The name ‘Ruttledge’ may have no local significance thought the name ‘Rutledge’ is important in our history, commencing with William Rutledge who purchased the Farnham Special Survey in the 1840s( Tower Hill to Dennington). The name ‘Swinton’ is prominent in our history. Mrs John Swinton (Charlotte Scott nee Dunn, 1871-1944) was married to John Swinton, the son of William and Ann Swinton who came to Warrnambool in 1854. William established a store in Timor Street in the 1850s and opened branches of this store in several local towns. The Swinton family still has commercial interests in Timor Street. This book is of interest because it belonged to Charlotte Swinton, a member of the Swinton family important in Warrnambool’s commercial and community history. This is a black leather-covered book of 656 pages plus a Supplement of Hymns of 32 pages. The cover has gold lettering on the front and the spine. The pages have a gilt edging. The inscriptions are handwritten in pencil. The cover is somewhat scuffed and worn. ‘Mrs John Swinton’ ‘A. Ruttledge, 317 Wattletree Rd., E. Malvern’ swinton family, warrnambool, john swinton, charlotte swinton, history of warrnambool

This school text book, written by Dr William Davis, was one of several used by the Giles children at Wangoom State School. This arithmetic book has the name, ‘Henrietta Giles’. The Giles family lived on the Allansford Road. Wangoom State School, No. 645, was opened in 1865 on the Warrnambool/Wangoom Road as a Common School and became Wangoom State School after 1872. It is now closed. This book is of interest as an example of a 19th century arithmetic book (note that it has the caption, ‘for school and home use’). It is also of significance as a textbook used by the Giles family, early settlers in the Warrnambool area. This is a hard cover book of 114 pages. The cover is green-black with embossed lettering on the front cover (no longer fully decipherable). The pages are dog-eared and a couple of pages are splotched with ink. The cover is partly detached and very stained and the edges are torn away in some places. The inscriptions are handwritten in black ink and there is scribble on some pages. There is a blue stamp of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society on the first page. ‘Henrietta’ ‘Henrietta R.V. Giles, Wangoom State School, No. 645’wangoom state school, history of warrnambool, giles family

This book has been used by children of the Giles family at the Wangoom State School. William and Allan Giles were members of the Giles family that lived on the Allansford Road. Wangoom School, no. 645 was opened in 1865 on the Warrnambool/Wangoom Road as Wangoom Common School. It became Wangoom State School after 1872 and is now closed. This book is of interest as an example of the reading books used by children in Victoria late in the 19th century. The book contains stories about England and the British Empire but has no Australian content. The book is also of interest as it was used by children of the Giles family, early settlers in the Warrnambool district. This is a hard cover book of 190 pages. The cover, once blue but now very faded, had embossed lettering and ornamentation on the front cover but these are now almost indecipherable. The book has come apart from the spine and has been re-stitched with white thread. There is much scribble on the first and last pages with the decipherable inscriptions being handwritten in black ink and pencil. There is a blue stamp of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society on the first page. The text has many black and white illustrations with some coloured in by the users. Many of the text pages are torn, stained and scribbled on. ‘William E. Giles, State (ed. word missing) Wangoom’ ‘Allan Giles’ giles family, wangoom state school, history of warrnambool

This book was given as a prize to William Giles in the late 19th century. It came from the Skiddaw Sunday (or Sabbath) School. Skiddaw was the home of the Batterbee family and was situated on the old Princes Highway in East Warrnambool near Simpson Street today. The corner here was known as ‘Batterbees Corner’ and there is a Skiddaw Street in the locality today. George Batterbee had a ham and bacon business in Warrnambool. For 36 years his wife, Mary, conducted a Sunday School at Skiddaw (from 1882 to 1918). This Sunday School was under the auspices of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Warrnambool. Mrs Batterbee was assisted by her daughter Florinda and other teachers. Florinda and her brother Rex were both artists of note. William Giles and his family lived on the Allansford Road. The Logan family farm was in the vicinity of where Logans Beach is today. This book, though tattered and stained, is most important as the only item we have in our collection that is associated with the Skiddaw Sunday School. Situated in a family home, this Presbyterian-sponsored Sunday School operated for 36 years under the direction of Mary Batterbee. This is a book of 32 pages with the cover and perhaps some of the pages missing. It has been stapled but the staples have been removed. The book has large print and illustrations on all the pages. The illustrations have been coloured in by hand. The first page is loose and scribbled on. The pages are very stained and torn in places. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Skiddaw S. School, Second Prize, Awarded to William Giles for diligence in class, S. Logan, Teacher’. skiddaw, east warrnambool, batterbee family, giles family, logan family, history of warrnambool

