Thomas Playford I
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Thomas Playford (11 August 1795 – 18 September 1873) was a non-conformist minister of religion, teacher and farmer in the early days of the British colony of South Australia. The first-born son of the next three generations were also named Thomas; the second and fourth became premiers of South Australia. His time in South Australia was closely linked with that of his brother, John Playford (born 1810), sister Hannah Welbourn née Playford (1813–1865), and Hannah's husband Thomas Welbourn (1812–1879).
The brothers were ordained ministers, followers of Robert Aitken, with heretical views on the nature of eternal punishment that attracted charges of Socinianism.[1][2]
Early life and military career
[edit]Thomas Playford was born in Barnby Dun, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the eldest son of farmer Thomas Playford (born 1759), and had a happy, carefree childhood.[3] The tall (186 cm (6 ft 1 in)), thoughtful youth was hardly fitted for farm life, and was persuaded to join the army, and in September 1810 enrolled with the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards. He served with in the Battle of Vittoria, the Peninsular Wars and at Waterloo, though he was providentially spared direct combat.[3] According to Stewart Cockburn, Playford was dragooned into the army to avoid a scandal involving an older girl.[4] He returned to England with his regiment in February 1816 and, finding himself with time on his hands, volunteered for teaching and clerical duties. In 1819[3] he married Mary Anne Corsane;[5] they had two children who died in infancy. He also became interested in religion, and though by birth an Anglican, was for a time influenced by Wesleyan teachings, though seeing some flaws in their arguments. He next was influenced by Rev. Edward Irving, though again confused by the arguments among his followers.[3] His last years with the regiment were spent researching and writing up its history, a task for which he was commended but saw little reward for his efforts.[3] He reached the rank of Lieutenant[6] before being honorably discharged.[citation needed]
Canada and London
[edit]On his discharge from the army he attempted to take up a land grant in Canada, but failed. According to one account his wife and one child died in 1835[1][5] and he returned with his remaining daughter Eliza to London.[7] Hussey's account, based on Playford's recollections, had the son dying on their return trip, to be buried at sea, and his wife dying of consumption shortly after their return to London.[3] There he helped the Adjutant-General's department prepare a book on regimental colours.[6] He married again in 1837 to Mary Ann Perry and had a further three children in England, the eldest following the family tradition in being named Thomas.[5] A turning point in his religious life came in 1837 when he heard the Rev. Robert Aitken preach, and joined his "The Christian Society". He was soon appointed an Elder and an approved preacher, but refused to abandon his work on military history. In 1841 a rupture occurred in "The Christian Society" and Playford became leader of one of the few remaining branches.[3]
Sibling migration to Australia
[edit]Playford's sister Hannah Playford was also born in Barnby Dun. She married Thomas Welbourn prior to December 1836, when she and her husband migrated to South Australia aboard John Renwick, arriving in February 1837.[7] Playford's brother John Playford, who has been reported as dying aboard that vessel,[8][9] was preaching in Adelaide in January 1844.[10]
Playford himself would not arrive for another seven years, but on 27 August 1837 Town Acre No. 50, as surveyed by Colonel Light on Hindley Street, Adelaide, was purchased in his name, at a land auction held by the South Australian Company. The grant to Playford would be made out on 27 December 1844. It is assumed[by whom?] that the bidding and payment was made by an agent such as Welbourn[11] or John Playford.
In 1893 that property was still in the family, owned by Thomas Playford II[note 1] and his brother Edward.[12] A cottage was erected there for Tom and Hannah Welbourn. The Welbourns' first child Thomas Playford Welbourn was born on 12 July 1838, possibly the first white male born on mainland South Australia.[a] A daughter, Catherine Hannah Welbourn was born on 20 June 1840.
Life in Australia
[edit]Playford, his wife Mary Anne Playford (née Perry) and their little family emigrated in 1843[13] or 1844.[3] Their travel details are unknown.
