Michael McCraith and Elizabeth (Eliza) Beazley

Our great great grandparents

The info on this page was researched by Phillip Dwyer.

Michael McCraith was born in Ballyporeen, County Tipperary in 1833, the son of farmer John McCraith, and his wife Bridget nee Walsh. Eliza Beazley was born in County Cork in 1833, the daughter of a fisherman, Andrew Beazley; her mother is "unknown" on Eliza's death registration.

While it is reasonably certain that Michael McCraith became a police constable in Ireland, there is no record of a "Michael McCraith" in the Royal Irish Constabulary records. There is, however, a "Michael Magrath" from Tipperary who enlisted in the constabulary in 1853, aged 19 years (the names "McCraith" and "McGrath" are Anglicised variants of the same Gaelic name). Michael was serving in County Cork as members of the Irish Constabulary were not allowed to serve in their own home County, or the home County of their wife. The fact that Michael married a County Cork girl may therefore have had a bearing on their decision to come to Australia.

Michael married Eliza Beazley in 1853 at Ballydehob in the western part of County Cork, where Michael was most likely posted. The first of their eleven children, John, was born in County Cork, presumably also at Ballydehob, the same year.

In early 1856 Michael, Eliza and John boarded the Atalanta, probably in Cork town or the nearby port of Cobh. They arrived in Port Phillip as assisted immigrants on 23 June 1856. In the ship's register Michael is recorded as a constable, and a Roman Catholic who could both read and write. Eliza was recorded as Church of England (although her burial service sixty-three years later was conducted by a Roman Catholic priest), and could also read and write. John was just one year old when they made their journey to Australia.

On arrival the family first lived around the Richmond area, according to the information in the ship's register. Their child Margaret Constance McCraith was born at Keilor in 1861, but later that year they had moved to Castlemaine, Victoria, where they remained at least until Michael's death in 1888.

From 1851 Castlemaine was the centre of Victoria's Mount Alexander goldfields and was for a brief period larger in population than Melbourne. By 1860, just before the McCraith family arrived, some 30,000 people were thought to live in the Castlemaine area, but this was at the tail end of the Mount Alexander gold rush and the population soon began to decline. The town itself maintained a degree of prosperity thanks to a number of industries that sprang up during and after the gold rush period.

As a goldfields police constable from 1861, Michael had missed the excitement of the Agitation Hill unrest in Castlemaine that followed the Eureka Stockade uprising in 1854. He was probably less tainted too by the excesses of goldfields police in enforcing (some would say abusing) the mining license system in the early days of the gold rush. He also missed the days of Robert O'Hara Burke, the ill-fated explorer, as police superintendent in Castlemaine during 1858-1860.

In November 1865 Michael was appointed Keeper of the Gunpowder magazine at Castlemaine, apparently after the previous incumbent had died. Appointments of this type were normally given to members of the police force. His appointment was confirmed in the Victoria Government Gazette No.156, Tuesday November 7 1865 - see extract below or see Victoria Government Gazette, July-December, 1865 (PDF - 4.1mb) on page 29. The powder magazine was located in Farnsworth Street, Castlemaine and its purpose was to provide safe and secure storage for the gunpowder that was used for mining and other purposes in the district. The magazine was constructed on a stone plinth, with buttressed walls and a vaulted brick ceiling under a slate roof, later partly replaced with iron. A sandstone "caretaker's cottage" was located next to the magazine, but it is unclear whether the "caretakers" who lived there were actually the Keepers like Michael McCraith, or whether caretaker was a separate office.

Gazette announcement - appointment to powder magazine

Whether the office of Keeper of the Powder Magazine was in addition to his policing duties or a complete livelihood in itself is also unclear. In any case, by 1876 Michael's occupation was being given as "constable", but by May 1883 when he was just over 50 years of age his occupation had become "ex-constable". While Michael may have been a serving police constable in 1880, his name does not appear in the list of participants in the capture of Ned Kelly at Glenrowan.

Towards the end of his life Michael was appointed Market Inspector at Castlemaine, a position that he may have held for a number of years. There were three market buildings in Castlemaine arranged around an arcaded water tank in Market Square in the centre of Castlemaine. I have not yet found any information on the duties of the Market Inspector, but it is attractive to think of it as a nineteenth century version of the Office of Fair Trading.

Castlemaine hospital records contain admissions for Michael McCraith in December 1876, May 1883 and December 1884, though no details are provided as to the nature of Michael's condition, his treatment or the length of his admission. He died on 13 December 1884 aged 56 years, and was buried at the Campbell's Creek/Castlemaine cemetery. The cause of death was given as cirrhosis of the liver and paralysis. He had suffered from his final illness for about three years.

At the time of his death, Michael and Eliza resided in Bowden Street, Castlemaine. Michael made a will the day before he died. The will was executed by two of his sons, John and Peter, and comprised real estate in Victoria (presumably the residence in Bowden Street) valued at £160 and personal estate valued at £205. His will reads:

This is the last will and Testament of Michael McCraith of Castlemaine late of the Police force, I give and bequeath all my real and personal property of which I shall die possessed to my dear wife Eliza McCraith for her absolute use and benefit, and I hereby appoint her Executrix of this my will dated this 12th day of December one thousand Eight hundred and Eighty Eight.

Eliza only has one hospital admission recorded, on 6 August 1884 when she was aged 50 years. Her youngest daughter Ellen (aged 4 years) was also admitted on the same day. Eliza died on 30 August 1919, aged 83 years, of asthenia due to stomach cancer, which had been diagnosed two years earlier. At the time of her death Eliza was living at 13 Oxley Road, Hawthorn, but was buried at the Campbell's Creek/Castlemaine cemetery on 1 September 1919. She left no will.

The Children of Michael and Eliza McCraith

Michael and Eliza McCraith had fourteen children:

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