Anne Barclay

Anne Barclay
Born	Anne Madden 1832 Tipperary, Ireland
Died	June 1864 Bald Hills
Nationality	Irish
Occupation	Publican
Years active	1860-1864
Known for	Bald Hills Hotel
Home town	Bald Hills
Spouse(s)	James Barclay
Children	Simon, James, Patrick, Charles, John, Martin
Parents	Patrick Madden (father) Anne Madden (mother)

Anne Barclay (nee Anne Madden) was a publican in the Ballarat district, <1860-1864.

History

Anne Madden was born in Tipperary in about 1832, the daughter of Anne and Patrick Madden. In 1855 she married James Barclay from Dublin.

They had quadruplets, four boys, born in Creswick in 1857: Simon, James, Patrick and Charles. Simon died at three days, and Patrick died aged 9 in 1866. Two other sons, John born 1858, and Martin born in 1860 also died as infants.

On 4 August 1860, they opened the Bald Hills Hotel at Bald Hills, a small community between Miners' Rest and Creswick:

"Since Saturday Mr James Barclay has opened a public house in the said locality, called " The Bald Hills Hotel," and as Mrs Barclay is presiding over the household - the lady who presented her lord and master with four pledges of conjugal affection at one birth - we have no doubt that their establishment will be extensively patronised by all classes of the community."

The hotel was described as having two sitting rooms and five bedrooms.

James committed suicide on 18 August 1862:

Suicide: The Bald Hills yesterday morning presented a scene of great excitement, the news having spread that Mr James Barclay, the well-known landlord of the Bald Hills Hotel, had died suddenly.

From inquiries made by our reporter on the spot, it appears that Mr Barclay, who yesterday, at about 9 a.m., seemed to have been in good health, was noticed standing outside the hotel, whilst one of the Ballarat coaches was waiting for passengers. He was then for a short time, playing with his two little boys, and subsequently in his capacity as post-master, went for a few minutes to the Post-office, a building close by, whence he returned to the hotel. In ten minutes afterwards he was a corpse, Mrs Barclay, in looking for him, breakfast waiting on the table, being the first who discovered him in a bed-room, near the sitting-room, suspended from a rafter. The deceased had cut a hole in the ceiling, and then committed suicide by tying a comforter and neckerchief together, and thereby strangling himself. Some difficulties in money matters seem to have led the deceased to the rash act. Mr Barclay, who was very much respected at Creswick, Clunes, and the Bald Hills, leaves a wife and two boys behind, the latter being the surviving two children of four born at one birth on Creswick. An inquest was held yesterday; the particulars will be found in another part of our columns.

Anne took over the license until her death in 1864, aged 32.