Playford joined the Adelaide branch of an energetic sect of baptists self-identified as simply "Christians" or "Christian Brethren" and whose first chapel was opened on Bentham Street in 1848.[14][6][15] A second was founded in Hindmarsh and a third at Grassy Flat, on the eastern side of present-day Norton Summit.[16] That tiny church, which later became attached to the Baptist denomination, was replaced in 1886 by the 150-seat Norton Summit Baptist Church across the road.[17]
Playford was mainly associated with the Bentham Street chapel, and preached there regularly from 1850 to shortly before he died. A recurring topic of his sermons was the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.[6]
By September 1846, Playford had erected a two-storey premises on his property in Hindley Street, where Thomas and Hannah Welbourn established an eating-house.[18] However Welbourn had become abusive towards his wife,[19] took to drink[20] and went prospecting,[7] and Mrs Welbourn turned the eating-house into a boarding-house.[21]
Hannah Welbourn took her two children to Hobart for a year circa 1855; then to Hatfield, England, near her birthplace, where they stayed with relatives.[22][23][7] The Welbourns returned to Adelaide two years later aboard a migrant ship.[23]
Hannah Welbourn's son Thomas Playford Welbourn married Ann Richardson on 12 July 1859. That same year he was operating a cooperage in Flinders Street in partnership with one William Wilkins,[24] then from August 1865 on his own account.[25] In 1869 he advertised to hire six or eight coopers.[26] In 1873 the business became known as Welbourne, Davids, & Co. Welbourn retired in 1886 and died on the anniversary of both his birth and wedding. Welbourne Street, Mitcham, where he lived for fifty years, was named for him.[11]
In 1849 Thomas Welbourn had leased and later purchased Section No. 1079 of 118 acres, near Norton's Summit.[27][28] Playford took over the Norton's Summit property in 1860.[13] By 1864, part of the property had been sold to H. Norton, who paid £9 10s per acre.[29] Playford also farmed at Mitcham, where he ran a small school,[13] and, on occasion, preached at Bentham Street and Grassy Flat without payment.
Playford donated land on Albert Street, Mitcham for a Christian chapel,[30] which was opened in September 1860.[31] He conducted services there without payment until his death, when the Rev. Tom Capel Davis (died 15 October 1875) became its first stipendiary minister, and the church was admitted to the Baptist Association.[32]
Playford died at his Mitcham home and his remains were buried in the Mitcham Baptist church cemetery,[33] the service conducted by Henry Hussey.[34]
Publications
[edit]- Playford, Thomas (1856), Discourses on the second appearing of Christ, and on the changes predicted by the inspired writers in connection with that glorious event, Groombridge; Adelaide : C. Platts, retrieved 18 December 2019 Price 3s. 6d.
- Playford, Thomas (1872) Sermons by Rev. Thomas Playford, preached at Bentham St. Chapel, Adelaide publ. W. C. Rigby, 53 Hindley Street. Price 3s. 6d.
Family and descendants
[edit]Family and descendants of Revd Thomas Playford |
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Thomas Playford I married Mary Ann Corsane (1795–1835) in 1819. He married again, to Mary Anne Perry (1805 – 27 April 1872) in 1837. Their children included:
Three born in Adelaide:
Family of Hannah Welbourn née Playford[edit]Hannah Playford (12 May 1813 – 15 February 1865), a sister of Revs. John and Thomas Playford, married Thomas Welbourn (12 October 1812 – 1879). Their family members, many of whom adopted the spelling 'Welbourne', not here observed, include:
Hannah Welbourn's brother-in-law William Welbourn (c. 1825 – 9 September 1881) married Elizabeth Scivier (c. 1831 – 7 March 1913) and lived at George Street, Norwood. Their children include:
|
Notes
[edit]- ^ Delineating the various Thomas Playfords with a generation number is solely for ease of reference in this and related articles; in Australia there is no tradition of referring to "Thomas Playford II" et al. in speech or in writing.
Further reading
[edit]- "History of the Family of Thomas Welbourn" (PDF). welbnoms.com.au. Brian Welbourne King. 18 August 2003. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
Notes and references
[edit]- ^ An earlier claim was John Rapid Hoare, born 7 November 1836 near Cygnet River on Kangaroo Island, attended by Dr John Woodforde.
- ^ a b John Playford (1988). "Playford, Thomas (1837–1915)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: Playford, Thomas (1837–1915). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "The Press and the Public". South Australian Gazette and Mining Journal. Vol. V, no. 297. South Australia. 9 February 1850. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Henry Hussey (5 November 1873). "The Late Rev. T. Playford". South Australian Register. South Australia. p. 7. Retrieved 17 December 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ Cockburn, Stewart (1991). Playford: Benevolent Despot. Axiom. ISBN 0-9594164-4-7.
