sketcher and pastoralist, was born in Madras, India on 4 June 1824, son of John Race Godfrey, a lieutenant-colonel in the 14th Madras Native Infantry, and Jane, née Woodhouse. After being educated at Exeter Grammar School (England) Godfrey, with £1500 capital given to him by his father, migrated to Melbourne. He sailed to Hobart Town from London on 7 March 1843 in the Duke of Roxburgh, then from Launceston to Melbourne in the Tamar, arriving on 14 October 1843.
Godfrey subsequently purchased Boort Station in the Lodden district, where he was the first white settler. In 1847 he was joined by his younger brother, Frederic Race Godfrey, whose journals documenting life on the station were later published by his daughter. They reveal a life of hard physical work relieved by visits to Melbourne and by musical interests; Henry had a fine tenor voice and Frederic played the violin. On 16 February 1850 Henry returned to England in the Constance, signing over a quarter of Boort to his brother. In May 1853 he married Mary, daughter of Rev. William Polwhele, at Truro, Cornwall. They had three sons, the youngest being born in Melbourne in December 1856, shortly after they came back to Victoria.
A small sketchbook of about 130 of Godfrey’s naive ink, pencil and watercolour sketches was acquired by the La Trobe Library in 1988. Of these, approximately half were executed during his colonial years. There is a watercolour, Mr Breton’s House, Launceston, made in September 1843, and a sketch taken the following month as the Tamar entered Port Phillip Heads. A later view is of Melbourne from Collingwood but most are of pastoral life, including Aboriginal subjects. The last of his colonial scenes shows Aborigines assisting in the preparation of an enormous bonfire at Boort to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of Miss Laura Ellen Kennedy. Shortly after this event, the brothers left the station, having sold out to Messrs Black, Stewart and Fairy. Henry subsequently acquired Nangunia Station, New South Wales, but left this in the care of a manager, returning to England to settle at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He died at London in 1882.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
