618:
73:, British North America. His parents – Joseph Regan Leggett and Mary, née Martin – both teachers, took charge of the so-called Indian Academy there, later establishing a school at their home Lansdale Cottage. Both had their verse published in provincial newspapers, and William's maternal aunt Rachel Martin was also a teacher and poet.
442:
Date of birth from statement by W. M. Leggett, 2 June 1835, PANB, MC990, F9729, Wesleyan
Methodist Church Foreign Missions; Canadian sources give varying dates: Aiton, "about 1812;" MacFarlane, "about 1813;" LaVorgna (2009), 1813 etc. Date of death for William Montague Clarence Campbell from NSW BDM
160:
newspaper as "William M. Leggett, M.A." and in Sydney he wrote newspaper verse as "A Knight
Templar XIth Foot". By the early 1850s he had styled himself William Montague Clarence Campbell and by that name (or variants) he was known for the rest of his days, but for literary purposes he favoured
242:, William set up a provisional school and, with the aid of sons Rodolph (born 1854) and Alpheus (born 1858), hacked a farm out of the tall timber up the river. He called the place Lordsland. He continued to send verse to newspapers, corresponded with pioneer geologist
486:
William's missionary correspondence in New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia, 1836–45, is at PANB MC990, Wesleyan Church Foreign Missions. His correspondence with London from Montserrat and Bermuda, 1843–44, is at SOAS MMS/West Indies Correspondence/FBN 21 and FBN
298:, but his newspaper verse – well crafted, sometimes droll, sometimes darkly visionary – and his lively, opinionated prose mark him as a writer of talent, and one who belongs as much to Australian literature as to that of Canada.
778:
290:
in the West Indies – are not borne out; and the claim in some
Canadian sources that he took holy orders in the Anglican Church before he left New Brunswick is contradicted in his own later correspondence.
132:(late the Bard of New Brunswick)". William's life in New South Wales was peripatetic and varied: teacher at remote country schools, journalist, gold-digger, manager of a sheep and cattle run on the remote
227:. He penned nature verse like "A Night-Visit to the Oaks at Eurobodalla", and an ode over Harpur's grave on the hill at Euroma. He sent graphic accounts to the Sydney papers describing the floods on the
517:
British Army
Regimental Muster Rolls and Pay Lists (WO12), PRO Reel 3704 (Vol. 2876), Reel 3705 (Vols. 2877 and 2879) and Reel 3706, via Australian Joint Copying Project, National Library of Australia.
768:
266:, King of England and his mother as Lady Mary Campbell. William's claim to royal blood was not new. In 1868 he had tried to persuade Parkes that he was the son of the Duke of Clarence (the future
707:
508:, Fredericton, N.B.: Printed at the Sentinel Office, 1840. The flyleaf of the copy held by Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., has a handwritten dedication from the author signed "W.M.L."
193:, and embarked on his never-published epic poem "Individuality; or, a Historical Sketch of the Mind of an Honest Man, struggling to surmount Religious, Political and Literary Obstacles".
626:
808:
179:, New South Wales, as the "Man of the Caves, O.N.P." ("One of Nature's Peers") from his hermitage in the nearby Wombo (or Wambo) Mountains, and acted as the paper's
143:, New South Wales, William married again, this time to Charlotte Crawford, schoolteacher and governess, who had arrived in Sydney in 1849 as matron to a shipload of
803:
394:
Scenes in the
Ancient Terra Incognita, Since Converted into the Province of New Brunswick, British America: or Sketches of Indian Life. By William M. Leggett, M. A.
100:, William married Mary Ann Stevens, the daughter of devout Wesleyans. They had three children, only one of whom survived infancy. William's second volume of verse,
818:
183:
correspondent. Back in Sydney in 1864 he established the
Woollahra Academy – grand in name only – and as "The Woollahra Hermit" wrote verse and essays for the
666:
813:
530:, ed. Joan Kerr, Melbourne: OUP, 1992, 146–7; also online at Design & Art Australia Online. The original poem is held among Cherry family papers, Sydney.
419:
Individuality; or, a
Historical Sketch of the Mind of an Honest Man, struggling to surmount Religious, Political and Literary Obstacles – Literary Prospectus
155:
124:, as part of a convict guard. During the voyage he dedicated an ode to a fellow passenger, the pioneer photographer George Cherry, signing himself "a
456:
for each year 1802 to 1817 except 1805; the family is also recorded at addresses in the Bowery in the U.S. Census of 1810 and Aliens Return of 1812.
695:
LaVorgna, Koral (2016), "Lessons in Mid-Nineteenth
Century New Brunswick Teacher Careerism", PhD Dissertation, University of New Brunswick, via
798:
783:
201:
788:
262:
William died at
Lordsland on 25 April 1878, aged 70, and is probably buried on his property. His death certificate records his father as
271:
104:, appeared in 1840. In 1845 he left for England to pursue a career in letters, at which point he disappears from Canadian records.