- ^ a b c "A Tribute to Influential Australian Christians: Thomas Playford". 15 December 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d "The Late Rev. Thomas Playford". Evening Journal (Adelaide). Vol. V, no. 1434. South Australia. 18 September 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 27 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d King, Marion (18 August 2003). Brian W. King (ed.). "History of the Family of Thomas Welbourn" (PDF). welbnoms.com.au. Brian Welbourne King. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "Death of W. H. Gray". The Evening Journal (Adelaide). Vol. XXVIII, no. 8059. South Australia. 7 September 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 6 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Out among the People". The Chronicle (Adelaide). Vol. 95, no. 5, 367. South Australia. 30 October 1952. p. 43. Retrieved 6 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Advertising". South Australian Register. South Australia. 30 November 1844. p. 2. Retrieved 6 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia. his first mention in Adelaide newspapers.
- ^ a b "Out Among the People". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. 97, no. 29, 878. South Australia. 19 July 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 6 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Mr Nicholson to be Prosecuted". The Express and Telegraph. Vol. XXX, no. 8, 734. South Australia. 3 January 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia. ten years later it was at least part-owned by E. Fischer & Sons
- ^ a b c "Honest Tom". The Chronicle (Adelaide). Vol. LXXIX, no. 4, 202. South Australia. 27 May 1937. p. 49. Retrieved 25 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Religion". South Australian Register. Vol. XXIII, no. 3839. South Australia. 26 January 1859. p. 5. Retrieved 27 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
Christians.— The denomination under this designation, presided over by the Rev. Thomas Playford, have three chapels, namely, at Adelaide, Hindmarsh, and Grassy Flat. These places of worship afford an aggregate accommodation for 830 persons. There are 112 recognised church members, two Sabbath schools, 14 teachers, and 83 scholars.
- ^ "New Chapel in Bentham Street". The South Australian. Vol. XI, no. 974. South Australia. 8 September 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 27 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Manning's South Australian Place Names: Grassy Flat". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "Norton's Summit Baptist Church". Adelaide Observer. Vol. XXXIX, no. 2117. South Australia. 29 April 1882. p. 36. Retrieved 27 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Police Commissioner's Court". South Australian Register. South Australia. 2 September 1846. p. 4. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Tuesday, 14th, April". Adelaide Observer. Vol. III, no. 147. South Australia. 18 April 1846. p. 3. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Police Commissioner's Court". The South Australian. Vol. X, no. 798. South Australia. 1 January 1847. p. 6. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Police Court". South Australian Register. Vol. XIV, no. 1149. South Australia. 18 June 1850. p. 3. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Concerning People". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXX, no. 21, 428. South Australia. 15 July 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d e "Obituary". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 17 May 1934. p. 17. Retrieved 26 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Advertising". South Australian Register. Vol. XXVII, no. 5343. South Australia. 10 December 1863. p. 1. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Advertising". Adelaide Observer. Vol. XXIII, no. 1245. South Australia. 12 August 1865. p. 2. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Advertising". The Evening Journal (Adelaide). Vol. I, no. 82. South Australia. 10 April 1869. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Law and Crinminal Courts". South Australian Register. Vol. XXIV, no. 4281. South Australia. 4 July 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Central Road Board". Adelaide Observer. Vol. XVI, no. 857. South Australia. 6 March 1858. p. 8. Retrieved 18 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Central Road Board". The South Australian Advertiser. Vol. VI, no. 1735. South Australia. 17 February 1864. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "An Historical Building". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 30 August 1928. p. 14. Retrieved 18 December 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Advertising". Adelaide Observer. South Australia. 25 August 1860. p. 2. Retrieved 18 December 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Around the Churches". The Daily Herald (Adelaide). South Australia. 1 November 1913. p. 3 (Magazine Section). Retrieved 18 December 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Obituary". South Australian Register. South Australia. 6 November 1875. p. 7. Retrieved 18 December 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Topics of the Day". The South Australian Advertiser. South Australia. 22 September 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 18 December 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Adelaide Times. Vol. VII, no. 880. South Australia. 31 May 1853. p. 2. Retrieved 28 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Mr Playford's Father Dies". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. 87, no. 27063. South Australia. 29 June 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 7 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Darwin Magistrate". The News (Adelaide). Vol. XV, no. 2, 213. South Australia. 20 August 1930. p. 6. Retrieved 19 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 18 April 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 7 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Mr. M. E. Playford". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. LXXXVI, no. 26527. South Australia. 12 October 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 7 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Funeral of Premier's Cousin". The News (Adelaide). Vol. 41, no. 6, 306. South Australia. 14 October 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 7 September 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Personal". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. XLVIII, no. 14, 724. South Australia. 27 December 1905. p. 4. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. XCII, no. 26, 648. South Australia. 13 January 1927. p. 13. Retrieved 17 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Death of Mr. A. E. Welbourne". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 24 June 1925. p. 10. Retrieved 25 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.