Mary Parker

Level 76

iain Frazier on 3rd December 2023

Family connections for Mary (Parker) are: PARKER Mary (Parker) was born on 24 8 1758/70 & became a house servant. She was tried firstly for stealing tablecloths of Mrs (Hickman) on 4 9 1785, held for 12 months at New Prison, where she undertook work as prison nurse. She was tried a second time for breaking entering & stealing gowns etc of Mr (Hickman), on 19 4 1786, at Old Bailey on 26 4 1786, sentenced to 7years, held probably at London/Middlesex Gaol Delivery & at Newgate Prison & arrived in NSW as a convict on 22 1 1788 after a voyage of 12months on First Fleet ship LADY PENRHYN, on which she nursed for people on the ship; she was also 5'6" (& her children became 6'ers). She married John (Small) on 12 10 1788 at St Phillips CofE Sydney & lived in a hut at Parramatta-& produced 7children. She was employed as assistant nurse at the hospital & Government House. She was Free by Servitude by 1796. She died on 5 4 1824 age65 after accidentally falling & drowning in water hole at Kissing Point. [Noted a Mary (Parker emancipist LADY PENRHYN) is recorded as dying on 1 11 1814 age53 & buried at St Phillips CofE Sydney] Some details taken from this Website. CCONVICTdone John (Small) was born on 30 11 1761/4 at Birmingham & became a soldier. He enlisted in 33rd company Plymouth Division Marine Corps on 16 4 1781, sailed on HMS LIVELY to New York & West Indies, was captured by American prisoners on board, taken to Havana until May 1783, exchanged for Spanish prisoners & reached Port Plymouth Hampshire in August 1783. He was tried w/3others for highway robbery of watch etc of James (Burt) at Exeter Lent Assizes at Exeter Castle Devon on 14 3 1785, sentenced to be hanged reprieved to 7years & arrived in NSW as a convict on 22 1 1788 after a voyage of 8months on First Fleet ship CHARLOTTE; he was 5'6" Protestant. He worked at the hospital in 1788, where he is recorded as being drunk. In 1794 he was granted 30acres at Ryde Eastern Farms. He was Free by Servitude by 1795. In 1809 he is recorded as District Constable Sydney which he continued at Kissing Point. In 1813 he was appointed poundkeeper at Kissing Point. He is recorded in 1828 at Kissing Point w/son Thomas & family. He died on 2 10 1850 age88 at Kissing Point. 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.

