Christopher Allingham

1827 - 1876  (49 years)

• Name	Christopher Allingham  [1]
  Born	1827	Fermanagh, Ireland
  Christened	18 Jan 1829	Templecarn, Fermanagh, Ireland   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Died	7 Nov 1876	Armidale, NSW, Australia
  Person ID	I1598	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	17 Feb 2020

  
  

  Father	William Allingham,   d. 18 Aug 1863, Carlisles Gully, New South Wales, Australia
  Mother	Elizabeth Martin,   d. 12 Jan 1850, Carlisles Gully, New South Wales, Australia
  Notes	Arrived in Sydney aboard the Percy in 1841. This was the same ship that Edward Allingham and Elizabeth Morrow and family arrived in.
  Family ID	F503	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  http://newsfeed.rootsweb.com/th/read/ALLINGHAM/2006-01/1137066202 From: "RJ and RT Patterson" Subject: Re: [ALLINGHAM] Re: William Allingham of Co Fermanagh Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:43:22 +1000 References: <6.0.0.22.0.20060109103133.022358e8@mail.earthlink.net> <004401c61650$d6098260$45f08490@yourae343bcbaf> <017d01c6165b$e1fac1a0$0100000a@Pingu> <001701c6171c$76848fc0$45f08490@yourae343bcbaf> Hi Tricia, More information on the Queensland Allinghams. Bit lengthy sorry, but it's quite an interesting story. BOOK: History of Queensland: It's People and Industries. (Includes photographs of John & Johnstone Allingham, Hillgrove, Fletcher Vale and Southwick stations) The ALLINGHAM family was established in Queensland in the year 1861, when John and Johnstone Allingham, and their cousin, Christopher Allingham, concluded an overland journey from New England, in the north-east of New South Wales-where, having hailed from the Motherland, they had settled some years previously - to the then "farthest north" of Queensland. When the pastoral resources, made known by the different explorers who had traversed the vast and unknown territory stretching to the North, were first attracting capital and enterprise from the south, the Allinghams were among the earliest of the pioneers who trekked northwards with stock. They set out from New England with some thousands of sheep in 1858, and, at the end of a period verging on three years, after surmounting the obstacles and dangers peculiar to the unknown territory through which they had passed, arrived in the Broadsound district. To enable the reader to form some idea of the conditions which they faced on this journey, it should be mentioned that it was necessary for them to be constantly on guard against attacks from the aborigines, and that their progress was hampered by violent storms, torrential rainfalls of the kind that in a night have been frequently known to inundate the country for miles with a swiftly rushing volume of water rapping the unwary to a death from which there was often no escape, long dry spells equally perilous, and accidents causing dangerous delays, and shortage of food when hundreds of miles from any kind of settlement. To get the stock across the ranges near Rockhampton proved one of their most difficult problems, and it was at this point of their journey that Christopher Allingham, after much reconnoitering, discovered the opening which still bears the name of Allingham's Gap. An extract from Captain John Mackay's account of his journey of exploration which resulted in the discovery of the Pioneer watershed and the site of the thriving and important town which bears his name, may prove of interest here. In describing his return journey and the passage over the Broadsound Range in July 1860, he writes as follows:-"Descent was difficult, and daybreak found us at the camp of Mr John Allingham, from New England, who was travelling stock in search of suitable country." From the locality referred to by the explorer the Allinghams continued their journey northwards and in April of the year 1861, Christopher, the cousin became one of the exploring party led by the late Edward Cunningham from the newly founded township of Bowen to the unknown territory west and north of the settlement. This party named Mount Dalrymple, and crossed the Leichhardt Range with considerable difficulty, finally discovering the excellent pastures of the Burdekin watershed. Here Mr C. Allingham took up "Hillgrove" in the family interests and the big part which the family played in the making of the State's pastoral history began. "Hillgrove" was worked by the late John and Johnstone Allingham for a period, but John eventually sold out to Johnstone and took up "Waterview" another now historical area. John Allingham, who married a lady bearing the same name, though no relationship to him, left no children. [Actually she was Frances Allingham daughter of Edward Allingham and Elizabeth Morrow.] BOOK: Pike, Glenville. Queensland Frontier. Aussie Books. p64 But the first white man to reach the Burdekin after Leichhardt was undoubtedly Christopher Allingham, (for this and other information on the Allinghams, I am indebted to Mrs Edna Allingham of Biloela, late of Hillgrove Station) who in 1852 set out northward from Armidale accompanied only by two faithful Aborigines. On the Fletcher and the