Thomas
Clarkson and Catherine Rayson
Parents :
Mountford
Clarkson and Ann Wadham (60%)
Thomas Rason and Sarah Bennett (80% see page)
Thomas Clarkson (b 1766 Aldridge Warwickshire, m
Catherine Rayson 1794 Kingsbury, d 1824 Hunter St Sydney).
Catherine Rayson .(b
1774 Bedworth Warwickshire, d 1839 Sydney)
Catherine Clarkson (b 1798 Kingsbury, m Thomas Rowley II 1818 Christ Church, Castlereagh, d 1858 Minto NSW).
John Rowley (b 1822 Minto NSW, m Mary
Jane
(Jane) Onslow
1846 Liverpool, d 1856 Liverpool NSW)
John Clarkson Rowley (b 1847 Liverpool, m Sarah Jane Smart 1874 Beechworth Vic, 1928 Bethanga Vic)
Joseph Smart Rowley (b 1875 Yackandandah Vic,
m Eircell Broome 1909 Albury NSW, m Avis Sirl 1922
Albury, d 1957 Bethanga)
John Clarkson (b 1799 Kingsbury, m Rebecca Bannister, d 1879
Leicester)).
Mountford Clarkson (b 1802 Kingsbury, d 1802 Kingsbury).
Hannah Clarkson (b 1802 Kingsbury, d bef 1806 ?). - See Research
Notes
Sarah Clarkson (b 1804 Kingsbury, m Michael Cook 1824 St Lukes
Liverpool, d 1877 St Leonards Sydney)
Thomas Clarkson (b 1810 Sydney, m Maria Fielder 1830 Scots
Church Sydney, d 1884 Qld)
Mountford Clarkson (b 1812 Sydney, m Jemima Fisher 1833 St
Phillips Sydney, m Mary Ann Smith 1850 St James Sydney, d 1885
Camperdown NSW)
Ann
Clarkson (b 1815 Sydney, m William Simons 1831 Goulburn Plains
NSW, d 1864 Goulburn)
Mary Clarkson (b 1818 Sydney, m William Harris 1840 Goulburn, d
1863 Grafton NSW)
Martha (b 1821 Sydney)
This page now consists of three distinct parts
The standard tree and links above.
A writeup of the Thomas and Catherine's story as
I see it.
A collection of correspondence and research notes
that provides discussion and evidence for the preceeding story.
“If Only” is the title of the book published by
Christine Woodhead, Marlene Willcocks and Margaret Aitken in 1988.
The authors looked at his considerable achievements, his faults
and wondered what could have been.
In 1804 Thomas and Catherine were living in Bodymoor
Heath adjacent to Kingsbury Warwickshire with
three young children. We can gauge their business interests from
the description of his house given at his bankruptcy in 1805.
“On 20th May to be sold: a substantial and
newly erected freehold messuage or dwelling house, with
outbuildings and premises called Greaves House, situated near
Bodymoor Heath and adjoining the Birmingham and Fazely Canal -
comprising, 2 kitchens, 2 parlours, 7 bedchambers, a large
grocer's shop, Bakehouse and Store room - dairy, 2 cheese
rooms,, stabling for 12 horses, together with a coal wharf,
lime yard, 3 lime kilns, weighing machine, and ware house.
Also another freehold dwelling house, nearly built, with
outbuildings and appurtenances, together with 10 acres of
excellent pasture land adjoining the above premises and late
in the occupation of the said bankrupt, and also an extensive
right of common over Bodimoor Heath.”
What went wrong? An article , entitled
"William Henshall: Maker of NSW Holey Dollars and Dumps"
appeared in Volume 15 of the journal of Numismatic Association
of Australia in 2004. It is based partly on an extensive dossier
in the Bank of England Archives, generated by the pursuit, trial
and transportation of William Henshall, Thomas
Clarkson and Richard Clarkson. The Numismatic society were
interested in the Holy Dollar angle. William Hensall in 1814
organised the manufacturing operation for Macquarie of nearly
80,000 Holey Dollars and Dumps.
A summary of the article follows:
Henshall first
came under suspicion for illicit liquor trading in late 1804.
The police raid found some partially completed dollar (= five
Shilling) pieces. These were ignored by the plod, but raised the
interest of the Bank of England. The Bank raised a major
operation to infiltrate the organisation run by our three
forgers. A month after the earlier raid, another raid uncovered
coin dies and equipment, and forged coins and banknotes.
Henshall and an employee Thomas Ashford were sentenced to seven
years transportation, and the two Clarksons received fourteen.
The fact that Henshall was convicted of forging and possession,
and the Clarksons of possession, but the Clarksons received the
longer sentence suggests that the Clarksons might have been
regarded as the organisers of the operation.
After conviction the prisoners set about reducing the impact of
their sentences. They started from the optimistic request for
pardons in return for cooperation but retreated to the
requesting that their families be allowed to accompany them.
Their cooperation included
(1) handing over plates for £1, £2, £5 and £10 notes
(2) Henshall provided the bank with advice on anti-forgery
design in its coins and notes.
This included using better quality
paper with watermarks and raised milled edged on coins
(3) informing on over 130 criminals and their haunts.
