Elizabeth Thomson

14

Richard Lord on 26th February 2025

Elizabeth Thompson was a convict on the Lady Juliana. She had been sentenced to 7 years' transportation at the Northumberland Summer Assizes 1788 for stealing cotton material from two shops. Some historians treat the Lady Juliana as part of the Second Fleet, but the Second Fleet did not leave England until Dec. 1789, and the Lady Juliana sailed from the Thames on 4th June 1789, having had her convicts on board for 6 months already, and from Plymouth on 29th July. The ship was 401 tons, and delivered 222 women convicts to Port Jackson. The Second Fleet ships, Surprize, Neptune and Scarborough had the highest death rate of any group of convict ships. The prisoners were deliberately starved, and many of those who arrived at Port Jackson died soon after. After this, the system was changed, so that it was more profitable for a shipowner to deliver the convicts alive. Elizabeth Thompson was lucky she was not on one of those ships. Although the ship's log for the voyage of the Lady Juliana has never been found, John Nichol, the steward, kept a diary, and it is from him that the information about the voyage comes. It was a long, slow voyage - 309 days, stopping at Teneriffe, St Jago, Rio (where she stopped for 45 days), and Table Bay, where she stopped 19 days, finishing with a 75-day run from the Cape to Port Jackson. It was a good voyage, although the women are said to have fought a lot, but there were only 5 deaths. The rations were properly issued, the ship was kept clean, and the women were allowed freely on deck (which was not always possible with the ships carrying male convicts). At Table Bay they found the Guardian, which was meant to be carrying much-needed supplies to Port Jackson, but it had hit an iceberg in the South Atlantic. Most of the sailors and convicts had taken to the boats in a drunken state, all the animals, stores and guns were thrown overboard, but the water was coming in faster than the pumps could work. 62 men were left on board, and the captain managed to get the ship back to the Table Bay, where it was past repairing. Two years' stores for Port Jackson were on that ship, and the Lady Juliana delivered the bad news when she arrived at Port Jackson on 3rd June 1790. Elizabeth Thompson did not have much time in Port Jackson. She landed on 6th June 1790 and left for Norfolk Island on the Surprize with 200 other convicts on 1 Aug., arriving on 8th Aug. She remained on the island for over 15 years. The work of the women convicts was clearly defined - they had to do washing, mending, pick the grubs off the growing plants, cook, sweep, make shingle pegs, and assist in light clearing and hoeing the crops. The crops were a problem, weevils, rats and parrots all attacked the growing plants, and some were killed by salt spray. Although there is no record of the marriage, Elizabeth Thompson probably married Thomas Eddington on 5th Nov. 1791. Margaret was born on 10th Nov. 1792, and John probably in 1796. So when Thomas Eddington died, Margaret would have been about 7, and John about 3. We have a problem with Elizabeth Thompson's age, too. When she was convicted, her age was given as 41. She was said to be 92 when she died in Hobart in 1839. If this was correct, she would have been born in 1747. The Norfolk Island musters give her age as 46 when Margaret was born, so she must have been 50 when John was born. It is much more likely that she was ten years younger. In those days it was often convenient to say you were a different age to your true one, e.g. for military service, and for example, if they favoured a certain age group for transportation. Also, many people did forget how old they were, particularly if they were illiterate. Eventually Government policy about Norfolk Island changed. The island had the advantage that convicts could not escape, and the soil was good, so that food could be supplied to Port Jackson, but the problems with shipping and the risks of landing were great. The flax could eventually be processed, but it was difficult, and the pine trees were not found to be suitable for naval masts and spars. So it was decided that the settlement would be closed down, and the convicts and emancipists were gradually moved out, with promises of land and convict labour in Van Diemen's Land. Most of them did not appreciate the offer. They had been through hard times at Norfolk Island, clearing land and getting crops to grow was heavy physical work, and at the time when many of them had well-established farms, they were being asked to do it all over again. (Norfolk Island became a convict settlement again in 1825). Elizabeth Thompson and her children are thought to have left Norfolk Island on 15 May 1808 on the Estramina, although they do not appear on the shipping lists. J.H. Donohoe thinks that Elizabeth Thompson came to Van Diemen's Land as the wife of Thomas Gregory, whose first wife had died about a year earlier. John was 11, Margaret 15, and soon after arrival Margaret became the mistress of Governor Collins. MARGARET EDDINGTON AND GEORGE WATTS. We know that 15-year old Margaret Eddington lived with Governor Collins in Hobart Town, and that she had a daughter, christened Eliza at St David's in 1810. Although the baby was christened Eliza Eddington, father unknown, she was known as Eliza Collins as she grew up. Also christened on the same day was John Eddington (not to be confused with Margaret's brother John, who owned farms, racehorses and pubs later in his life). John was probably the John Eddington Jnr who was recorded as owning 80 acres in the 1819 muster, when he would have been about 10 years old. It was said that his father was Capt. John Piper, the Commandant of Norfolk Island, and he was probably born on Norfolk I. in 1806 and brought to Hobart with the family in 1808, although no record of his birth has been found. However at some stage he took the surname Piper, and died at his uncle's house in 1826 at the age of 18. Governor Collins died when Eliza was 3 months old, in March 1810. In May 1811 Margaret married George Watts. George Watts had been sentenced to 7 years' transportation in March 1803 at Gloucester. He came to NSW on the second voyage of the Coromandel, arriving 7 May 1804. The voyage took only 112 days, which was fast for those times. The Coromandel was 522 tons, built in India of teak in 1793. Watts was sent down on the Lady Barlow from Port Jackson, arriving in Hobart in Aug. 1804. In the 1811 muster he was listed among the "men who have been convicts". In May 1811 he married Margaret Eddington, and their daughter Maria, known as Mary, was christened on 3 May 1812. In 1813 Watts and 3 others were charged with stealing promissory notes worth £18/17/6, and were sent to Sydney for trial. George Watts was sentenced to transportation to the Coal River (Newcastle) for 7 years. By 1815 he had escaped and was back in Tasmania, living the life of a bushranger, burning haystacks and barns and stealing horses, and in 1816 Macquarie complained to Davey that it was known that he was back on the Derwent, and more effort should be made to catch him and return him to Newcastle. On 5 July 1817 Governor Sorell offered a reward of 80 guineas for his capture, much of the money for this reward being offered by public subscription. In Oct. 1817 George Watts was killed by the bushranger Michael Howe. Apparently Watts had decided that he would attempt to capture Howe, both for the reward on Howe's head of 100 guineas, and also in the hope that the authorities would look more kindly on him. He enlisted the aid of a stockman called Drewe. Drewe had arranged to meet Howe, and took Watts with him. When Watts came within 90 yards of Howe, he asked him to knock out the priming of his gun, promising to do the same; this was accordingly done by both, and after proceeding 30 or 40 yards they made a fire. Then Watts caught hold of Howe and threw him down; Drewe tied his hands, and took from his pockets two knives. Watts and Drewe next prepared breakfast, which Howe refused to eat. Drewe then went back and informed his master they had captured Michael Howe and were taking him to Hobart Town, declining help, as Howe was secured. So the three of them proceeded to Hobart Town, Watts with his gun loaded walking before Howe, with Drewe behind. After walking about 8 miles Howe got his hands loose, and stabbed Watts with another knife which he still had. Watts fell, Howe grabbed his gun and shot Drewe dead. Howe escaped, Watts managed to reach a settler's house, and called for the District Constable, who took him to Hobart. He was very weak from loss of blood. As he was a runaway from Newcastle, he was sent to Sydney on the Pilot, but died in the General Hospital a couple of days after he arrived. After the death of George Watts, Margaret married Charles Connelly in 1819. Charles was an ex-convict also, he was sent on the first trip of the Fortune, arriving Port Jackson 12 July 1806. He had been sentenced to 7 years' transportation in Middlesex in 1804, and in the 1819 muster had 50 acres of pasture, 60 cattle and 400 sheep, and he later was granted another 150 acres. He also owned a hotel. They had one daughter, Ann, usually known as Anny, who was born in 1820. Then in Feb. 1822 Margaret died, aged 29, leaving John aged about 13, Eliza aged 12, Maria aged 10, and Anny aged 2. There is no record as to whether the family stayed intact, except that in the 1822 muster Charles Connolly is reported as having 1 male and 3 female dependent children. However in 1826 Charles Connelly went to England on business, and died there, leaving the 3 girls without any parent alive (John Piper had died a couple of months before his step-father). David Lord became their guardian. There is little information on the girls until they married. They are occasionally mentioned by Knopwood, as they were at boarding school with his ward, Betsy Mack, at Clarence Plains. As they became older they went on to 'Ellinthorp Hall'. By the time Eliza was 18 she held some land and some cattle of her own, and she married James Cox of 'Clarendon' when she was 20. Anny Connelly married Lieut. Malcolm McGregor when she was 18, and he was later appointed British Viceconsul at St Malo. Their family is unknown, but it seems that they did come back to Tasmania for a few years, and lived at Fingal. Mary Watts married James Lord, grandson of the original convict (see separate entry), on 15 Jun 1832, at about the age of 20, when he was 24, and one of their 15 children was Octavius. Octavius is my great grandfather. He had three sons, Clive, Daryl and Athol (my grandfather).

