Thomas Clarkson - 1818 DRAWS TO A CLOSE

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    On 24 October 1818, the bench Magistrate sat to investigate and rule on the many complaints and charges laid before them. That day the Judge Advocate had D'Arcy Wentworth, Simeon Lord and Richard Brooks sitting on the bench with him. Business to hand included; (57)
a quantity of cedar claimed by Mr Thomas Clarkson under a permit of His Excellency the Governor, dated 1 December 1817, having been seized by the constables, and no person appearing this day to claim the same it is condemned in the usual manner.
    Thomas apparently didn't want the timber now or else his litigations in the legal halls had so tied him up that he missed his opportunity to claim the cedar. The court as usual, finished the proceedings for the day by setting the assize price for bread ---- that day "same as last week -- 5 3/4 pence".(58)
    In November 1818 Thomas Clarkson complained to the Supreme Civil Courts that Charles Beasley owed him £94/15/- on a promissory note.(59)
    A promissory note had been made out to James Fitzpatrick on 21 November 1815 by Beasley and payment was promised within four months, but before this period was up Fitzpatrick used the note to pay Clarkson, leaving Beasley now liable to make the payment to Thomas.(60) (Fitzpatrick it will be remembered was made tenant at Lamb's Farm by Clarkson in 1817.)
    On 10 September 1818 Beasley was further indebted to Thomas for £200 and again promised payment. Further debts were claimed as being owing -- in fact seven counts of debts were tabled. There must have been some irregularity in all of this for at some stage during the hearing, the case was abandoned and a judgement of nonsuit was given against the plaintiff, in this case Thomas Clarkson.
    Towards the end of 1818 Thomas brought suit against Hugh Crabtree of Pitt Town to recover damages of £150. By May 1819 Crabtree had not appeared to answer the charges and was duly arrested. Details of the case are scarce but it appears a writ of Fieri Facias was issued against Hugh Crabtree "in debt for £188/6/2  and costs £3, returnable 15 May 1820. Levy £103/6/- besides poundage and other fees".(61)
    The outcome of this incident is uncertain due to the lack of documents available on this case but it appears that Hugh Crabtree's farm and livestock were to be auctioned to recover his arrears.(62)
    On the rural side Thomas' holdings were increasing. A land and stock muster taken in 1818 gives us the following details of his assets;(63)
30 October 1818 ---- Thomas Clarkson held 2000 acres, 400 of which were cleared.
    On this land he had growing;
70 acres of wheat
20 acres of maize
1 acre of barley
half acre of oats
half acre of potatoes
half acre of peas and beans
and 3 acres devoted to gardens and orchard
    He was in possession of;
4 horses
144 head of horned cattle
300 sheep
60 hogs
    His barns held;
500 bushells of wheat
 70 bushells of maize
    Two big changes occurred in the personal life of Thomas Clarkson during the year of 1818. On 27 February 1818 his eldest daughter Catherine was married to Thomas Rowley at Castlereagh by Reverend Henry Fulton. Thomas was the son of the late Lieutenant Thomas Rowley of the NSW Corps.(64) Thomas Clarkson was to install his daughter and her new husband on his Bunburry Curran estates in the new home he'd built there.(65) When the 1818 muster of stock and land was taken Rowley himself was credited with holding 150 acres with 120 cleared at Liverpool.(66)
    On 19 September 1818 the last of the little Clarkson "cornstalks" was born. This "Colonial Kid" was a little girl and was to be called Mary - perhaps after Thomas' mother. She was baptised with her new cousin Thomas Rowley Jnr., at St Phillips Church Sydney on 24 January 1819, almost 13 years to the day since Thomas had been bundled on board the "Alexander" at Portsmouth. Both Catherines baptised their babies together.(67)
    And so Thomas Clarkson saw 1818 draw to a close. He was the owner of an impressive estate, multiple premises, a mill and one or two financial headaches but he had a new son in law whom he would always consider as "friend", a new daughter and his first grandchild, Thomas Rowley Jnr. born December 1818. He had reason to smile.

 Page last updated -  7 July 2006