Sarah Bromley

74

iain Frazier on 17th September 2025

Family connections for Sarah (Bromley) are: BRO/IMLEY Sarah (Bromley/Brimley) was born about 1782. She married Henry (Marsden) on 23 8 1802 at Leyland Lancashire & produced 8children. She was tried w/1other (& maybe others) for possessing forged notes also, at Southampton on 26 10 1819, at Hampshire Lent Assizes Winchester, sentenced to 14years & arrived at Port Jackson NSW as a convict with her children-perhaps following her husband-on 30 9 1820 after a voyage of 4.5months on MORLEY; she was Protestant. She had her Ticket of Leave by 1822. She is recorded in 1825 with Ticket of Leave & her family. She was recorded in 1828 with her family at Lower Portland Head. She moved to Windsor with her younger children after her husband died & operated the family businesses, probably including assisting her son-in-law James (Gosper) to run his hotel in Bridge Street. She probably cared for her daughter Margarets children after 1841. She died on 5 8 1859 age77 & was buried at St Matthews (CofE?) Windsor. [obtaining a conviction was perhaps a ploy to gain free travel to Australia: but statements in her entry suggest she did intend to continue with forgeries in UK] [Some details taken from this Website] Henry (Marsden) was born about 1777 a became a cotton weaver in Lancashire. He was a labourer living at Ashton under Lyne when he was tried for possessing, on 26 7 1819, a forged note at Lancaster Assizes Liverpool on 1 9 1819, sentenced to 14years & arrived in NSW or Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) as a convict on 5 4 1820-actually at Port Jackson on 4 4 1820-after a voyage of 5months on COROMANDEL; he was 5'7.5" fair ruddy complexion light brown hair blue eyes; he was Protestant. He is recorded in 1822 with Ticket of Leave leasing 10acre farm at Lower Portland Head. He was recorded in 1828 on 12acres with his family at Lower Portland Head. He died on 14 3 1832 age55 at Hunters Reach & was buried at St Johns CofE Wilberforce-recorded as 1842. [Some details taken from this Website] REFERENCE: Craig James Smee 'Births and Baptisms Marriages and Defacto Relationships Deaths and Burials New South Wales 1788-1830' ..a complete listing from church & other records in the early colony.

54

Phil Hands on 5th January 2018

After her husband Henry had been convicted, he left behind Sarah and a number of children. He had married Sarah Brimley at Leyland on 23rd August 1802, and they're first born child William, was baptised at Eccleston by Chorley in 1803. William was followed by Margaret in 1805; John in 1806; Ann in 1812; and Jane in 1814; the last two being baptised not at Eccleston By Chorley as were the others, but at Euxton. William, Margaret and Ann all came to the Colony of New South Wales with their mother on the "Morley" in 1820, but John and Jane's fate is unknown. John was certainly dead by 1823 when another child was given the same name, and Jane may also have died in infancy. Some seven weeks after Henry was convicted in Lancashire, Sarah was apprehended as Sarah Bromley, some three hundred and fifty kilometres away at Southampton in the south of England. She, in company with her three children, had apparently travelled almost the whole length of England, carrying with them, the rest of the forged Bank Notes. She appeared at the Southampton Lent Assizes before Sir. George Wood, and Sir. James Burroughs and was indicted together with John Downs, Catherine Burns and Ann Walsh. On the Twenty-sixth day of October in the Sixtieth year aforesaid [1819] at the Parish aforesaid. had in certain Lodgings of them the said Ann Welsh and Sarah Bromley... in certain Apartments... [Attached several dozen samples of forged one Pound notes] . . . so disposing of and putting away the said last mentioned false forged and counterfeited Note and there... Promissory Note for the payment of money... with intent to defraud on Jane Moses... with intent to defraud the Governor and Company of the Bank of England... on the Twenty third day of the Fifty-ninth feloniously did offer to one James Spike... with the intent to defraud Charles Robbins... etc. All were found guilty and sentenced to fourteen years Transportation, and so Sarah and her partners in crime Ann Walsh and Catherine Burns, all arrived in Port Jackson on the convict transport "Morley", on 30th September 1820. The Marsden's resumed married life in the Colony, Henry appears in the 1822 Muster as holding a Ticket of Leave and residing on a leased farm at Lower Portland Head, he had ten acres all cleared, and five acres sewn in wheat. He also had two-head of cattle and thirty pigs. Two more children were born to Henry and Sarah, George in about 1821 and John in about 1823. Their eldest son William returned to England seemingly prior to 1828, and died a wealthy man at Lisson Street Marylebone, County of Middlesex, in 1878. Henry died on 14th March 1842, the entry appears in the St. Johns Wilberforce Register, his abode was given as Hunter's Reach, his ship of arrival the "Coromandel", and his age fifty-two years. The latter is probably a mistake made by the Rector, as this age is not consistent with other records. It would seem probable that after Henry died, Sarah moved to Windsor with her younger children and may have been assisting her son-in-law James Gosper to run his hotel in Bridge Street. After her daughter Margaret died in 1841, it is almost certain that Sarah reared Margaret's orphaned children. Sarah died at Windsor on 5th August 1859, and is buried at St. Matthews Windsor.