(These make an interesting appendix to the
article)
The best deal they could get was that their wives and younger
children would accompany them to Botany Bay. Nancy Henshall
elected to stay in England because all of her seven children
could not go. Richard's wife Lucy elected to stay in England
with her infant child. Catherine reluctantly went leaving one
child behind. The bank provided £10 to the wives for immediate
provisions, and also £10 for 'sea stock' for the prisoners, The
Bank of England were happy to not prosecute, but the police
unsurprisingly insisted. The Bank had issued notes in some
denominations since 1694 but Henshel's advice suggests that the
weren't that on the ball.Eunice Cruickshank
supplied an article from Australian Family Tree Connections
January 2004 by Graham Thom, on the voyage of the Alexander in
2006.
“The passenger
list consisted of
15 male convicts (including our three forgers, but not
co-accused Thomas Ashford).
48 female convicts
8 wives and 10 children of convicts.
|Catherine only had two children
with her, confirming the view that John stayed behind,
probably in the care of grandparents. It seems likely that all
15 of the male convicts had passage offered to their wives and
children, but half declined
This voyage does not look like the normal
overcrowded convict ship, so perhaps all the 15 families had
special treatment for various reasons.”
To me this looks like a shipload of
convicts travelling Business Class.
On arrival in Sydney in 1806 Thomas was
assigned as a (convict) servant to his wife Catherine. In 1806
Catherine purchased land, "with a small house erected on it" in
Upper Bell Row for £38. This purchase together with the
Clarkson's flying start in the business environment of the
colony suggests that the Clarkson's had sheltered substantial
funds from the bankruptcy and/or had access to family money. The
other interesting question is how important was Catherine in
their business affairs. I suspect it was substantial,,in spite
of the fact that they had five more children between 1810 and
1821. Certainly Catherine conducted a resolute defence of their
assets after Thomas died. And at one stage she was moved to put
a notice in the Sydney Gazette announcing she was not
responsible for debts incurred by Thomas.
Thomas fell foul of the law in a matter of
weeks and was sentenced to two years hard labour at Castle Hill.
I have this picture of convicts on the journey to Australia in
crowded cells below deck, only being allowed out for a small
amount of light and fresh air each day. Yet here he is accused
of embezzling tobacco from the Alexander's stores, taking it
ashore, and still having it in his possession two months later.
This seems to imply both access to the ship's stores,
and also that he was not in crowded confinement. How could he be so stupid as
to get convicted again? Maybe a sense of privelege from his
wealthy English background? Anyway he did not have the Bank of
England to look after him in Sydney?
Because of the evil
influence of rum on the colony, Governor Macquarie encouraged
the cultivation of barley and the brewing of beer for
consumption by the lower classes, and Thomas Clarkson was
granted one of 50 licences to operate a public house (but wine
or spirits could not be sold without a separate licence. In Jul
1810 Thomas established a malthouse and brewery at the back of
his public house, "The Sign of the Woodman."
Thomas and Catherine appear to have prospered from the bakery
and pub as they acquired other properties in Hunter St, Phillip
St, Castlereagh St and Macquarie St in 1811. Thomas was an
opportunist whose policy was to buy property, borrow, then buy
more property. Meantime, two more children were born into the
Clarkson family: Thomas (1910) and Mountford (1912). Thomas also
acquired rural properties, especially around the Hawkesbury
which contained the best wheat-growing land in the colony. A
daughter Ann was born to Thomas and Catherine in 1815. Land in
the Minto, Airds, Appin and Bankstown areas was surveyed in
1816, and Thomas Clarkson subsequently purchased many allotments
in the Airds district. He gradually built up herds and became a
large supplier of beef by tender to Government Stores. Thomas
also built houses, one of which still stands ("Eschol Park" at
Airds.) The last Clarkson child, Mary, was born in 1818. Of all
emancipists holding land in 1920, Thomas Clarkson was regarded
as having the second largest holding (2,150 acres). However, his
outstanding debts at this time, covered by mortgages, were
considerale.
Thomas died in
1824 aged 58
Eschol
Park
In 1811 Thomas
Clarkson became a joint bondsman for the payment of the rent
of the Turnpike between Parramatta and Windsor and the right
to collect the tolls. By 1820 his partners stopped collecting
tolls and left the colony, leaving Thomas with a debt of
£1,000 was owing on unpaid Tolls.
