Thomas Prosser

74

iain Frazier on 26th May 2025

Family connections for Thomas (Prosser) are: PROSSER On this Website 2of the Thomas (Prosser)s could be the father of Thomas (Prosser) who married Ann (Biggers), details of whose family are given in entry for Thomas (Biggers BODDINGTONS 1793) on this Website. .. A. Thomas (Prosser) was born about 1774 & became a weaver/cotton & linen printer. He was tried as an Irish rebel at Cork co. Ireland, sentenced to Life & arrived in NSW as a convict on 11 1 1800 after a voyage of 4.5months on MINERVA. Much information is availabl [Some details taken from this Website, which also contains details of trouble, escapes, transportation to Tasmania etc] If true, the death shown here precludes him from marrying Ann (Biggers). .. .. B. The other Thomas (Prosser) was born about 1779 & became a labourer. He was tried at Brecon Wales in 1803, sentenced to Life & arrived in NSW as a convict on 27 7 1807 after a voyage of 6months on DUKE OF PORTLAND. He married Ann (Biggers her first marriage) on 21 12 1812 at St Matthews CofE Windsor. He was Free by Servitude by 1814. He is recorded as executed by hanging for murder of Thomas (Roberts) in 1815-date of hanging not shown in Smees records. He may have been recorded, posthumously, in 1827 as a farmer. [Some details taken from this Website; the remaining information possibly refers to Thomas (Prosser 1800 MINERVA).] [Noted a Margarette (Prosser) is recorded as born to Thomas (Prosser) & Winifred/Vinerford (McAnally) on 24 6 1818 & baptised on 16 4 1820 at St Johns Launceston Tasmania] References: 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. Irene Schaffer & Thelma McKay 'Exiled Three Times Over! Profiles of Norfolk Islanders Exiled in Van Diemens Land 1807-1813' James Hugh Donohoe 'Norfolk Island 1788-1813-The People and Their Families' Reg Wright 'Forgotten Generation of Norfolk Island & Van Diemens Land'

3

William Bramhill on 12th December 2024

Many if not most Irish Prossors spell their name with two Os -- and a remarkable number were literate as many were in trade, clockmaking, etc. News records of the time note: The raid on Rev. William Stopford's House at Blarney. On the night of the 22 Mar 1798, about 300 United Irishmen from the Blarney area raided the house of the Rev. William Stopford (COl) at Blarney. Stopford took off his nightshirt and hid in the bushes. Tithe books were burnt, furniture, arms and money were taken and the house was wrecked. Mrs Stopford, who has remained in the house, was unharmed. As a result of this incident, John BUCKLEY of Blarney was executed on 21 Jun 1799. His body was placed in a butt and buried in "the Croppie's Hole" in the Gaol at Cork, his head was placed on a pike and displayed at Blarney Castle. Thomas HEALY and William RIORDAN of Cloghroe and Daniel O BRIEN of Killeens were sentenced to Transportation for life. Patrick O CALLAGHAN of Cloghroe received 500 lashes. John HEALY, Denis RIORDAN and Denis MURPHY of Cloghroe and Denis DONOGHUE of TOWER were acquited. Seperately, Thomas PROSSOR of Blarney was charged with High Treason, "disaffection to Government and administering unlawful oaths" and sentenced to Transportation for life.

341

Maureen Withey on 23rd August 2021

Mentioned in Anne-Maree Whitaker’s “Unfinished Revolution: United Irishmen in New South Wales 1800-1810.” Around 19 January, a group of prisoners escaped from the colony in an 18 foot open boat, intending to board the Harrington which was about to sail to Madras. They were lead by Cork-born United Irishman Thomas Prosser, exiled to Norfolk Island in May 1802, following rumours of an insurrection. He had returned to Sydney in late 1805 or early 1806, and was living with English convict, Frances Allen (William Pitt). Among the escapers was Prosser’s assigned convict, William Blake, who arrived with him on the Minerva and was flogged for his involvement in the September 1800 conspiracy and sent to Norfolk Island. Patrick Galvin, a political prisoner who arrived on the Friendship, Tristram Moore from Derry (Atlas II) and Patrick Mitchell from Antrim (Hercules) were also among the escapers, as were two other convicts, Robert Matthews and William Saunders. The were caught in a storm and blown north, landing at Newcastle before the Harrington had even left Sydney harbour. On Monday 16 February the eight were tried for stealing the boat and rigging. Prosser offered the novel defence that they had not intended to deprive the owner of the boat as it would be returned to Sydney by the pilot after they boarded the Harrington. Impressed by the ingenuity of the defence, the court acquitted them. Governor Bligh was not impressed, however, and had the group arrested again and retried before a bench of magistrates. Prosser and Blake were sent to Port Dalrymple and the others were sentenced to be flogged. ------------------------------------------------------ Reported in the Newspapers: At the beginning of last week several prisoners were missing from their respective avocations; and a boat of 18 feet keel, belonging to E. Wills being also absent, leads to a conjecture of their having taken her away with a weak design of attempting an escape from the Colony, though miserably provided for carrying such a determination into effect with any other prospect than that of foundering on the coast. The names of the prisoners are, Thomas Prosser, Tristram Moore, Robert Matthews, Patrick Garvin, ? ? and Frances Allen, who cohabited with Prosser. As soon as they were missed some whale boats were dispatched in pursuit. Sydney Gazette, 25 Jan 1807. -------------------------------------------------- On Monday (to morrow) a Court of Criminal Jurisdiction will assemble at Sydney; before whom the following persons are for trial; viz. Robert Matthews, Thomas Prosser, William Blake, Tristram Moore, Patrick Galvin, William Saunders, and Frances Allen, for stealing a boat the property of E. Wills, &c. Sydney Gazette, 15 Feb 1807. ----------------------------------------------------- R. Matthews, T, Prosser, W. Blake, T. Moore, P Galvin, W Saunders, and Frances Allen were indicted for stealing a boat the property of E. Wills, and a mast, sail, and oars belonging to Thomas Randall, and being all acquitted were desired to be held in custody as prisoners that had attempted to escape from the Colony, until HIS EXCELLENCY'S pleasure concerning them should be known ; Blake for a breach of Orders, he being a freeman. Sydney Gazette, 22 Feb 1807. -------------------------------------------------- Thomas Prosser and William Blake, two of the persons who lately attempted to escape by taking away a boat, were put on board the Lucy for Port Dalrymple, the day before she sailed. Sydney Gazette, 29 March 1807.

