WOODVILLE "Woodville" of 1,040 acres was granted to John Galt Smith on 30th June, 1823 by Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane. It was bounded on the west by the Paterson River, on the north by the Seaham Road, on the south by Walter Scott's "Wallalong", and on the east by Alexander Livingstone's property. The grantee was allowed ten convicts to be fed and victualled. John Galt Smith married Elizabeth Walsh in 1826 in N.S.W.  Elizabeth was born in the City of Cork, Ireland, and her father, John Walsh, was a landed proprietor. The Galt Smiths had no children and as the property was held under the old system of titles it has been most difficult to trace ownership after John Galt Smith died on 17th June, 1847. (He was buried in the Paterson Cemetery.)  However, it is definitely known that William George Watt Powditch had a financial interest in the property in 1851. Powditch was born in Sydney on 23rd June 1825 and on his marriage certificate was described as a gentleman. He was living at Woodville when, at the age of 28 years on 21st September, 1853, he married at Morpeth, Harriet Croaker, who was born at Elfin, Kent, England.  Her father was Charles Croaker, who I understand, came from Northern Ireland. William Powditch did not live long. He died on 27th May 1856 of consumption at the age of 31 at North Brisbane, in the Colony of New South Wales (Queensland was not separated from N.S.W. till 1859.) William Powditch was buried in the Wesleyan Burial Place in Brisbane. Only six weeks previously their only son, William John Galt Powditch died at the age of 15 months. At the age of 33 Harriet Powditch on 9th February, 1869 in the Holy Trinity Church of England, Sydney, married John Roberts, who was aged 29.  John Roberts was a jeweller of London and, I understand, later became one of the principals in the firm, Fairfax and Roberts, Jewellers of Sydney. On 5th December, 1861 Elizabeth Smith died at the age of 75 years, and was buried in the Paterson Cemetery. About this time Charles George Croaker came to "Woodville" from Wingham to manage the estate for his sister (Mrs. John Roberts). Charles lived only a few years at Woodville for in 1868 he met with a fatal accident while driving a buggy near the Queen's Wharf at Morpeth.   Young Henry, his son, at the age of sixteen then became manager and occupied that position until the property was sold in 1919. Mrs. Roberts died in England on 1st December, 1902, and John Roberts also died in England, presumably in 1919. A section of the estate, in the eastern corner, adjoining "Wallalong", was occupied in 1854 by Thomas Carter (Great-grandfather of Mr Wal. Carter of "Tressingfield", and grandfather of Mrs J.R. Wilcher of Woodville) but returned to the estate in 1906. In 1910 when the property was brought under Torrens Title the following held land in occupation: Mrs. L.A. Newton, and Messrs. Henry Croaker, G.W. Tranter, Andrew Bishop, William Bishop, John Lavis, John Butler, William Forster, Augustus Vollmer, R. Carter, Henry Vollmer, C.F. Vollmer, George Allan. Mr. & Mrs.John Roberts and their family (they had two sons and a daughter) - lived in Sydney and only visited Woodville periodically. Woodville house was occupied by the Croaker family until the estate was sold in 1919. The original Woodville House was partly destroyed by fire about the year 1900, but as some of the initial building was intact a new portion was added. When the estate was cut up and sold in blocks, Mr. T.C. Trautwein, Hotel and Racehorse Owner, purchased the homestead block. During his ownership the home was completely destroyed by fire, and a new home (the present one) was built. The homestead block has passed from Mr. T.C. Trautwein to Mr. R.B. Boydell to Mr. Jack Enright, to the present owner Or. F.C. Caldow. A letter by D. Bain in the Maitland Mercury of 20/5/1903 gives us an inkling of what Woodville was like in the 1860s. Mr. Bain had visited the district after an absence of almost 46 years. These landmarks were still there in 1903; Dunmore House and Lock Goyle House, the latter being on the property adjoining "Clifden" but further along the Seaham Road. The old landmarks which were missing since the sixties were: ''Lang's Mill on the Paterson at Dunmore, where the farmers got their wheat ground, and the old Red House at the Albion Estate that used to supply the wee drappie to the industrious farmers. Also missing was Cooley Camp homestead, not one stone of it left." No-one I have met has been able to explain how Cooley Camp originated, but it may have been the original home of the John Galt Smiths. Nevertheless, J.G. Smith's headstone reads: John Galt Smith of Woodville House Cooley Camp seems to have been that hilly section of "Woodville", which stretches from Mr. S. Hicks' to Mr. S. Parish's. In the early days it was frequented by blacks, and Mrs. J.R. Wilcher tells the stony of her grand-mother, Mrs. Thomas Carter, Snr., who missed her two-year-old son, Thomas, and frantically called her husband from his ploughing to make a search. Thomas Jnr. was found unharmed, sitting in the middle of a corroboree circle, surrounded by blacks and munching a leg of a possum! The Woodville store was built in the 1860s by the same workmen who built All Saints Church. Mr. John Wynn had it built and was given a twenty-year lease free of rent. After his death his widow and sons carried on the business until it was sold to Mrs. Savage. She sold to Mr. G.W. Tranter, who, on marrying and moving to his new home at Albion Farm, sold to his brother-in-law, Mr. J.R. Wilcher. In 1919 Mr. Wilcher bought the land and buildings from the Roberts Estate. In 1957 Mr. and Mrs. Schofield purchased the business. The blacksmith's shop which stood in the lane just below the Dunmore bridge has disappeared.  