Bothwell Families

These pages offer a glimpse into the lives of the Bothwell families. You’ll find family trees and historical events specific to the area. While not exhaustive, the information will continue to be updated as research progresses. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material presented.

Richard Bowden (1866-1945)
Florence Lucy Cunningham Hughes (1868-1892)
Ida May Denholm (1878-1957)

Richard Bowden was born on 9 June 1866 at Bothwell, the son of Edward Bowden and Sarah Allen. He grew up in Bothwell and, as a young man, worked as a butcher before becoming a farmer later in life. Throughout his life, he was actively involved in the local community, serving on juries at coronial inquests and appearing frequently in valuation rolls and electoral records as an occupier and later owner of the property Cluny. On 6 July 1889, Richard married Florence Lucy Cunningham Hughes, daughter of William Wood Hughes and Emma Harriet Cunningham, at the residence of her father in Bothwell. The couple had one daughter, Marion Bowden, born in 1889, who sadly died in infancy in 1890. Florence died in January 1892 at the age of 23. Richard remarried on 15 September 1896 in Hobart to Ida May Denholm, daughter of Alexander Denholm and Annie Spurway Smith. Together they raised a large family, most of whom were born in or around Bothwell. Their children were: Beryl Evelyn (1897), Richard Vernon (1902), Edna Jewel (1904), Lyndon (1908), Mervyn  (1910), and Cecily Claire (1915). By the early twentieth century, Richard and Ida were living at Cluny near Bothwell, where Richard farmed approximately 2,190 acres. Richard died at Cluny on 7 September 1945, aged 79, and was buried at Bothwell Cemetery. Ida died on 17 August 1957 and was also buried at Bothwell.


Richard Bowden, son of Edward Bowden and Sarah Allen.

b: 9 Jun 1866, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 22 Jul 1866, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 7 Sep 1945, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 9 Sep 1945, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Spouse (1) - Florence Lucy Cunningham Hughes, daughter of William Wood Hughes and Emma Harriet Cunningham.

b: 7 Jul 1868, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 25 Oct 1868, Bothwell, Tasmania; m: 6 Jul 1889, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 18 Jan 1892, West Hobart, Tasmania; bur: 20 Jan 1892, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Child of Richard Bowden and Florence Lucy Cunningham Hughes:

  1. Marion Bowden - b: 2 Jul 1889, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 6 Jul 1889, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 14 Mar 1890, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 15 Mar 1890, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Spouse (2) - Ida May Denholm, daughter of Alexander Denholm and Annie Spurway Smith.

b: 23 Jul 1878, Green Ponds, Tasmania; m: 15 Sep 1896, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 17 Aug 1957, Tasmania; bur: aft 17 Aug 1957, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Children of Richard Bowden and Ida May Denholm:

  1. Beryl Evelyn Bowden - b: 13 Dec 1897, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 12 Jan 1898, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  2. Richard Vernon Bowden - b: 30 Apr 1902, New Town, Tasmania; d: 16 May 1981, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 16 May 1981, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  3. Edna Jewel Bowden - b: 14 Sep 1904, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 19 Jun 1986, Tasmania; bur: aft 19 Jun 1986, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - Edward Norwood Archer, son of Edward Lewis Archer and Emily Gertrude Moodie, b: 8 Nov 1899, Bothwell, Tasmania; m: 8 Mar 1925, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 13 Dec 1971, Tasmania; bur: aft 13 Dec 1971, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  4. Lyndon Bowden - b: 28 Dec 1908, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  5. Mervyn Bowden - b: 21 Nov 1910, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  6. Cecily Claire Bowden - b: 20 Jan 1915, Battery Point, Tasmania.