Thomas appeared in court on many occasions (being sued for
recovery of debts) before he died on 20 Mar 1824. Thomas's
body was buried at the Devonshire St Burial Ground (now Sydney
Central Railway Station.) , Catherine died in 1839 in Sydney
A
chronology may be helpful
1774 Catherine Rayson born
Bedworth Warwickshire
1794 Thomas Clarkson and Catherine Rayson marry
Kingsbury
1799 John Clarkson born Kingsbury
1802 Mountford Clarkson born Kingsbury, died
1802 Kingsbury.
1802 Hannah Clarkson born Kingsbury
1804 Sarah Clarkson born Kingsbury
1805 Thomas convicted of passing a counterfeit £1
note (March), and sent to Warwick Prison, sentenced to 14
years transportation
1805 Thomas named as bankrupt (April, May)
1806 Thomas departs Portsmouth as convict on the
"Alexander" (January). Catherine and two children are also on
the ship
1806 "Alexander" arrives in Sydney(August)
1806 Thomas assigned to Catherine as (convict)
servant
1806 Catherine purchase house in Sydney for £38
(October) (location now corner Hunter and Elizabeth St)
1806 Thomas convicted of embezzling tobacco on the
"Alexander" and sentenced to two years hard labour
1809 Thomas has remainder of sentence remitted for
good conduct. (December)
1810 Thomas Clarkson Jnr born Sydney
1810 Thomas granted licence to brew and sell liquor.
1811 Thomas now has four properties. His properties
and debts grew steadily, and are detailed in "If Only"
1811 Thomas becomes bondsman for rent on the
Parramatta to Windsor Turnpike
1814 Thomas is contracting to build houses. He seems
to have been supplying the upper end of the market.
1815 Ann Clarkson born Sydney
1816 Thomas now contracting to supply 2000lbs of
fresh meat to Govt stores from his farm. In later years it
went up to 6000lbs, and pork and wheat were added
1817 Thomas takes out £12,000 mortgage on an
impressive list of properties
1817 Thomas' property now includes a (stone) windmill
built to support his baking and brewing business
1818 Mary Clarkson born Sydney
1819 Thomas builds a paper mill. His finances are
starting to show signs of over commitment
1820 The other Turnpike bondsmen (see 1811) in turn
having died and absconded, suit is issued against Thomas for
£1,000 in unpaid tolls
1820 Thomas builds the beautiful Eschol Park House,
at a cost of £1,500. (now a restaurant and function
centre)
1821 Catherine convicted of receiving stolen goods
and sentenced to five years transportation (She may not have
served any of the sentence)
1824 Thomas Clarkson dies Hunter St Sydney. First
writ to recover his debts from the estate issued two weeks
later
1824 Catherine commences legal fight to preserve the
property she purchased in 1806 from the estate's debts
1836 Ownership of the Woodman finally established
free of Thomas' debts
1839 Catherine dies Sydney
Detailed correspondence, discussion
and research notes follow the above statement of the story as I
see it.
Les Rowley
Update March 2016
We received
an email from John Perry Some time ago with some superb
research on "our" Thomas Clarkson (the convict). He
demonstrated that Thomas, son of Samuel
Clarkson and Mary Heargraves could not be our Thomas. He
found Samuel and Mary's Thomas in the 1841 census, in Sutton
Coldfield aged 75 with Sarah Langley aged 82. His elder sister
Sarah married James Langley in Aston Juxta 14 May 1797. The ages
match beautifully against Samuel and Mary's family. Thomas
appears to be buried at Curdworth 21 July 1844 aged 82, ie born
c1762. Sarah Langley is buried at Curdworth 13 Jun 1842.Sutton
Coldfield is a larger town about 3 miles NW of Curdworth
John also makes a good case for Mountford
Clarkson and Ann Wadham being Thomas the convicts parents. This
is discussed on their page
Spare some sympathy for the "If Only" authors
writing in 1988. There was nothing online. Census entries were
microfiche, and often had to be ordered in in one month delay.
To find the entries to rule out the Mary Heargraves parents
would have been a miracle
John's connection is interesting. To Quote
My
interest has come about as I have entered into a project listing & photographing
the memorials at Curdworth Church here in Warwickshire ,
England. But also incorporating ALL Burials recorded in
the PR's, creating a Family Tree with a burial entry as
the start point and searching for the relations to that
person. Clearly the Census's help enormously, prior to
then establishing each family is educated guess work to
some degree based upon location of births, marriages,
baptisms and burials and probability that it adds up to
be correct!
It
comes about because I have done a similar thing for
another churchyard which figures in my Family Tree and
found it of great help, Curdworth because my wife's
father and a number of her line are buried there, but
also as we discovered she & I are actually 7th
cousins as we share the same 6x Gt Grandparents. Her
paternal line are therefore cousins to me also then! And
we live near there.
So
the reason to contact you is that I have come
across a number of trees with the above person
recorded, I prefer to research from scratch,
comparing to existing structures only as a cross
check. So in my researching I have spent some time
looking at the Clarkson Surname in my listing, and
building them into that tree as described, and it
is in doing so that I have hit a question
regarding Thomas shown by many as being convicted
of forgery along with others and transported.
Comments in a later email are also worth quoting
Samuel Clarkson and wife Mary
(Hargrave) both recorded as Buried at Curdworth, are
recorded in that (PR) as of Minworth - This area is next
door to Curdworth and whilst it has a small chapel of its
own the BMD admin (?) was conducted from Curdworth.
We
can only be grateful that John worked in our patch even
though unrelated. That ancestry link that John supplied
I cannot get to work. But if you sign in to ancestry and
search Mary Hargrave b 1738 Curdworth and scroll down a
bit you will find the tree Curdworth Cemetery Grave
Research Tree.
Update October 2017
An email in from T.R.M.B. sheds
further light
In regards to the parents of Thomas
Clarkson circa 1766 Aldridge, I did have George Clarkson
and Susannah as his parents and I see you have also had
this and I've also got the Mountford Clarkson and Anne
Wadham as his other possible parents and I'm sure either
one of these pairs are his parents. Although i have come
across a 1841 census for a Thomas Clarkson born 1766
Staffordshire and living in Darlaston, Staff in 1841.