This is an early school reader for junior classes. It was used by members of the Giles family at Wangoom State School. This book has the names Robert Giles and Stella Giles. The Giles family lives on the Allansford Road. Wangoom School commenced in 1865 as Wangoom Common School, No. 645. After 1872 the Common School system was abolished and it became Wangoom State School. It is now closed. This book is of interest as an early 20th century example of a school reader used in Victoria. It has no Australian content. It is also of interest as a book used at Wangoom State School by members of the Giles family, early settlers in the Warrnambool area. This is a hard cover book of 190 pages. The cover is black with embossed lettering and ornamentation (much of which is now indecipherable). The front and the back of the book have missing pages. The text contains many black and white illustrations, some of which have been coloured in by hand. Some pages are torn and the spine of the cover is torn at the top. There is some scribble in the book, with the decipherable material handwritten in black ink. ‘Robert Percy Giles, Wangoom, November 5th 1903’ ‘Stella Giles’ giles family, wangoom state school, history of warrnambool

This is a school text book used at Wangoom State School by members of the Giles family. The book contains the names of Allan Giles and Henrietta Giles. The Giles family lived on the Allansford Road. Wangoom School was established in 1865 as the Wangoom Common School No. 645 and later became known as Wangoom State School. It is now closed. This book is of interest as an example of an English Grammar book used in Victoria early in the 20th century. It is also of interest as a school book used by members of the Giles family, early settlers in the Warrnambool area.This is a soft cover book of 80 pages. The cover is dark red with black lettering and an ornamental border. The cover is very stained and worn. At the front and the back of the book and on the back cover are advertisements for other books published by Allman and Son. The inscriptions are handwritten in black ink and pencil. There is a purple stamp of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society on the first page of the text. ‘Allan Giles, Wangoom State School No. 645’ ‘Henrietta R.V. Giles, Allansford Road’ wangoom state school, giles family, history of warrnambool

This school text book has been used at the Wangoom State School in the late 19th century by Henrietta Giles. The Wangoom school was established in 1865 as the Wangoom Common School No. 645 and later became the Wangoom State School. It is now closed. Henrietta Giles was a member of the Giles family that lived on the Allansford Road.This book is of interest as an example of the school texts used by children in Victoria late in the 19th century. It contains the history of Britain in Tudor and Stewart times and has no Australian content. The book is also of interest as it was used by Henrietta Giles, a member of the family that settled early in the Warrnambool district. This is a hard cover book of 331 pages plus some supplementary material at the end. The cover (once blue?) is much stained and torn and the embossed black lettering and British Coat of Arms on the front cover and the spine are now almost indecipherable. Part of the back cover and the bottom edges of some pages have been eaten away. The inscription is handwritten in red ink. The text contains many illustrations, some of which have been hand-coloured. The first two or three pages are missing.‘Henrietta Giles, Wangoom S.S. No. 645, 22/7/91’henrietta giles, wangoom state school

This is a school text book used at the Wangoom State School late in the 19th century by members of the Giles family. The Wangoom school was established in1865 as the Wangoom Common School No. 645 and later it became Wangoom State School. It is now closed. Allan and Christina Giles used this book and their home was on the Allansford Road. Christina Giles, the seventh child of Henry and Mary Jane Giles, was born at The Maam, Wangoom. She died in 1899 at the age of seven from heart failure and kidney disease after a three months’ illness.This book is of interest as it is an example of the reading books used in Victorian schools at the end of the 19th century. Royal Readers were introduced into Victorian school in the 1870s to replace the Irish Readers and continued to be used until the 1920s. They have no Australian content. The book is also of interest as it was used by Christina and Allan Giles, members of a family of early settlers in the Warrnambool district.This is a hard cover book of 188 pages. Some pages at the front and back of the book are missing. The cover (once blue?) has embossed lettering and ornamentation but mostly this is now indecipherable. The pages are partly detached from the cover. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. The text contains many illustrations and some of these have been hand-coloured and defaced. The first page has a mauve stamp of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society. ‘Allan Giles, Wangoom State School No. 645’ (partly obliterated) ‘Christina G.’ christina giles, allan giles, wangoom state school

