Elizabeth Selwyn

This page now consists of three distinct parts
    The standard tree and links above.
    A writeup of the Elizabeth Selwyn story as I see it.
    A collection of correspondence and research notes that provides discussion and evidence for the preceeding story.

Its not quite Romeo and Juliet, but Elizabeth's story is the only “girl meets boy” story we can offer from the dusty pages of our early family history. But starting at the beginning......

We have no clear knowledge of Elizabeth's family or life in England. We first encounter her in court. Quoting Ian Ramage in his Cameo of Thomas Rowley:
Her crime was reported in the Gloucester Journal of 28 March:“At our assizes last week, Thomas Creed, for stealing 5 fleeces of wool, Elizabeth Selwyn, Ann Mose and Judith Cowley, for sundry thefts, were sentenced to seven years transportation.”

    Creed and Cowley were also transported on the Pitt.
In the Calendar of the Prisoners in the County Gaol for the Epiphany Sessions, 11 January, 1791, it is recorded that Elizabeth Selwyn was aged 18

    The voyage on the Pitt must have been a nightmare. 402 convicts, including 58 women were on the Pitt when she sailed from Yarmouth Roads on 17 July.1791. Dr Smee in a book lists 2 Officers, 19 Naval Military, 4 Free persons, 10 soldiers wives, 1 convicts wife, 2 free children, and 5 convict children. This comes to 445 plus crew starting the voyage. Elizabeth Selwyn is listed among the convicts. The only figure for the for the size of the Pitt I have been able to find is a weight of 775 tons. However I found a ship of that time of 445 tons which was 119 feet by 30 feet. So the Pitt would have fitted comfortably on our block at Stanhope Grove.   Smallpox appeared shortly after departure, and 15 prisoners had died by the time she touched at St Jago (Santiago). Despite it being an unhealthy season in the Cape Verde Islands, sailors and soldiers were allowed ashore. The Pitt experienced calms and incessant rain in the Doldrums, and made scarcely any headway for a month. The prisoners developed ulcers and scurvy but otherwise remained relatively healthy. However among the military guards and their families, and the seamen, malignant fever appeared, and is said to have caused 27 deaths in a fortnight. Her crew was so depleted that in later gales convicts had to be recruited to help navigate her. By the time the Pitt reached Rio de Janeiro in October, 13 soldiers, 5 soldiers wives, and 13 seamen had died.. Elizabeth Rowley was one of the deaths. Overall there was one convict death on the voyage for every eleven convicts embarked. The Pitt arrived in Sydney on 14 February 1792 after a voyage of 212 days.

    The voyage must have been a nightmare for Elizabeth. She would have been confined below deck for 24 hours a day in extremely crowded conditions with probably a short exercise break above deck each day.

    Elizabeth was assigned to Thomas Rowley on arrival in Sydney. Quite possibly on Valentine's Day – thats a nice touch. As second in charge of the colony, Thomas could take his pick. But from Elizabeth's point of view it must have been attractive after the ordeal of the voyage. And it seems to have worked out well. In 1794 she received a very early absolute pardon, so was then a free citizen, She never married Thomas, but that was probably pretty common in a society run by soldiers and consisting mainly of convicts and ex convicts. She would have been accepted socially. It would be a brave person to snub an associate of the second in charge of the colony. Though perhaps there was a little “Married Wives Club”?

    Elizabeth would have enjoyed the substantial houses that Thomas built at Kingston Farm and Burwood Farm. And I would imagine, have servants working for her (probably convicts?). She did not accompany him in his 8 month stint as stand in Governor of Norfolk Island in 1799,

    In 1792 Elizabeth Selwyn has the first of five children she has with Thomas. This was exactly nine months after the Pitt arrived in Sydney so probably her status as common law wife was organised on the Pitt before arrival in Sydney. Elizabeth received an absolute pardon in 1794,

    Thomas retired from the army in 1801 on grounds of ill health and died of consumption in 1806. His will provided for Elizabeth and their five children.
    “ in special trust for the benefit of my five natural children begotten on the body of Elizabeth Selwyn, namely Isabella Rowley, Thomas Rowley, John Rowley, Mary Rowley and Eliza Rowley ... in common with the said Elizabeth Selwyn, their mother ... so long as the said Elizabeth Selwyn shall continue sole and unmarried and does not live in a state of cohabitation with any man ... but in the event of the said Elizabeth Selwyn forming connexion with any man so as to live with him in a state of co-habitation or marriage she is forever afterwards to lose and be deprived of this allowance ... whereas if the said Elizabeth Selwyn remains single she shall be entitled to receive her due share."

    Elizabeth continued to live in the family homes till she died in 1843., aged 71. I cannot find the reference, but I have a recollection of Elizabeth making a substantial donation to St Phillips, the establishment church of the time. This would indicate she was well accepted socially

    An interesting snippet has turned up in 2023 concerning Simeon Lord. But first a thumbnail sketch:
Simeon Lord arrived in the colony in August 1791 with nothing but a seven-year sentence. He was assigned to Captain Rowley and endeared himself to that gentleman by making money for him, and also, in a quiet way, for himself. When he was freed he owned two houses.
"A History of Australia'', Marjorie Barnard, p 125
DNA Testing and Ancestry,com research appears to show pretty conclusively that Elizabeth's fifth child Eliza born in 1804 was fathered by Simeon Lord not Thomas Rowley. The evidence is also clear that the first four children were not fathered by Simeon Lord. Thomas was in poor health by 1803-4. He retired from the NSW Corp in 1801 on grounds of ill health and died of consumption in 1906. Did Thomas know? Suspect? Or care? Even Elizabeth might not have been sure of the father.

Detailed correspondence, discussion and research notes follow the above statement of the story as I see it.

Elizabeth's Indictment, quoted from Ian Ramage's Cameo

Elizabeth Evans

Elizabeth Selwyn's Indictment from Vic Douglas

Note Elizabeth Evans only got one month, so did not come to Australia from this conviction at Least

Elizabeth's Birth and Parents

Email from Rhonda Kroehnert, January 2012

Acknowledgements