Darlaston isnt far from Aldridge, is it possible this is
Mountford's son Thomas? or have you come across this
record and found him to not be?
There are further interesting comments from this
email on Mountford Clarkson's page. In view of their now being
a credible alternative son of Mountford and Ann perhaps we
should downgrade the probability of the link to (say) 60%? It
still looks a good chance due to the similarity of family
names set out on Mountford and Ann's page
Places in relation
to Kingsbury
Aldridge
10 Miles WNW (part of
Walsalll. but older. untill 19th Century was agricultura
Bedworth
12 Miles SE
Curdwowth
3 Miles SW
Minworth
parish next door to Curdworth
An
email came from Peter Lane, President of the Numismatic
Association of Australia, pointing out that an articlei in their
journal had some interesting facts about Thomas. The article
springs from material in the Archives of the Bank of England.
William Henshall, Thomas Clarkson and Richard would appear to have
been a major forgery gang of the time, and a major operation was
mounted to apprehend them. From the text, Thomas and Richard were
brothers, and Richard's wife was Lucy. This information throws up
a very credible alternative set of parents for our Thomas. More Details.
A second email came from Eunice Cruickshank.
She has done some digging on the origin of Mountford, a name that
crops up in Thomas and Catherine's children (twice), and in the
next generation as well. She found a George Clarkson who married
Susannah or Susan Montfort in Walsall in 1648. Walsall is in
Staffordshire, but only ten miles or so from Birmingham and
Kingston. The Mounforts are the aristocratic family of the area,
so it is natural to use the name in later generations. At this
stage we are unable to connect the tree Eunice has done for George
(b 1599) to Forger Thomas. But our alternative family for Thomas
has George as the father, stregthening his case a little.
Eunice also supplied an article from Australian
Family Tree Connections January 2004 by Graham Thom, on the voyage
of the Alexander in 2006. The passenger list consisted of
15 male convicts (including our three forgers,
but not co-accused Thomas Ashford).
48 female convicts
8 wives and 10 children of convicts. Catherine only had two
children with her, confirming the view that John stayed behind
It seems likely that all 15 of the male convicts had passage
offered to their wives and children, but half declined
This voyage does not look like the normal
overcrowded convict ship, so perhaps all the 15 families had
special treatment for various reasons
Thomas Clarkson "If Only"
This
superb book was written by Christine Woodhead, Marlene Willcocks
and Margaret Aitken and self published in 1988. It is a most
interesting and carefully researched book of Thomas, Catherine and
their descendants. It is available in some public libraries.
Some comments about this internet version: Layout has in general
been preserved, but some spacing has been remove to give more
information displayed on the screen. All images are implemented as
links. No image is bigger than one megabyte, and the average is
about half a megabyte, so they will be very slow on dial-up. The
book has been scanned using optical character recognition
software. It has been carefully proof read, but some spelling
changes or errors may have occurred. Please advise any that need
correction. Les Rowley
Link to the web version of the book.
The remainder of this page is a brief outline of the book, plus a
few other items that may be of interest. The careful scholarship
of "If Only" allows this writer to add some personal comment
and speculation.
Contents of this webpage
Chronology
Biography of Catherine
Biography
of Thomas
Discussions,
Correspondence
What did Thomas do in Kingsbury?
Who
had
the Money?
A
Very Modern Man?
That Tobacco Embezzelment Charge, and Life on
the Alexander
What happened to John?
Catherine's
Role
What caused Thomas' Fall
Currency problems in early Sydney
If you are counting Convict Ancestors
Some interesting Links on the Web
Input from Eunice
Cruickshank (email Feb 2006)
Input from
Eunice Cruickshank (letter Mar 2006)
Input from Judy O'Donoghue
Input from Eunice Cruickshank (email Jul 2006)
Acknowledgements
Research
Notes
Chronology
1766 Thomas Clarkson
born Akdridge Warwickshire
1774 Catherine Rayson
born Bedworth Warwickshire
1794 Thomas Clarkson and
Catherine Rayson marry Kingsbury
1799 John Clarkson
born Kingsbury
1802 Mountford
Clarkson born Kingsbury, died 1802 Kingsbury.
1802 Hannah
Clarkson born Kingsbury
1804 Sarah
Clarkson born Kingsbury
1805 Thomas convicted of
passing a counterfeit £1 note (March), and sent to Warwick Prison,
sentenced to 14 years transportation .If
Only Link
1805 Thomas named as
bankrupt (April, May)
1806 Thomas departs
Portsmouth as convict on the "Alexander" (January). Catherine and
two children are also on the ship .If
Only Link
1806 "Alexander"
arrives in Sydney(August)
1806 Thomas assigned to
Catherine as (convict) servant
1806 Catherine purchase
house in Sydney for £38 (October) (location now corner
Hunter and Elizabeth St)
1806 Thomas convicted of
embezzling tobacco on the "Alexander" and sentenced to two
years hard labour .If Only Link
1809 Thomas fined
£2/12/- for selling short weight loaves of bread
(May) .If
Only Link
1809 Thomas has
remainder of sentence remitted for good conduct. (December)
1810 Thomas
Clarkson Jnr.born Sydney
1810 Thomas granted
licence to brew and sell liquor.