This school text book was used at the Wangoom State School by Henrietta Giles in the late 19th century. The Wangoom School was established in 1865 as the Wangoom Common School and later became the Wangoom State School. It is now closed. Henrietta Robina Victoria Giles was born in Woodford in 1881 to Henry and Mary Jane Giles, early settlers in the Warrnambool district. They lived on the Allansford Road.This book is of interest as an example of a school text book used in Victoria late in the 19th century. It is also of interest because it belonged to Henrietta Giles, a member of a family living in the Warrnambool district in the 19th century. This is a hard cover book of 70 pages. The cover is brown with embossed lettering and ornamentation on the front and back cover. It is much stained and splotched. The first page is torn at the edge and some of the other pages are dog-eared. The two inscriptions (identical) are handwritten in black ink.‘Henrietta R.V. Giles, Wangoom State School, No. 645’ wangoom state school, henrietta giles

This book contains information for children on a great variety of topics and is in the form of a catechism with questions and answers. Pearl Davidson would be a member of one of the pioneer Davidson families. The brothers, James, John and William Davidson were early settlers in the Warrnambool district. This book is of antiquarian interest as an early instructional guide for children. It is also of interest because it belonged to a member of the Davidson family, important early settlers in the Warrnambool area. This is a hard cover book of 474 pages. The cover is a mottled brown with gold lettering on the spine. The binding is much worn and partly torn away. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Pearl Davidson’pearl davidson, the child's guide to knowledge

This book bears the names of Linda Mathieson and Nullawarre State School. The Mathieson families were early settlers in the Warrnambool area at Woodford and Purnim and later in the Nullawarre district. Nullawarre State School was opened in 1875 with members of the Mathieson family being foundation pupils. It still operates today.This book is of interest because of its connection to the Mathieson families of Nullawarre and to Nullawarre State School.This is a hard cover book of 92 pages. It contains many short articles, over 80 illustrations and advertisements at the back of the book for other books published by T. Nelson and Sons. Some of the illustrations have been hand-coloured. The cover is buff-coloured with ornamental patterns and an image of a family watching a slide show outlined in dark red. The lettering on the cover and spine is in black, red and brown tonings. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Nullawarre S.S. Linda Mathieson, 14.4.23’. linda mathieson, nullawarre state school

This book was given as a prize to Dorothy Donalson who was a pupil at the Warrnambool State School. No. 1743. This school was opened in 1876 in Jamieson Street, Warrnambool, following the 1872 Education Act bringing free, secular and compulsory education to Victoria. Several other Government- sponsored primary schools that existed in Warrnambool in the early 1870s closed when the school in Jamieson Street opened. The school still operates today. The name, ‘Dorothy Donalson’ may be a spelling mistake and may be meant to be Dorothy Donaldson who was living in Derby Street, Warrnambool at that time. Her father Cyril and his brother had a timber yard in Raglan Parade.This book is an excellent example of the type of book given as a prize to school girls in Victoria in the 1930s. The author, May Wynne was a popular and prolific writer of the time. If the book belonged to a member of the Donaldson family, then this is of interest as the Donaldson timber business was a prominent one in Warrnambool at the time. This is a hard cover book of 255 pages. The cover is grey with black lettering on the front and the spine and an image of two schoolgirls in black and grey on the front cover. The book also has a dust cover with a multi-coloured image of the same two schoolgirls on the front cover. The dust cover has been reinforced with white paper pasted on the inside of the cover. The name plate is blue-coloured and has an ornamental edging with the information handwritten in black ink. The book contains 18 chapters and has a full-page black and white illustration at the front of the book.‘S.S. No. 1743 Warrnambool Presented to Dorothy Donalson, First Prize, Grade V11 Girls, 1934’ warrnambool state school, dorothy donaldson

