Ann Simons

    When Ann Clarkson was born on 20 March 1815, her father, Thomas Clarkson had just begun to build up his rural estate at Bunburry Curran.(1)
    Ann was the sixth surviving child of the Clarksons and was the first girl born to them in the colony. At the time of her arrival, her eldest sister, Catherine, was nearly 17 years of age and brother Mountford (the youngest) was 3.
    The family were resident in Hunter Street and baptised their new babe with the other youngsters, Sarah, Thomas and Mountford, at the nearby St Phillips Church on 2 June 1816. A notation on both Sarah and Ann's baptism entries indicate they had been previously baptised, (although, where and when this was, we have been unable to establish).(2)
    On 22 February 1831 Ann Clarkson married William Simons at Goulburn Plains.(3) William Simons was a convict who had arrived in the colony in 1823. He had appeared at the Northampton Assises, England, in the company of Richard Simons (relationship unknown) on 2 March 1822. Both were convicted of the charges of theft levelled at them and both were sentenced to death.(4)
    The charge was; theft of articles taken from a dwelling house of John Worley of Brington and included Irish cloth, muslin, waistcoat pieces, worsted cord and a great many other articles. (Worley could quite possibly have been a tailor).
    The Northampton Mercury of 9 March 1822 reported that the two men were to receive the death sentence and whilst William was left for execution, Richard was reprieved before the judge left town. William Simons, was ultimately transported to NSW.(5)
    The convict indent of the "Surrey", which brought William Simons to the colony in 1823, describes him as being 5 ft 8 inches tall, of fair and ruddy complexion with brown hair and brown eyes.(6)
    He was assigned to a Mr Tousen of Goulburn and on 7 March 1830, he received his Ticket of Leave.(7) This permitted him to travel between Sydney and Goulburn in his work as a carrier for Tousen, but denied him the privilege of staying in Sydney. This obviously didn't prevent him from meeting and courting Ann Clarkson, who by this time was 15 years old.
    After their marriage, Ann and William moved to Goulburn, where their son, William Francis was born in September. He was baptised at St Phillip's Church, Sydney, in October of the same year. (1831)(8) Three years later his sister, Mary Ann, who was born on 11 September 1833, was baptised with her cousin, Maria Rowley at St Phillips Church, on Australia Day 1834.(9)
    During these years of 1831 - 1834, the family of William Simons were resident at Goulburn Plains (which was the old town of Goulburn) and William continued to work as a carrier. He appeared to be engaged in this line of work until 1837, when, as his son, James' baptism indicates, he had become a settler in Goulburn.(10) William appears to have purchased land near Dr. Gibson's grant, prior to this, as in 1832, when Catherine Clarkson was pursuing her elusive grant of 50 acres in Goulburn, she made reference to the young couple in a letter; "my son-in-law and daughter lives in Argyle near Dr. Gibsons".(11)
    Dr. Gibson was to report, that in 1835, William Simons bought hay from him and made his payment for the same with amounts of Cape Wine and three Filly foals.(12)
    William was reputedly quite a horseman. It was claimed he rode the distance of 100 miles from Goulburn to Parramatta on a race horse named "Charley's Pork", the journey taking him only one day.(13)
    A water cart horse, also owned by William, won two hack races at a race meeting in Goulburn. The horse had finished his morning's work before competing in the events. This horse was known as "Bawley".(14)
    Around 1837 William purchased from John Tawell, 2 roods in Auburn Street, (just a block away from Catherine Clarkson's block in the same Street). This was one of many holdings the Simons were to have in the town.(15) That same year William and Ann were to lose their little son, Thomas, born in 1835.(16)
    The census of 1841 shows the Simons resident in Auburn Street with 14 people residing in the house(17) and in October of the same year, William received an Absolute Pardon.(18)
    William Simons was listed among wool producers in the area in 1849.(19)
    According to family sources, William and Ann Simons were substantial landholders in Goulburn. A map showing original purchases in the town has Ann Simons name on Lot 18 section 1, in Clinton Street, close to that of John Tawell and Matthew Healey, (prominent pioneers of the area).(20)
    During the 1840's, Ann's sister, Mary, and her husband William Harris, joined them in Goulburn for a few brief years. They owned the allotment in Auburn Street, which Catherine Clarkson had left to Mary in her Will, and one of William's purchases in Bourke Street.(21)
    In 1845 William Simons built the well known "Chequers Inn". Here he acted as landlord until his death in 1854 when Ann carried on the running of the establishment. It is reputed that Ann handed over 10 hotels in Sydney to her sons during her lifetime.(22)
    In 1852, when Ann's daughter, Charlotte was born, William and Ann were resident in Goulburn and William was listed as an inkeeper.(23)
    During the 1850's "Simon's Senior" was was one of the various dignitaries of the town who formed the first goldmining company.(24)
    William Simons died on 25 November 1854 at Rhyana, Goulburn.(25) His daughter, Mary Ann, who had married in 1857, drowned accidentally at Tarlo, near Rhyana, just after the birth of her second daughter in 1859.(26)
    William and Ann's sixth child, Richard, born 1842, died on 25 April 1862.(27)
    Ann Simons, aged 49 years, (death certificate says 54 years) died on 27 December 1864 from a disease of the liver. She was buried at Goulburn. She had been resident in Auburn Street, Goulburn.(28)         Ann left no Will, but administration of her estate, valued at £500, was awarded to her son, William Francis Jnr, who, in 1854, had married the widowed Eliza Cartwright of Narriwa.(29)
Ironically, having married the year that his father -died, William Simons Jnr, of Forest Lodge near Tarlo, was himself to die the year following his mother's death, -- 1865.(30) Owing to this, his brother, James was awarded the administration of his mother's estate in William Jnr's place, The estate now being valued at a lesser sum of £200.(31)
    Image - Letters of Administration of William's Estate
    Image - Ann Clarkson/Simons Pedigree Chart

 Page last updated -  7 July  2006