by Cathy Jones (2026)
‘Dagworth’, 39 Homebush Road Strathfield, is a Federation Queen Anne style house built in 1899. The house called ‘Dagworth’ first appeared in the 1900 Sands Directory occupied by James Hoskins MLC. The house was formerly numbered 27 Homebush Rd but was renumbered 39 Homebush Road in 1960.
The house and its surrounding land are situated on the original 1793 Thomas Rose land grant. The land passed to Edward Powell and by the 1880’s was generally owned by William Russell. In October 1888, six acres in the northern part of Russell’s land was acquired by the President and Fellows of Camden College, with the intention of building a theological college in Strathfield. An additional five perches fronting Homebush Road was added from the Frederick Meredith 1793 grant. Due to the 1890’s economic depression, the College Trustees opted to not proceed with their plans and subdivided the land in 1898 creating sites Albert Road (65-103 Albert Road), Homebush Road (25-39 Homebush Rd) and Beresford Road.
In September 1898, the President and Trustees of the Camden Congregational College sold a lot to James Hoskins MLC. Hoskins was a miner and member of Legislative Council of NSW Parliament. Strathfield Council’s 1898-1899 valuation record note a completed house. Robert Finch, a local builder, is noted on the Council valuation record as the owner (which is incorrect according to land titles), however it is likely he was the builder of this house.
The Certificate of Title was subject to a condition that James Hoskins, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns will not at any time erect or permit to be erected either by him or them or purchaser of more than one house or residence on the land described.
Hoskins died in April 1900. His obituary notes:
The Hon. James Hoskins, formerly a member of the Legislative Assembly, and afterwards a member of the Legislative Council, died on Sunday at his residence, Homebush, at the age of 77 years. Mr. Hoskins was born in London in 1823, and emi-grated to Australia in 1853. After a varied experience on the diggings, he was elected in 1859 to the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales for the Northern Goldfields. In 1872 was returned for Patrick’s Plains, and in 1874 for Tumut. Mr. Hoskins was Secretary for Public Works in the Parkes Government from March to August, 1877, and Secretary for Lands in the Parkes-Robertson Ministry from December, 1878, to December 1881. He was nominated to the Legislative Council in February, 1889, where he served until his death in 1900 aged 77 years.
Hoskins wife Caroline had died in 1881 and he was estranged from his son Thomas. In making his will, he was unsure whether his son Thomas was still alive. In June 1900, application for transmission was made by Annie Stewart, Hoskins’ housekeeper, who was left bequests in his will. The property was transferred to Stewart, who mortgaged and leased the house.
Annie Stewart leased the property from 1901 to 1907 to Dr George Mander Jones, grandson of retailer David Jones. His wife Margaret Arnott was the daughter of Arnott Biscuit founder William Arnott.
In 1907, Stewart sold the property to Ernest Laurence, a solicitor and Mayor of Strathfield in 1917-18 who owned the property until 1913. Laurence then moved to ‘Bellevue’ Victoria Street Strathfield. In November 1913, the property transferred to Henry Friend Moses and Leslie Moses as joint tenants. Both changed their surnames by deed poll to Friend. In June 1913, the property transferred to the Permanent Trustee.
In May 1929, the property transferred to Thomas Boardman, a grazier of Campbelltown. In 1937, the property was sold to Edna Collier Baker, wife of Reginald William Baker of Ingleburn, solicitor. In September 1938 the property transferred to Agnes Sophia Evans, wife of George Evans of Homebush, retired Bank Inspector. In September 1943, the property transferred to Ellen Archibald, a widow of Strathfield.
References
Department of Valuer-General, Municipality of Strathfield, Valuation Lists
NSW Land Registry
PURSUANT to a Decree of the Supreme Court of New South (1900, November 16). New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 – 1900), p. 8968. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222825391
Sands Sydney Directory
The Late Hon. James Hoskins. (1900, April 6). Adelong and Tumut Express and Tumbarumba Post (NSW : 1900 – 1925), p. 2. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104466732