This is a reader produced for schools in Victoria in 1909. It contains many simple fables and stories and some phonetic instruction at the beginning of the short articles. It has no specific Australian content. The inscription includes the name ‘Stanley Bell’. There were several Bell families in the Wangoom area early in the 20th century, including one teacher associated with the Wangoom State School. Stanley Bell may have belonged to one of these families. Walter Davies had a book shop in Timor Street, Warrnambool from the late 19th century and three generations of the Davies family were proprietors of this shop over the years. This book is of educational and social interest as an example of the readers used by primary school children in the early 20th century. This is a soft cover book of 80 pages. The cover is brown with black printing. The pages are partly torn across and very tattered. The inscriptions are handwritten in black ink and pencil and there is some scribble on the first pages. The text has many black and white illustrations. There is a blue stamp of Walter Davies, the Warrnambool bookseller, on the first page. ‘Stanley J. Bell, Warrumyea, Wangoom’ ‘Walter Davies, Bookseller, Warrnambool’ walter davies, stanley bell

This is a school reader used in the 1890s by Maggie Glasgow at Wangoom State School. This school opened in 1865 on the Warrnambool/ Wangoom Road as a Common School but it is now closed. Maggie Glasgow is probably Margaret Glasgow (1880-1954), the daughter of John and Esther Glasgow who were dairy farmers and cheese makers at Blackwood Hill, Wangoom. Jean Glasgow was the daughter of William and Isabella Glasgow who lived in the same area. The Warrnambool and District Historical Society has in its collection examples of the Glasgow butter moulds. This book is of interest as an early school reader for Victorian children. Used in the 1890s this book has some Australian content. The Glasgow children that used this book are members of the Glasgow families important at the turn of the 19th century as cheese makers in the Warrnambool district. This is a hard cover book of 400 pages. Several pages are missing. The cover is dark blue with ornamental patterning on the front and embossed lettering. The text contains many black and white illustrations, some of which have been coloured in by hand. The inscriptions and other written material have been handwritten in black ink and pencil. The pages are partly detached from the binding. ‘Maggie Glasgow, State School No. 645 Wangoom, 31/5/95’ (written twice) ‘Jean Glasgow’ ‘Dear old Mag’ ‘Isie wants a half holiday because L.W. got 20 for English’ maggie glasgow, jean glasgow, history of warrnambool

This exercise book has been used by Winnifred (Winnie) Goodall in 1916 when she was a pupil at the Warrnambool Technical School. The material in the book mostly consists of letter-writing practice for business purposes. The Goodalls were pioneer settlers in the Warrnambool district with William and Ellen Goodall arriving in the area in the late 1840s. Eventually they had a property named Wanstead on the Allansford Road in East Warrnambool. One son, William, was an early manager of the Framlingham Aboriginal Settlement. Another son, Thomas, was a Warrnambool law clerk and Winnie, (born 1901 to mother Leah), was his granddaughter. The Warrnambool Technical School was established in 1913.This exercise book is of interest as an example of school work completed by a Warrnambool Technical School student in 1916. It is also of interest because it belonged to Winnie Goodall, a member of an important pioneering family in the Warrnambool district. This is a school exercise book with a cardboard cover and 17 double pages. The cover has a mottled pattern of brown and mauve and the pages have been attached by metal staples but the staples have been removed. The pages have blue ruled lines with handwritten material in blue and black ink. Some of the pages have red hand-drawn lines. The cover is slightly torn. On the first page two cartoon sketches from a newspaper have been pasted in. The front cover has a printed label in blue and white colouring pasted on, with handwritten information on the label. ‘Exercise Book Written by Winnie Goodall, Commenced 9th February 1916’. winnifred goodall goodall families, warrnambool warrnambool technical school.

