Henry Marsden

74

iain Frazier on 17th September 2025

Family connections for Henry (Marsden) are: MARSDEN Henry (Marsden) was born about 1777 a became a cotton weaver in Lancashire. He married Sarah (Brimley) on 23 8 1802 at Leyland. 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] Sarah (Bromley/Brimley) was born about 1782. 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) & Sarah (Brimley) produced perhaps 8children: 1.William (Marsden) was christened at Eccleston by Chorley Lancashire in 1803. He arrived in NSW with his mother on 30 9 1820 after a voyage of 4.5months on MORLEY. He apparantly returned to England via New Zealand about 1825 & became a jockey. He died in 1878 age about75 in a horse race - a wealthy man of Lisson St Marylebone Middlesex. .. 2.Margaret (Marsden) was born about 1805 & christened at Eccleston by Chorley Lancashire. She arrived in NSW with her mother on 30 9 1820 after a voyage of 4.5months on MORLEY. She is recorded in 1825 with her mother. She married James (Gosper brother of James) with consent of her parents on 2 2 1827 at St Johns CofE Wilberforce & produced some children. She died in 1841 age about36; her children were probably then cared for by her mother. ..James (Gosper) was born on 1 10 1805 & baptised on 7 10 1810 age5+ at St Matthews CofE Windsor. By 1828 he had become a farmer at Wilberforce. He was recorded in 1830 as a farmer. His mother in law may have assisted him in running his hotel in Bridge Street Windsor after 1832. He died on 12 12 1837 age32. ..Details of James (Gosper)s family are given in entry for Thomas Roker Alexander (Gosport SURPRISE 1790) on this Website. .. 3.John (Marsden) was born about 1806 & christened at Eccleston by Chorley Lancashire. He may have died before 1823. 4.Ann (Marsden) was born on 10 7 1812 & christened at Euxton Lancashire. She arrived in NSW with her mother on 30 9 1820 after a voyage of 4.5months on MORLEY. She is recorded in 1825 with her mother. She perhaps lived with Joseph (Gosport brother James) & produced 11childrem; she married him on 27 1 1829 with consent of her parents at St Johns CofE Wilberforce. She died about 1870 age about57. ..Joseph (Gosper) was born on 29 4 1804. He was recorded in 1830 as a farmer. He died on 11 2 1889 age84.] ..Details of Joseph (Gosper)s family are given in entry for Thomas Roker Alexander (Gosport SURPRISE 1790) on this Website. .. 5.Jane (Marsden) was born about 1814 & christened at Euxton Lancashire. She arrived in NSW with her mother on 30 9 1820 after a voyage of 4.5months on MORLEY. She died on 27 5 1824 age9 at Windsor & was buried at St Matthews CofE Windsor. 6.Charlotte or Elizabeth (Marsden) was born in 1820. She is recorded in 1825 with her mother. She may have been taken to Windsor by her mother after her father died. 7.George (Marsden) was born in 1821. He was recorded in 1828 with his parents at Lower Portland Head. He may have been taken to Windsor by his mother after his father died. 8.John (Marsden) was born in 1823. He is recorded in 1825 with his mother. He was recorded in 1828 with his parents at Lower Portland Head. He may have been taken to Windsor by his mother after his father died. 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.

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 Sarah Bromley, Henry’s wife was also transported (Morley, 1820) for the crime of possession of a forged banknote. Was this the same crime? Were they tried separately?

5

Peter Morris on 2nd March 2012

HENRY MARSDEN Henry Marsden was a cotton weaver in Lancashire and on 23rd of August 1802 he married Sarah Brimley at Leyland, some twenty miles N.W. of Manchester. They had five children up unto 1814, the first three being christened at Eccleston-by-Chorley and the latter two at nearby Euxton. On September 1, 1819, Henry appeared before the Lancaster Assizes at Liverpool ‘charged with being in possession of a forged bank note.’ The court records show that: Henry Marsden late of Ashton-under-Lyne [six miles east of Manchester] in the County of Lancaster Labourer heretofore to wit on the Twenty-sixth day of July in the Fifty-ninth year [1818?] of … Geo Third with Force and arms at Ashton-under-Lyne in the county of Lancaster feloniously, knowingly and wittingly and without lawful excuse had in his possession and custody a certain forged and counterfeited Bank Note , the tenor of which said forged and counterfeited Bank Note is as followeth that to say One pound No. 25731 Bank of England 1819. To be transported to some Parts beyond the seas for the term of 14 years. It is interesting to ponder as to the likelihood of Henry being caught up in the infamous ‘Peterloo massacre’, only two weeks before he was brought before the court. On August 10, 1819 the worker’s radical reform movement exploded at St. Peter‘s Field (Peterloo) in Manchester. The authorities had been previously informed and had troops readily to hand and of the 60,000 demonstrators eleven were killed and some 600 wounded. It is, perhaps, surprising that a mass revolution did not follow but, again, the lack of any effective overall coordination of the radical movement is apparent. Notwithstanding, Peterloo achieved what no other event to that date had for popular politics; it focused attention on the causes and there was country wide notoriety with a ‘wave of revolution’ among Whigs and middle classes as well as the working-class reformers. Henry Marsden was certainly in the right place at the right time! Henry sailed aboard the Coromandel and after an uneventful voyage arrived at Port Jackson on April 4, 1820. The indents describe him as ‘a Cotton Weaver from Lancashire, aged 39, five foot seven and a half inches tall, fair ruddy complexion with light brown hair and blue eyes.’ Left behind in England was Sarah and their five children; William, Margaret, John, Ann and Jane. After their reuniting in colonial New South Wales, Henry and Sarah had two more children, one christened John. This indicates that the first-born John died before 1823 and possibly before Sarah left England in early 1820. Henry and Sarah were allowed to resume married life quite soon after they both arrived in the colony and Henry is listed in the 1822 Muster as holding a ‘ticket of leave’ and residing at Lower Portland Head on a leased farm and having ten cleared acres of which five were sewn [sic] with wheat. Also he possessed two cattle and thirty pigs. Their eldest son, William, returned to England, via New Zealand,at some time around 1825 and family legend has it that he was a jockey and was killed in a horse race. Certainly William was still alive in 1841, which would have made him rather old to be still professionally horse riding. Well before they had completed their sentences (in 1828) they were again listed as living on twelve acres of land at Lower Portland Head. Living with them were their youngest sons, George and John, William had, by this stage, returned to England and the girls had married and moved away. An entry in the register of St. John’s, Wilberforce indicates that Henry died on March 14, 1842 and that he arrived in the colony on the Coromandel and was resident in Hunter’s Reach and aged 52. This entry is incorrect and should read 1832.