| Name: | James Macarthy |
| Aliases: | none |
| Gender: | m |
| Date of Birth: | 1773 |
| Occupation: | Landlord |
| Date of Death: | 26th June, 1851 |
| Age: | 78 years |
Life Span
Male median life span was 56 years*
* Median life span based on contributions
Sentence Severity
Sentenced to 7 years
| Crime: | Deception |
| Convicted at: | Antrim Court (Ireland) |
| Sentence term: | 7 years |
| Ship: | Boddingtons |
| Departure date: | 15th February, 1793 |
| Arrival date: | 7th August, 1793 |
| Place of arrival | New South Wales |
| Passenger manifest | Travelled with 53 other convicts |
| Primary source: | NSW Gov Records. Irish Convicts. |
| Source description: |
Dennis Nightingale on 7th May, 2015 wrote:
Born - Ireland. Crime - Harbouring Irish priests. Marriage - James married Mary Rigney, the daughter of a free settler, who he met through his association with Father Dixon, one of the colony’s first priests.
James McCarthy excelled as a farmer and was given a land grant of 100 acres in the district of Castlereagh. In 1819 they made their first purchase of land – 50 acres adjoining their 100 acres, Cranebrook (named after the abundance of cranes on the property) Farm, on the banks of the Nepean River
McCarthy Catholic College was established in 1986 as a senior secondary college in the greater Penrith region and the following is an extract from their Feb 2011 News Letter - The McCarthy’s lived their existence in a new and hostile land – droughts and floods were common in
the region.
They experienced a great number of personal challenges and risks. Their children died at early ages.
The small cemetery in the McCarthy’s home is a reminder of James McCarthy’s faith. In the early
1800’s he donated an acre of his land as a cemetery (not exclusively Catholic) for the
Castlereagh community. In 1806 his daughter Elizabeth was the first to be buried there.
One tradition says that Governor King allowed Fr Dixon to live on parole with the McCarthy’s from
1800-1803, where he could celebrate mass on a restricted basis. After the Castle Hill (Irish)
Rebellion in 1804 the Governor withdrew this privilege. Fr Dixon is said to have remained with the
McCarthy family, administering the faith in secret.
The McCarthy homestead was the centre of priestly contact in an oppressive English and
Protestant era. The McCarthy’s, as lay Catholics, played a substantial role from 1808-1818, when the
catholic population of Sydney had no priest. It was a time when the faith was kept alive by people
such as the McCarthy’s.
Dennis Nightingale on 7th May, 2015 wrote:
Extract from the Sydney Morning Herald Monday 30 June 1851.
At Crane Brook, near Penrith, on the 26th June 1851 after an illness of several weeks, Mr. James McCarthy, sen., aged eighty years, a resident in this colony for upwards of fifty eight years.
LibHastings on 13th December, 2019 wrote:
Buried at McCarthy’s Cemetery
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2589958/mccarthy’s-cemetery
Dennis Nightingale on 7th May, 2015 made the following changes:
convicted at, term: years, voyage, source: NSW Gov Records. Irish Convicts. (prev. ), firstname: James, surname: Macarthy, alias1: , alias2: , alias3: , alias4: , date of birth: 1773, date of death: 0000, gender: m, occupation, crime
Dennis Nightingale on 7th May, 2015 made the following changes:
convicted at, term: 7 years, voyage, date of death: 1851 (prev. 0000), occupation, crime
Dennis Nightingale on 7th May, 2015 made the following changes:
date of death: 26th June, 1851 (prev. 1851)
This record was discovered and printed on ConvictRecords.com.au
