The Ties that Bind

Although i set out with this blog to show my art collection and to discuss my general love of art, I find that there is much more I want to share that can't be considered art, but which has still found itself in a frame and a place in my home. I have an on/off interest in family history (genealogy) which has led me down many interesting lines of inquiry. One branch of my family tree, the Tuckwell family, has led to one of the founding Fathers of the Australian port city of Darwin in the Northen Territory. Edward (Ned) Tuckwell and his wife Eliza (nee Hemmings) were amongst the first settlers to the Northern Territory and, indeed, Ned was part of the first expedition teams to the area. There are tales of daring-do about these early expeditions: one tale involved having to make rafts out of their slaughtered horses after falling foul of the weather and nearly starving to death. They paddled back to "civilization" and had to fight of croccodiles - no doubt attracted by the stinking flesh of their craft! Ned was a carpenter by trade and helped build many of the towns early buildings. There is a road named after the family and even an old peoples home. Eliza was a prominant figure in the town and built a successful business; also, two of their grandchildren received MBEs for service to nursing. There is much more to this Australian branch of my family than i can write down here, but if you are a Tuckwell descendant yourself, i'd love to hear from you.


Edward and Mary Tuckwell (father and mother of Ned Tuckwell) - unknown grandchild. Another branch of the Tuckwell family, their daughter Mary, married a man named Thomas Poole and founded a dynasty in New Zealand. They really were a jet-setting bunch back then.
Charles Tuckwell (Brother of Ned Tuckwell) was my x2 great grandfather and a very interesting character. He was born in Eastry, Kent, circa 1836 son to Edward and Mary. He joined the Royal Navy as a boy and worked his way up through the ranks to become a chief Boatswain, then Master Rigger at Devonport dockyard and finally the recruitment officer at Portsmouth Dockyard. His story is one of grit and determination with service on many fine ships. He served in the Crimea and in the Far East where he fought off Chinese pirates! On retirement, he was promoted to Lieutenant which at that time was extremely new and rare - before then, only 'Gentlemen' of the upper classes were given such a title, but there was a campaign of the day to allow the progression of ordinary sailors without reference to class. I think he was a very proud man who may have been appalled by his son (Charles Walter, my great grandfather) who took to drinking and was thrown out of the navy. The evidence suggests that Charles Walter was disowned by his parents because after they moved away to the Middlesex area, there was very little contact kept. As a consequence, i have found cousins that i knew nothing about!