Henderson Law was born on 8 October 1827. His father Alexander went to America after his brewing business in Leith failed. His mother Marjory was left with eight children and little money to look after them until Alexander could return to restore their fortunes. The family resided at Sheriff Brae in South Leith.
Their circumstances were bleak:
See Certificates produced by the Rev.d James Grant, and Mess.rs Beadie and Ramsay both Merchants in Leith. This is a very distressing case, both M.r and M.rs Law having been in very good circumstances and of the highest respectability, and M.r Laws circumstances having become embarrassed by engaging in a Distillery. The Applicant is a very fine boy, and cannot from his age be admitted after this year.
J. C. Beadie and D. Ramsay’s testimonial gave more details about the situation:
Leith 14 May 1835. We the Subscribed hereby Certify that Alexr Law late Brewer in Leith went to America in July 1834 and left his wife and Eight Children here with a Very small temporary provision for their Subsistence. That the two eldest Girls got into Situations since, and a boy Killed on his passage to the West Indies. That there is still Five Children at home, and of our own Knowledge we are aware, that the funds left by Mr Law, for the Support of the Family, are now totally exhausted. That Mr Law was still in America the end of March last and had got nothing to do and was unable to Remit One penny to his family.
James Greig’s testimonial also supported Henderson’s application:
Edin.r 23 Forth St. 15 May 1835. I hereby certify that I am well acquainted with the circumstances of M.rs Laws family and I consider the present application as peculiarly deserving the attention of the Directors of Watson’s Institution. The family of M.rs Law from being in comparatively easy circumstances have by a series of misfortunes been reduced to entire destitution And unless the child within named shall be admitted into the Hospital and the other Young Children provided for by similar Institutions I do not know how subsistence for the family can be obtained.
Henderson was admitted to John Watson’s Institution in 1835.
The1841 Census found him living in Greenock, Hamilton Parish, with sister Margaret, aged 30 and a ‘Teacher’, and brother Alexander, aged 15.
The 1851 Census reveals that Henderson’s father Alexander returned from America and was reunited with his family. Henderson was living in Barony, Glasgow with his father Alexander (‘Formerly Brewer’ – 75), mother Marjory (‘Brewer’s Wife’- 62), sister Agnes (‘Teacher of Music’- 32), brother Alexander (‘Wine Merchant’s Clerk’- 24), Janet McCallum (‘General Servant’ – 23), and Mary Drysdale (‘Boarder’ and ‘Scholar’ – aged 9 born in the East Indies). Henderson was employed as a ‘Produce Packers Clerk’.
In October 1852, he left Glasgow and sailed to Melbourne, Australia on the ship Sir William Molesworth, arriving in March 1853. He was in a position to purchase others’ debts and goods in Victoria as reported in the Victoria Government Gazette by 1855. In December 1856, he joined with fellow merchants William H. Dodd and John White to buy land in North Geelong.
Henderson returned to the UK and married Elizabeth Wyld Mather (1833-1904) in Leeds in 1857. Their daughter Lillian Mary was born in Govan in 1858. They were back in Leeds by 1859 when daughter Margery was born there. In 1859, Henderson applied for a passport.
His business dealings ran into trouble in 1860. The Edinburgh Gazette for 2 March 1860 reported that, ‘A Petition has been presented to the Honorable the Lord Ordinary officiating on the Bills, at the instance of S. A. Liebert & Company, Merchants in Glasgow, Creditors to the extent required by the law, craving Warrant to cite LAW, WHITE, & COMPANY, Merchants in Glasgow, and Henderson Law and John White, both lately in Glasgow, at present in Melbourne, Australia, or elsewhere furth of Scotland, and William Henry Dodd, also in Melbourne aforesaid, or elsewhere furth of Scotland, the Individual Partners of the said Law, White, & Company, praying his Lordship to award Sequestration of the Estates of the said Law, White, & Company, and of the said Henderson Law, John White, and William Henry Dodd, as Partners of the said Company, and as Individuals, in terms of the Act 19 & 20 Vict., cap. 79; and Lord Jerviswoode, Ordinary, has been pleased, of this date, to pronounce the following Interlocutor thereon: — ‘The Lord Ordinary having considered this Petition, with the writs produced, Grants warrant to … cite Law, White, & Company, Merchants in Glasgow [etc.] in terms of the Bankruptcy Scotland Act, 1856, to appear in Court on the seventh day next after citation if within Scotland, and on an induciae of twenty-one days after citation if furth of Scotland, to shew cause why sequestration of their estates should not be awarded…CAMPBELL & SMITH, S.S.C., 26 York Place, Agents.’
The Edinburgh Gazette for 7 September 1860 gave, ‘NOTICE. In the Sequestration of the Estate of LAW, WHITE, & COMPANY, Merchants in Glasgow, — Henderson Law, one of the Individual Partners of that Company, has, of the date hereof, applied to the Sheriff of Lanarkshire for a discharge of all debts and obligations contracted for him, or for which he was liable at the date of the sequestration, as a Partner of the said Law, White, & Company. R. Jameson, Petitioner’s Agent. Glasgow, September 6, 1860.
The London Gazette for 12 October 1860 gave a notice of sequestration on 9 October 1860 with commissioners to be elected on 16 October 1860. ‘All future Advertisements relating to this sequestration will be published in the Edinburgh Gazette alone.’
Matters were resolved by 6 November 1860 when the Edinburgh Gazette gave, ‘NOTICE. In the sequestration of the Estates of LAW, WHITE, & COMPANY, Merchants in Glasgow, and that of HENDERSON LAW, Merchant, at present in Glasgow, lately residing in Melbourne, Australia, one of the Individual Partners of that Company, as a Partner thereof, and as an Individual, — the said Henderson Law had, of the date hereof, applied to the Sheriff of Lanarkshire, for a discharge of all debts and obligations contracted by him, or for which he was liable, at the date of the sequestration, as a Partner of the said Law, White, & Company, and as an Individual. R. Jameson, Agent for the Petitioner. November 6, 1860.’
Henderson and his family remained in Scotland as recorded in the 1861 Census. They were living at Woodside Walk, Woodside House, Hamilton, Lanarkshire with the addition of Mary Henderson, aged 1, who had been in Leeds in 1860, and domestic servants Ann Rutherford, aged 19, and Mary Goodrich, aged 23. Henderson’s occupation was ‘Australian Merchant’.
Henderson and his family had moved to New Zealand by 1863 when Elizabeth Wyld Mather Law was born at Dunedin. Two more children followed: Margaret May in 1866 and son Henry Robert in 1866. Henderson appeared in the New Zealand Electoral Rolls as a Dunedin resident. His sister Agnes joined the family: she died in Dunedin in 1893. Henderson’s import and insurance business was listed in the Dunedin New Zealand Towns Directory for 1896 as ‘Left hand side from Princes st Law Henderson & Co, importers Royal Insur Co: H Law & Co, agts’
Henderson died on 16 August 1900 with his last address as Mornington, Dunedin.
application
Certificate of Birth
certificate of health
Letter of recommendation
