Thomas Clarkson - Emancipist

    The acquisition of his conditional pardon had elevated Thomas' social standing in the community to that of a "freed convict" --- an Emancipist. With this in mind, and knowing the lease of his land was secured, Thomas could have been forgiven for thinking that perhaps he'd had his run of bad luck and that fortune might now shine a little his way.
    That feeling was to be short lived. In fact it lasted barely a month. A notice in the Sydney Gazette dated 4 January 1810 was to almost destroy the precious gains Thomas Clarkson had made.(1)
    The notice had been inserted by the new Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, who had arrived on 28 December 1809 in the "Hindustan.". His own regiment had accompanied him, for the purpose of replacing the Rum Corps, (who were to be disbanded). On landing he marched them to, and bivouacked them at Grose Farm. Having relieved Bligh and sent him, and the remnants of the Corps, back to England, Macquarie set about his saga of reformation and improvement.
    He immediately revoked all land grants and pardons issued during the time Bligh was removed from office, and it was with reference to this that he made his announcement in the Gazette. The notice requested that all emancipation papers granted during this time be surrendered.(2)
    Whilst Thomas was considering the action he was to take to defend, and possibly retain his freedom, his first colonial born child arrived.(3) This "Currency kid", born 13 January 1810, was named after his battling father, Thomas. Perhaps his son's birth was a reminder of responsibilities, and perhaps Thomas' own desire to be free and to provide for his family, encouraged him to submit the following petition to the new Governor. He enclosed his emancipation papers and a request that he not be taken back into Government employ, but instead remain self-sufficient and amongst his family, so as to provide for his family of 4 small infants.(4)
Sydney Feb 2nd 1810
     The humble petition of Thomas Clarkson humbly shewith
That his Excellency Late Lieutenant Governor Paterson taking into consideration the large family of your petitioner and his good conduct since his arrival in this colony humanely emancipated him. According to the notice inserted in the 1ast Gazette requiring all persons to deliver up said emancipations. This Petitioner returns his, trusting implicitly to your Excellency's Benevolence, most humbly implores your humane permission to be discharged off the stores thereby enabling Petitioner to provide for his family, consisting of 4 small infants and his wife and Petitioner will be grateful.
Thomas Clarkson
Petitioner is a baker and malter by trade and if taken into Government employ his business will be totally destroyed.
    Thomas' pleas were treated compassionately, as were those of many other convicts who were affected by the decree, and although it was 1811 before his pardon became official,(5) his lifestyle did not appear to have suffered any changes at all. Events of 1810 indicate he was still conducting his business from Hunter Street and was in fact aspiring to add further interests to his present line of work.
    Governor Lachlan Macquarie had a long list of priorities to which he devoted a great deal of attention almost immediately on assuming control of the colony. One, as we have already mentioned was the granting of Pardons and land grants during the reign of the Rum Corps, another was the problem caused by the trafficking in rum, fast becoming a favoured bartering unit.
    In order to control and curb this practise to some extent, it was considered advisable to encourage beer drinking among the labourers and lower classes.(6) For this purpose, the cultivation of barley was supported and Macquarie granted Brewing and retailing licences to publicans, who would provide copious amounts of beer at a moderate price. The licence carried an annual tax of 5/- and £25 sureties for the publican, and another £25 to ensure he kept an orderly House. He was not allowed, at this time, to sell either wine or spirits, and, to vend without a licence, would incur legal prosecution.
    On 21 July 1810 a public notice, inserted in the Sydney Gazette reported 50 licences had been issued and the name of Thomas Clarkson(sic) Bell Row"(7) was included in the list. A check of the list of licences issued the previous November (1809)(8) does not reveal his name, so perhaps this 1810 licence was the first one he applied for.
    In order to operate his business. Thomas would have had to make certain improvements to his premises. Facilities to store grain and the addition of his malthouse and brewery, (mentioned in later documents) may also have been included in his extensions at this time.
