Driving up Williams Street from Church Street (the New England Highway) you will notice at the top, as you turn right at the corner that there is a sign ‘Bewley Lane’.
It is just a very short lane.
Does anyone know why that name has been so honoured?
Most of the names of our streets, avenues, lanes etc can be traced to prominent people and almost every thoroughfare, no matter how short, has now been given a name, mainly to assist Emergency Services etc.
Early on it was politicians, and other such notables, then mayors etc, who were so honoured – although in 1889 several of the names were changed as they were not considered ‘euphonious’.
E C Sommerlad wrote in ‘The Land of the Beardies’ … ‘and it was therefore decided to change them, and to substitute therefore others of a more imposing nature – mostly historical and commemorative of some celebrities of the days and of earlier days.
Thus, by Gazette notice on March 8, 1889, Guy Street became Macquarie Street; Soap Street became Lang Street; East Street, Church Street; Store Street, Bourke Street; Hawes Street, Wentworth Street; Pond Street, West Avenue; Wolseley Street, East Avenue, and North Street, Grafton Street.
Soap street it seems had been so named as Valentine Sachs operated a soap factory there.
Neil Street became Coronation Avenue in honour of Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1953. (Occasionally our Research Centre has a query as to the whereabouts of Neil Street, particularly for legal documents.)
The New England Highway from originally being a rough track was first known as The Great North Road to Drayton in Queensland.
So, Bewley Lane – well, the name refers to the first matron of the Glen Innes hospital Frances Emmerson Bewley working there from 1877 to 1878, who, assisted by her wardsman husband was in charge of the original six bed men’s ward.
That wing in The Land of the Beardies Museum is now known as the Sharman Wing in honour of an early member, Bill Sharman who helped to set up the Museum.
Frances Emmerson/Emmeline/Bewley died in 1902 after a fall and her death notice states:
BEWLEY- December 5, 1902, at St Vincents Hospital Sydney, Fanny Emily Bewley aged 84, mother of T W and F J Bewley.
She is buried in Waverley Cemetery, Bronte, Sydney
Hopefully further research will bring to light some descendants.
