Mary Sargent

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Robin Sharkey on 23rd September 2018

Mary Serjeant had a relationship with the captain of the ship "Glatton" on the journey to NSW. His name was James Colnett. Mary gave birth to a baby son at Parramatta (therefore, born at the Female Factory) on 28 October 1803 (per baptism records of St John's Church, Parramatta). She named her son James, and named the child's father as being James Colnet - the ship's captain. The child must have been conceived in late January-early February, or a bit later if baby James was born early. One month later the ship docked at Sydney. James Colnett Esq left with his ship 'Glatton" for England on Tuesday 18 May 1803. (Sydney Gazette dated 22 May 1803). Pregnant Mary was in the Female Factory at Parramatta. On 4 June 1804 Mary Sargent was given an Absolute Pardon. She is not listed in the 1806 Muster. In 1813, she baptised a new baby son, named Henry, son of Thomas William Parr (named as father) per ship "Fortune" in 1813. Thomas Parr and Mary did not marry. Evidence for this is as follows: * no marriage record is found, * Mary's own surname, Serjeant, is recorded on the baptism register (usually indicating illegitimacy of the child, and * when the family left Sydney forever, the boy Henry was named as "Serjeant" and not "Parr". In the 1822 Muster of Convicts Mary was recorded as a dealer, of Sydney. So too was Thomas Parr. Henry's existence is not recorded here. Mary was a female convict success story. She and Thomas Parr were able to buy a passage back to England in 1824, sailing on the "Berwick" that departed in mid January 1824, together with their son Henry. SYDNEY GAZETTE, Thursday 15 January 1824, p. 2 “Tuesday sailed for England, via the Cape of Good Hope, the ship Berwick, Captain Jeffery. She takes home a cargo of the best timber, of colonial growth. Passengers, Dr. Mercer, R. N.; Mr T. W. Parr, and Mrs. Mary Sargent." Calling herself "Mrs" Serjeant was not a deception as to status, but a hangover from the 17th and 18th centuries whereby "Mrs" did not originally denote marital status but rather had a meaning of social standing for unmarried women. For Mary Serjeant, as a free woman in Sydney making her own way, it was probably acceptable to name herself this way. [See: "A short History of the "Mrs" ' by Amy Louise Erickson, on website The Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure. https://www.campop.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/workandgender/preliminarypapers.html] Henry's baptism is not recorded in the NSWBDM indexes. Henry was listed as "Henry Serjeant, son of Mary" on the Passenger List of the ship Berwick sailing to England. Mary was listed as "free by pardon". The List of Passengers and Crew departing NSW on "Berwick" were recorded as: "James Mercer, RN, Surgeon, late Surgeon Sup’t of ‘Albion’ Francois Wm Sebes – Came in the ‘Midas’ John Brown – came in the Pritonard Thomas W Parr – Free by pardon n 421 Mary Serjeant - Ditto [ but no separate pardon number given] Henry Serjeant – son of Mary – born in the Colony."

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Robin Sharkey on 23rd September 2018

Mary Serjeant was tried as "Mary Sargent" for stealing a tea caddee [sic] containing nine five-guinea notes, the property of John Dickenson of Breewood, Stafford. She was committed to the country gaol, presumably late march or early April 1801 since reported in the Staffordshire Advertiser, 4 April 1801, p.4. The Staffordshire Advertiser of Saturday 18 July 1801, p.4 reported that the Assizes would commence on Wednesday next (22 July 1801), and "the calendar contains the names of 39 prisoners for trial, viz ... Mary Sargent for stealing a tea caddee [sic] containing nine five-guinea bill.". She was transported for Life on the "Glatton" departing England 23 September 1803, and anchoring in Sydney on 13 March 1803. ________________________________________