John Scholey
Encyclopedia
John Scholey was an extensive landed proprietor, prominent businessman, colliery owner, and Mayor
. He was a Justice of the Peace
and member of the Newcastle Land Board, a division of the New South Wales Justice Department.
, now in South Yorkshire
.
John was the son of a Leeds businessman, Stephen Scholey
(1815–1878) who entered the service of the Colonial Office
in New South Wales
, and was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for East Maitland
. John's mother was Anne Spink
John appears in the 1851 Census Return at 27 Trafalgar Street, Leeds
, Yorkshire
, aged 11, with his parents and his sister Mary Ann. However by the time of his marriage to Anne, née Greaves (1845–1931), on 16 January 1865, at Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Newcastle, New South Wales
, the cathedral register states that he was now resident in that parish. His father was a witness at the ceremony. John was listed at that time: "Scholey, John, Hunter Street, Newcastle". On his daughter Jessie's birth certificate in February 1883, John Scholey stated that he now resided at Hamilton
, a garden suburb of Newcastle.
, subdividing it as the city environs grew, and renaming it Mayfield
after Ada May, one of his daughters. Other streets in the suburb still bear his surname, and some of his daughter's Christian names: Clara, Ada, Dora, etc.
He sold at a handsome profit the land at Mayfield, some of it bordering the Hunter River
, which until recently housed much of the BHP
steelworks (now demolished) and other huge heavy industries. He was also founder of the Richmond Main Colliery on the South Maitland coalfields
, following coal exploration on his extensive landholdings in that district. His syndicate eventually sold their majority shareholding to J & A Brown and Abermain-Seaham Collieries Ltd. The main shaft was named the Scholey shaft and at one time this colliery produced the largest daily tonnage in the State, as well as providing all the electricity requirements for nearby Kurri Kurri and other townships.
He was one of the earliest directors of the Newcastle and County Building Company, and one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Waratah Municipal Gasworks which went on to become the principal gas suppliers to the City of Newcastle.
, received an official invitation to the New South Wales Government's State Banquet held in Sydney
on Thursday 26 January 1888 to commemorate the first 100 years of settlement in the colony. The Earl of Carnarvon
and Lord Carrington were present along with a host of other well-known dignitaries.
A practising Christian, he was lay representative for Waratah to the 122nd Church of England Synod
held at Newcastle in May 1900; he was Diocesan Warden for Newcastle's Christ Church Cathedral, a member of the Newcastle Diocesan Council, and also a member of the Diocesan Church Property Committee. He was the sole surviving Executor of the Will of his father-in-law, William Greaves, another Newcastle businessman, when he signed the declaration that all affairs to do with that estate were now complete, 18 May 1907.
When the Foundation stone of the Waratah School of Arts was laid by Sir Henry Parkes
, John Scholey became a guarantor for the building. He was also Patron of the Northern District Bowling Association from its formation, and churchwarden of St. Andrew's Church of England, Mayfield.
division of Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle. In his Will (proved 8 October 1908) he bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, by whom he had seven daughters, six of whom survived him. His daughter Clara married Robert, son of Charles Upfold
, the managing director of the Sydney Soap and Candle Company, "the largest such concern in Australasia". His youngest daughter, Agnes, died a spinster in 1972.
John Scholey was described in directories and upon his death certificate, as a "gentleman".
His splendid sandstone mansion Mayfield House, "an impressive residence", is now a shadow of its former glory. It is currently leased as a hostel for Youth With A Mission
and is owned by the Baptist Church, its once magnificent gardens having been built upon.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. He was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and member of the Newcastle Land Board, a division of the New South Wales Justice Department.
Background
The Scholey family are to be found with various spellings in ancient manuscripts but often as de Scolay or Scoley. They were long resident at Gawber Hall, outside BarnsleyBarnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, now in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
.
John was the son of a Leeds businessman, Stephen Scholey
Stephen Scholey
Stephen Scholey was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He was born in Garden street, Holbeck village, near Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and died at East Maitland, New South Wales.-Family:...
(1815–1878) who entered the service of the Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
for East Maitland
Maitland
Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" , or it may be a locational reference to Mautalant, a place in Pontorson, France...
. John's mother was Anne Spink
New South Wales
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, aged 11, with his parents and his sister Mary Ann. However by the time of his marriage to Anne, née Greaves (1845–1931), on 16 January 1865, at Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, the cathedral register states that he was now resident in that parish. His father was a witness at the ceremony. John was listed at that time: "Scholey, John, Hunter Street, Newcastle". On his daughter Jessie's birth certificate in February 1883, John Scholey stated that he now resided at Hamilton
Hamilton, New South Wales
Hamilton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. The main commercial centre is located around Beaumont Street and boasts a vibrant multicultural atmosphere providing an array of restaurants, retail, fashion and commercial outlets...
