Robert Mather

Story

The Mather\’s were a family of lowland Scots being either farmers or mechanics. Robert was born in Lauder because his father Andrew had moved south to become a blacksmith and farrier. Robert was not content with prospects on the Scottish border and at age 14.5 years moved to London to seek his fortune. He became an apprentice hosier. He rapidly progressed and became a freeman of the City and a member of the Weavers Company and set himself up in business. On 16 October 1811 he married Ann Benson. They had seven children, of whom one daughter and four sons survived infancy.

Mather Became interested in immigrating to Van Diemens Land because of his desire to restore his wife\’s health and find a favourable opening as a settler. Representations from Rev. William Horton and reading the publications about the colony by WC Wentworth and Lieut Charles Jeffreys also influenced his decision.

Preparations for the journey included purchasing agricultural implements, and the fittings and furniture for a house in the bush. He also purchased a miscellaneous assortment of goods, drapery, ironmongery, earthenware, books and sundry merchandise supposed to be suitable for the colonial market. On 16 October 1821 the Mather\’s went on board ‘Hope’ at Blackwall. Eventually at the end of October they put to sea and now their troubles began! The ship was caught in a violent storm in the Downs. They saw ships perish with all their crews within a cables length of them. The ‘Hope’ lost her anchors, and was so much disabled that she had to run into Ramsgate Harbour, where the ship was overhauled by Customs for being overloaded. They also discovered that the provisions were bad and insufficient for the journey and that the ship was scarcely seaworthy. There was an inquiry into the matter and the Government was induced to provide another ship to take the passengers to their destination.

During the five-month wait, Mather trod on a loose hatch, fell through and fractured his hip. On the 20 April 1822, only ten days after a second daughter was born their outward voyage commenced once more on the barque ‘Heroine’. It was a rough trip and both Robert and Ann were ill. On 23 May, shortly after passing Ferro, the new baby was buried at sea.

On 20 June the ‘Heroine’ arrived at Rio de Janeiro where she was berthed for six days for provisioning. It seems that the Captain was involved in a smuggling transaction and when Mather and 17 other passengers whom had been given leave to go ashore for a few hours had hardly reached the shore the Captain hurriedly put out to sea. The dismay and distress of the wives can only be imagined when their entreaties to return to port were unheeded. A violent storm came up in the evening and the ship was in imminent danger.

The passengers who had been left behind went to the British Consul, who applied to the Commander of a British man-o-war that lay in the harbour. The Commander manned his cutter and sent her after the ‘Heroine’. The storm prevented the cutter reaching her, but it drove the ship back to the harbour for shelter and by 0900 the next morning the deserted passengers could be put back on board. However, the miseries of the voyage were not over, soon after leaving Rio the Captain ordered the hatches to be battened down and they remained so for the majority of the remaining 10-12 week voyage. On 10 September 1822 after a voyage of 20 weeks the ‘Heroine’ anchored in the River Derwent. At the time there were no wharves at Sullivans Cove and passengers and cargo were put ashore in boats.

Hobart was still a village except for the large buildings in Macquarie St. It was a rapidly developing colony. Initially Mather began business in house of old pullens in Brisbane St and later designed and moved into a store on the corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets. He became an upstanding citizen of the town. He tried to apply his religious principles in business. For his great integrity, generous and confiding nature, earned widespread respect and affection. Robert Mather died in Hobart on 26 March 1855.

Descendants of Robert Mather and Ann Benson have married immigrants. They include Evelyn Julia Powell who Married Robert Oswald Mather in 1928. Their second son, Stanley Benson Mather married Veronica Ann Foster, the only child of Betty and Maurice Foster from London, England, in 1958. Their daughter Carey Ann Mather married Andrew Nicholas Bailey, the son of George John Bailey and June Pamela Bailey (nee Skinner) who migrated from London, England to Perth, Western Australia in 1952. Their stories are recorded as part of the Immigration Bridge project.

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