Frederick and Elizabeth Worland (both 24) and two children Ann R Worland (aged 2) and Elizabeth Worland (aged 1) arrived in Victoria in July 1854 on board the Maria Hay. According to his death record, Frederick was the husband of Elizabeth (nee) Mansfield and the son of John Worland and Rebecca nee Bangle (click link for details).
Note, the Frederick Worland below should not be confused with the (possibly unrelated) Frederick Worland who arrived in 1855 and lived until his death in 1872 in the Nunawading/Ballarat areas of Victoria.
Frederick and Elizabeth Worland had the following children after arrival in Australia (the first two are also recorded):
Note that around the same time as the children born above, a William Worland with a wife also named Elizabeth (nee) Mansfield had a son named George Worland in the Geelong area. Given the birth of Ruben/Reuben in the same year, it would appear to be a different mother, but this is yet to be confirmed.
The following extract appeared in an article titled 'Farming on the Leigh' that appeared in the Geelong Advertiser of 25 October 1875.
Mr Frederick Worland, an old Barrabool Hill farmer, (and a pretty successful one too) stepped into his shoes, or rather into the lease, but disdaining to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, and bringing to bear his long experience on the Hills, he has practically demonstrated that there are farmers, and farmers, and that the pretty farm of Clover flat has not been yet exhausted. Mr Worland combines agriculture, dairying, pork-raising and the fattening of cattle in his plan of operations, and hitherto he has succeeded admirably. This season he has 120 acres under crop of which 42 are peas about 35 wheat and 30 barley and the remainder hay, mangolds [sic] and potatoes. The wheat crop looks splendid, the barley, especially the Cape, is very fair, the grey peas a good average crop, and the few acres under the Yorkshire-hero variety, look magnificient. His surplus stock of the latter he sold at 13s per bushel. Mrs Worland makes upwards of 2501bs of butter every week at this season, and I may here mention incidentally, that the dairy is the very picture of cleanliness and order. About 100 pigs are kept on the farm and a large herd of cattle. Mr Worland is quite satisfied that not only will he hold his own, but that he will also be able to put by a trifle for a rainy day. He has a large family — principally daughters — and all of them who are able, cheerfully assist in the labours and management - of the farm so that everything goes on as regular as clockwork, and as happy as a marriage bell. Talking of marriage, these are the kind of young ladies that are worthy of good husbands, and not your skillagalee, dainty, don't-soil-your-finger dolls! Since he came to the Leigh Mr Worland has lost one of his daughters in this way, a canny well-to-do son of Scotia having wooed and won the prize.
The Geelong Advertiser of 13 December 1876 noted that James McDonald, a farm servant, was remanded on a charge of having deserted from the service of Frederick Worland, a farmer at Shelford. Note that Frederick's son George Henry Worland (1896 - 1946) married a Jessie McDonald. It is not (yet) known if there is a connection between these two McDonalds.
Frederick Worland died at his residence, Stud Farm, Shelford/Inverleigh on 23 May 1884 aged 53 (Vic BDM Ref 4871, also The Geelong Advertiser 26 May 1884).
Alexander Rankin, the husband of Elizabeth (nee) Worland and father of four young children, died in around 1890. Alexander's death appears to have created a major problem for Elizabeth looking after her young family.
A court report in The Geelong Advertiser of 28 February 1891 under the heading 'A Hard Case', reported that Elizabeth Rankin sought to have her young children 'committed to the Industrial Schools with a the view of having them boarded out to their mother' as (since) '... her husband died at Winchelsea about twelve months since ... she was unable to support the children. She earned her living by washing clothes and she did not want to part with the children'. The bench decided to commit the chidren to the schools and reocmmended that they be boarded out to their mother. Regretably, Elizabeth died two years later; her probate notice carried in The Argus of 29 September 1893 noted that her estate would be granted to Alexander Rankin 'the sole executor named and appointed by the said will'.
