Children of Rev. George Crawford & Mary West of Newton-Forbes

Contributed by Rachel Smith

SURNAMES: Crawford, West, Goslin, Palmer, Crawford, Potter, Gosselin, Ferrier, Synnot, Fenwick

Rev. George and Mary(West)Crawford of St. Anne's (rectory, NewtonForbes) had eleven children and about fifty grandchildren. They also billetted some West nieces while their father Maj. George West served in India.

1. William, b.1801, eldest son. Graduated from Trinity and was admitted to King's Inn, but died aged 21.

2. Samuel Francis, b. 1809, Trinity 1832. m.1832 cousin Anna Maria West daughter of Francis West of Cloone, County Leitrim. Samuel was educated for the clergy but did not feel a calling and was not ordained. Emigrated to America 1846. Children: George,died of TB 1854 in Australia; William Francis, m. Hannah Belle Smith; Arthur Forbes, m. Eliza Talbot; Ronald Francis, d.s.p.; Francis Reginald, m. Alice Mowe; Fanny, d. young of TB; Mary, unmarried; Hessie, m. Rev. Milton Taylor, circuit riding Methodist minister; Felicia and Honoria, baby twins who died of typhoid in New York city.

3. George John, Trinity, King's Inn, Lawyer. M. cousin Alicia Goslin. Was appointed to Supreme Court, So.Australia, died 1852.

4.Francis, Trinity, King's Inn. M. Janet Synnot. Clergyman. See Letters from Home, Fanny Crawford's Death. Children: Edith, m.__Gorncasstle;(2) ___?.

5. Thomas Reginald, Trinity, King's Inn. M. Janet Ferrier. Emigrated to America. No children. 6. Hester Magdalen,1830 m. Rev. Arthur Palmer. Emigrated to Canada where Arthur became rector of Guelph and a Bishop. D. 1846.

Children George, barrister, m. Henrietta Parker; William-Crawford, surgeon; Arthur, professor at Trinity college, m. Frances Greene; Mary Madeline; Frances, m. Henry Stewart, clergyman; Margaret Anne; Hessie Rebecca.

7. Jane Caroline m. John Crawford of Cartron Abbey, Sovereign of Longford. He was from the Crawfords of Stonewold, also a shoot of the Kilbirnie Crawfords. Children: David; William Robert; Robert Caldwell; John George; James Travers; Thomas Pakenham; Margaret, m. __Harding; Sarah, m. Edward Stoney.

8. Maria St. Maurice, m. Rev. Lewis Potter, son of Samuel P.of Tuam, Galway. Children: George John Crawford, wine merchant; Capt. William Robert; Lewis Francis; Dr. Samuel Reginald; Mary Sabina; Fannie Eliza; Marguerite Anna; Sara Cooper; Madeline St. Maurice.

9. Selina m. Capt. Nicholas Gosselin (kinsman of Goslin above, but used original spelling of Huguenot name). Children: Reginald, m. Miss Leaky; Major Sir Nicholas, m. Katherine Haslett; William; George, m. Anne Haslett; Fanny, m. Capt. Muller; Mary, m. J. Herdman; Selina, m. A. Herdman; Madeline, m. Joseph Bell. 10. Margaretta died young of scarlatina. 11. Elizabeth m. Horatio Gates Fenwick, 1830. Children: George Roe, naval officer; Mary Selina; Hannah Bertha; Robert Howard; Benjamin; Elizabeth; Hessie Madeline.

All the sons but Samuel were educated as lawyers to assist Rev. George in presenting his claim to an ancestral Scottish title. [A distant cousin who was a senior claimant to this title had lost his case because of betrayal by unqualified corrupted helpers.] Rev. George himself also was a doctor of law as well as of divinity. The claim did not succeed. ___________________________

JUDGE GEORGE JOHN CRAWFORD Abridged from an entry in Australian Dictionary of Biography, written by R.M. Hague:

Judge Crawford (1812-1852) was born in County Longford, Ireland, third son of George Crawford, rector of Newton Forbes and later vicar-general of diocese of Armagh. He was educated at Trinity Coll., Dublin (BA, 1833; LLD 1846).

Called to Irish Bar in 1840, he practised as an equity barrister. In 1849 the South Australian government requested the Colonial Office to nominate a second judge to assist the ailing chief justice Charles Cooper in the Supreme Court. Crawford was recommended by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and appointed at a salary of 800 pounds.

In 1844 he had married his cousin Alicia, nee Goslin. They sailed with their children [two baby girls] and arrived in Adelaide 27 June 1850.

He was welcomed by the legal profession with a breakfast at the Freemason's Hotel. Two days later despite protests from the contractors, the new Supreme Court was forcibly entered to house the judicial papers which were then in a cart in Victoria Square. In August Crawford presided at first sittings in new Court House.

Cooper found him a 'treasure and comfort'for taking lion's share of work. In Oct. judges salaries were raised, Crawford's to 1200. Where Cooper had been casual and lax Crawford brought dignity and authority to the Supreme Court. He was thre first to wear a judicial wig in the colony and would stand no nonsense from sleepy jurymen or [unpunctuality]; once he had the cause list read and because eleven untried cases were not ready, calmly ordered them to be struck out, discharged the jury and closed the sittings. He also dealt heavily with irregular legal practices and advocated [bar association].

Progress was delayed by arguments over admission of undesirable characters. Association began in June 1851 by invitation of thirty-two members....To start its library Crawford promised a set of modern reports. Among his other reforms he questioned value of 'out-of-date, cumbrous' Grand Jury and successfully petitioned Legislative Council for abolition....To relieve lower courts of piled up cases, Crawford acted as commissioner of the Insolvency Court.

At sittings of June 1852 Crawford was noticeably ill. His last official act was on 4 September when he sent to the Executive Council his notes on the trial of three Aboriginals who had been sentenced to death for the muder of another in a tribal fight. Crawford recommended a commutation of sentence. He died on the 29th from a disease of bladder and kidneys, and was given a state funeral.

His estate was valued at less than 1000 pounds. In February 1853 his family left for England on the Adelaide, which caught fire 500 miles from Mauritius. For four days the passengers were towed in lifeboats. The fire was then controlled but all the passengers' luggage was destroyed.

Crawford's widow appealed to the Colonial Office claiming her husband had lost heavily by moving to South Australia; a pension was refused. With a grant of only 250 pounds, she took her four young children to live with her brother-in-law at Gibralter."

[Probably family of her sister Mary, married to M.General C. Flaherty. Alicia was called "Posey"in her family. One daughter Magdalen married a Col. Whetherall. Alicia remarried to Dr. Hearn and had two more daughters, Mima and Posey.]