1811 Thomas now has four
properties. His properties and debts grew steadily, and are
detailed in "If Only"
1811 Thomas becomes
bondsman for rent on the Parramatta to Windsor
Turnpike .If
Only Link
1812 Mountford Clarkson
born Sydney
1814 Thomas is
contracting to build houses. He seems to have been supplying the
upper end of the market.
1815 Ann Clarkson born
Sydney
1816 Thomas now
contracting to supply 2000lbs of fresh meat to Govt stores
from his farm. In later years it went up to 6000lbs, and pork and
wheat were added .If
Only Link
1817 Thomas takes out
£12,000 mortgage on an impressive list of properties.
.If Only Link
1817 Thomas' property
now includes a (stone) windmill built to support his baking and
brewing business .If
Only Link
1818 Mary Clarkson born
Sydney
1819 Thomas builds a
paper mill. His finances are starting to show signs of
overcommitment .If
Only Link
1820 The other Turnpike
bondsmen (see 1811) in turn having died and absconded, suit is
issued agains Thomas for £1,000 in unpaid tolls.
.If Only Link
1820 Thomas builds the
beautiful Eschol Park House, at a cost of £1,500. (now a restraunt
and function centre) .If
Only Link
1821 Catherine convicted
of receiving stolen goods and sentenced to five years
transportation (She may not have served any of the sentence)
.If Only Link
1824 Thomas Clarkson
dies Hunter St Sydney. First writ to recover his debts from the
estate issued two weeks later .If
Only Link
1824 Catherine commences
legal fight to preserve the property she purchased in 1806 from
the estate's debts
1836 Ownership of the
Woodman finally established free of Thomas'
debts .If
Only Link
1839 Catherine dies
Sydney
Biography of Catherine
(By Peter Power via Eunice
Cruickshank)
The Clarksons travelled from Portsmouth on
the ship "Alexander" which reached Sydney Cove on 20 Aug 1806.
Catherine purchased land in Upper Bell Row (now Hunter St)
with a small house erected on it in Oct 1806 for £38. She
established a bakery and was assisted by her husband Thomas
after his release from Castle Hill gaol in 1808. Catherine and
her husband prospered in the bakery and a "public house"
called "The Sign of the Woodman". Thomas branched out into
land purchases around the Hawkesbury and later at Airds and
Minto. As Thomas bought properties he mortgaged them to buy
other allotments and although their holdings were extensive,
so too was their debt.
Catherine was found guilty of receiving
stolen goods on 25 Aug 1821 and sentenced to transportation to
Coal River (Newcastle) for five years. Apparently she was
released on the death of her husband on 20 Mar 1824.
Thomas left an administrative nightmare for
the executors of his estate, and Catherine had to fight many
court battles over the ensuing years to retain her original
property in Hunter St which Thomas had mortgaged. (It was Aug
1835 when Catherine finally obtained a deed of grant for the
land on which "The Sign of the Woodman" was built.) The census
of 1828 shows Catherine to be a Publican and Printer, living
in Hunter St Sydney. Actual ownership of the Public House,
together with the brewery, was sold to her son Thomas Jnr in
May 1827. Catherine sold to her son Mountford the malthouse,
land and gardens at the rear of the public house at the same
time. In 1834 Catherine bought a block of land in Goulburn. By
1839 she owned two herds of horned cattle, one at Holdsworthy
in the charge of her son-in-law Thomas Rowley, and the other
on her Goulburn property.
Catherine died on 17 Nov 1839, aged 64
years, and was buried with her husband Thomas. Their headstone
was removed from Devonshire Burial Ground to Botany Cemetery
in 1901 when the ground was resumed to make way for
construction of Central Railway Station.
Biography of Thomas
(By Peter Power via Eunice
Cruickshank)
It
appears
from
the
notice of auction that Thomas had been a grocer, dealing in
cheese, bacon, hams, tea, coffee, etc. He also dealt in fine
and coarse earthenware, grew flax, was a brewer, and had a
coal boat Thomas Clarkson was sentenced to transportation to
NSW for 14 years in the
Midland Circuit Court, Warwickshire, on 26 Mar 1805 for
"uttering" a counterfeit Bank of England £1 note. He was
held in custody in Warwick Gaol and later in a hulk
(derelict warship) before being
placed aboard the ship "Alexander" in chains in Jan 1806.
While awaiting transportation, Thomas was declared a
bankrupt, and his houses and property put up for auction. He
owned two houses. Thomas had married Catherine Rayson on 18
Aug 1794 and had three surviving children at the time of his
conviction: Catherine aged 7 years, John aged 5 years, and
Sarah aged one. Thomas's wife Catherine was granted
permission to travel to NSW with her husband on the
"Alexander", taking with her two children, Catherine and
Sarah. (Reasons for not taking John are unknown.) The vessel
reached Sydney Cove on 20 Aug 1806, just after William Bligh
had taken over from Governor King.
