Charlotte Hogg was one of the significant members of the Methodist Church at Hagley and Westbury, Tasmania from its commencement in the area in 1837 until her death in 1907.
She was born at Whites Hill, near Strand, Gloucestershire on 3 January 1815, her father William Bendall. Her mother died when she was four years of age and she was taken to Cheltenham, England to live with her uncle, Samuel Bendall. At Cheltenham, Charlotte became acquainted with an aunt Mrs. Noake and with her decided to emigrate to Van Diemen’s Land arriving in the year 1834. Upon her arrival, she in company with Mrs. Noake went to Longford, with Charlotte living with Rev. R.R. Davies and family (the Church of England minister) until the year 1836 when she married James Hogg.
Charlotte then went to live at Hagley, Tasmania where her husband, James, at the time was the manager of the Hagley Estate for the Lyttleton family. Their home was a brick residence on the “Mill Farm”. In 1838 they rented a farm at Chudleigh, named “Harwood”. On being offered a lease of a farm at Hagley, “Delmore”, a part of the Lyttleton Estate, they moved back in 1840, later purchasing the property. Charlotte was still living there till her death in 1907, with the locality being known as Hogg’s Lane,
Her obituary gives some details of her life-
- In 1837 in company with Mary White from Westbury, they saddled their horses and rode through the bush to Longford to make contact with the Wesleyan minister, Rev. J.A. Manton, with a request for his help in providing regular services at Westbury. This appears to have been successful as the Launceston Wesleyan Quarterly meeting of July, 1837, records the resolution “that preaching be commenced at Westbury………..”
- During the 1830s a Sunday School had been established at Westbury, Tasmania by Thomas White and almost every Sunday for many years, Charlotte could be seen walking the basic track through the dense bush from her residence at Hagley, to teach the children in the little Sunday school.
- In 1840 the first Westbury Chapel was built and James Hogg sent his teams to help in carting bricks and other material.
- In summary, her obituary stated, “For many years the deceased lady was a consistent member of the Methodist Church, and not only was she a strong supporter of the Church and Sunday School, but was ready to help every movement which was for the general good of the people. So keen was her work that for many years she gave an annual picnic at “Delmore” for the officers, teachers and elder scholars of all the Methodist Sunday Schools in the circuit as a mark of appreciation of the good work done by them.”
Charlotte’s Will reveals she left significant moneys to the Methodist Church
- £100 to the Westbury Wesleyan Methodist Circuit Fund
- £50 to the Westbury Wesleyan Methodist Mission House for furnishing maintenance
- £250 to Wesleyan Methodist Foreign Missions
- £250 to Wesleyan Methodist Home Missions.
NOTE: Allie Hogg
The identity of Allie Hogg is currently uncertain but possibly is Charlotte’s much younger half sister, Frances Sarah Bendall (1853-1928). Frances is recorded as a half sister in Charlotte’s Will and was a large beneficiary. Frances is also recorded as being married on 1 May 1874 at the home of Charlotte Hogg. Frances was aged 21 and her husband, George Barnard 20. They would make their home at Deloraine, Tasmania.
When Frances was born her father was 62 years of age with him dying in the Westbury area on 25 December 1866, again a reason for Frances going to live with her sister and becoming known as Hogg.
No children have been located to James and Charlotte and none are mentioned in either of their Wills.
Compiled by Ivan Badcock – January 2016