This letter describes a business transaction of an item essential to conducting a mill in the days of the pioneers. The horse was purchased from Francis Jones at Grasmere some 45 kilometres distant. Francis Jones and descendants were closely associated with the settlement of Grasmere (district) and 'The Union', a well-known pastoral property still in existence today.The conduct of business in the 19th century could be slow and arduous. Horses were an essential component of business and communication. Their labour was pivotal to success and so their physical soundness (or otherwise) was vital. The horse trade was open to manipulation by the unscrupulous, selling unfit animals. Veterinary care and treatment was primitive, so a buyer could not be confident of a positive result, despite (as in this case) Jones' assurances of the triviality of the injury and Knights' capabilities. Handwritten letter on paper folden in half - water stained.Grasmere. April 4th 1864. Messrs. Hamilton & Co. I beg to acknowledge the receipt of yours of the 29th March enclosing a cheque for [pound sign] balance of the price of the bay mare for which I am much obliged to you for your punctuality in sending it. I enclose you a receipt for the the (sic) same. With reference to the swelling on the mares leg it could only have been there a very short time before you purchased her. It can easily be removed if the proper remedies are applied. M. Knights the veterinary surgeon will give you medicine that will remove it for a trifle. Hoping the mare will give you ample satisfaction. I am scy. (sic) [sincerely] yours respecfully Francis Jones. mortlake mill hamilton transport communication francis jones grasmere michael knights veterinary surgeon

The two homesteads are Ben Eadie and Craiglee, which were two of Sunbury's earliest vineyards that were established in Sunbury. James Stewart Johnson designed and built his concrete home, Craiglee, in 1865 where the previous year he had planted out his vineyard on the surrounding 26 acres of land.The property was on the east side of Jacksons Creek on Macedon Road. He concentrated growing Riesling and Hermitage grapes. After his death in 1896, his son Wilfred continued to produce wines until the late 1920s, when he pulled out the vines and concentrated on raising sheep for wool and meat. The Carmody family purchased the property in 1961 and in 1976 decided to replant the vineyard. Ben Eadie was built some time in 1863 and settled by the Eadie family who also were millers. The winery was built into the side of a hill close to the house but the Eadie family tended to concentrate on milling and retailing.In the earliest days of European settlement many wineries were established in the Sunbury area.Two non-digital sepia photographs have been mounted on cardboard. They are photographs of two homesteads with bare hills in the background. They were built in Sunbury in the early days off European settlementBen Eadie Vic. Craiglee Sunbury 1903john eadie, ben eadie winery, james stewart johnson, craiglee, wineries, vineyards