances Amelia FARRALL (597); Prahran, Victoria, Australia.
Son: 3 Dec 1854 Harry Hussey FARRALL (598); Prahran, Victoria, Australia.
Son: 28 Nov 1856 Richard Charles FARRALL (599); Gravel Hill, Victoria, Australia.
Daughter: 11 Apr 1858 Margaret Mary FARRALL (600)
Son: __ ___ 1859 Francis John FARRALL (601)
Son: 7 Dec 1860 William Robert FARRALL (602)
Son: 9 Apr 1862 Thomas Paul FARRALL (603); Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Daughter: __ Nov 1862 Blanche Emily FARRALL (604)
Daughter: 26 Jun 1863 Florence FARRALL (605); Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Son: __ May 1866 Charles May FARRALL (606)
Son: 5 Aug 1867 Hubert Edmund FARRALL (607); Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Son: 28 Oct 1868 Ferdinand Charles FARRALL (608); Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Daughter: 21 Mar 1871 Laura Blanche FARRALL (609)
Son: 19 Oct 1872 Ralph Llewellyn Francis FARRALL (610)
Son: 25 Dec 1874 Frederick Theodore FARRALL (611)
Daughter: __ Feb 1876 Sarah Joanna FARRALL (612)
Son: 8 Jan 1877 Gustavus Vivian FARRALL (613)
Daughter: __ Mar 1879 Harriett Hussey FARRALL (614)
Daughter: 21 Mar 1903 Eileen Anne FARRALL (706)
Son: __ ___ 1905 Ferguson FARRALL (707)
Death* 6 Feb 1923 Elmore, Victoria, Australia.
_______________________________________________________________________
M Thomas FARRALL (558)
Birth* __ ___ 1836 Worthing, Sussex.
Marriage* after __ ___ 1852 Sarah Amy Pitman (564) (b. 1834, d. before 1908)
Daughter: __ ___ 1861 Laura Elizabeth Amy FARRALL (577); Sherborne, Dorset.
Death* 18 Jul 1908
_______________________________________________________________________
F Laura FARRALL (559)
Birth* __ ___ 1841 Pimlico.
Marriage* __ ___ 1860 Charles Llewellyn FORWARD (565) ( , d. 1874); Sherborne, Dorset.
Child: __ ___ 1861 (--?--) FORWARD (760)
Son: __ ___ 1866 William Llewellyn FORWARD (761)
Witness: __ ___ 1874 Death; Charles Llewellyn FORWARD (565)
Marriage* 6 Nov 1882 George Pape (762); St John's Church, Brixton, London.
Death* __ ___ 1903
_______________________________________________________________________
M Charles Edward FARRALL (572)
Birth* __ ___ 1843 Pimlico.
Marriage* __ ___ 1870 Emily Roberts (573) (b. 1845, ); Sherborne, Dorset.
Daughter: before __ ___ 1873 Mabel FARRALL (763)
Son: __ ___ 1874 Charles H.Trevor FARRALL (574); Sherborne, Dorset.
Daughter: __ ___ 1879 Edith FARRALL (575); Sherborne, Dorset.
Son: __ ___ 1881 Stanley FARRALL (576)
Death* __ ___ 1906
_______________________________________________________________________
F Fanny Susan FARRALL (560)
Birth* __ ___ 1848 Chelsea.
Marriage* __ ___ 1872 John Chipperfield ROBERTS (566) (b. 1845, d. 1904); Dorset.
Son: __ ___ 1873 William J.E ROBERTS (578)
Death* 4 Aug 1924
_______________________________________________________________________

Shirley Gardiner and then Val Burdett, have found information regarding the wages and accounts at the castle. Below are extracts from Val’s reply, but both contained similar information and the castle received 2 payments for the same information. I wonder how many other Farrall relatives have paid out money.

15th July 2003. The Agents kept their accounts at the back of the rent books during the nineteenth century and 1 have searched them from 1856 for references to the Farrall family :

August 1856 W. Farrell [sic] for his 1st months account as Head Carpenter, £70.13s.11d. Includes his travelling expenses to Sherborne from London

December 1856 W. Farrell for work to a new footpath, at Haydon

January 1858 W. Farrell for New Barn doors at Mr. Bests Farm, £66.3s. 1 Od.

Ditto for work at Mr. Coates Farm, £4. 1 gs. Id.

Ditto for work at Mr. Hoddinotts cottages at Bedmill £10.0s.8d.

