Some of the information below was compiled from information provided by Ian Starling and Margaret Tyler in early 2015, and from documents found at my mother (Pam Warland, nee Robertson)'s house in December 2011.
For information about Richard Clement's life in County Durham, England, go to this page.
Richard Clement departed Liverpool for Australia on 25 November 1867. A Miss Rye had chartered the White Star clipper Queen of the North to carry 142 emigrants, mostly single or widowed women, to Melbourne. Richard was a steward on this voyage.
The Captain of the Queen of the North, Isaiah Weaver, was described in the Melbourne Age as 'a gentleman well known and deservedly appreciated in this colony'. His ship was reported 'scrupulously clean and in excellent order.'
On the voyage to Australia Richard made friends with one of the many eligible women, one Agnes Hitchcock (nee Weston) the daughter of Henry Weston and Mary (nee Gosling). Agnes was a widow who lost her husband in 1866 and who had also lost her two children. Agnes was described as a cook who belonged to an independent church (possibly Congregational) and was said to be either 31 or 34 at the time. The shipping list shows that, within a week of arrival, she had been employed for 26 pounds per annum for a three year contract.
On 9 April 1868, Richard obtained his discharge from the Queen of the North and, nine days later on 18 April 1868 (two days before he turned 29), Richard and Agnes married in the registrar's office at Fitzroy in Melbourne. The couple were living at 42 Moor Street, Fitzroy. Richard took up his former trade of being a butcher and they moved to Station Place, Station Street, Carlton.
Sadly for Richard, this marriage again proved unlucky. A baby, named Claude Weston Clement was born in February 1870. In August 1870, Agnes developed Serous Apoplexy and died within seven hours. Richard's name was wrongly given as Charles on Agnes' death certificate.
Richard was then left to raise his baby son Claude while still trying to work as a butcher. There was no help from any of his or Agnes' relatives (who were all in England). He was on his own in a new country.
Within a month of his mother dying, Claude developed diarrhoea. In January 1871, Claude died, aged only 11 months.
After the death of his wife and son, Richard appears to have left his residence in Carlton and lived for a short time off 208 Little Lonsdale Street East, Melbourne. Not long after he made his way to Geelong where he set himself up as a butcher. Soon after, he met Margaret Ann Bushell (nee Knight). Margaret was the daughter of Thomas Edward Knight and was a widow at 20 years old.
See separate story for the life of Richard and Margaret Clement.
Page created 5 January 2012, updated 3 April 2015. Copyright © 2021 Andrew Warland. (andrewwarland(at)gmail.com)