105

Denis Pember on 13th April 2016

Sainty & Johnson; 1828 Census of New South Wales: Page 261... [Ref M1773] Marsden, Henry, 51, ticket of leave, Coromandel, 1820, 14 years, Protestant, farmer, Lower Portland Head. 12 acres all cleared and cultivated, 2 cattle. [Ref M1774] Marsden, Sarah, 48, government servant, Morley 1820, 14 years, Protestant. [Ref M1775] Marsden, George, 7, born in the colony. [Ref M1776] Marsden, John, 5, born in the colony. ## I am unable to locate daughter Ann in the census but she had married Joseph Gosport and went on to have 11 children and live to 1870. Joseph was the son of Thomas Gosport (Convict, Surprize, 1790) and Mary Hipwell (Convict, Mary Ann, 1791).

105

Denis Pember on 13th April 2016

1825 muster (1823-1825) Text: Marsden, Sarah, ticket of leave, Morley, 1820, 14 years, wife of Henry Marsden, Wilberforce. Marsden, Margaret, came free, child of above Marsden, Ann, came free, child of above. Marsden, Elizabeth, bc, 1820, child of above. Marsden, John, bc, 1821, child of above.

105

Denis Pember on 13th April 2016

It is interesting to Note that Henry Marsden, Sarah's husband had been previously transported (Coromandel, 1820) for the crime of possession of a forged banknote. Was this the same crime? Hampshire Chronicle Mon 28 Feb 1820 p.3... HAMPSHIRE LENT ASSIZES. The following prisoners stand committed for trial at the ensuing Assizes for the county, which commence on Tuesday next, at Winchester: Ann Welch and Sarah Bromley, for uttering forged Bank of England one pound notes, at Portsmouth... Hampshire Chronicle Mon 6 Mar 1820 p.3... HAMPSHIRE LENT ASSIZES... Ann Welsh and Sarah Bromley pleaded guilty to an indictment, charging them with uttering forged notes, purporting to be of the Bank of England, at Gosport and Portsmouth, in October last...and were ordered to be transported for fourteen years.

5

Peter Morris on 13th January 2012

Sarah Bromley (Brimley) was married to Henry Marsden on Aug. 23, 1802 at Leyland, Lancashire. They had three children, living, who travelled with her on the Morley Reunited with her husband (previously sentenced for possessing a forged note) they farmed at Lower Portland Head. Although both had 14 year sentences, within 2 years they had their T of L. Henry died in 1832 and a daughter and her husband soon after. Sarah then raised the grand-children and operated the family businesses. A remarkable effort for someome who couldn't read or write.