This book has been given by the Woodford Sunday School to Edith Cassady (note the misspelling of ‘Cassady’). Edith Cassady was the daughter of William and Elizabeth who lived at Boughton on the Merri River (near Cassady’s Bridge, Caramut Road today). This property was established about 1845. The donor of the book was William Wines, a member of a pioneering family in the Woodford district. This book is of some interest as it belonged to Edith Cassady, a member of a pioneering family who lived at Boughton on the Merri River. This is a hard cover book of 344 pages. The cover is red with black border decorations and black and gold lettering. There are several full page black and white illustrations scattered throughout the book which has 23 chapters of story. The cover and pages are much water-stained. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Woodford Sunday School Presented to Edith Cassidy (sic) by her well-wisher William Wines’ william wines, woodford, history of woodford, edith cassady, boughton property, cassady family

This book was given as a prize in 1892 to Joseph Cassady from the Cassady’s Bridge State School. This school, once located near Cassady’s Bridge on the present-day Caramut Road, was opened on 19th January 1891 and closed in December 1892. The first teacher was Janet Ada McDougall and the teacher when the school closed was J. H. Delahenty. The Cassady family had the farm, Boughton and this was established about 1845 on the Merri River near where the bridge is today. Joseph was born in 1882 to William and Elizabeth Cassady.This book is of considerable importance as it is the only memento we have of Cassady’s Bridge State School. This school only existed for two years.This is a hard cover book of 208 pages. The cover is green with coloured borders and a coloured sketch of a stream and a bridge. The lettering on the front cover and the spine is gold and the pages are gilt-edged. The cover is much faded. Some of the back pages are partly torn away. The book has two black and white sketches at the front of the book and 28 chapters of story. The inscription is handwritten in black ink and the inscription page is stained. ‘State School Cassady’s Bridge Xmas 1892 Presented to Joseph Cassady 3rd Class for Good Progress. J.H. Delahenty Head Teacher’ cassady family, boughton, history of warrnambool

This book belonged to John B. Murray and he gave it to Miss Jessie Sandison on their wedding day. It appears that they lived in Scotland. The handwritten family information reveals that George Sinclair married Janet Swanson in 1825 and one daughter, Ann, married George Sandison in 1859. Their child, Jessie Sandison, was born in 1865 and married John B. Murray on 19th April 1888. The births of four Murray children are recorded in the Bible – Annie, John, George and Maggie. The husband, John B. Murray, died in 1916 and Jessie died in 1925. This Bible is both of antiquarian interest and also of interest regarding the connection with the Sandison/ Murray families. But so far there is nothing to link these families with the Warrnambool area. So the item at this stage remains useful only for display. This is a black leather-covered book. The cover is extended at the edges to partially enclose the pages which are gilt-edged. The cover has embossed decorative patterns and the spine has gold lettering. The cover is stained and torn in places and the inscription pages and two others are loose. The inscriptions have been handwritten in black ink and there are two stamps with the name, ‘J.B. Murray’. One page lists the Murray/Sandison family tree information. ‘J.B. Murray’ ‘To Miss Jessie Grandison 19/4/88’ john b. murray, jessie sandison, warrnambool hitory

This book was awarded in 1884 to Bessie McMahon from the Warrnambool State School. The teacher was Bella Davidson. Warrnambool State School No. 1743 in Jamieson Street, Warrnambool, was opened in 1876 and is still open today. Elizabeth Mary (Bessie) McMahon was the daughter of William and Mary McMahon of Glenrye, Warrnambool. Her father was a Warrnambool lawyer. Bessie McMahon married John Clarke of Garvoc. Isabella (Bella) Davidson was the daughter of John and Isabella Davidson of Rosebank near Woodford. She became a well-known teacher in Warrnambool, commencing as a pupil teacher in the Warrnambool National School (later Common School 646) and moving to the Warrnambool State School in Jamieson Street when it opened. She resigned in 1886 to open a private school in Koroit Street (known as Ellerslie College) and continued as the proprietor and Head Teacher until 1891. This book is of considerable importance because of its association with the Warrnambool State School early in its existence, with Bella Davidson, a noted Warrnambool educationalist of the 19th century and with Bessie McMahon, a member of a prominent family in 19th century Warrnambool.This is a hard cover book of 310 pages. The cover has a blue background with gold and black ornamentation and a gold shield. The shield contains an illustration of a girl lowering a bundle down from a window to a boy below. The lettering on the cover and spine is gold and the pages are gilt-edged. The cover is slightly stained. There are several full-page black and white illustrations scattered throughout the pages. The illustration at the front of the book is loose and the binding is partly detached from the spine. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Warrnambool State School 1743 Decem 1884 Prize Awarded to Bessie McMahon for highest marks in French Div 111 B. Davidson’ warrnambool state school, bella davidson, bessie mcmahon, history of warrnambool

