April 12th, 2025Remembering a big-hearted woman: the legacies of Daylesford’s Jessie Leggatt

The days when Jessie Leggatt was alive in Daylesford must have been richly interesting ones.

Jessie (1825–1907) was a pioneering philanthropist whose legacy continues to benefit the town today.

Her contributions recently came in for a current day share of the spotlight when she was posthumously named among this year’s inductees onto the Hepburn Shire Council’s Heather Mutimer Honour Roll.

The International Women’s Day honour came about after Jessie was nominated by  Woodend local Rachel Hewitt in conjunction with the Daylesford and District Historical Society which assisted Rachel with research into the deeds and doings of this community-minded past resident.

Asked what it was like to see Jessie posthumously honoured, Rachel said: “It was fantastic because Jessie Leggatt lived in a time when women weren’t recognised as pioneers. I mean at that stage they didn’t even have the vote.”

Born in Scotland, Jessie and her husband Neil emigrated to Australia during the gold rush of the 1850s. Settling in Daylesford, they ran a very successful store-keeping and gold-buying business at Wombat Flat.

In 1865 they built Leggatt’s Hotel and Store, a local icon (also known today as The Coach House) that still stands today overlooking Lake Daylesford.

When Neil died seven years after the hotel was built, aged just 45, Jessie was left “a very substantial sum” as the sole beneficiary of his will.

Outliving her husband by 37 years, Jessie resided in the hotel, which she converted into a private residence, until her death in 1907 aged 82.

Jessie had no biological children, however a young local named Alfred Beckett was considered her adopted son and under her care he rose to become a councillor and Justice of the Peace with history recording that he was “looked upon as the most promising young man in the district”.

Sadly, his untimely death while aged in his 30s, left Jessie once again without immediate family.

But, as a woman of significant means, Jessie Leggatt went on to create her own legacy through philanthropy. 

As the Daylesford Advocate reported upon her death, she was “widely known for her large-heartedness and generosity” and “A case of hardship or destitution had only to be mentioned to her, to bring forth a liberal gift.”

Jessie’s contributions significantly helped build Daylesford’s St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, helped fund the Daylesford Hospital, and established a scholarship at the University of Melbourne.

Jessie’s foresight in creating long-term educational opportunities was ground -breaking for women of her era.

“She had this interest in education and in seeing people better themselves,” Rachel said.

Unfortunately, there do not appear to be any photos of Jessie in existence today. Yet physical traces of her presence remain.

Besides the church building itself, there also remains the foundation stone recalling her contribution at St Andrews, a gravesite monument in the Daylesford cemetery and the grand old house she once called home still stands at 8 Leggatt Street, overlooking Lake Daylesford today.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied