G'day Callie,

I prefer to think that spelling was far less formalised then than now. It was halfway back to the Elizabethan era, when there was no such animal as orthography. I also suspect that many convicts - such as "Frank the Poet", in whom I am greatly interested (and who served time at Port Arthur), were far more literate than many of the soldiers ... and even some of the administrators.

A friend, who worked for the National Parks Authority, told me that the first farm registered in Australia was intended to be called Alpha Farm by its literate owner ... but was registered by the Government clerk as (H ommitted)'Alf a Farm ... Well, the other name was all Greek to him!

Regards,

Bob Bolton