This book belonged to Alice Mathieson. The Mathieson families were early settlers in the Woodford and Purnim areas as shopkeepers and farmers (1850s and 1860s). Peter Mathieson was a holder of land in the Nullawarre area in the 1880s. Alice Mathieson would probably be a member of this Nullawarre Mathieson family. No other information has been found about her. This book is of minor interest as an example of a 1920s attractively-illustrated book on an area in Scotland. It is also of interest as it belonged to a Nullawarre resident in the 1920s. This is a hard cover book of 68 pages. The cover has a grey background and a colour sketch of a house by the seashore on the front cover and black lettering on the front cover and on the spine. The book has twelve full page colour sketches scattered throughout the text. The cover and pages are somewhat stained and the spine is torn away at the bottom edge. The inscription is handwritten in pencil and black ink.‘Alice Mathieson Nullawarre 1927’ alice mathieson, nullawarre, history of warrnambool

These books originally belonged to James Martin of Beeac and have been passed on to his grandson, William James Wines, in 1938. The books were a gift to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society from Bill Wines and it is presumed that he was the recipient of the books in 1938. The Wine families were pioneer settlers in the Woodford area, and later in the Mailors Flat district (Job and Ellen Wines and Charles Wines). Bill Wines was noted for his lifetime interest in Warrnambool cycling and his recording of the history of the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic (one day race).These four volumes are of antiquarian interest as examples of technical education books from the late 19th century. They are also of interest because they belonged to a member of the Wines family, Bill Wines, late of Warrnambool, and his grandfather before him, James Martin. These are four volumes of an encyclopedia on technical education. They have dark blue covers with leather binding on the spines and cover edges. The leather binding is partly torn and stained. Some of the inside binding is partly detached. Two of the volumes have colour plates at the beginning of the text and all have many black and white illustrations and drawings. The inscriptions are handwritten in black ink and one inscription had been handwritten on a piece of paper and pasted into the inside front cover. ‘James Martin Beeac August 3rd 1893’ ‘To Wm. Jas. Wines from his grandfather, J. Martin on November 20th 1938’ ‘Direct gift from Mr Bill Wines Crawly (sic) Street’ wines families, woodford and mailors flat, history of warrnambool

These books originally belonged to James Martin of Beeac and have been passed on to his grandson, William James Wines, in 1938. The books were a gift to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society from Bill Wines and it is presumed that he was the recipient of the books in 1938. The Wine families were pioneer settlers in the Woodford area, and later in the Mailors Flat district (Job and Ellen Wines and Charles Wines). Bill Wines was noted for his lifetime interest in Warrnambool cycling and his recording of the history of the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic (one day race).These four volumes are of antiquarian interest as examples of technical education books from the late 19th century. They are also of interest because they belonged to a member of the Wines family, Bill Wines, late of Warrnambool, and his grandfather before him, James Martin. These are four volumes of an encyclopedia on technical education. They have dark blue covers with leather binding on the spines and cover edges. The leather binding is partly torn and stained. Some of the inside binding is partly detached. Two of the volumes have colour plates at the beginning of the text and all have many black and white illustrations and drawings. The inscriptions are handwritten in black ink and one inscription had been handwritten on a piece of paper and pasted into the inside front cover. ‘James Martin Beeac August 3rd 1893’ ‘To Wm. Jas. Wines from his grandfather, J. Martin on November 20th 1938’ ‘Direct gift from Mr Bill Wines Crawly (sic) Street’ wines families, woodford and mailors flat, history of warrnambool, bill wines