Catherine
purchased
land
in
Upper
Bell Row (now Hunter St) with a small house erected on it,
in Oct 1806 for £38. Her husband was "assigned" to work for
her. However, within a matter of weeks Thomas again fell
foul of the law and was sentenced to two years hard labour
at Castle Hill. Catherine established a bakery, and was
assisted by Thomas on his release from Castle Hill. In Dec
1809 Thomas received a conditional remission of the rest of
his sentence from Lieutenant Governor Patterson. (This was
subsequently confirmed by Governor Macquarie, and his
Conditional Pardon obtained on 22 Jul 1911.) Because of the
evil influence of rum on the colony, Governor Macquarie
encouraged the cultivation of barley and the brewing of beer
for consumption by the lower classes, and Thomas Clarkson
was granted one of 50 licences to operate a public house
(but wine or spirits could not be sold without a separate
licence. In Jul 1810 Thomas established a malthouse and
brewery at the back of his public house, "The Sign of the
Woodman."
Thomas
and
Catherine
appear
to have prospered from the bakery and pub as they acquired
other properties in Hunter St, Phillip St, Castlereagh St
and Macquarie St in 1811. Thomas was an opportunist whose
policy was to buy property, borrow, then buy more property.
Meantime, two more children were born into the Clarkson
family: Thomas (1910) and Mountford (1912). Thomas also
acquired rural properties, especially around the Hawkesbury
which contained the best wheat-growing land in the colony. A
daughter Ann was born to Thomas and Catherine in 1815. Land
in the Minto, Airds, Appin and Bankstown areas was surveyed
in 1816, and Thomas Clarkson subsequently purchased many
allotments in the Airds district. He gradually built up
herds and became a large supplier of beef by tender to
Government Stores. Thomas also built houses, one of which
still stands ("Eschol Park" at Airds.) The last Clarkson
child, Mary, was born in 1818. Of all emancipists holding
land in 1920, Thomas Clarkson was regarded as having the
second largest holding (2,150 acres). However, his
outstanding debts at this time, covered by mortgages, were
considerable. Thomas appeared in court on many occasions
(being sued for recovery of debts) before he died on 20 Mar
1824. Thomas's body was buried at the Devonshire St Burial
Ground (now Sydney Central Railway Station.)
Discussions
The following assume
that you have read through the main body of "If Only". Where
appropriate, reference links are provided
What did Thomas do in
Kingsbury?
Thomas was 42 when he came to Australia. His achievements in
Australia in seventeen years from Australia are impressive. He
built fine houses, built and operated breweries, a hotel, a flour
mill and a paper mill. He also ran a farm successfully, supplying
serious quantities of food to Government tenders. It is hard to
imagine that he learnt all this in Australia. Also that the
burning entreprenurial spirit he showed in Austraia lay dormant
for twenty years plus in England. All we know is the conviction
and bankruptcy in 1805. If
Only Link Update: see biography above, and Judy's Email
Who had the Money?
Thomas was
being pursued as a bankrupt soon after his conviction. If
Only Link
Yet on arriving in Sydney Catherine is able to purchase a house. If
Only Link
Also one wonders whether Thomas' blossoming career in property
over the next few years was helped by seed money brought by
Catherine, or sent later. Did his or her parents have enough money
to tide them through the three years from 1805 to the end of his
second sentence?
A Very Modern Man?
Reading
through Thomas' property acquisitions, and the parallel story of
his debts, one can't help thinking of Alan Bond, When faced
with court action to force payment of debt, he would stall right
to the last minute, then make some barely adequate partial offer,
to make the debtor to to go back and start all over. But this is
unfair to Thomas. He was a product of the Wild West economy he
found himself in? Also he was a builder and producer running
farms, flour mills, paper mills, Inns, etc. But he would
give a n amused smile if he could see a modern film such as "Other
Peoples Money", and he would have a twinge of sympathy for Ken Lay
of Enron. Thomas was even investing in Infrastructure (the Toll
Road), but this would eventually cause him to much appreciate the
modern invention of a Limited Liability Company.
That Tobacco
Embezzelment Charge, and Life on the Alexander
I
have this picture of convicts on the journey to Australia in
crowded cells below deck, only being allowed out for a small
amount of light and fresh air each day. Yet here he is accused of
embezzlig tobacco from the Alexander's stores, taking it ashore,
and still having it in his posession two months later
.If Only Link This seems to imply both access to the ship's
stores, and also that he was not in crowded confinement.
What happened to John and
Hannah?
There
has been a fair amount of discussion as to whether John, the
eldest child, came to Australia in 1806. See .If
Only Link
Update See Judy's
Email and Eunice's
Email.