267:
144:
773:
263:
566:
Correspondence, NSWSA: NRS 2621, 1/775 and 1/812 (Eurobodalla) and NRS 2621, 1/853, 1/883, 1/917, 1/951 and 1/976 (Runnymede).
753:
180:
125:
793:
171:
newspaper he advocated constitutional reform and Australian independence as "Alonzo". He wrote whimsical scraps for the
62:
80:
was published in 1833 he was hailed as a prodigy. He followed his parents into teaching but in 1835 turned from his
283:
176:
140:
593:
Letter to Bishop of Sydney, 6 November 1866, Sydney Diocesan Archives Bishop of Sydney–Correspondence 1862–1867.
151:
243:
20:
644:
275:
185:
97:
76:
William was educated by his parents. His own verse began appearing as early as 1827 and when his anthology
287:
209:
584:
Parkes Papers, 1833–96, SLNSW, CYA 878 and 888; and NSWSA: NRS 906, 4/768/1. See also Woodhams and Darcy.
147:. In the absence of any New Brunswick divorce record, it seems likely that this marriage was bigamous.
496:
Mary Cameronia (born 1840); Eliza Fox (born 1842) and Charles Edward (born 1845) both died in infancy.
231:, relating how he and his son had fought through the waters to the assistance of Harpur's widow Mary.
763:
758:
712:
Woodhams, Denis, and Michael D'Arcy, "Buckenboura's Royal Blood–William Montague Clarence Campbell",
418:
251:
129:
167:
66:
737:
727:
575:
NSW BDM Deaths, 1878/04912. The NSW BDM History of the Registry page highlights William's claim.
204:
at Clontarf, Sydney, in 1868, William was recruited by the Parkes government to spy on supposed
197:
528:
The Dictionary of Australian Artists: Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1870
403:
358:
235:
220:
133:
223:, on the south coast of New South Wales, arriving there a few months after the death of poet
465:
For a description of the Leggetts' Lansdale Cottage school in 1844 see LaVorgna (2016), 171.
96:, West Indies, where he witnessed the devastating earthquake of 8 February 1843. In 1839 at
274:, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick. Other, less spectacular claims – an M.A. from the
121:
673:
154:, New South Wales, William wrote verse epics and reminiscences of New Brunswick for the
398:
279:
224:
704:
Script & Print: Bulletin of the Bibliographic Society of Australia and New Zealand
423:
413:
408:
393:
388:
383:
378:
373:
368:
363:
747:
70:
58:
384:
Reminiscences of a Traveller by William M. Leggett, M. A. - British America. No. III
702:
Vening, Chris, "William Martin Leggett: The 'Bard of New Brunswick' in Australia",
353:
348:
239:
228:
162:
113:
689:
632:
622:
607:
343:
338:
333:
328:
308:
681:
Aiton, Grace, "Strange William Martin Leggett, New Brunswick's Gloomiest Bard",
89:
81:
716:, June 1999, 8-9; September 1999, 8-9; December 1999, 8-9; and March 2000, 8-9.
212:, after which he contributed verse and stories to the virulently anti-Catholic
93:
219:
Towards the end of 1868 William was given charge of the government school at
85:
38:
34:
678:, Saint John, N.B.: Sun Printing Company, 1895, 51–2, via Internet Archive.
617:
404:
The Soul of Education. An Essay. From the Prose Pen of the Woollahra Hermit
374:
Lines Suggested by the Advice of a Friend to "Take Things Easy" (by Alonzo)
294:
William's literary career in Australia would never realise the promise of
216:
as Campbell, "W.M.C.C." and "Clarence" of the "Theological Observatory".
136:, soup kitchen attendant in the slums of Sydney, police spy and settler.
389:
Melody. Inscribed to the Lady of Lansdale. By William M. Leggett, M. A.
150:
The family lived in genteel poverty, battling for food and shelter. At
234:
Then in 1870, at Runnymede (now called Runnyford) on the banks of the
205:
117:
54:
548:
A "Literary Prospectus" is online via National Library of Australia.
454:
Longworth's American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory
116:
under the name William Alonzo Campbell, and in 1848 was shipped to
650:
638:
424:
Another and More Destructive Flood at Eurobodalla (by W. M. C. C.)
19:
For the American poet, writer and journalist William Leggett, see
696:
675:
New Brunswick Bibliography. The Books and Writers of the Province
621:
Material was copied from this source, which is available under a
312:, St. John, N.B.: Durant and Sancton, 1833, via Internet Archive.
729:
History of the Methodist Church within...Eastern British America
61:, William Martin Leggett grew up amid the forests and farms of
656:
667:
Daniel F. Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics
733:, Halifax, N.S.: S. F. Huestis, n.d., via Internet Archive.
639:
University of London School of Oriental and African Studies
779:
Pre-Confederation Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom
665:, Saint John, N.B., 11 April 1885; and 23 April 1894, via
318:, Fredericton, N.B.: Printed at the Sentinel Office, 1840.
