Thomas Herbert Willmett

Petworth House, Sussex

Thomas Herbert Willmett
1804 - ?
Thomas Herbert Willmett
1827-1914
From Petworth House
to Melbourne
to Winton, QLD

Thomas Herbert senior 1804-?
Groom at Petworth House, Sussex

The wedding photo next to the pump organ in Edwardia's Drawing Room is of the current owner's grand parents, John Herbert and Emma May Willmett. Before emigrating to Melbourne in 1858 John Herbert's Willmett's great grandfather, Thomas Herbert Willmett senior lived and worked as a groom at Petworth House where he had been born in 1804.

Charles Greenville described Petworth during this time as "like a great inn" and had move servants than any where else in England. Its owner, the third Lord Egremont was a colourful fellow who over his life-time, had 16 mistresses and forty nine illegitimate children many of whom lived at Petworth.

Lord Egremont was a Patron of the Arts and both Turner and Constable lived and painted at Petworth for extended periods.

Picture of Turner's painting of Petworth House.

Turner, Misty morning at Petworth House

This Turner painting of Petworth is a water-colour but its tonings and aspect are similar to May Willmett's oil-colour paintings above the pump-organ at Edwardia.

Lord Egremont was also a great philanthropist who strongly opposed the poor laws that instituted the first English workhouses. Through the Petworth Immigration scheme, he bank-rolled the emigration of 1800 poor from England's south, to Canada from 1833 to 1837.

The same philanthropy is expressed in relation to his stud horses.

A Coachman in Westminster

After Lord Egremont of Petworth died in 1837, the 1841 Census lists Thomas as a coachman living in at 22 Blue Anchor Yard, York Street, Westminster and in 1851 as a servant living at 3 Shipgardens, Westminster.

In 1822 he had married in the illustrious St. Martin in the Fields Church in Trafalgar Square, Westminster and he had a public service record. In 1851, his son, Andrew, was a scholar at the Blue-coat school, close to the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The Blew-coat School Building in Westminster

Andrew and his mother Jane Willmett arrived in Melbourne on 18 October 1855 whereas Thomas Herbert senior did not arrive via The Sydenham until 1858.

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Thomas Herbert junior 1827-1914
Groom to Victoria's third Governor

Thomas Herbert junior would have been 30 or 31 when his father arrived in Melbourne and it is possible that he arrived before his mother and brother Andrew who arrived in 1855.

He married Many Gavin in 1860 and three of his children were born in Toorak, at that time the name of the Italianate property where the first Victorian governors lived between 1854 and 1874. All these facts lend credence to the family story that Thomas Herbert Willmett Junior came to Australia as a groom to one of the first Governors of Victoria.

Sir Henry Barkly, the third governor of Victoria arrived in Melbourne on Christmas Eve, 1856 and served until 1863 when he was posted to Mauritious.

In this 1863 advertisement from The Colonist Newspaper, New Zealand, a Thomas Willmett asserts that he has worked clipping horses for Sir Henry Barkly. It is unclear if this may be Thomas Herbert senior or the son, Thomas Herbert, whose own son was born at Toorack house in 1866.

The 1st Melbourne Cup

The first Melbourne Cup was run during Thomas' time of employment with Governor Barkly and Thomas Willmett's likely involvement explains the absolute importance of the famous Melbourne horse-race in the life of grandson, John Herbert Willmett.

Wakatu Hotel

After Governor Barkly's departure in 1863, Thomas Herbert senior or junior appears to have set up business as a horse, clipper, singer and breaker at The Wakatu Hotel in Nelson, South New Zealand. this hotel was described as a "commodious premises, included a billiard room and was an important social centre in the early days of the settlement. It was the scene of many public and private meetings and testimonial dinners. When it closed, The Colonist noted that a visit to the Wakatu Hotel had been regarded by country residents as the one relief from their struggles, as they had always been sure of finding congenial company there."

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After several more children were born in Geelong, by 1872 the family had moved to Stawell where Thomas Herbert Willmett's junior's youngest child was born and where grandson, John Herbert was living when he met Emma May Martin.

Little is known about the family's Stawell sojourn other than that one of the sons competed in the first Stawell Gift, which is still Australia's Richest short distance foot race.

The Move to Outback North Queensland

By 1886 Thomas Herbert had moved to Winton, in Queensland to join Louisa Willmett who had married Thomas Lynett in 1877 and with her husband owned Winton's General store, land and several hotels.

Winton Races, 1890

Judging by the historical records Thomas Herbert continued with horse ventures in Winton, which had an active horse-racing calander and a natural race-course.

On 23, October 1896 the Land Court granted Thomas Herbert Willmett an unconditional selection (No 13 at Winton), of 683 acres. and Jane Winifred, an unconditional selection of 192 acres of land that had be part of Ellerslie station.

The price paid for an unconditional selection was thirteen shillings and upwards, paid over twenty years. Thus, Thomas Herbert would have paid £443 for this land.