Level 54

Phil Hands on 28th May 2017

Mary Parker was in service in the house of John Hickman and was accused of stealing two of Mrs Hickman's tablecloths, value of 5s in April 1785. She was held in New Prison, Clerkenwell for six months before her trial on 21st September 1785. She was sentenced to a further 6 months confinement. She was employed during this period as a prison nurse and her prison term would have ended on 24th March 1786. It was only a few weeks later when she apparently stole again from her old employer! Tried and convicted at the Old Bailey on 26th April 1786 for burglariously and feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of John Hickman , about the hour of eleven in the night, on the 19th day of April last, and burglariously stealing therein, two muslin gowns and coats, value 40 s. a cotton gown, value 10 s. three cotton frocks, value 4 s. a callico bed-gown, value 2 s. four pair of cotton pockets, value 4 s. eleven shirts, value 3 l. one shift, value 2 s. and one diaper clout, value 6 d. his property, sentenced to transportation for 7 years. For the next eight months she was held in Newgate prison before embarking on her transport vessel on 6th January 1787. Left England on 13th May 1787. Ship:- the 'Lady Penrhyn' sailed with 101 female convicts on board of which 3 died during the voyage. Arrived on 26th January 1788. Stories of Mary helping other convicts whilst on the ship are recorded and the fact came to the notice of the authorities. Consequently she was employed at the hospital as an assistant to the nurses. There are also family stories that she was a servant at Government House. This could be possible as her name is not on the Victualling list because of this. Mary was married by Richard Johnson, Chaplain, to convict John Small ('Charlotte' 1788) on 12th October 1788. This would have been in the open and later recorded in the Register of St Philip's Sydney. Mary and John had 7 children Between 1789-1804, all of whom attained maturity, quite a feat in those times. Although like everyone else at this time Mary and John were both small people under 5' 6" in height, all the boys grew to be a robust 6 foot tall. After living in Sydney and then Parramatta the family moved to Kissing Point, Ryde in 1794 (Recorded as Eastern Farms). On this farm the family grew and prospered. They would have had some status in the community as John was the District Constable. Mary died suddenly and tragically on 4th April 1824. An inquest commencing on the next day, the 5th, shows the circumstances as follows: Mary was walking near a large hole of seven feet depth of water, close to which is a footpath. Mary missed her footing and fell into the water of the foresaid large hole, and then drowning, she instantly died. Her son John attested that about 6 o'clock in the evening he was at his brother William's house, when his wife asked him to fetch a pail of water. John and William walked to the well, which was a large hole 7 feet deep. As they approached the well they could see two shoes and a woman's cap floating on the surface. William stooped and got out one of the shoes and said that he feared it was his mother's. John stayed at the well whilst William ran to the house and found that his mother had been from home for some time. Whilst his brother was gone John got a pole and raised a female to the surface, and found it to be his mother. Efforts to revive her were without effect. She was dead at the age of 66 years. Mary had last been seen at about 2 o'clock by her son Samuel who lived with her. When the coroner asked what state Mary had been in lately her son said that at times she appeared childish, but had supposed it to be infirmity of old age. Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser Thurs 8th Apilr 1824 Drowned, at Kissing Point, on the evening of Sunday last, Mrs. Mary Small. An Inquest sat on the body. Verdict - Drowned by Accident. Old Bailey Trial Transcription. Reference Number: t17860426-4 322. MARY PARKER was indicted for burglariously and feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of John Hickman , about the hour of eleven in the night, on the 19th day of April last, and burglariously stealing therein, two muslin gowns and coats, value 40 s. a cotton gown, value 10 s. three cotton frocks, value 4 s. a callico bed-gown, value 2 s. four pair of cotton pockets, value 4 s. eleven shirts, value 3 l. one shift, value 2 s. and one diaper clout, value 6 d. his property . MARY HICKMAN sworn. I am wife of John Hickman , I live in Duke-street, Bloomsbury . I take in washing; I was washing on Wednesday last, till ten at night, I carried up the things and hung them on the line in the garret; I was not gone to bed, when the prisoner was taken, there was an alarm of thieves, I ran up in my hurry, and another witness who is here, and his lodger, he run up also; then when was going up two pair of stairs I met Mr. Headland and the prisoner on the stairs, I knew her again, she had no property about her, I went up stairs to see how my things were, all my shirts and frocks were laying about, and some in a heap in a corner, I came down again and I fetched a constable. - HEADLAND sworn. I lodge in his house, had been out, and this little boy had been in to my wife to light a candle, came in about half past ten, the little o run down to me, and said, there was somebody in the garret, I went up stairs, and I stood and called twice at the bottom of the garret stairs before I went up, there was no answer; I went up stairs, and saw the linen lay on the stairs, I went into the garret, and saw some things lay about the room, and some things in a heap at one corner, I turned about and saw the prisoner in the room, in one corner to the right hand, she did not lodge in the house; I knew her, she had lived with Mr. Hickman before, I asked her what she was at, and she gave me no answer; I said to her, Molly, what do you mean to come here to rob your mistress again, and I said, come, bundle out of the room; she set off to come out of the room, and she stooped to put her shoes on which were off, I stood by the door and caught hold of her gown tail, and she asked me in the passage to let her go out, I told her no. Court to Hickman. Had you hung up your things? - I hung up every one of them. Where did you put the two muslin gowns, and the cotton gowns, and the three frocks, and the bed-gown, the three pair of cotton stockings, the shirts, the shift, and the clout? - They were all hanging on the lines in the same garret; they were the clothes of different people that I wash for. PRISONER's DEFENCE. I was not in the garret; I went to speak to the gentlewoman that lodged in the two pair of stairs, to ask a person to give me a character; she was not at home. Court to Prosecutrix. Had you fastened your garret-door? - Yes; I had the key in my parlour. What, did you lock the door? - Oh yes! I locked it myself, and hung the key in my parlour; when I came up, the door was standing wide open; it was wrenched open. What marks were there upon the door of its having been wrenched open? - I do not know. Perhaps it was slipped back, and an old lock? - No, no, no, no! I am too well used to it for that, it is not a bad lock. There were no marks of violence on the door? - I cannot tell. What does the bolt of the lock shut into? - Into a great iron staple. In what condition was that staple? - It was in the same place. How had the lock been got out of that staple? - By two great nails. Jury. Have you the key of the lock with you? - No. Court. Did you observe whether the bolt of the lock, when you came up stairs, was shut or pushed back? - It was pushed quite level to the door. SAMUEL ABBOTT sworn. The prosecutrix came and called me up to take charge of the prisoner; I went, and took her in custody; the prosecutrix took me up to the garret; when I came up the garret stairs, there lay some shirts and some linen, then she took me into the garret door; the prosecutrix gave me these two nails. Prosecutrix. I saw the prisoner come down stairs with these nails in her hand, and when she put on her shoes, she dropped them beside her shoes in the passage. Did you see her drop them? - No, I saw them in her hand. Who saw her drop them? - My servant, her name is Nanny; she is not here. Court. How do you know that she did this with these two nails? - She could not get it open with any thing else. Yes she might, with a false key? - Oh, no, no. Prisoner. I never saw the nails till they were fetched out of the parlour from Mr. Hickman to give to the constable. Have you any friends or witnesses? - I have none in London. GUILTY, Of stealing, but not of the burglary . Transportation for 7 years. Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Baron EYRE

Level 105

Denis Pember on 7th January 2016

MARY PARKER was indicted for burglariously and feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of John Hickman , about the hour of eleven in the night, on the 19th day of April last, and burglariously stealing therein, two muslin gowns and coats, value 40 s. a cotton gown, value 10 s. three cotton frocks, value 4 s. a callico bed-gown, value 2 s. four pair of cotton pockets, value 4 s. eleven shirts, value 3 l. one shift, value 2 s. and one diaper clout, value 6 d. his property. She was tried by the First Middlesex Jury before Mr Baron Eyre. Found guilty of stealing and sentenced to transportation for 7 years. Mary had previously been incarcerated for thefts from the same property.

Level 1

Ken Austin on 18th April 2012

Married fellow convict John Small in 1788. They were given a farm in Ryde, and had twelve children. She died, drowned in small lake near her home, couldnt swim. Family flourished, and John Small was quite affluent in later times. They were my great great etc grandparents on my fathers side.