Starr- Burdekin tributaries, and the latter, at least, named by Allingham - he found the good pastoral land he sought. He blazed trees to mark out two large runs, one for himself and one for his brother George. Satisfied, this lone white man then turned homeward, nonchalantly riding 1,000 miles south to Brisbane to lodge application for the land. His application could not be dealt with, as the country was not yet open for settlement; it was a no-mans land, beyond civilisation. Christopher Allingham had to wait until 1861, but he began preparations for the northward trek in 1859, and by mid-July that year he set out with four bullock teams, 8,000 sheep and 2,000 head of cattle. Christopher had meanwhile married. [Actually as far as I can discover he never married.] He was joined by his cousins, John and Johnson Allingham, who had just emigrated from Ireland. His brother George did not go north to claim his land and it was later sold to Sir Arthur Palmer, who became the 5th Premier of Queensland. He now added greatly to the areas of country he had chosen on his 1852 expedition. Hillgrove, a complex of about twenty smaller leases, was named after an old Allingham property near Armidale (Kangaroo Hills also is a transplanted name). p86-87 Christopher Allingham, joined by his cousins, John and Johnson, built the homestead at Hillgrove. It was possibly the first in the region, though Edward Cunningham must have occupied Burdekin Downs at about the same time or very soon afterwards. These two stations were the first in North Queensland to be occupied - first with sheep, later with cattle. Christopher Allingham had to return to Armidale in 1873 because of ill health, and died there, still a bachelor, on 7 November 1876. BOOK: Irish Families in Australia & New Zealand A-D Vol 1 1788-1983 ALLINGHAM Christopher born 1829 Hillgrove, Belleek, Co Fermanagh, son of William and Elizabeth (Martin) Allingham. Descended from Hugh Allingham (1588-1663) who settled at Ballyshannon, Co Donegal. Edward Allingham arr 1841 Sydney and settled at Armidale NSW and later Christopher and two other brothers arrived. Christopher in 1851 travelled 1500 miles north to the 425 mile long Burdekin river area Qld, to where in 1859 with cousins John and Johnstone Allingham, they drove 2000 cattle and 1500 sheep to property they named Hillgrove which is still owned by the family. Christopher died Nov 7 1876 Armidale. Family researched by Mrs K. Salter residing (1981) Mt Keira NSW; and by Mrs Ruth Allingham Clarke residing (1981) Washington DC USA. BOOK: Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 3 1851-1890 ALLINGHAM, CHRISTOPHER (1829-1876), explorer and pastoralist, was born at Hillgrove, County Fermanagh, Ireland the youngest son of William Allingham farmer, and his wife Elizabeth, nee Martin. He was a near relative of the poet, William Allingham (1824-1889), and came of a protestant Hampshire family who had settled in Ulster in the sixteenth century. His brother Edward emigrated to Armidale New South Wales, in 1841, and was followed, probably in 1846, by Christopher and two other brothers. All four became landholders in the Armidale district and had lesser interests in mining and the building of inns on the Rocky River goldfields in 1856-57; Christopher was a partner in one of these public houses; he was also a surveyor. About 1851 Christopher, accompanied by two Aboriginals, decided to explore the pastoral country to the northward discovered in 1845 by Leichhardt [q.v]. They travelled fast with only light supplies that could be carried by pack and saddle horses. They reached the Burdekin and returned without using the three old flint muskets carried as a protection against hostile Aboriginals. As the Burdekin country was not then open for selection, Allingham waited until the colony of Queensland was on the verge of separation from New South Wales. In July 1859 with his cousins, John and Johnstone Allingham, he set off from Armidale to overland 1500 sheep and 2000 cattle to the Burdekin valley. By the wet season of 1860-61 the party had reached the neighbourhood of Port Denison. There they were overtaken in April 1861 by a party of officials and pastoralists under George Dalrymple [q.v] who had come to found the town of Bowen. Christopher Allingham joined forces with four of these newcomers on a reconnoitring survey of the Burdekin and on his return chose as his property Hillgrove station; it remains in the hands of the family. In 1863-73 the Allinghams encountered difficulties from unfamiliar seasons, hostile Aboriginals, financial problems and unsuitable pastures for sheep. By 1873 the family was able to take up a second run, Kangaroo Hills, but soon afterwards Allingham had to return, apparently for health reasons, to Armidale; there he died aged 47 on 7 November 1876, two months after an apoplectic stroke. Like many pioneer pastoralists, he never married, and his Queensland interests passed to his cousins. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/allingham-christopher-2880

  
  

• Sources

  [S683] Baptism Templecarn, Fermanagh, Ireland (Templecan Church) 18 Jan 1829 Christopher Allingham.