Bridle family papers, ca. 1830-1983

MLMSS 4185

fonds

ca. 1830-1983

889449

2 boxes textual material

The small bible's original owner was William Bridle from some time in the 1820s, when he was living at Macquarie Field. The small bible was given to his wife Martha then used as a family bible for recording names the later still, referred to as William's old bible. The youngest son of William and Martha, (George Bridle) gave his mother a larger bible for her 65" birthday, on 4 May 1872. [Decorated inscription done by George inside bible]. At Martha's death (1886) the two bibles passed to two of her daughters. The small bible passed to her daughter Mary Neall - bible referred to as 'her father's old bible' when willed to Mary at that time. The larger bible passed to her youngest daughter Emma [Kinred]. The small bible was later given by Mary Neall (d 1919, Tumut) to her niece Margaret Elizabeth Wilkinson (later Bridle) [inscription by Mary to Margaret in a margin in the bible]. From Margaret Elizabeth Bridle (d 1944, Tumut) the small bible found its way to her Tumut relatives, the Kinred descendants, the same family already in possession of the larger bible. From here, the two bibles were passed down together, both being given by Emma Kinred's grand-daughter, Lois Adam, to relative Jack Bridle of Talbingo, when Lois was leaving Tumut in the mid 20" century. [Personal communication by Jack Bridle, 1982. Jack was son of James Frederick Bridle]. Both bibles were then given by Jack Bridle to the Buddong Society, (family group comprising descendants of William Bridle and William Wilkinson) in 1982, then displayed at reunions of the Buddong Society in 1982 and 1983. The 1983 AGM of the society voted to donate the bibles to the Mitchell Library because of their relevance to early colonial history and their connection to Bridle descendant, Miles Franklin. [Personal communication, Margaret Francis]. [Notes provided by the Buddong Society, 2023]

The collection includes 2 family Bibles, with manuscript entries on the Bridle family, ca. 1830-1871, notes on the Bridle and Franklin families by Margaret Francis, 1983.

Details and observations on the small bible:
William Bridle born 1797 Chard, England, died 1873, Tumut, NSW.
Martha Miles born 1807 Prospect NSW, (daughter of First Fleeter Edward Miles and Susannah n~e Smith) died 1886 Tumut NSW.
William and Martha married 30 June, 1823, St Peter's Anglican Church, Campbelltown (then spelt Campbell Town) NSW. [Entry 14 in St Peter's church register. First entry after church's official opening date of St Peter's Day, 29 June].
The following entry in the small bible is evidence the couple were married in the actual church.
'Both was married at campbell Town Church by the revn Tho° Reddall'.
William at that stage was, at the time of their marriage, assigned to James Meehan, owner of Macquarie Field, the couple living there until moving to the Monaro (c 1840) then Talbingo (1848) and finally Tumut (c 1860).

The date in the bible is confusing as it has been altered, possibly by a different hand. It seems to have been changed to 1828. If the year was originally 1823, then it may have been a gift from William to his new wife, especially as the poem refers to the bible as 'her book'. Other evidence in the inscriptions however suggest it was used by William as his book, before and/or after their marriage (eg a humorous poem in which the 'honer's' name is stated to be 'WII Bridle' plus a scribble in a margin regarding an account with a John Burns). It is also later referred to as 'her father's old bible' by Martha (see above).

Some details and observations on the large bible:
The beautifully illustrated style of this bible reveals the creative talents in the family and also the respectable/comfortable status that the family was enjoying in their life in Tumut, compared to the colonial beginnings of their marriage when William had still been an assigned convict. Yet the small bible reveals the tenacity and hope the family had held in the earlier times.

[Description of both bibles provided by the Buddong Society, October 2023]

Information transferred from Manuscripts Leaf Catalogue No.2 as part of the eRecords Project, 2009-2010

Further background notes and family trees provided by the Buddong Society in October 2023 placed in box 2.