75

iain Frazier on 27th April 2024

Family connections foe Elizabeth (Thomson) are: THOMSON Elizabeth (Thom/pson/Tamsin) was born about 1739or46, maybe in Ireland. She was tried for stealing cloth on 19 7 1788, sentenced to 7years & arrived in NSW from Newcastle upon Tyne as a convict on 3 6 1790 after a voyage of 12months on Fleet ship LADY JULIANA-a ship with 228females who easily entertained the whole crew & also sailors at Teneriffe stopover. She arrived on Norfolk Island on 7 8 1791. She married firstly Thomas (Eddington) on 5 11 1791 in group ceremony on Norfolk Island, & produced 2children. She was listed with her daughter on Norfolk Island in 1792 Victualling Report. She left Norfolk Island on 15 5 1807 to Hobart with her children.>>> [Some information taken from this Website] Thomas (Eddington) was born about 1758or68 & became a farmer. He arrived in NSW as a convict on 26 12 1788 after a voyage of 12months on First Fleet ship ALEXANDER. He arrived on Norfolk Island on 17 3 1790. He became a farmer in 1792 with 12acres in 1796 & emancipist; he is recorded with plots no.50 & 59 of 12acres each east of Mt Pitt near Phillipsburg. He was recorded in 1794 as having been a farmer prior to arriving on Norfolk Island. He died on 13 1 1798 age40 as an emancipist on Norfolk Island. Details of Thomas (Eddington)s family are given in entry for Thomas (Eddington ALEXANDER 1788) on this Website. 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'

60

Eric Harry Daly on 7th January 2013

Elizabeth Thomson, sentenced to 7 years transportation for stealing 20 yards of printed cotton, 26 yards of calamanco & linen at Northumberland Assizes on 19 Jul 1788. She married Thomas Eddington in Nov 1791 on Norfolk Island. Elizabeth's daughter Margaret Eddington became Lieutenant Governor David Collins mistress and in 1808 and 1809 had children to him