The children are recorded in the registers for the Department for Neglected Children as follows. The double numbers refer to the page or folio of the original record.
The primary function of the Department was the maintenance and management of neglected children including the following, which helps to explain Elizabeth's request to 'board' her own children:
The 1919 Electoral Roll for the Geelong area lists the now-grown-up children. It appears that Duncan, Elizabeth and Mary Jane may be at the same address, while John married Harriet.
In the 1954 Electoral Roll, John Rankin was recorded as a linesman, living with his son and daughter in law who were the shopkeepers at 312 Pakington Street, Chilwell. John Rankin died in 1959.
Elizabeth Worland (nee Mansfield), the wife of Frederick Worland (abt 1831 - 1884), died in Inverleigh in 1891. (Vic BDM Ref 15928).
Blanch or Blanche Elliott, the wife of Frederick Worland, died aged 34 on 22 November 1893 at Steed Farm, Shelford, possibly giving birth to daugther Ivy (Vic BDM Ref 1893/14626). At the time of her death her children were still quite young: Elizabeth Worland (10), Frederick Thomas Worland (8), Ivy Mansfield Worland (just born, but appears to have died in early 1894.(Vic BDM Ref 1894/2274)
Frederick Worland (born 1857), the husband of Blanch (nee Elliott), died aged 41 in June 1898 at Curlewis. (Vic BDM Ref 8088). The Geelong Advertiser noted the following about Frederick in an article about his funeral on 15 June 1898:
The funeral cortege Mr Frederick Worland, of Derry farm, Leopold, passed here shortly after 2 p.m. this day. Owing to the steady and soaking downpour of rain which began early in the morning, and continued without any intermission all day, the inhabitants of both Teesdale and Shelford were to a great extent prevented from attending the funeral. Tho late Mr Worland was at one time the lessee of the Stud farm near Shelford, and also for some years a member of the shire of Leigh council. He was held in high estseem by all classes of the people, and the news of what, we call his untimely death came as a great shock to us all. If the weather was such as could have allowed pooplo to attend to show their respect for the memory of the deceased, the funeral would have been attended by large numbers from the whole district. Several braving the weather and regardless of consequences did join.
When Frederick died, his two children were still young - Elizabeth was 15 and Frederick was 13.
An advertisement in the Geelong Advertiser of 28 July 1898 indicated that all the stock, farming implements and household furniture at Derry Farm would be sold by auction on 3 August 1898.
Elizabeth Ellen ('Birdie') Worland (born 1888), the daughter of Frederick and Blanche Worland, married Henry Thomas Wells in 1911 (Vic BDM Ref 7325). They had the following children.
Frederick Thomas Worland (born 1890), the son of Frederick and Blanche Worland, married Annie Diana Louisa Noske in 1913 (Vic BDM Ref 3421). They had the following children:
Colin Frederick Worland (1895 - 1978), a son of George Alfred and Jessie Worland (nee McDonald), served as a Private firstly with the 14th and then with the 66th Battalion in World War 1. He was wounded in November 1917. (Source: The Ballarat Courier, 21 November 1917).
On his return from Europe, Colin was granted 482 acres of land at Lake Wollard in the Winchelsea district for settlement purposes. (Source: Geelong Advertiser 25 November 1919).
Colin Frederick Worland (1895 - 1978), a son of George Alfred and Jessie Worland (nee McDonald), married Winifred Craven Lauder (born 1900, based on death record in 1992, aged 92 (Vic BDM Ref 23079) in 1922 (Vic BDM Ref 8448). Freda's parents were William Alexander Lauder and Elizabeth Stringer.
Freda's father William Alexander Lauder died in November 1916 'at his mother's residence' (Vic BDM Ref 16476, which shows his parents as William Lauder and Catherine McCallum). He was 57 and born in Winchelsea. He had a sister Isabella Lauder (born 1868 in Winchelsea (Vic BDM Ref 13106). In the news article about his funeral, William Lauder was noted as being identified 'with all sporting for a great number of years'. The pall bearers at his funeral included George Henry Worland (1867 - 1946), the father of Colin Frederick Worland, who also lived in Winchelsea.