For many years Mr. Walter Waller, and later, his son, Arthur, did the district's blacksmithing. With the death of Arthur in the late 1930s and farm mechanisation well established, the doors were closed, not to open again, and the building soon afterwards was demolished. Woodville had a Post Office in the early days - even before the store was built. It was under the charge of Mrs. Payne, who lived towards the river from Miss. D. Croaker's, on the top side of the old punt road, which was about a hundred yards upstream from the present bridge. The old punt gave way in 1863 to a bridge, the planks of which were pitsawn by Mr. Reuben Tranter and a Mr. Crittenden. This bridge had a draw to allow steam boats to pass under. On the 14th December, 1899 the present Dunmore bridge was erected on the site of the old one. It was built by that famous bridge-builder, Mr. Sam McGill, who also built the bridges at Hinton and Morpeth. During the eighteen months taken in demolishing the old bridge and in building the new one, a punt was used and it followed the same course as previous punts. This bridge has a lift span to allow steam boats to pass when the lift is required. Heavy leaden weights exactly the weight of the span enable the operator to work the lift by merely turning a handle. A cottage on the Dunmore side was provided for the operator, the last of whom was Mr. Franklin; but steam boats are never seen nowadays on the river and so the lift is no longer required. When the bridge was first built the operator was required to maintain the road half a mile each side of the bridge, but as this meant delays to steam-boats when he was absent on road-work, the latter task was eliminated and the only extra duty was sweeping the bridge, for it must be remembered that in those days horse-drawn vehicles were the chief transports on our roads. Note:- The present owners of the present Woodville House are the Campbell brothers, Stewart and Tom. Ed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOATS ON THE PATERSON Some of the more famous steam-boats on the river were the "Anna Maria", "Bolwarra", "Warraneen" (twin-screw), and "Marie". These belonged to the Hunter River Steamship Company, the first shipping company in Australia. Each farm along the river had its own wharf, with hay-shed alongside, for the main Cargo was lucerne hay and maize. These were the days before motor transport and Sydney needed so much hay and grain for its horses, and hay, too, for its suburban dairies, which were its main suppliers of milk to the city. This cargo was transhipped at Newcastle on to larger ocean-going steamers for Sydney. As well as private wharves there was a general wharf and storeshed on the river-bank where "Albion Farm" and "Woodville" join. At this spot a small area of 28 square perches was reserved in 1890 for shipping produce, but wharf and shed have fallen to pieces, only one post remaining as a monument. Dredges were frequently used to keep the channels open, but even then boats often became stuck in the mud, and Saturday mornings would find a band of boys assembled at a vantage point above the bridge. Here they would wait in anticipation of some boat steaming a little off course and becoming fast on the muddy bottom, with the subsequent roaring of engine and general activity aboard in freeing her. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  THE CHURCHES OF WOODVILLE In 1849 Dr. Scott gave the Methodists half an acre of land on the left bank of the Paterson near Woodville, and next year a small church, measuring 40 feet x 20 feet, and costing 45 pounds was erected. Later, Mr.Scott arranged to exchange for this, a block of land at Bowthorne, on which the present Methodist Church in that centre stands. In 1851 Mr. J.R. Blomfield was ordained deacon and was placed in charge of the small church at "Clifden" (as well as at Lochinvar). In 1853 "Clifden" was included in the Parish of Morpeth. Mrs. John Roberts, owner of "Woodville", gave two acres of land as a site for a church and school house, and her brother, Mr. C.G. Croaker played an important part in having the church built. All Saints was opened by Bishop Tyrrell on 12th September, 1864. Long before the hour for opening, the building was crowded in every part. Numbers of persons were congregated round the door, and there could not be less than four hundred in all assembled. A very handsome harmonium has been added, and was presided over by Miss. Payne with great effect In 1876 the relatives of Mr. and Mrs. C.G. Croaker had three stained glass windows placed in their memory in the Sanctuary of the Church. The subjects of these pictures are: "The Sower", "Jesus pronouncing a blessing on those who do the will of God", and "Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus." In 1924 a porch was erected at the entrance to the church in memory of Mr. Henry Croaker, a great church worker. In 1935 a memorial window in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Croaker was placed in the Sanctuary. Two other stained glass windows in memory of the late J.R. Wilcher and the late F. & E. Vollmer have been placed in the church. During World War II large army vehicles - the camp was at Dunmore - in passing along close to the church are believed to have been the cause of the cracks in the walls of the church.