379:
Stanzas. From an Unpublished Work, by W. M. Leggett, M.A.
557:
Correspondence, NSWSA: NRS 906, 4/768, Special bundles .
740:
at New Brunswick Literature Curriculum in English, n.d.
452:
For addresses and occupations of William's parents see
16:
Canadian and Australian poet and journalist (1805–1878)
645:
NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages – Deaths
769:
American emigrants to pre-Confederation New Brunswick
714:
Journal of the Moruya and District Historical Society
359:
Freemasonry (by The Rev. Brother W. M. Leggett, M.A.)
623:
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
364:
Ode to Free Masonry (by A Knight Templar, XIth Foot)
189:. There too he advertised a threepenny weekly, the
112:In England he adopted a new identity, joining the
29:(15 December 1808 – 25 April 1878), also known as
250:on what he took to be the godless science of
8:
139:On 13 January 1851, at the Scotch Church in
477:, St. John, N.B.: Durant and Sancton, 1833.
53:Born on 15 December 1808, probably in the
697:UNB Libraries Scholar Research Repository
84:upbringing to become a missionary in the
399:A Miner's Dirge, by W. A. M. C. Campbell
369:British America v. Australia (by Alonzo)
200:'s attempt on the life of royal visitor
809:British emigrants to colonial Australia
692:at New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia.
435:
804:Converts to Methodism from Anglicanism
608:"W. M. Leggett: (author/organisation)"
270:), adopted under royal instruction by
819:Military personnel from New York City
506:Sacred Poetry. By a Wesleyan Minister
316:Sacred Poetry. By a Wesleyan Minister
196:In the anti-Irish hysteria following
7:
633:Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
612:AustLit: Discover Australian Stories
102:Sacred Poetry By a Wesleyan Minister
814:19th-century British Army personnel
683:The Maritime Advocate and Busy East
526:Candice Bruce, "George Cherry", in
414:What Am I? By the Woollahra Hermit
92:, New Brunswick and the island of
31:William Montague Clarence Campbell
14:
657:State Library of New South Wales
616:
709:; includes select bibliography.
539:See Vening for further details.
409:Mammon. By the Woollahra Hermit
41:poet and journalist, author of
651:New South Wales State Archives
627:GNU Free Documentation License
1:
799:19th-century Australian poets
685:, 46:6, February 1956, 13–18.
246:, and sent cranky letters to
784:Devonshire Regiment officers
214:Australian Protestant Banner
88:Church, serving at posts in
789:19th-century Canadian poets
614:. University of Queensland.
208:in the streets and pubs of
835:
344:The Minstrel to His Shadow
284:Governor General of Canada
18:
329:The Harp of New Brunswick
323:Selected individual works
145:Irish Famine orphan girls
688:LaVorgna, Koral (2009),
248:The Australian Freemason
244:William Branwhite Clarke
57:district of the city of
21:William Leggett (writer)
736:Tremblay, Tony, et al,
706:, 40:4, 2016, 199–221,
349:To the Lady of Lansdale
282:, secretaryship to the
276:University of Cambridge
186:Illustrated Sydney News
98:Bathurst, New Brunswick
774:Writers from Manhattan
288:stipendiary magistracy
272:Sir Archibald Campbell
191:Woollahra Hermit's Own
27:William Martin Leggett
754:Australian male poets
198:Henry James O'Farrell
738:"William M. Leggett"
690:"William M. Leggett"
278:, membership of the
794:Canadian male poets
672:MacFarlane, W. G.,
443:Deaths, 04912/1878.
108:Career in Australia
726:Watson Smith, T.,
67:Kennebecasis River
647:(NSW BDM Deaths).
475:The Forest Wreath
309:The Forest Wreath
296:The Forest Wreath
236:Buckenbowra River
134:Castlereagh River
78:The Forest Wreath
43:The Forest Wreath
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165:' Sydney-based
161:pseudonyms. In
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225:Charles Harpur
126:Knight Templar
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240:Batemans Bay
238:inland from
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229:Tuross River
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181:Muswellbrook
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163:Henry Parkes
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114:British Army
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77:
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52:
42:
30:
26:
25:
764:1878 deaths
759:1808 births
221:Eurobodalla
90:Nova Scotia
63:Sussex Vale
748:Categories
430:References
268:William IV
157:Free Press
94:Montserrat
49:Early life
39:Australian
731:, Vol. II
264:George IV
177:Singleton
141:Bowenfels
130:XIth Foot
659:(SLNSW).
653:(NSWSA).
354:Fragment
339:Fragment
152:Bathurst
86:Wesleyan
82:Anglican
59:New York
35:Canadian
33:, was a
669:, PANB.
641:(SOAS).
635:(PANB).
601:Sources
206:Fenians
65:on the
334:Memory
302:Poetry
168:Empire
118:Sydney
55:Bowery
210:Glebe
173:Times
286:, a
37:and
487:27.
175:of
750::
610:.
254:.
128:,
120:,
69:,
45:.
699:.
629:.
23:.
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