Historical information
Shawl of Jane Francis (nee Piper) 1809-1891
Jane was born in Devon near the village of Bradworthy. She married Joseph Francis (1803-1878) in 1830 in the Bradworthy Parish Church and wore the shawl on her wedding day.
Jane and Joseph came to Geelong in 1853 with their family. Jane’s sister and brother were in Geelong and their eldest daughter Elizabeth had arrived in 1849. They came ashore at Point Henry and travelled across the bay in the steamer Duncan Hoyle. Jane was wearing the shawl on her arrival in Geelong.
They went to live in Sharp Street Chilwell in a house owned by their son in law, John Price, which they later purchased. Jane became well known as a ‘midwife’ having had 10 children of her own. She is known to have delivered twin girls in Fyans Street; Ada and Myrtle Downie in 1884.
Jane’s youngest son William (1848-1932) was a spinning master, timekeeper and pay clerk at the Victorian Woollen Mill (later the Godfrey Hirst Excelsior Number Two mill) and together with William Cook owned a wool scour on the Barwon River at Marnockvale.
William’s grandson Arthur (1917-1992) was a wool classer undertaking his course at the Gordon Institute and became a wool valuer at Strachan & Co. For a time he taught part time in the Gordon course. Arthur’s son Robert was also a wool classer and worked at the Australian Wool Testing Authority.
The shawl was passed to William then to his daughters, one of whom passed to an aunt that then came to me via a cousin with the verbal history.
- Donor, 2026
Physical description
Wool and silk fringed cream coloured shawl featuring a paisley pattern in tones of maroon, green, blue, brown and cream.