April 1858 W. Farrall for Water Works in the Deer Park, £223.0s.0d.

George Wingfield Digby inherited Sherborne Castle from his uncle in May 1856 and the appointment of Farrall as Head Carpenter was one of many changes he made.

From 1856 onwards, Farrall's account is paid in the first week of each month, and varies between about £75 and £100 a month. Two yeas 1~ this sum has increased to about £150-£200 a month. In 18W the account is paid weekly and is about £100-£150 each week. This sum would include expenses incurred in his work and also the wages for the men under him. 1 cannot find what his own salary was. The weekly account continues at about the same rate until the mid- 1870s, when the sum decreases to about £60 a week. Farrall's last account is paid on the 17d' January 1880. There is no indication that he left the estate, but after that the account is simply called the Carpenter's Account'.

A house was built for the Head Carpenter in the Estate Yard on New Road, which still stands. It is now the private residence of the Castle Events Manager and m be seen from New Road. There is surprisingly little about it in the Estate accounts, perhaps because the expenses of building it are hidden in the summary payments to various masons and carpenters. In May 1859 £104 worth of Keinton stone was delivered to the Code Yard for use in the Carpenter's new house and other places. I do not know the architect either, it could be either Philip Hardwick who designed the Lodge Gate cottage at the nub entrance in 1859 or Slater and Carpenter who also did work for George Wingfield Digby

My researches in the accounts from 1856 to 1858 found only a mention of William Farrall, but when 1 looked further on, 1 found Thomas as well :

December 1864 - Thomas Farrall on account superintending building the new Rectory at Thornford £20.0s.0d.

March 1867 - Thomas Farrall superintending the restoration of Thornford Church,£30.0s.0d.

September 1871 - Thomas Farrall architect's commission for pm~ plans and specifications of Mr. Woodward's new shop. [This is the building on

the corner of South Street and Half Moon Street in Sherborne].

1 looked in the rent books to see if Thomas Farrall appeared

1879 - Thomas Farrall £4 for one yeas rent for a garden, formerly with the Wellington Inn, Sherborne

This continues until 1883, when a new tenant takes over. 1 also found a C.E. Farrall in the rent books :

1878 - C.E. Farrall, £2. 10s.0d. for one yews rent in Sherborne Ibis continues until at least 1883.

1 next looked in the Improvement Accounts 1867-1871, which record expenditure on building projects funded by a special fund set up by George Wingfield Digby. They show several members of the Farrall family employed by the estate on building work:

C.E. Farrall superintending the restoration of Mappowder Church, £50

1867 W. Farrall for repairs to Bishops Caundle Church, £92

C.E. Farrall superintending the building of new stables at Thornford Rectory, £17

1867-71 W. Farrall for work on the new Hotel and Stables, £ 1830 [the Digby Hotel, Sherborne] C. Farrall superintending the foundation of the new Hotel, £27

1870 W. Farrall for work on Alweston School, £108

W. Farrall for work on the bridge near the level crossing at the Railway Station, £355

1871 W. Farrall for additions mid repairs to the Black Horse Inn, Sherborne, £1200

W. Farrall for work on the Gate and Pier at the Entrance to the Park at Castleton, £100

W. Farrall for work on the Lodge at Shooters Lawn, £480

W. Farrall for work on Home Farm C~ £380

1872 W. Farrall for work on the Half Moon Hotel, Sherborne, £125 [The present Half Moon Hotel is a later construction]

W. Farrall for work on Mapperton School, £5 10

W. Farrall for work on the Library at Chalmington House, £5

As you asked particularly about a fireplace in the Castle which Thomas Farrall may have built I had a look to see if 1 could find a Victorian wooden fireplace. 1 have found one in the attics (not on the public route) which may be of about the right date, judging from its appearance. It is wooden, although painted to resemble stone.

Mentioned in the above documents is William (1), son Thomas who had set up trade in Sherborne as an Architect and Surveyor, and many buildings in the area are designed by him. William (1) was born Arundel, Sussex in 1808 and his parents were Thomas Farrall and Elizabeth Hudstone they were married 10th April 1802. We cannot go back any further than this although Lois has made some assumptions in her book, which if correct could take the family back to 1559.

One thing not covered in the Lois book was an incident in London involving Muriel Agnes Farrall, daughter of ????????????. Aged 20 she had got involved with a married man, and they both committed suicide, the story made the national papers and the article in the News of the World on Sunday March 14th 1937 is shown below.