Catherine Clarkson - PAYNE'S HILL

    It appears that sometime around 1828 land belonging to Thomas Rowley, (and formerly in his father's possession) came under control of Catherine Clarkson. On 23 July 1828 she issued a warning in the Sydney Gazette, to the effect that she was prepared to prosecute anyone caught trespassing upon a farm known as Payne's Hill in the district of Bankstown.(10)    .Image - Parish Map Liverpool
    Payne's Hill was a parcel of land containing 700 acres, bounded partly by Harris Creek and had been originally granted, in part, to Rowley's father, the late Thomas Rowley, Esquire, who died in 1806.(11)
    Three years later, in 1831, Thomas Rowley was declared insolvent and just 4 days prior to this announcement, Catherine Clarkson conveyed, as a deed of Gift, a package of land which was once the property of the late Thomas Rowley Esquire to her daughter, Catherine, now Thomas Rowley's wife. (13)
    The land included 680 acres at Harris Creek, Bankstown. part of the original Rowley grant of 1804; 60 acres adjoining it, originally granted to William Baxter in 1799 (and then sold to Rowley Snr): 110 acres known as Gilbert's Farm, originally granted to Ann Gilbert in 1799 and by her conveyed to Thomas Rowley; and 30 acres, part of Michael Murphy's grant.
    Again Stephen Stock was to figure in the transaction, registering the deed himself.
    Curiously, just four days before she made out her will in 1839, Catherine Clarkson conveyed, by lease and release all the same property back to Thomas Rowley  for £500.(14) This leaves us wondering whether the whole exercise had not purely been a ruse to prevent Thomas losing his assets through unpaid debts with financiers such as Daniel Cooper (with whom Rowley was dealing).
    Was the insolvency a convenience and were Catherine and Thomas Rowley guilty partners in this manipulation of ownership?
    In November 1828, a Census, as opposed to the musters that had previously been taken in the colony, was collected of the details of all the inhabitants.
    The Clarkson entries were as follows: (15)
Catherine     aged 30, came free on the "Alexander" 1805. (sic) She claimed to be a publican and a printer and lived in Hunter Street.
Thomas        aged 18, born in the colony.
Anne,            aged 13, born in the colony.
Mary             aged 10, born in the colony.
Mountford    aged 16, born in the colony.
    Mountford was apprenticed to Chas. Roberts, a cabinetmaker in Castlereagh Street. At the time Charles Roberts had four apprentices (including Mountford) all aged between 15 and 17 years of age.(16)
    The Clarkson household at the time of the census was indeed a large one. It included lodgers, family members, servant help and employees.(17)
William Fleming-- aged 39. Freed by servitude. He arrived on the "Boyd" in 1809 to serve a life sentence. Fleming was an attorney by profession.
Edward Franks-- aged 39, Freed by servitude. He arrived on the "Marshall Wellington".
William Benslev-- aged 10, born in the colony.
Martha and Charlotte Cook-- aged 6.
Thomas Rowley-- aged 10.
Isabella Rowley-- aged 8.
John Rowley-- aged 6. (the children were also listed with their own families)
Richard Holden-- aged 30, freed by servitude. He had been in the employ of the Clarkson's since 1822.
Elizabeth Richardson-- aged 19, born in the colony. She was a servant in Catherine's employ.
Catherine Ryan-- aged 25, a Government servant. She arrived on the "Brothers" to serve 7 years.
Joseph Smith aged 54, freed by servitude. He had arrived on the "Hillsborough" to serve 7 years. (we wonder if this is the same Joseph Smith who sold Thomas the land around Phillip Street.
William Moore- aged 30, a Government servant who arrived On the "Neptune".
    In addition, the name of Lawrence Butler, aged 16, a printer who was born in the colony, appears with the rest. Not long after the census was taken, Lawrence Butler left Catherine to become apprenticed to a Mr Hill. Before the end of the month, he had absconded to Lake George.
    On 5 February 1829, a notice in the Sydney Gazette announced that Catherine Ryan, 5 feet 1 inches. dark eyes. light brown hair and fair complexion, had absconded from Catherine Clarkson of Sydney.(18)
    The property listing for 1828 shows no property for Catherine Clarkson, only the possession of two horses. It would appear that in just four years the empire Thomas had built up was reduced to two horses and a home under threat of "takeover".
    The years of 1827 and 1828 had seen Catherine repeatedly petition the Colonial Secretary to grant her the deeds for the property she was occupying in Hunter Street.(19) Mr Norton, (Cooper's attorney) requested that she not be given them as Cooper and Levy had a mortgage on the property.
    Again in 1828 Catherine applied and by 1831 the Colonial Secretary's Office had received several requests from various sources, all requesting the granting of    the deeds, Catherine, Thomas and Mountford all applied in their turn.(20)
    It was at this stage that some Official noticed that the petitions all seemed to be written in the same handwriting, that of Stephen Stock. Here began an attack on his credibility and comments expressing this were penned on one of the letters. Finally by 1831 it was the official opinion that a deed would be drawn up and held over until a claimant could show a legal title. In other words they knew a dispute was looming and they hoped that by the time the Surveyor General made his way to that part of the town where the property was situated, he would be able to report the proper claimant.(21)
    All the while Catherine continued to block the action to execute the writ of Fieri Facias which would ultimately see the demise of her home. This was not to be given up without a tremendous struggle, it was all she had.

 Page last updated -  7 July  2006