    Macquarie was keen to put the town of Sydney into some sort of organised plan. He set to work tidying up the streets and making them fit for the traffic they were having to cope with, and ordered the formation of some new streets.(9) Any person whose home or land was effected by the changes was compensated for the loss or given assistance to relocate at a more suitable location. An associate of Thomas', Mark Millington, living in Bell Row (Hunter Street), was repaid with 5 gallons of rum valued at £2/12/6 for the inconvenience of having to take down and relocate his house with assistance from the Government, (Perhaps this was the house Thomas purchased from him in 1812) .(10)
His Excellency, the Governor. Having found it expediate to form and name a few more streets and lanes in the town of Sydney with a view to dividing it the more readily into regular districts, the following plan of the said Streets and Lanes is now published for General Information
Signed Lachlan Macquarie.(11)
    Among other changes advertised was---- (12)
No 25 New Street Elizabeth Street---Leading from Hunter St in a southerly direction on the West side of Clarkson's House, East and running parallel with Castlereagh St and terminating in Hyde Park
    This establishes the exact location of Clarkson's House and is in fact the same allotment he was granted lease of by Paterson the previous year, indicating he retained possession, although, as we are to learn later, no official grant was applied for to Macquarie, nor received from the same. The original lease from Paterson, lodged at the Judge Advocates does not bear any evidence of cancellation. The term "House", as used in the Street Plan for Sydney, was commonly used to indicate a public house.
    By now the public road between Sydney and Parramatta was almost complete and in December 1810, it was announced that Toll Bars would be erected thereon, one at Sydney and one at Parramatta. The business or collecting the charges would be let to the highest bidder at a Public Auction held for that purpose. A variety of prices would be charged for the right of passage along the road.(13) This was the beginning of our modern day Tollway System.
    Heavily pregnant, with her child due early in the new year, Catherine applied for help with the baking and brewing business. She petitioned the Governor to allow her to employ Richard Westcott, by trade a baker, with the promise that she would support him without the help of Govt Stores.(14)
To His Excellency Lachlan Macquarie Esq. Captain General and Governor in and over his Majesty's Territory of New South Wales and it's dependencies, Catherine Clarkson, who arrived free, in this Territory in the ship "Alexander", humbly begs leave to solicit your Excellency to permit her to take off the Store Richard Westcott, by trade a Baker, and now on board the ship "Indian", she having received no indulgences from the Government since her arrival in this Colony
Most Respectfully
Catherine Clarkson.
Hunter Street Sydney December 22nd 1810.                      Link to image of this Petition
    About this time also, Thomas was putting his affairs in order. He called in any outstanding "Copper plate Promissory notes" which he pledged to honour up until 24 December "as after that period I will not hold myself responsible for their consolidation."(15)
    On the 31st December Frederick Meredith of Sydney transferred to Thomas "all that house and oven and bakehouse for six months". He was in debt to Thomas for £38/10/- and could redeem his property if payment was met before the six months were up.(16)
    Another transaction negotiated at the same time was that of a house in Hunter Street known as No 4.(17)
No 366    31 December 1810.
Transfer from Jas. Cleaver of Prospect, settler to Mary Baugham of Sydney, all that messuage and tenement situate in Hunter St. Sydney No 4 (consideration love and affection)
    This was to pass from Mary to Thomas Clarkson within the next year.
    The Sydney Gazette of 16 March 1811 warned the inhabitants, through a Public Notice, that illegal vending of beer, wine and spirits would be punished, "with the utmost
Severity", and at the same time, issued a list of those persons in Sydney who received licences in February 1811.(18) Of that list, No 24 was Thomas Clarkson of Hunter Street. This would once again have cost Thomas his sureties and tax, but business was brisk in the liquor trade and his prospects of recouping his costs would have been quite favourable.
    Viewed with much more favour though, by both he and his family, would have been the official granting of his Conditional Pardon on 22 July 1811.(19) He was now a free man living under a Governor prepared to give an honest man a "fair go" to prove his worth, regardless of class. Thomas Clarkson's rise from convicted felon had begun --- he had achieved the status of....
Emancipist.

 Page last updated -  7 July 2006