Northern Ireland

1. Province of Ulster

Reference: Online record: The Belfast Newsletter 1738-1925

County Antrim was named after its county town, Antrim and is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, (a part of the United Kingdom: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone). Situated in the north-east of Ireland and adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, county Antrim is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, lying within the historical province of Ulster.

In the 19th century, Belfast was Ireland's pre-eminent industrial city, a centre for the Irish linen industry, tobacco production, rope-making, heavy engineering and shipbuilding driving the economy. Belfast was granted city status in 1888 and is the capital of Northern Ireland. Belfast lies in County Antrim, with some parts of east and south Belfast in County Down.

Today Belfast East is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. Belfast council area include Ballyhackamore, Ballymacarrett, Belmont, Bloomfield, Cherryvalley, Island, Knock, Orangefield, Stormont, Sydenham, and The Mount. Stormont is an electoral ward of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Irish Gaelic version of Stormont, Stairmhonaidh meaning 'crossing place of the mountains'. Primary merchant traders of the early 19th. Century Belfast district included:

• Messrs. Sinclair and Boyd were merchants of the East Indies and West Indies trade. Their Belfast trading company was founded c.1822 by William Sinclair and business partner Robert Boyd (1777-1849).

• In 1843 the son of Robert, namely Robert Boyd (1803-1869) became owner and resident of Bloomfield House a few kilometres from Belfast.

James Lancelot Stormont

James L Stormont secured passage with his family from the port of Cork, Ireland. Their origin was stated as Belfast, Northern Ireland and his age of twenty-one years meant he had completed a period of probation as wheelwright. They arrived under the Assisted Immigrants Scheme’ which aimed to fill business requirements for settlers, providing labour assets with required skills and trade. The barque "Dale Park" that brought the Stormont family to the service of colonial industry arrived in Hudson's Bay, Port Phillip district (then still N.S.W.) on 21st. July 1844.

Both James and Jemima were contracted to immediate commence engagement for a period of 12 months service, to cover the cost of their voyage and so sailed on to a small port at the head of Corio Bay, where after recovery from the long voyage, were assigned to work for their sponsor and benefactor William Roadknight, who shared enthusiasm and was ‘busy building a new homeland with fresh hopes of a better life’.

The Belfast immigrant James Lancelot Stormont was amongst those seeking gold in 1852 on the Black Hill (Ballarat), the first person to build a machine for extracting metals from quartz. He proceeded to leave a record of both his industrious activity and misadventure over the ensuing 60 years.

In James Stormont we discover an energetic and accomplished person, one with skills acquired by some unknown course of education, who by use of professional knowledge which, like criticism, seemed to spur him on to greater industry. The career of one man or an amalgam of men takes an apparent path as thus:

1. Wheelwright, Coachmaker - Belfast moving from the trade of wheelwright in his first expose, to coachmaker Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

2. In 1857, seemingly the same James Lancelot Stormont arrived again in Victoria, this time by unassisted passage, with a young wife Kathleen Sara Wade Russell who is with child. James assumes the role of a ship or village surgeon, and in the guise of Surgeon, establishes recognition by hospital staff and signs himself by occupation “Surgeon” on the birth and death certificates of the infant Bessie.

3. In 1860s a Land agent and surveyor - see:- Moama NSW & both Sale, and Bairnsdale, Gippsland, Victoria;

4. James by reputation for an expertise in machinery, since defending the rights and patents to his quartz crushing innovation of 1852, further presents as an Engineer, both Civil and Mining using the abbreviation (C.E.) after his name, and adjudicating disputes in the Whipstick diggings (Bendigo) and later practices officially as a survey and civil consultant to Bairnsdale Council from an office in Sale, Gippsland district, Victoria. He is also accommodated with his second family in and around rental property in Prahran & Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria.

5. In 1877 he was appointed Inspector of Stock - (Delegate border crossing for NSW and Victoria) and Customs Officer/Commissioner of the Supreme Court of the Colony of Victoria (for the purpose of taking affidavits).

So without apparent qualification he moves from being a tradesman to mining speculator then an agent for released land sales and gains recognition as surveyor, civil and mining engineer and changes into an Inspector of Stock and Commissioner for collecting tariffs on the border with NSW and finally to being a grazier. Can all these roles be within the adaptabilities of one man.

See "Timelines for James Stormont"

"From late August 1851 news spread that Ballarat had become a goldfield and this was the catalyst for rapid immigration to the district. Many aspired to find gold and providing for their needs was an opportunity for entrepreneurs to capitalise on the sudden influx of population. The location at some distance from the ports of Geelong and Melbourne allowed this goldfield to develop from a transitory, tented community to a permanent inland settlement in the Central Highlands of the Colony of Victoria. This was known as the Port Phillip District of New South Wales prior to the separation in July 1851 which coincided nicely with the announcement of Victorian gold discoveries."

Notes:

A similar story to James Stormont is told in fiction by Thomas Hardy - "Jude the Obscure".1895. (Wikipedia).

Available records have not to date, confirmed the parents of our James Lancelot Stormont, however a piecemeal approach to detail, does suggest some probable links. for example, assuming a relationship with India and roots and residency in Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland, the following persons may be related :

1. John Stormont, Surgeon with the East India Company between 1771-1789, and his wife Janet Guthrie. Note, one of their children named "Selina" may be the name carried down to James and Jemima's first female child, Elizabeth Selina, and that of their support personage, Elizabeth Celina Boyd.

   1. There was also an orphan of the name Elizabeth Boyd aged 16, Presbyterian, arrived from Londonderry, Derry via the ship Diadem in Port Phillip on 10th. January, 1850; assigned to James Duff (Fellmonger). AONSW Ref. 4/4817 - Reel 2145.

2. “Sinclaire Stormont” (1799-1846), as this is the name that pervades his family links. In 1818, Sinclaire Stormont married Margaret Smith, in Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church, Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland.

3. Sam Stormont and John Boyd were both members of the Belfast freemasonry Lodge and they joined in 1796.

4. Samuel Stormont (1713-1773) Antrim, Northern Ireland; Death 1773, Chester, Chester, South Carolina, USA. Samuel married in Antrim in 1738, (Spouse) Martha (1720–1798), and note the children were born in Antrim, except for Mary Mollie (1745) indicating his travels to America around 1745 & again after 1853 - 1773.: David Stormont (1739–1810), John Stormont (1742–1796), Martha Stormont (1743–1837), Mary Mollie Stormont (1745–), William Stormont (1748–1794), Esther Stormont (1753–1821) - it would be Samuel’s children’s grandchildren that are of interest to our story.

5. David Stormont married Rachel Meadowcroft (1799–) Birth 22 AUG 1799, England. Rachel was Age 22 when she first married on 11th. Dec 1821 - Spouse 1: Thomas Baron – (1776–1822) in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. Her second Spouse was David Stormont – 1799 - also a widower, born 22 Aug 1799, England. Baptism: 22 Sep 1799, Bury, Lancashire, England. They had two sons James (1824-1825) died an infant and William (1826-1897) (born 18 Jun 1826, Manchester, England). William went to America.