Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Saturday 6 September 1941, page 11


Homestead his castle to grazier baronet . . .

CROFT CASTLE, Herefordshire, England, seat of the baronetcy to which Sir Hugh Croft, of Uralla, N.S.W., recently succeeded. Sir Hugh will remain at his Australian homestead, Salisbury Court, Uralla, which has been his home for many years—Croft Castle has a family ghost.

SIR HUGH CROFT, who succeeded to the title on the death of his nephew, came to Australia 40 years ago. His family, the fifth oldest in England, is mentioned in the Doomsday Book.

SIR HUGH AND LADY CROFT in the drawing-room at Salisbury Court. The massive bookcase was brought to Australia by Sir Hugh's grandfather, Matthew Marsh, who originally owned the property, which he bought in 1838. Its story is told in Mrs. Marsh's diary, now in the Mitchell Library.

MR. BERNARD CROFT, of Guyra, heir to Sir Hugh, is named after his ancestor, Bernard the Bearded, who built Croft Castle one thousand years ago.

SIR HUGH and Lady Croft in the grounds of Salisbury Court. The Croft Baronetcy, sixth in England, was conferred on the battlefield for brave deeds in the time of Charles I.

SALISBURY COURT homestead was built in 1843, with local stone and timber. It is one of the oldest and most pic-turesque homes in the New England district. Its popular owner takes a prominent part in the district's activities.

THE LATE Sir James Croft, a captain in a Here-fordshire regiment, was killed accidentally. He fought at Narvik, where he barely escaped death. Mrs. O. R. Cormack, Mosman, is his half-sister.