Thomas Brown

46

Heather Stevens on 12th November 2020

Birth Abt. 1812 • Lambeth, Surrey, England Thomas Brown, (age 18 in indent, however age 16 in hulk record) was convicted 28 December 1829 at Surrey Special Session of Gaol Delivery, Kingston upon Thames for the crime of shoplifting and sentenced to transportation for 7 years. The Reading Mercury reported on the 4 January 1830, that at the Assizes for the county of Surrey on 28 December 1829: 'James Harvey, Robert Oakley, and Thomas Brown, convicted of stealing from the dwelling-house of Joseph Webb, at Chertsey, a cheese, value 5s. his property.' The three young men were imprisoned in Horsemonger Lane Gaol and transferred on 8 January 1830 to the hulk Ganymede at Chatham. The hulk record has James Harvey 18, Robert Oakley 20, Thomas Brown 16, convicted for 'Stealing a cheese'. Robert Oakley and Thomas Brown received a sentence of 7 years transportation, and James Harvey sentenced to transportation for life. Robert Oakley and Thomas Brown were transferred to their transport the Lord Melville on 21 May 1830. James Harvey had been already been been transferred to the Marquis of Huntley on 29 March. The Lord Melville left Britain 29 May 1830 and arrived Sydney Cove on 21 October 1830. We know from the convict indent for this ship that Thomas Brown could read and write; was single, born at Lambeth, was a gardener's boy and carter, had no previous convictions, height 5ft 1.25in; had dark ruddy, freckled complexion, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and tattoos sun moon stars man & woman anchor June 1830 TBHB inside wreath on right arm, woman on left arm, scar at the outer corner of right eye, diagonal scar on right cheek. He was assigned to work for the Australian Agricultural Company. In his Certificate of Freedom 10 years later, he is taller: 5ft 4.5in. Ticket of Leave 1834 for District of Maitland Convict muster of 1837 Employed by Australian Agricultural Company; Residence: Port Stephens Certificate of Freedom 27 March 1840 Marriage to Mary Christy (1813–1859) https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/christy/mary/53016 31 March 1840 at Stroud NSW. They applied for permission to marry on 16 January 1840, (Thomas Brown 28 Ld Melville (3) 7 B, and Mary Christy 27 Hy Wellesly (2) 7 free, applied by Wm Cowper Port Stephens). Permission was granted 4 February. The marriage ceremony was performed on 31 March by William M Cowper: Thomas Brown of Stroud and Mary Christy of Stroud, by Banns, witnesses William Brown of Stroud and Ellen Hilder. Thomas and William Brown signed, the two women marked with a cross. Opened Gloucester Hotel in 1857: an announcement 31 December 1857 Maitland Mercury: 'GLOUCESTER HOTEL. THOMAS BROWN begs to inform the inhabitants of the Manning, Port Macquarie, New England, and the public in general, that he has opened the above named HOTEL, at Gloucester, and trusts, by ready attention to his customers, and carefulness in selecting his liquors, to cause the traveller to look forward to this stage of his journey with pleasure, and not approach it as heretofore, in dread of its cheerless monotony. T. B begs also to state that be has cleared and marked a line direct from the Gloucester Hotel to the Manning Road, and is about throwing a bridge across the Avon Creek, entirely avoiding the present dangerous crossing place and swamp, without increasing the distance. T. B. will also for the benefit of gentlemen who may be desirous of leaving their horses in the rich grass paddocks at Gloucester, keep his Passenger Conveyance on the road between that place and Stroud. THOMAS BROWN, Gloucester Hotel. December 18th, 1857.' His wife Mary died 29 November 1859 at Stroud Hotel. Marriage to Charlotte Elizabeth Richardson (1842–1883) 1 March 1861 • Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was 44 widower of Gloucester innkeeper; Elizabeth Richardson, spinster 21 of Sydney. They had children: Charlotte Elizabeth 1862 John Henry 1864 Ada Frances 1866 Maude Emily 1867 Robert Thomas 1869 Charles Edward 1870 Newcastle Chronicle 9 Oct 1869: 'Thomas Brown was brought before the Court, on a charge of being of unsound mind and unfit to be at large. Drs. Knaggs and Harris gave evidence as to his being a lunatic, whereupon the Bench ordered him to be imprisoned in Maitland Gaol, to await the Governor's pleasure.' He was not in Maitland Gaol for long, and was back in Gloucester at the time of his death in March. Death 5 March 1870 Gloucester, New South Wales, Australia. Age 56, inn keeper. His youngest child was 4 days old. Informant was his wife Charlotte Elizabeth who gave the information that Thomas was born in London and his mother's name was Charlotte Dobson. Death notice: Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, Thursday 14 April 1870: 'DEATH. Died, on the 5th March, 1870, at his residence, Gloucester Hotel, Mr. Thomas Brown, aged 62 years, leaving a wife and six young children to mourn his loss.' Because his death was sudden, an inquest was held at Port Stephens 7 March: Thomas Brown, cause of death 'fit brought on by intemperance'. Burial 5 March 1870, Church of England, at Stroud, New South Wales, Australia See https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brown-115793 for sources