History 1842 to 1868
New South Wales Government Gazette, Tuesday, November 8, 1842.
His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to direct it to be notified, for general information, that a settlement at Twofold Bay will be opened to a location in the commencement of the month of March, 1843, and that some Town Allotments, as well as Grazing Lands, will be sold as early in that month as circumstances will admit of. The Sale will take place, in Sydney, in the usual manner; and further notice will be given as soon as the particulars are received from the Surveyor General. By His Excellency's Command, E. Deas Thomson.
This notice in the NSW Government Gazette signalled the commencement of the first new township in New South Wales outside of the Sydney region. The site of the Crown & Anchor Inn, in the Town of Eden, Parish of Eden, County of Auckland, was purchased at auction by William Hirst in 1843. In August that year William Hurst & Co advertised for a Cooper, to proceed to Twofold Bay, beginning the period of construction of the first substantial building in Eden, the Crown & Anchor Inn. Unfortunately by March 1844, William and his brother George became bankrupt and George committed suicide. William died in 1846. His estates and effects were held in trust for his creditors. James Rixon purchased the property (land and coaching inn) from Elizabeth Hirst (widow of William) for the sum of 250 pounds in 1848. This was a very large sum in those days. James Rixon was issued the first license to Retail Fermented and Spiritous Liquors for the Crown & Anchor at Eden from March 1845 (for an annual fee of 30 pounds). Hence by 1845 the building works had been completed by the Hirsts and their trustees and the Crown & Anchor Inn was leased by Rixon until 1848. Interestingly, Ben Boyd, who had commenced his alternative township on Twofold Bay at Boydtown, had travelled to Broulee ahead of James where the Justice of the Peace was to grant the first liquor licenses for the area. Boyd had prevailed upon the Justice not to grant Rixon a license as Boyd was about to open the Seahorse Inn. James had then to travel to Sydney to get his first license. Fortunately, the Justice at Broulee granted Rixon his next license in 1846. From 1847 liquor licenses were granted in Eden. By 1848 there were 63 inhabitants of Eden and the growing Rixon family comprised a fair proportion of the town population.
So who was James Rixon?
James' father (also a James Rixon) arrived in Sydney aboard the "Barwell" as a convict in 1798 (his name was recorded as James Hickson) and later was in a relationship with Amelia Goodwin. Amelia never actually married James and was a convict herself, arriving in Sydney in 1800 aboard the "Speedy". They had six children, all boys. James senior became a private in the NSW Corps after receiving a pardon. He was later drummed out of the Corps by sentence of a regimental court martial. James and Amelia moved to Airds near Campbletown on 40 acres of land.
James Rixon (their second son top left) was born in Sydney in 1806 as the first recorded triplets in the colony. One sibling did not survive, but his twin brother Benjamin lived until his 80th year. James married Elizabeth Hoare in 1833, living at Airds, Taylors Flat, Eden and Bega until his death at age 67. James and Elizabeth had twelve children, six of whom were born in Eden when they operated and/or owned the Crown & Anchor Inn from 1845 until 1868.
Rixon seems to have first come to the area to work in the employ of the Imlay brothers, one of the early farming and whaling families established in the area. Rixon subsequently entered into competition with them (and others including Ben Boyd) in the Twofold Bay whaling industries flourishing in the ealry 1840's. Rixon appears to have been a fierce competitor setting up his operations on land next to Boyd's enterprise at East Boyd. A small beach in Twofold Bay retains the Rixon name, most likely at a place where he operated whaling activities. So by these means he raised sufficient capital to first operate and then purchase the Crown & Anchor Inn.
There are many references in the literature to Ben Boyd and the Imlay brothers however of Rixon, who clearly was an important pioneer of the area, there has been little written.
Although James Rixon was the licensee, the Crown & Anchor Inn was actually run by Elizabeth his wife. There are references to Elizabeth being a kind and helpful woman and she was gifted a silver tea service when she left for Bega, engraved "To Mrs J. Rixon for her kindness to the inhabitants of Eden and surrounding district. 14th June 1858". The tea service (top middle) is still held by the Rixon family.
Daniel Goldsmith held the liquor license for the Crown & Anchor Hotel, Eden, from 1863 to 1865, probably as a tenant or manager, as James and Elizabeth had begun establishing hotels in Bega from 1857. The image (top right) is of a pamphlet found with three others during the heritage reconstruction undertaken during the 1990's.