See also
| Partner: | John SPOTSWOOD (c. 1785-1859) | |
| Partner: | (unknown) | |
| Marriage | 2 Mar 1808 | Bombay, Bombay, India |
| Alternative date for the marriage 3 Feb 1808 | ||
| Name: | John SPOTSWOOD1 | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | c. 1785 | Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Ireland |
| Group/Caste Membership | 15 Jun 1802 (age 16-17) | registered a member of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Ireland, No 332 Omagh Lodge |
| Posted (Military) | India | |
| Posted (Military) | Tasmania | |
| Death | 29 Jul 1859 (age 74) | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
| Burial | Wesleyan Cemetery, West Hobart, Tasmania | |
There are family connections with Cork that suggest this may have been John's birthplace, but this has not been established.
On the 2 Mar 1829 John Spotswood was granted 4 acres of land in the district of Forester's Peninsula, Tasmania, bounded on the West by Blackman's River and a bay and on the other sides by Crown Land.
From: https://bangorshed.com.au/pages/captain-spotswood-pinot-noir
Captain Spotswood Pinot Noir and has been crafted from select Bangor vines and gently aged in large-format old oak. Captain Spotswood displays true cool climate red fruit flavours and aromas, and is ideal for pairing with a wide range of food including Tasmanian seafood, pasta, lamb and duck, and can be enjoyed with friends and family all year round.
Enjoy a glass of Captain Spotswood Pinot Noir at Bangor Vineyard Shed, and order online.
BUY CAPTAIN SPOTSWOOD PINOT NOIR
The Story Behind the Label
Captain John Spotswood, a retired army officer, was the first settler to be granted land at what was to become Bangor, including the land where Bangor's vineyard now stands. Early accounts record that he rather enjoyed a drink, and we expect he would have fancied a glass of our Pinot Noir, bearing his name.
Captain John Spotswood (b. 1775 in Ireland, d. 1859 in Hobart) was the first settler to be granted land on property that would later become part of Bangor. As a retired soldier, he was granted 2650 acres in 1831, where he farmed a range of crops.
During a tour of Tasmania's east coast in January 1838, Lady Jane Franklin (the wife the Governor of Van Diemens Land) visited Captain Spotswood and remarked on his house, farm, and his drinking habits! An extract from her journal reads as follows:
After breakfasting early on Wednesday morning the 3rd we took to the boats and passed from them into the cart which was standing in the water with four bullocks yoked to it, a convenience we owed to Captain Spotswood, a settler on E. Bay , who was awaiting us with Captain Harbury of the Eliza. On the shore Captain Spotswood’s countenance and manner indicated in its heaviness and melancholy the correctness of the character which had been given me of the individual, viz., that he has occasional fits of drunkenness which palsy all his faculties. I was told that he will go on temperately an soberly for a length of time, and then at the first temptation arising from a visit to town he will give himself up to course of prolonged and brutalizing intoxication. Captain Spotswood is a middle-aged man, a widower with 2 daughters.
He was a captain in the 84th regt. Which he was obliged to quit in consequence of his irregular habits. He got a maximum grant shortly before on Forestier’s Peninsula of 2560 acres, which he sold immediately to Dr. Finlay [Imlay] for 2500 guineas. This information I had from Captain Booth. [Port Arthur Commandant] Captain S. Informed me himself that he had lived 7 years on the Neck, and that his estate which he calls Callaba [Colaba] from a place near Bombay consisted of 400 acres, 50 of which are in cultivation, his crops being wheat, turnips, potatoes, peas, etc. He said it was only third rate land. The distance across the Neck is 600 yards. In crossing this distance in the bullock cart we passed the farm of Captain S. The dwelling house which we declined entering is built of wood. But seems a respectable building having a deep sloping roof. The property commands a double view towards Norfolk Bay on the S. & E. Bay bounded by Maria Island on the North.
The area known as Colaba includes the current site of the vineyard and a number of surrounding paddocks. Captain Spotswood's cottage stood opposite Bangor's vineyard until January 2013 when it was sadly lost in the large bushfire that destroyed much of Dunalley and surrounding areas, and covered 2000 hectares of Bangor. The cottage and what it represented held a special place in the heart of Elizabeth Dunbabin and her family.
Captain Spotswood's Cottage
We have been fortunate enough to be able to honour the memory of Captain Spotswood through this wine label, and also through the convict bricks from his chimneys that we were able to salvage after the fire and re-lay as a beautiful hearth in Bangor Shed. Come and enjoy a glass of wine with us by the fire and admire this piece of Tasmanian history.
Caution by J Spotswood
19 December 1829
Hobart Town Courier
CAUTION. ALL persons are hereby cautioned against tres- passing in any manner by grazing cattle, or otherwise, on my grant of land of 2560 acres, com- monly known as Blackman's plains, or Foresters, on Tasman's Peninsula, bounded on the west by Black man's river, and a bay, on all other sides by Crown lands. Dec. 15.1829. J. SPOTSWOOD
| 1 | www.heardfamilyhistory.org.uk. This GEDCOM is predominantly the work of Nick Heard, but it incorporates the collaborated work of many other family historians. You are welcome to use the information herein but please acknowledge the source. Every effort has been made to ensure the data is accurate, but any use you make of it is entirely at your own risk. (c) Nick Heard 2009 |