But the latest seems to be evidence from Tina Arrindell
that he was left behind in England. She has a comprehensive
genealogy for a John Clarkson, born in Kingsbury at the right time,
who just about has to be him. We can get a bit of a feel for his
life from the census records. The mention of John in the various
Sydney documents is understandable, given the heartache of leaving
him behind at age six. They may even have been providing support
back to England. Tina's Genealogy
of John (PDF) 1841-1871 Census records with comments
Questions flow from this, Why did they leave
John (six) behind but take Catherine (eight) and Sarah
(two). Also what happened to their daughter Hannah born
in 1802. John seems to have been alive when Thomas died, as he is
specifically listed in his will, but Hannah is not mentioned. All
this seems to be consistent with Hannah dying young, probably before
they left England. But I know of no evidence
Catherine's
Role
To
what extent was Catherine an active partner in Thomas' business
affairs? The first reaction is that seven young children would
preclude much participation. And there is no mention in "If
Only" of convict help till 1822, and then it was two men? All the
business transactions seem to have been done in Thomas' name only.
On the other hand she fought a well organised and determined
action to extricate her home from Thomas' debts after he died.
This suggests familiarity with his business affairs, and a high
level of competence and determination on her part.
What caused Thomas' Fall
Thomas' was obviously a successful man in the early colony.
Yet when he died, Catherine inherited debts, and had to
fight a long legal battle to retain their home. There are a number
of possible reasons for this:
(a) Failing health meant
he was unable to give his affairs the same attention as in earlier
years
(b) A business is always
worth less on winding up than as a going concern
(c) Thomas was always
borrowed to the hilt, and a crash was inevitable
(d) The Tollway
judgement was a very serious setback in 1922
(e) All of the above
Currency problems
in early Sydney
The
Rum Corps has gone down in Australian folklore. But perhaps the
picture is unfair. The colony was desparately short of currency,
and people coped as best they could. Eg, we find a promisory note
being redeemed with rum, bread, glass,
tea, sugar and butter .If
Only Link
And similarly the trail of court actions over promissory notes
that gave such a good record of Thomas' business affairs could
simply be due individuals trying to make the system work in a
frontier environment.
If you are
counting Convict Ancestors
Then
you can count Catherine as well? She was sentenced to five years
transportation, admittedly when already in the colony.(The
transportation was to Newcastle.) And we are not sure if she
served any of the sentence. .If
Only Link
Update: Link
to Record of Trial (from Eunice Cruickshank) .
Input
from
Eunice
Cruickshank
(email
Feb 2006)
(1)
The charges for receiving stolen goods against Catherine
actually took place 10 April 1821 in Sydney. She and Margaret
Roach who actually stole the goods were sentenced to 5 years
to Newcastle. Catherine was allowed to return when
Thomas was dying. It was all very comical and true to form
Catherine denied the lot right up to the time they found the
clothes.
(2)Also the long lost John born 1799 was possibly left behind
in England and later married . A young women, Tina Arrindell
from Leicester contacted me a few years ago and sent over the
material. He may have come over and gone back to England
around 1819 but the shipping records only mention Catherine
& Sarah as far as I know.
(3) There is a possible brother for Thomas , James who came in
the Admiral Gambier in 1808 charged in London for the same
crime. Lyn Hyatt is his descendant.
Input
from Eunice Cruickshank (letter Mar 2006)
The charges re Catherine show I
think that she was not the meek and mild type. The Magistrate
seemed to be a little sorry for Thomas in this case I think.
Also
information re the famous matter of the Quince Tree. Someone
told me (can't remember who) that Mountford's godfather gave
him that piece of land and Thomas sold it to Stubbs. Its
interesting to note who the panel who were judging the case,
were. All friends or associates of the Rowley, Clarkson clan.
Both from the work of Pat Hansen, married to Alan a descendant
of Sarah Clarkson & Michael Cook who had 17
children. Link to Clarkson Vs Stubbs
The Bios
are from a Family Tree of the mostly Queensland branch, of
Sarah Clarkson & husband Michael Cook. The research was
carried out by Peter Power also from Queensland. Would you
believe he is also not only a descendant but was married to
one. He has done a fantastic job.
Pat &
Lyn have visited Eschol Park, now used as a Convention centre.
Thomas's small dwelling is in the middle of a larger
extension. As I think I mentioned we now know what happened to
John but not why he was left behind. Also Lyn is a descendant
of James Clarkson who we believe was Thomas Snr's brother.
There was also a Richard who came with Thomas who was most
likely a relative, perhaps cousin, charged at the same Court
for the same crime along with three other men the sister of
one married Richard but did not come with him. No luck in
connecting the Staffordshire Clarksons with our lot but there
is one. The name Mountford was used there as a Christian name
from the 15th century. Thomas thought enough of it to give it
to two of his sons so there had to be some reason.
Input
from
Eunice Cruickshank (email Jul 2006)
In 1808 a James
Clarkson born 1776, again 14 yrs sentence for forgery. Lyn Hyatt of Leumeah in Sydney is his
descendant, there is a discrepancy in
his age but we all think that he was Thomas' brother.
Input
from Judy O'Donoghue
The
Clarksons
lived
not
in Kingsbury but at Bodymoor Heath adjacent to Kingsbury,
which is well known today for its Water Park. Children of the
time would have walked across Hemlingford Bridge to the old
School House in Church Street. When Thomas was caught
"uttering" a British one pound note, (trial papers no longer
exist) his propery was put up for sale, along with his goods
and chattels.The first was held on 6 and 7 May 1805 and
published in the Birmingham Gazette, 29 April. This is the
list of goods and chattels.
