Anthony Rope

74

iain Frazier on 11th October 2024

Family connections for Anthony (Rope): The complete story is in the other entry for Anthony (Rope ALEXANDER 1788) on this Website.

341

Maureen Withey on 4th July 2020

Phil Hands on 29th June, 2017 wrote: Elizabeth was born in Felthorpe, Norfolk, a village just thirty kilometres north-west of Anthony Rope’s birthplace at Norton Subcourse. Her baptism took place on 21 Feb 1762 at St Margarets in Felthorpe with her parents listed as Tobias and Alice Pully. She and her three brothers were orphaned by the time she was 6 and all four may have been then sent to the workhouse. During her teenage years Elizabeth ran wild. In July 1779 she was acquitted of stealing clothes and just a year later she was sentenced to three weeks in Wymondham Bridewell prison for stealing clothes from a house near Drayton. Her punishment included a public whipping in the market place. Things were getting worse by 1781 when again she was in court for stealing clothing and money belonging to a Mr Pightling of Heatherset. This crime earned her a year’s hard labour at Aylsham Bridewell. Not long after her release she was in trouble again and in March 1783 she was tried at Thetford Assizes and convicted of stealing a large quantity of food and material (worsted) from the shop of a Mrs Elizabeth Minns of Hethersett. This time she was sentenced to death by hanging but was reprieved by the judge as he left for London and she then spent three years languishing in gaol at Norwich castle while awaiting transportation. A short time in the ‘Dunkirk’ hulk at Plymouth preceded her voyage to New South Wales on the transport ‘Friendship’. Along with 20 other female convicts Elizabeth suffered dreadfully, as she herself was in irons for 72 days of the 93 days from 13 May till 13 August 1787. Lt Ralph Clark’s diary pinpoints five fighting women which he at one stage labelled as damned whores. Elizabeth Pulley was listed as one of the five. The ship travelled in extremely hot weather and it was lice-ridden, so her conditions were very uncomfortable. Thankfully, when the Fleet reached Cape Town (South Africa), she was transferred to the Prince of Wales ship with other female convicts. This was to make room for animals and other supplies to be taken on board the Friendship. Upon the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove, all the convicts were put to work in various jobs necessary to build shelter and feed all the people. Anthony Rope was sent to work in the brickfields, which were located near what is now Central Station in Sydney. In Anthony’s small amount of spare time he built a hut there for himself and this was finished by May 1788. Elizabeth, along with other women, would have been put to work sewing, cleaning, washing and cooking. Anthony and Elizabeth met on the first night that the women of the Fleet were set down at Sydney Cove on 6th February 1788. They were married on 19th May 1788 by the Reverend Richard Johnson, celebrating with meat from a goat that one naval officer reported as missing. They had 8 children between 1788-1808, their son Robert Rope was possibly one of the first children conceived and born in the settlement. Anthony was given a grant of land at The Ponds which is now part of the Sydney suburb of Dundas, but this later had to be sold to repay debt. Farming was very harsh and the settlers were constantly deluged by floods and ravaged by fires and droughts. The family moved to various farms out in the west of Sydney as they looked for land that would safely grow crops. It should be noted that although the farms were granted to the owners, Anthony was the first settler at all of the farms he moved to, so he first had to clear the land before he could put crops in. He also had to build the family home every time they moved. Anthony did extra jobs to make money along the way. At one stage he was employed to build a dwelling for the workers on Elizabeth King’s farm Dunheved in 1807. Recent research by Rope family historians has identified at least five sites where the family lived as they moved from leasehold to leasehold: Rope’s Farm at The Ponds, now Dundas; a farm at Toongabbie; Tumbledown Barn at Mulgrave Place, now Riverstone, near Windsor; Badgery’s Farm on the Nepean River near Richmond; and Jordan Hill in what is now Llandilo, on the west bank of South Creek. The stretch of land leading to this leasehold was known as Rope’s Paddock for many years. The new suburb, Ropes Crossing, has been named after him as it lies near where the family farmed at Jordan Hill. Elizabeth died on 9th August 1837 at Castlereagh, Greater Sydney aged 75 years. Anthony died on 20th April 1843 aged 88 years. Both are buried at Castlereagh.

341

Maureen Withey on 4th July 2020

NSW 1828 census, Evan District. Householder, Anthony Rope, residence South Creek. Anthony Rope, age 65, F.S. per Alexander 1789, Landholder, protestant. Elizabeth Pulley, age 64, F.S. per Prince of Wales, 1789, Wife of Anty. Rope, protestant. William Rope, age 24, born in Colony, fencer. James Rope, age 4, born in Colony. Anthony Rope signed with his mark X. -------------------------------------------------- CAUTION. THE PUBLIC are hereby Cautioned against purchasing a FARM of twenty acres, in the Field of Mars, formerly the district of the Ponds, near the Orphan School, Parramatta. The said Farm was originally Granted to Elizabeth Ann Clark, in the year 1787, and sold to Anthony Rope in 1794; from whom, the late Mr. John Bowman purchased the same, together with Howard's thirty acres adjoining, in 1818. The above Lands are now my Property, and have been regularly Transferred and Registered. The Public are further Cautioned against Trespassing on either of the said Farms, on pain of prosecution. WILLIAM BOWMAN. Richmond, Dec. 11, 1833. Sydney Herald, 16 Dec 1833.

341

Maureen Withey on 4th July 2020

A mistake to record in List above. Should read: 2. Antony Rope, Castler. Landh. (not resident at Sydney)

341

Maureen Withey on 4th July 2020

ROPE, Anthony. Per "Alexander", 1788 1792 Feb 22 - On list of all grants & leases of land registered in the Colonial Secretary's Office (Fiche 3267; 9/2731 p.8) 1802 Jan 6 - Of the Hawkesbury. Petition for assistance re indebtedness (Reel 6020; 2/8130 pp.363-9) 1816 Nov 16 - Landholder at Castlereagh. On list of persons who came as convicts & who claimed they were free at the last General Muster without supporting documentation (Reel 6038; SZ759 p.282) 1822 Sep 23 - Captain P P King allowed occupation of land in the District of Evan bounded on the north by the farms of Russell and Rope (Reel 6009; 4/3506 p.295) 1824 Aug 31 - Memorial (Fiche 3108; 4/1839A No.842 pp.489-92) 1825 Feb 14,22, Jun 21 - Govt servants assigned to & transferred from in the District of Evan (Reel 6063, 4/1785 p.183a; Reel 6064, 4/1787 p.47a) 1825 Apr 26 - Signatory to a memorial by magistrates, settlers and stockholders of the District of Evan praying that the common near Castlereagh, recently given to Captain King on a ticket of occupation, be returned to its former purpose (Reel 6017; 4/5782 pp.299-301) -------------------------------------------------- List of persons who at the last muster reported themselves as free but who did not produce any certificate, etc, who are now required to obtain such documentation, or they will be considered imposters. No. | Name |Ship Residence Occupation | 2. Antony Rope .. Alexander, Sydney Landh. And the foregoing Persons are hereby apprised that the proper time to apply at the Secretary's Office for the obtaining any of the above Documents, is the first Monday of each Month. By Command of His Excellency. J. T. CAMPBELL, Secretary Sydney Gazette, 30 Nov 1816.