54

Phil Hands on 28th June 2017

Thomas was a cotton and linen printer from Cork, Ireland. In June 1798 he was tried by court martial at Cork for actively recruiting for the United Irishmen and was sentenced to transportation for life. Left Cork on 24th August 1799. Ship:- the 'Minerva' sailed with 165 male and 26 female convicts on board of which 3 males died during the voyage. Arrived on 11th January 1800. He remained in Sydney for the next couple of years but is notable for his attempts to escape, including in February 1801 to stow away on board an American whaler. In 1801 he was listed as an emancipated person and pursuing the occupation of salt boiler. However, in May 1802 he was shipped to Norfolk Island on the "Porpoise" with several other United Irishmen and was still there in 1805. In 1806 he was back in Sydney living on 15 acres of leased land. In January 1807 he again attempted to leave the colony this time with 6 others in a stolen boat. They were unsuccessful, he was tried but talked his way out of it. However the Governor was not happy with this result and he was retried, this time being sentenced to 200 lashes and 3 years hard labour. It seems that his sentence was served out in Port Dalrymple in Tasmania. By June 1811 he was back in Sydney the recipient of a Ticket of leave. In December 1811 he was back in court this time being charged with illegally landing a 60 gallon carton of spirits. He appears to have escaped with only the confiscation of the spirits. He was granted an Absolute Pardon on 29th February 1812 and about this time he took up residence in the Windsor area. On 23rd May 1812, he was appointed an officer and bailiff by order of William Gore, Provost Marshal. On 21st December 1812 he married Ann Biggers (daughter of convicts Thomas Biggers 'Boddingtons' 1793 & Elizabeth Fitzgerald, 'Boddingtons' 1793) at Windsor, they had 2 children, Elizabeth 1814 & John 1815. In the General Muster of October 1814 Ann and daughter Elizabeth were living at Windsor, but the whereabouts of Thomas is not recorded. A notice in the Sydney Gazette of 21 January 1815 advised his appointment as William Gore's officer at Windsor. On 6th July 1814 he was promised a land grant but its location was not identified and gazetted until much later. In a notice of auction in the Gazette of 28th September 1815 of a public house at No 6 Kent St, Sydney, Thomas was noted as being a tenant at 10s a week. A son, John, was born about November 1815 but it seems that Thomas had already left Sydney probably to avoid his creditors. Notices of mail held over appeared in the Gazettes of 2 March and 6th April 1816. From the Tasmanian records it appears that Thomas was given a grant of land at Port Dalrymple sometime before November 1815 by a Major Mackenzie, the Commandant at Port Dalrymple. It was during this time that it appears that he fathered a son Thomas who first appears in the records when he marries a Sarah Jones at St George's, Hobart on 28th April 1845. Thomas returned to Sydney and next comes to notice on 21st March 1817 having stowed away on the "Surrey" which was bound for India. He is recorded in a diary kept on that ship as being transferred off the ship to the "Nautilus" in Batavia. In correspondence back to the Governor of Bengal from the Colonial Secretary in Sydney it was confirmed that he was a free man trying to elude his creditors. Ann and a child, possibly John, inserted a notice in the Sydney Gazette of 10th July 1819 of their intention to leave the colony to go to Batavia. It has never been established whether she actually did go. John Prosser was put into a Male Orphan School in November 1822 and was taken on as an apprentice on a whaling ship. In 1836 he emerges to claim his inheritance of the land grant in the Macdonald Valley. His claim was not finally granted until 1843 but it is in th evidence given that we learn of Thomas' death in Batavia although no date is provided. It is in the evidence at the Land Commission hearings that we learn that Ann died in the Benevolent Asylum although again no date is given but it is presumed to be shortly after she signed deeds of release on the land in June 1831.