The Davidson brothers, James and John, were pioneer settlers in the Warrnambool district, with John establishing th property of Rosebrook in Woodford and James establishing the homestead of Woodend in West Warrnambool. Another brother William was an early storekeeper in Woolsthorpe. He died in 1904 and may be the W. Davidson who was the recipient of this book. The Midgleys came to the Yangery Creek area in 1852 and established the property of Yangery Grange. Mrs Midgley presumably belonged to one of these families from pioneer times. Ethel Davidson would be a descendant of one of the Davidson families but there were several women with this name born in the 19th century though one born to a William Davidson in 1887 may be the later owner of this book. This book is of interest because of its connection to members of the Davidson families – pioneer settlers in the Warrnambool area.This is a hard cover book of 461 pages. The cover is dark red with some ornamental borders and gold lettering. The book has two black and white full page illustrations, with the first one protected with tissue paper. The inscriptions are handwritten in blue and black ink. ‘To W. Davidson from Mrs Midgley’ ‘Ethel M. Davidson’ william davidson, ethel davidson, history of warrnambool.

The Ware families were prominent early settlers in the Warrnambool district. But Doris Ware, the recipient of this, was probably the woman born in Echuca in 1887, the daughter of John and Sarah Ware and no other details are available on her. Muckleford is a town near Castlemaine This book has been in the collection of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society for many years so it is presumed it has some connection to the local pioneering Ware families, This is a black leather-covered book of 1016 pages. The cover has embedded lettering on the front cover and gold lettering on the spine. The cover has come apart from the binding and has been mended with adhesive tape. The spine section of the cover is completely detached from the binding. The inscription is handwritten in black ink with later writing in blue ink. ‘Presented to Doris Ware from the Muckleford Methodist Sunday School. C.W. Talbot Sec.’ ’25.2.28’ doris ware, history of warrnambool

This book belonged to John Cowtan. He was a purchaser of land near Cassady’s Bridge in Warrnambool and an important and early settler in Port Fairy. The land that John Cowtan selected was bought by Williaam Cassady whose sister, Ann, was married to John Cowtan. Cassady established the property, Boughton where Cassady’s Bridge is today. This book came from a Cassady estate sale early in the 21st century. Between 1839 and 1844 John Cowtan was a ship’s captain for John Griffiths, a shipowner and entrepreneur. In 1844 Cowtan established a merchant trading and produce business in Port Fairy with John Bland. In the 1860 John Cowtan went to live in Melbourne.This book is of great interest because of its early date (one year after the founding of Warrnambool) and because of its association with John Cowtan, a pioneer settler of Port Fairy with connections to Warrnambool.This is a brown leather cover book of 385 pages. The spine has gold lettering. The binding has come apart and has been mended with white cotton material on the inside of the cover. The insides of the cover have a brown, white, blue and yellow mottled pattern. The cover is stained and torn at the edges and has a deep gouging on the front. The first page has been torn and mended with tape and some of the pages are stained. There are two pressed fern fronds, one loose newspaper cutting and a bookmark with a sepia-coloured image, lace paper edges and coloured embroidery contained within the pages. The book has a preface and 58 chapters. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘J. Cowtan 1848’ john cowtan, port fairy history, william cassady

This Bible was owned by John Glasgow, a Wangoom farmer. His father, Robert, settled in Blackwood Hill near Wangoom in the 1850s. John Glasgow was a celebrated cheesemaker who won many prizes locally and overseas and a Warrnambool Shire Councillor from 1880 to 1886 and from 1892 to 1906. He was a Sunday School teacher at the Wangoom Presbyterian Church for 50 years and an Elder for 42 years. The book contains the names and birth dates of the extended Glasgow family and the names include Linnett, Glasgow, Coulstock and Anderson.This Bible is of considerable interest because of its connection to the John Glasgow and other members of his family. This is a leather-covered book with gold lettering on the spine. The cover overlaps the pages for extra protection. The pages are gilt-edged. One page has come apart from the binding and several other pages are partly detached from the spine. All the inscriptions are hand-written in black ink. One is a religious verse which has been pasted on to the inside of the front cover and on another page are listed the names and birth dates of 18 members of the Glasgow extended family. The book and cover are very tatty and stained. ‘Mr J. Glasgow, Wangoom, 26.7.99’ john glasgow, wangoom presbyterian church, history of warrnambool, cheesemaking in the warrnambool district

