Page 73 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

80.

B UT T AI S C H 0 0 L
(ORIGINAL NAME - STOCKRINGTON SCHOOL)

In 1856, John and Martha Elliott, with their eleven children
(all except their eldest daughter, Margaret Wiseman), returned from
Segenhoe and took up farming on their land at Buttai. A slab homestead
was built on the slopes of the hills, with present Buttai to the west.
Main crops of the area were wheat and maize. Farming also included
rearing sheep and cattle.

The Elliott family also maintained the civic needs of the time.
John Elliott held Church services under the trees. Martha Elliott, having
an education, conducted a small school at her home for her own family
and the nearby other settlers and workers' children.

The Robertson's Land Act of the early 1860's, encouraged free
settlers to take up condi:ional land purchases. Amongst others, these
now well-known Buttai f2Tiily na~es were applicants:-

William Elliott
John Elliott
George Elliott
F.C. Pullen
John Marr
John Harris
Thomas Bur'gess.

In the 'Maitland Mercury' newspaper issue for 12th January
1860, a report speaks of the Buttai Creek Boiling-Down w6rks built by
James Price during the la:e 1850's. James Price had built a slab house
for his own residence, which still stands today and is now known as 'Bu~tai
House'. After James and Ann Price died at East Maitland in 1883 within
a fortnight of each other, their Buttai home was occupied by their
son-in-law Charles Tucker~an and their daughter Emily Price. The Press
report described . that J2:.es Price had erected a home for the manager of
his works and smaller hc~~s for the boiling-down workers, some twenty
families in all.