Atist/Studio: William Wailes, England, c.1871.
Location: South Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Building: All Saints Church, Macquarie Street.
Memorial: John Page.
Photos dated: 8th Oct 2010.
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The Mercury, Hobart, TAS, Monday 11th September 1871, page 2.
“MEMORIAL WINDOW.- The pretty little church of All Saints, Macquarie street, has had its stained glass windows, perhaps hitherto, the finest in the colony, increased by the addition of a memorial window, which has been placed on the south side of the church. The window was obtained from the well known firm of Messrs Wailes, of Newcastle, England, and both the design and execution are highly creditable to their taste as church decorators, the centre figures on each half of the window represent respectively St. James and St. John the Baptist. The borders are beautifully illuminated, the colours being remarkably brilliant, while the window as a whole harmonises well with those already erected. The window bears the following inscription at the foot:- “In memory of John Page, Esq, of Lemon Springs, who died 12th September , 1865 [sic]. Erected by his widow.”
Note: The article above incorrectly reports his death as 1865 when it was actually 12th September 1869. The memorial text on the window itself also has an error having “Lemon Springs” spelt “Leman Springs”.
John Page was born 5th September 1808, the son of George Page (1772-1865) of Bermondsey, and his wife Sarah House (1778-1854). His father George, a Waterloo veteran[1], had arrived in Hobart Town in January 1822 from England aboard the “Tiger” and settled at Bagdad 37km north of Hobart. John arrived with his mother and siblings, Samuel & Louisa, a year later aboard the “Belinda” in 1823.
By 1833 John and his father George were running the “Bath Inn” at Lemon Springs just south of Oatlands whilst his brother Samuel ran the Oatlands Hotel from 1839. In November 1843 John had transferred the Publican’s Licence[2] to his father George and probably concentrated his efforts of farming pursuits in the vicinity of Lemon Springs. His brother Samuel later became a highly successful coach proprietor around 1848 until circa 1873 when the railway had been established.
“The original Bath Inn[3] was located at the Lemon Springs homestead some two kilometres away where John Page held the licence in 1833. When the new road opened in 1843, John Page built a new Bath Inn of fine stonework and a fanlight above the front entrance. In 1863 the name was changed to the Coach and Horses Hotel and was owned by Denis Bacon, a celebrated stonemason. The old newspaper cutting advertising the Coach and Horses Hotel still shows ‘J Page’ as the Proprietor”.
“At Anglesea Barracks in Hobart, the archway[4] in the memorial was retrieved from the old Bath Inn near Lemon Springs, a few kilometres South of the Oatlands township”.
John married Mary Ann Wood (1807-1896) in Oatlands 14th January 1841 and they had seven children whilst in the Lemon Springs area. In his later years he and Mary took up residence at 186 Macquarrie-street South Hobart, opposite the All Saints Anglican Church.
Amongst the curious event in his life was that as a Juror in the July 1851 case against George Muckie[5] who was indicted for the wilful murder of Thomas Gilbert at Swansea. The prisoner was found guilty and “He was sentenced to death, without mercy, and his body ordered to be given over for dissection.”
On the 12th of September 1869[6], John died of what would appear, in modern day terms, as a stroke. An inquest was held the following day by the coroner A. B. Jones at the Wheatsheaf Inn where Dr. Smart gave his opinion that he had died of a serious apoplexy. His funeral was held at the Jericho church[7] near Lemon Springs on the 16th September 1869[8].
In September 1871 a two light memorial stained glass depicting St James and St John was unveiled to his memory in All Saints Anglican Church South Hobart.
The memorial text reads”
“IN MEMORY OF JOHN PAGE ESQ OF LEMAN SPRINGS WHO DIED 12th SEPTEMBER 1869. ERECTED BY HIS WIDOW”
(Note spelling of “LEMAN” in the memorial text!)
Significant tabloid transcriptions:
The Mercury, Hobart, TAS, Monday 13th September 1869, page 1.
“PAGE.- On the 12th September, suddenly, at his residence. 186, Macquarie-street, John Page, sen., Esq., late of Lemon Springs, in the 60th year of his age”.
The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Monday 13th September 1869, page 2.
“SUDDEN DEATH.- A very old resident of Hobart Town, Mr. John Page, brother to Mr. Samuel Page, the coach proprietor, died suddenly at his residence, opposite All Saint’s Church, in Macquarrie-street, yesterday morning. The deceased had gone to bed on the previous evening in his usual state of health, though he complained of a pain in the chest, from which he had suffered at intervals during a series of years. In the morning, as pain was still felt, Mrs Page advised him not to leave his bed, but on entering the bed-room about half past 10 o’clock she found her husband up and dressed. She left the room again, and had not been absent more than two minutes, when, from an adjoining apartment, she heard a fall. She immediately proceeded to the bed-room, where she found her husband lying upon the floor in an insensible condition. Dr. Smart was immediately sent for, but the deceased had expired within two minutes from the time he was heard to fall, and, therefore, medical assistance was of no avail”.
The Mercury, Hobart, Tas, Tuesday 14th September 1869, page 2.
“INQUEST.- Yesterday afternoon and inquest was held at the Wheatsheaf Inn, Macquarrie-street, before Mr. A. B. Jones, Coroner, and a jury of whom Mr. John Featherstone was foreman, touching the cause of death of Mr. John Page, whose sudden death on Sunday was reported in Yesterday’s Mercury. The evidence of Mrs. Page and Dr. Smart having been taken, the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the opinion of Dr. Smart, who had made a post mortem examination, that death was caused by serous appolexy [sic]”.
The Courier, Hobart, Wednesday 2 July 1851, page 3.
At the supreme court at Oatlands, In July 1851 John Page was a juror in the case against George Muckie who was indicted for the wilful murder of Thomas Gilbert at Swansea. The prisoner was found guilty and “He was sentenced to death, without mercy, and his body ordered to be given over for dissection.”
Footnotes:
[7] Likely to be St James’ Anglican Church Jericho.
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