Henry Clay Burnell (1806 – 1888) was born in London in March 1806, the third son of Thomas Burnell and Anne Clay. At age 23 he travelled alone1Relatives of Geoffrey David BELL. https://www.bellsite.id.au/gdbtree/HTMLFiles/HTMLFiles_52/P11044.html. Accessed 17 February 2023 on the Pyramus, arriving in Sydney on 9 May, 1829. He was wealthy enough to have his own cabin rather than travel steerage, and to bring with him some valuable sheep.
In June 1831 he was granted 1280 acres of land in Araluen, and by November 1835 had 350 sheep and 500 lambs on the property. As was common, Henry used convict labour2New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 – 1900), Wednesday 9 May 1838 (No.332), page 368 and the following convicts (with names not found) are recorded as assigned to him to carry out the following trades and roles:
1832 – 3ShoemakerNew South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 – 1900), Wednesday 17 September 1834 (No.133), page 662
1833 – two Carters4New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 – 1900), Wednesday 3 July 1833 (No.70), page 247
1834 – a Carpenter and a Joiner
1835 – Herdsman and Brass Founders Boy5New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 – 1900), Wednesday 19 August 1835 (No.181), page 583
1838 – Brick Maker6New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 – 1900), Wednesday 28 March 1838 (No.326), page 237
Records also show that two convicts absconded from their assignment to Henry Burnell: in 1837 John Clarke7New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 – 1900), Wednesday 7 June 1837 (No.279), page 429, from Fairlie, Nottingham, a lace-maker, and in 1838, Jeremiah Plercy, a carter.
In September 1831 he reported he had a house in Araluen but hoped to have a better one soon, and by February 1837 that new house was almost complete. It had a large cellar, sitting room, three bedrooms, one with French windows, and a kitchen separate from the rest of the house because of the heat. It was pannelled with red gum, had a verandah on each side and a large garden.
In 1836 Henry married Sarah Gray8Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 – 1842), Monday 22 February 1836, page 2 of Sydney and their first child, Laura, was born in Sydney in 18379Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 – 1838), Friday 17 March 1837, page 3. Their second child, Margaret was born on 5th November 1838 in Araluen10Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 – 1842), Friday 9 November 1838, page 3. They went on to have Emily (1844), Thomas (1845-1934), Frances (1847), Arthur (1849-1936, born Araluen), Marion (1850-1930, born Araluen), Hubert Grey (1853-1895), Henry (1854-1916), and Spencer (1857-1935).
By June 1843 the Burnell family was living in Runnymeade, Nelligen, on Buckenbowra Creek, a branch of the Clyde River. Here they had 100 acres predominantly cultivated. Henry’s large holdings in Araluen were being managed by his brother-in-law Frederick Michael Stokes (who in 1831 had been one of the orignial proprietors of the Sydney Herald newspaper11Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 – 1842), Monday 20 April 1835, page 4).
In 1847 Henry was appointed as a magistrate and in 1853 the family moved to Sydney.
In November 1858 Henry Burnell placed an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald 12 Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), Saturday 6 November 1858, page 1 for the ‘rich Gold-field of Araluen, [advising] the private land of H.C. Burnell, Esq., J.P., is now opened to respectable diggers’. He names J.H. (John Harford) Mullins as his Gold Commissioner, and details the methodology for the marking out of claims and the licence fees to be levied.
By 1870 Henry declared personal insolvency13Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 – 1875), Friday 18 August 1871, page 2 following failures of his investments in The Australian Paper Company14Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), Thursday 26 July 1866, page 2 and the Fitzroy Ironworks15Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 – 1875), Friday 31 May 1867, page 4. He came to an arrangement with his creditors to repay his debts by instalments using the proceeds from the goldfields in Araluen and was forced to make over the goldfields to his creditors as security.
Araluen – Plan of renewal of marking the Creek boundary between H.C. Burnell’s 1280 acres and Crown land at Araluen [Sketch book 9 folio 200] NSW State Archives and Records 16Museums of History NSW, https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/image/nrs13886%5Bx773%5D_a110_000427. Accessed 17 February 2023
Henry Clay Burnell died on 30th May 1888 at his home in Clapton, Darlinghurst, Sydney aged 83 years17Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), Friday 1 June 1888, page 7. He left a widow, 5 sons and 4 daughters. His wife Sarah survived him by 8 years, dying on 25th August 1896.