The Arnott Family
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William Arnott
[1827-1901] founded Arnott’s Biscuits near Newcastle NSW and later Arnott’s
headquarters were moved to Homebush NSW. Arnott
married Monica Sinclair, who died in 1865 and later Margaret Fleming who died in
1902. He had children by both his wives and descendents of both his
families lived in Strathfield and most appear to be involved with the running of
Arnott’s Biscuits. To avoid
confusion between members of the family, I have detailed the line of decadency
in this article.
William
Arnott died at his residence ‘Arnottholme’ 65-7, Albert Rd in 1901
and his widow, Margaret died in the following year. |
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William Arnott |
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| James Hayden Leslie Arnott [1856-1931] was the son of William Arnott and Monica Sinclair and two of his sons, Walter and Harold, were Strathfield residents. Walter Esmond Arnott [1879-1955] was a solicitor and married Mary Patterson Ross in 1905. Walter, or Wally as he is often called, built ‘Balnagowan’ 15-17 Wakeford Rd in 1915 and lived there until his death in 1955. | ||
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Harold
Arnott [1888-?]. Harold married
Nellie Gertrude Huffan and built ‘Brockby Lodge’ on corner of
Homebush Road and Victoria St in 1923. ‘Brockby
Lodge’, an Arts and Crafts mansion, was designed by architect A L
Buchannan. ‘Brockby Lodge’ is classified by the National Trust and
listed by the Royal Institute of Architects as a significant building of the
Twentieth Century. This house is sometimes called the ‘Cheesehouse’ by local
residents due to the yellow coloured rendered finish.
One of Harold’s children was Terrence Harold Arnott born 1914.
Terrence lived at 141 Homebush Rd and is noted on various records as a
biscuit manufacturer. |
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Brockby Lodge |
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Another son of the Arnott/Sinclair marriage was
Samuel Sinclair Arnott [1861-1934. His
son Percival Sinclair Arnott [1889-1950] was a resident of Strathfield.
Percy Arnott was also a well-known sportsman, who played cricket for NSW.
He married Nina Boden in 1915 and in 1916 built ‘Wawona’ at 96
Albyn Rd [cnr Chalmers Rd]. ‘Wawona’
[sometimes called ‘Arnott House’] is a classic Californian Bungalow
designed by architect Herbert Dennis in 1916 and is classified by the National
Trust[1].
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Three of
the children of Arnott’s second marriage to Margaret Fleming resided in
Strathfield. Janet Duman Arnott
[1867-1948] married broker James Simpson Perry. ‘Waratah’ 37 Homebush Road was built for Janet by
William Arnott and shares a boundary with Arnott’s ‘Arnottholme’ property
in Albert Rd. Janet’s son Alan
Arnott Perry [1891-1959] married Louise Kent.
Louise was the daughter of architect Harry Chambers Kent, who lived at ‘Kelmswood’
in Redmyre Rd. |
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Colonel
John Mclean Arnott [1869-1945] was the Managing Director of Arnott’s Biscuits[2].
Colonel John McLean Arnott served in the AIF with much distinction during World
War I earning the rank of Colonel[3].
In 1895, he married Adeline Hardy, the daughter of John Hardy of Hardy
Bros jewellers and owner of the home ‘Strathfield’.
Arnott lived at ‘Strathfield’ for
a short time after his marriage and then moved to ‘Ilemong’
20 Carrington Avenue, before acquiring ‘Hatherly’,
which he renamed ‘Birnam Wood’.
‘Birnam Wood’ was demolished c.1927 and subdivided creating
the street Birnam Grove. One of Col. Arnott’s sons was Bruce Hardy Arnott
[1898-1916] who died during WWI. His
name appears on the Roll of Honour outside the Strathfield Council Chambers.
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Margaret
Fleming Arnott [1872-1953] married Dr George Mander Jones, grandson of retailer
David Jones. They lived at ‘Dagworth’
39 Homebush Rd from 1901-1907 and Dr Jones practiced medicine in Strathfield.
In 1939, Arnott’s Biscuits Pty Ltd donated the clocks in the Strathfield Council Chambers Clock tower in memory of William Arnott. |
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Dagworth |
Written by Cathy Jones 2004
[1]
Jones, C ‘Strathfield Heritage Tour’, 2003. [2] page 2, SDHS Vol. 11 No. 10, June 1989. [3] ‘Who’s Who in Australia’, The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, Melbourne Australia, 1927-1928 edition
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More Information on the Arnott Family
Stephen Arnott, descendent of William Arnott, has established Morpeth Sourdough at Morpeth in the Hunter Region NSW. Morpeth Sourdough is based on the original Arnott Bakehouse and now supplies the Hunter, Central Coast and parts of Sydney with their excellent sourdough products. Their website: www.morpethsourdough.com.au also contains information on the history of the Arnott family.
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This article was written by Cathy Jones.
© Cathy Jones 2004. This article is subject to copyright and may not be
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