, a garden suburb of Newcastle.
Business interests
On his daughter Agnes's birth certificate (1888) he is described as "Landowner". He had become an extensive land speculator, and diversified his business interests very widely. John Scholey eventually bought up much of the Newcastle district known as North WaratahWaratah
Waratah is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to the southeastern parts of Australia...
, subdividing it as the city environs grew, and renaming it Mayfield
Mayfield, New South Wales
Mayfield is a north-western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, which takes its name from Ada May a daughter of the landowner there, John Scholey, J.P...
after Ada May, one of his daughters. Other streets in the suburb still bear his surname, and some of his daughter's Christian names: Clara, Ada, Dora, etc.
He sold at a handsome profit the land at Mayfield, some of it bordering the Hunter River
Hunter River
The Hunter River is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major port....
, which until recently housed much of the BHP
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
steelworks (now demolished) and other huge heavy industries. He was also founder of the Richmond Main Colliery on the South Maitland coalfields
South Maitland coalfields
The South Maitland coalfields was the most extensive coalfield in New South Wales until the great coal mining slump of the 1960s. It was discovered by Lieutenant-Colonel Paterson's party when they were engaged in an exploratory visit to the Hunter River Valley during July 1801.Mention has been made...
, following coal exploration on his extensive landholdings in that district. His syndicate eventually sold their majority shareholding to J & A Brown and Abermain-Seaham Collieries Ltd. The main shaft was named the Scholey shaft and at one time this colliery produced the largest daily tonnage in the State, as well as providing all the electricity requirements for nearby Kurri Kurri and other townships.
He was one of the earliest directors of the Newcastle and County Building Company, and one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Waratah Municipal Gasworks which went on to become the principal gas suppliers to the City of Newcastle.
Civic positions
John Scholey, as Alderman (elected 1882) and (thrice elected) Mayor of the Municipality of Waratah, New South WalesWaratah, New South Wales
Waratah is a north-western residential suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district and bounded on the north by the Main North line. Waratah station was opened in 1858 and is served by CityRail's Hunter line.- History :Waratah was once a major...
, received an official invitation to the New South Wales Government's State Banquet held in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on Thursday 26 January 1888 to commemorate the first 100 years of settlement in the colony. The Earl of Carnarvon
Earl of Carnarvon
Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1628 in favour of Robert Dormer, 2nd Baron Dormer. For more information on this creation, which became extinct in 1709, see the Baron Dormer.The title was created...
and Lord Carrington were present along with a host of other well-known dignitaries.
A practising Christian, he was lay representative for Waratah to the 122nd Church of England Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
held at Newcastle in May 1900; he was Diocesan Warden for Newcastle's Christ Church Cathedral, a member of the Newcastle Diocesan Council, and also a member of the Diocesan Church Property Committee. He was the sole surviving Executor of the Will of his father-in-law, William Greaves, another Newcastle businessman, when he signed the declaration that all affairs to do with that estate were now complete, 18 May 1907.
When the Foundation stone of the Waratah School of Arts was laid by Sir Henry Parkes
Henry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
, John Scholey became a guarantor for the building. He was also Patron of the Northern District Bowling Association from its formation, and churchwarden of St. Andrew's Church of England, Mayfield.
Death
In a full report of John Scholey's funeral the names of many of the most prominent attendees are given and it is stated that over 200 telegrams of condolence were received. He was buried in the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
division of Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle. In his Will (proved 8 October 1908) he bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, by whom he had seven daughters, six of whom survived him. His daughter Clara married Robert, son of Charles Upfold
Charles Upfold
Charles Upfold , Justice of the Peace , was an English soap manufacturer of great prominence in Australia.-Family & background:...
, the managing director of the Sydney Soap and Candle Company, "the largest such concern in Australasia". His youngest daughter, Agnes, died a spinster in 1972.
John Scholey was described in directories and upon his death certificate, as a "gentleman".
Mayfield House
Youth With A Mission
Youth With A Mission is an international, inter-denominational, non-profit Christian missionary organization...
and is owned by the Baptist Church, its once magnificent gardens having been built upon.
External links
- The Scholey and Upfold Family Papers of Mrs Marion Faulkner (Mrs Faulkner's maiden name was Upfold).
- Those wanting to research the Scholey family and to contribute to further research are invited to visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scholeyandschooley/ )