Before she married Colin Worland, Freda Lauder was noted in the Geelong Advertiser as a 'local school staff' in Winchelsea who was resigning from the Education Department on 31 May 1922.
Colin and Freda's son Donald (Don) Lauder Worland (1932 - 2021) was a well known Victorian footballer. The Geelong College (where he attended from 1945 to 1948) published the following details on their website:
(After returning to the family farm at Winchelsea, Don) '... played football for the Winchelsea Football Club. He played for the Club in the seconds when he was 16, then joined the senior team whilst still at school. In 1950 he won the Best and Fairest award. Whilst still at Winchesea he was recruited to the Geelong Football Club and played the first of his four senior matches for the Cats in Round 13, 1953 at Kardinia Park. During his time with the club was part of the team records for most wins in a row (23 games, 1 draw then two more wins). He also scored one goal in 17 appearances for the Reserves in 1953-54. Don continued to play for Winchelsea until 1962 and became a Life Member. During his playing career he was three time premiership player (and seven grand finals), an Interleague Representative six times, Vice Captain for eight years, as well as committee member. He then served as selector for 10 years as well as seven years at Treasurer. Later he was also a Life Member of the Winchelsea Bowls Club.
James Allan Worland (1897 - ), a son of George Alfred and Jessie Worland (nee McDonald), married Elsie Mae McAuliffe in 1926. (Vic BDM Ref 760)
John Henry Worland, the second son of George Henry Worland, married Ruth Myrtle Richmond at St Thomas Church in Winchelsea on 10 April 1927. Ruth was one of several children born to Frederick Ricmond and Emily Jeffreys. The wedding was reported in the Geelong Advertiser of 18 May 1927 as follows (note that the copy on Trove is very hard to read, with most of the left hand words partially cut):
WORLAND-RICHMOND: St. Thomas's Church of England, Winchelsea. was thronged with friends and interested spectators on April 10th, when the wedding uniting two well-known families of Ruth Myrtle, third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Richmond, 'Briar Cottage', and John Henry, second son of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Worland, 'Kinrose' Winchelsea was solemnised. Rev Gardner officiated and during the signing of the register sister Miss Margaret Gardner sweetly rendered 'All Joy Be Thanks'. The bride, who was given away by her father, was charmingly gowned in pink crepe de chene, with overdress of (patest?) pink georgette, daintily trimmed with (over), with the billowy pale pink tulle veil was arranged cap fashion surrounded by a coronet of silver and orange blossom, and continued to form a train. The bride carried a bouquet of white carnations, cactus dahlias, roses and ferns. She was attended by her two sisters. Misses Winifred and Doris who were dressed in dainty gowns of moonlight blue, with apron effect, finely tucked and ruched, and trimmed with gold and hand embroidery. They wore girdles of blue velvet and blue hats to tone. Both carried bouquets of pink roses, carnations and autumn leaves. Messers J (Callew?) and L Richmond acted as bestman and groomsman. As the bride was leaving the church a lucky kewpie was hung on her arm by Miss Maud Edwards. (Details of the reception) ... The honeymoon was being spent in Tasmania, the bride travelling in a tailored grey coat and skirt with hat en suite. Their intended home will be Main Street, Winchelsea.
According to an entry on the MyHeritage site, John and Ruth Worland had one daughter Valerie Ruth Worland (later Neale).
John Henry Worland died in Winchelsea on 28 June 1970. Ruth Myrtle Worland died in Winchelsea on 28 June 1974 aged 74 (Vic BDM Ref 15142). They are buried together in Winchelsea cemetery (WIN-SECT-011-807-25).
Page created 12 March 2023 (from a previous page), updated 3 October 2023 (additional details on John Henry Worland). Copyright © Andrew Warland. (andrewwarland(at)gmail.com)