Household furniture, linen, plate, china,
glass, prints, paintings, --a dealer in earthenware, grocery,
cheese, bacon, teas, coffee, well cured bacon, hams and
chawls, 154 cwt of cheese, full growth of 6 acres of flax. The
furniture -- handsome mahogany four poster and tent bedsteads,
carpets, large pier and swing glasses, mahognay chests of
drawers, card, pillar and claw tables, a capital 8 day clock
in handsome mahogany case, excellent brewing vessels. On the
same day an in-calf cow and a coal boat in good condition were
to be sold.
On 20th May to be sold: a substantial and
newly erected freehold messuage or dwelling house, with
outbuildings and premises called Greaves House, situated near
Bodymoor Heath and adjoiniing the Birmingham and Fazely Canal
- comprising, 2 kitchens, 2 parlours, 7 bedchambers, a large
grocer's shop, Bakehouse and Store room - dairy, 2 cheese
rooms,, stabling for 12 horses, together with a coal wharf,
lime yard, 3 lime kilns, weighing machine, and ware house.
Also another freehold dwelling house, nearly built, with
outbuildings and appurtenances, together with 10 acres of
excellent pasture land adjoining the above premises and late
in the occupation of the said bankrupt, and also an extensive
right of common over Bodimoor Heath. The notice concludes -
the above premises are elegibly situated for a wharfinger,
Coal dealer, or timber Merchant and are 10 miles form
Birmingham, 4 from Fazeley and five from Coleshill
Years ago I found out that Thomas
Clarkson's "Greaves House" was later known as the Beehive Inn
and remained so until after WW2 when it reverted to a private
residence. I was able through contacts to get in touch with a
local resident who sent me a photograph of the house - showing
only the back which overlooks the canal. An out of print book
"Kingsbury Remembered" which I purchased then, also has a
photo of the Beehive Inn in 1910, taken from the front. I was
surfing the net yesterday looking at sites for the canal when
I came across one which clearly shows Thomas' house. The web
site appears to be
www.joe.shakespeare.btinternet.co.uk/bodymoor.
Thomas' house is in the centre of a row. It
is 2 storey with a glass panelled entry there is a nice fence
beside the canal. This view is the back of the house of
course.
I have been twice to Thomas' house at
Minto, Sydney. I know the house in Kingsbury is most likely to
be Thomas' original house in Bodymoor Heath because the
picture of his house over there has a glass fan-light over the
front door which is an exact match to the house in Sydney!! In
fact the whole house looks similar!
I also believe Catherine left her son John
in Kingsbury when they departed for Australia. I spent weeks
in the NSW Archives looking for him but nothing was found. It
was an offence to miss regular Musters so I can't explain it
really, and he should have been on the Indent for "Alexander"
- he was not even in the crew! what I think happened was he
was a sickly boy and he was left with Catherine's or Thomas'
parents in Kingsbury. Of course Thomas and Catherine still had
to provive financial support for the boy so I think it the
reason Catherine always stated she had one child extra to
support, even though he was not physically present in the
colony. It also made her position stranger when appealing for
remittance of sentence. She did not serve her time at
Newcastle but was "recommended to mercy". As for Thomas he
served 2 years on arrival at the NSW govermement Farm at
Castle hill for stealing tobacco.. Johm Clarkson later married
Sarah Owen in Kingsbury. Well that is about all I know of the
early years
Input
from Warren and Annett Read - Location of the Clarkson
Mill
I thought it best to let you know that several early plans have the
location of Thomas Clarkson's land in the wrong place. I am one of a
group of three researchers who have extensively researched our
ancestor John Hill the convict and miller who purchased approx half
of the 5 acres in 1834. John's portion fronted Forbes Street just
north of Liverpool Street and included the millers cottage and the
wooden postmill on the right in the long panorama which also
evidences that Clarkson's stone mill was further south.
Acknowledgements
First,
of
course,
is
the
book Thomas Clarkson "If
Only", written by Christine Woodhead, Marlene Wilcox and
Margaret Aitken. Valuable inputs have been received
from Eunice Cruickshank, Judy O'Donoghue Peter Power and,
Pat Hansen via Eunice Cruickshank. Updates entered from the
Warren Family tree in Ancestry
Thanks to John for his
meticulous work updating our Thomas' origin
Research Notes
(1) There seems to be a few Rayson's around Bedworth
Foleshill is 5 K to the south. Chilvers Coton is 5 K to the north
(2) FamilySearch seems to have Thomas Rayson and Sarah Bennett
marrying in 1770 (Warwick) or 1773 (England).
It has both Thomas and Sarah as being born in 1754.
(3) The only Census with interesting Raysons is 1851.
(a) There is a family in Chilvers Coton who
could be related
(b) William b 1801 Bedworth could be related
(4) Email received from Warren Diggins, who is a descendant
of Mary Clarkson b 1818
Email received from Tom Caldwell,
who is a descendant of Mary Clarkson b 1818
(5) Hannah Clarkson (b 1806) is listed in Ïf Only" as in the
Parish record. However searches of LDS and Ancestry do not find
her. Ancestry has her in Family Trees only, probably derived form
"If Only".
But the quality of research in "If Only" is excellent, so leave
Hannah an open question
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