This book was given in 1928 as a prize by the Dennington Presbyterian Sabbath (Sunday) School to Clive Cust. The Dennington Presbyterian Church was originally established in Drummond Street in 1918. In 1951 it was moved to Lindsay Street and demolished in 1968. The Cust families have been prominent in Warrnambool’s history since its foundation days. Clive Cyril Cust was born in Warrnambool in 1914 to Alex and Annie Cust. This book is of minor interest as an example of the type of book given to a teenage boy as a Sunday School prize in 1928. It is also of interest because of its connection to a member of the Cust family. This is a hard cover book of 216 pages. It has a brown cover with black lettering and ornamental borders on the front cover and spine and a coloured sketch of several military men on horseback on the front cover. The same coloured sketch forms the frontispiece and there are three other black and white sketches scattered throughout the text. The inscriptions are hand-printed and hand-written in black ink. ‘Presbyterian Sabbath School Dennington, Prize Awarded to Clive Cust, January 1928, F. Jones Superintendent’. ‘Presented to Mr Clive Cust of Dennington’ dennington presbyterian church, clive cust

This ruler was distributed and sold as an advertising tool for the Warrnambool business of Swintons’ Pty Ltd. William and Ann Swinton were pioneer settlers in Warrnambool and established a grocery and general store in 1865 in Timor Street. Today the Swinton family still has business interests in Timor Street. It appears that this ruler was used in the crockery department of the Swinton general store in the 1920s. This ruler is of minor interest as a memento of the Swintons Timor Street store in the 1920s. Wooden rulers would have been used to a great degree in the 1920s, especially by school children. This is a wooden ruler with imperial measurements up to 12 inches. It is flat on one side and slightly curved on the other side. It has black printing on the top and handwritten black writing on the base. It has been well-used but is still relatively clean and legible.‘A Safe Rule Always Purchase at Swintons’ Pty. Ltd. Warrnambool Buy the Best Pay the Least.’ ‘Crockery Department 29/10/29’ swintons pty ltd, swinton family, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

Pen and ink sets were common household and business items in the 19th century and up to the mid 20th century (prior to the introduction of ballpoint pens). They would have been placed on a writing desk or table. The items here are attractive ones and would have been a relatively expensive purchase.These items are connected to the Toleman family from Warrnambool and may have been used by the donor’s father who was an accountant. These are four items:- .1 An oblong glass dish, partly rounded at the ends and with a criss-cross pattern on the base. Inside the dish, towards the ends, are two ridges for holding four pens or pencils. .2 An oblong polished black stone tray with a curved front and a ridge for holding a pen. On the oblong section are two square metal bases with four side clips on each to hold the inkwells. These metal pieces are attached to the black tray with metal screws. .3 & .4 Two glass (crystal?) cubes with a hollow inside for holding ink. The tops of the cubes are metal with circular openings. The lids are metal with metal hinges and polished black stone topshistory of warrnambool, writing implements and associated items, household items from the past

This book belonged to Emily Gascoigne Stratford. She married Barnard Mathews in Victoria in 1856 and the births of seven children are recorded in Victoria. Carshalton (the home of the aunt who gave the book?) is a town in Surrey, England. So far no connection has been found between the Mathews family and Warrnambool.This book has no known local provenance but it is of interest for its antiquarian value. This is a hard cover book of 381 pages. It has a brown cover with embossed ornamentation and gold lettering on the spine. The front cover is partly detached from the binding and the pages are gilt-edged. There is a black and white illustration on the second page. The cover is very faded and stained and there is some staining throughout the pages. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Mifs Emily Gazoigne Stratford, From her Aunt, F.S. Stratford, Carshalton, Augst. 1850’. emily gascoigne stratford, emily mathews, warrnambool history, believers daily