John Devereux

41

Glen on 5th March 2018

John Devereux arrived on Norfolk Island per Lady Nelson, and was on stores until Feb 1806, where it is presumed he was taken on as worker by John McCarty, his future father in Law. It would have been about this time that he began a relationship with his future wife, Harriet Beazley/McCarty. Harriet was expecting their first child at her departure of the island for Derwent River per Porpoise. On 15 May 1808, Devereux departed Norfolk Island per Estramina arriving in Hobart 5 June 1808. Harriet was already in Hobart, having arrived in January. John and Harriet were married 13 June 1808 at St Davids by Rev Knopwood. Devereux arrived in Tasmania a free man being granted a conditional Pardon, on the condition he never return to Ireland. He was granted 60 acres of land at Herdsman's Cove near Green Point, Bridgewater in the Derwent Valley, in accordance with the instructions for granting land to ex-convicts; 30 if single, 50 if married, and 10 more for each child. The grant was very close to his father-in-law John McCarty. Circa 1832 the family moved to Black Brush, a few miles south of Green Ponds. On 19 June 1832 their house and land at Black Brush was sold for 600 pounds. Nothing is known regarding the death of John Devereux. Some sources say he died enroute to Ireland, while attempting to visit family, which is clearly nonsense and a misapplication of the death record of completely different John Devereux whose death is recorded in New York in the apporixmate era. Devereux's wife Harriet remarried in Sep 1847 in Hobart. Under British law she had to have been out of communication for 6 years before being allowed to remarry. There is a shipping record of a John Devereux traveling with Ann and Wm Hartley Budd aboard the brig Frances to Port Phillip in Nov 1838 which may be Devereux leaving VDL for good. No death record has been found in the colony.

221

D Wong on 27th August 2017

John Devereux was a Captain in a Yeoman Battalion when he was charged with treason for aiding and assisting in the 1798 Irish rebellion at Vinegar Hill in Wexford. Once in NSW he seems to have been involved in the Irish Uprising at Castle Hill in March 1804 and was then sent to Norfolk Island. 15/5/1808: John departed Norfolk Island on the 'Estramina' to VDL. By this time John had a Conditional Pardon and was granted 60 acres of land at Herdsman's Cove near Green Point. 13//6/1808: Married Harriet McCarty, daughter of John McCarty and Ann Beardsley who were on the First Fleet who were on Norfolk Island, after arriving in VDL. Around 1832 the family moved to Black Brush, south of Green Ponds. 19.6.1832: Sold is house and land at Black Brush for £600. John Devereaux may have died while attempting to visit family in Ireland - he was deceased by 1847 when wife Harriet remarried.