City of Armadale - History House > Records

PORTRAIT - MRS HENRY EDWARD HALL

Overview

Head and shoulders picture of Mrs Henry Edward Hall, nee Sarah Theodosia Branson, on a dark mottled background. Her hair is centrally parted, curled and piled to the back of the head. She is wearing a ruffled collar with flower like brooch over a dark belted dress. The picture is mounted in a gold speckled frame with a brown border.

Text on the back of the picture reads; "Mrs Henry Edward Hall / (nee Sarah Theodosia Branson] / Born England 1793 / Died Wongong W.A, 1858 / Presented to History / House by / H. M Wilson / GT Gd daughter / 1976 / © / Copy right : not to be / reproduced without / permission H M Wilson"

Historical information

This photograph of a painted portrait of Sarah Theodosia Hall (1793–1858) was donated to the History House Museum by Mrs H. Margaret Wilson of Claremont, Western Australia, great-granddaughter of Sarah and Henry Hall. The original portrait remains in the custodianship of the Hall family, ensuring continuity of care within the direct line of descendants. As both a family heirloom and a historical record, its provenance is strong, connecting the object to a pioneering family whose settlement at Mandurah helped shape early Western Australia. The donation enhances public access while preserving the Hall family’s enduring historical legacy.
Sarah Theodosia Hall (nee Branson) was born in 1793 in Shackerstone, Leicestershire, England. Her parents were Thomas Branson and Charlotte Catharina Hall. She married her cousin, Henry Edward Hall in Coventry, Warwichshire on November 22nd, 1815. The couple belonged to a longstanding family that had owned Shackerstone Manor for centuries, a heritage they later left behind.
In February 1830, Sarah, Henry, and their six children (Sarah Louisa, Henry Hastings, Laetitia, Theodosia Sophia, William Shakespeare, and James Anderton) sailed on the ship Protector and arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia. The family received a grant of land of about 16,594 acres in the Mandurah area.
Between 1832 and 1834, Sarah relocated back to England with their two eldest children, for schooling and to handle financial matters related to the family estate. She returned to Australia in 1834 and settled in Mandurah, where the family established a homestead later know as Hall's Head.
Sarah Passed away on February 17th 1858 at Wungong, in the Armadale district. She was about 64 years old at the time of her death. She was buried at the East Perth Cemetery.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-33-AK1990.45
Item type
Prints
Material
Canvas
Wood
Width
182 mm
Height or length
248 mm
Depth
35 mm
Keywords
Prints
Early Pioneer
Statement of significance

The painted portrait of Sarah Theodosia Hall (1793–1858), represented in this photographic reproduction, holds enduring historical, cultural, and genealogical importance for Western Australia. As the matriarch of the Hall family, Sarah Theodosia emigrated from England to the fledgling Swan River Colony in 1830 aboard the Protector, accompanied by her husband Henry Edward Hall and their children.

Primary significance criteria
Historic significance
Comparative significance criteria
Interpretive capacity
Well provenanced
Last modified
Wednesday, 24 June, 2026
Completeness
83
City of Armadale - History House

City of Armadale - History House

A picture of the bust of Mrs Henry Edward Hall (nee Sarah Theodosia Branson) on a dark mottled background. Her hair is centre parted, curled and piled to the back of the head. She is wearing a ruffled collar with flower like brooch over a dark belted dress. It's mounted in a gold speckled frame with a brown border.
A close up of a portrait of Mrs Henry Edward Hall, nee Sarah Theodosia Branson, on a dark mottled background. Her hair is centrally parted, curled and piled to the back of the head. She is wearing a ruffled collar with flower like brooch over a dark belted dress. The picture is mounted in a gold speckled frame with a brown border.
Head and shoulders picture of Mrs Henry Edward Hall, nee Sarah Theodosia Branson, on a dark mottled background. Her hair is centrally parted, curled and piled to the back of the head. She is wearing a ruffled collar with flower like brooch over a dark belted dress. The picture is mounted in a gold speckled frame with a brown border.
A picture of the bust of Mrs Henry Edward Hall, nee Sarah Theodosia Branson, on a dark mottled background. Her hair is centrally parted, curled and piled to the back of the head. She is wearing a ruffled collar with flower like brooch over a dark belted dress.

The picture is mounted in a gold speckled frame with a brown inner-border.
The backside of the picture, with text reading; "Mrs Henry Edward Hall / (nee Sarah Theodosia Branson] / Born England 1793 / Died Wongong W.A, 1858 / Presented to History / House by / H. M Wilson / GT Gd daughter / 1976 / © / Copy right : not to be / reproduced without / permission H M Wilson
Text on the back of the picture reads; "Mrs Henry Edward Hall / (nee Sarah Theodosia Branson] / Born England 1793 / Died Wongong W.A, 1858 / Presented to History / House by / H. M Wilson / GT Gd daughter / 1976 / © / Copy right : not to be / reproduced without / permission H M Wilson"

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