[Index]

Mary Anne WADE (1777 - 1859)

Convict

Children	Self + Spouses	Parents	Grandparents	Greatgrandparents
Sarah WADE (1793 - 1887) William James WADE BROOKER (1796 - 1885) Edward BROOKER HARRIGAN (1803 - 1891) John BROOKER (1809 - 1886) Elizabeth BROOKER (1810 - ) Mary BROOKER (1812 - 1890) James BROOKER (1814 - 1880)	Mary Anne WADE (1777 - 1859) + Teague HARRIGAN Jonathan BROOKER (1760 - 1833)

b. 1777 at London, Middlesex, England

+. (1) Teague HARRIGAN

m. (2) 1817 Jonathan BROOKER (1760 - 1833) at Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia

d. 17 Dec 1859 at Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia aged 82

Near Relatives of Mary Anne WADE (1777 - 1859)
Relationship	Person	Born	Birth Place	Died	Death Place	Age
Self	Mary Anne WADE	1777	London, Middlesex, England	17 Dec 1859	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	82
Spouse/Partner	Teague HARRIGAN
Husband	Jonathan BROOKER	1760	Kent, UK	14 Mar 1833	Airds, New South Wales, Australia	73
Daughter	Sarah WADE	27 Sep 1793	Norfolk Island	05 Jul 1887		93
Son	William James WADE BROOKER	10 Dec 1796	Norfolk Island	09 Oct 1885	Lake Albert, New South Wales, Australia	88
Son	Edward BROOKER HARRIGAN	20 Aug 1803	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	09 Jul 1891	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	87
Son	John BROOKER	24 Jun 1809	Windsor, New South Wales, Australia	07 Dec 1886	Kangaloon, New South Wales, Australia	77
Daughter	Elizabeth BROOKER	07 Dec 1810	Hawkesbury District, New South Wales, Australia
Daughter	Mary BROOKER	28 Nov 1812	Hawkesbury District, New South Wales, Australia	29 Sep 1890	Lake Albert, New South Wales, Australia	77
Son	James BROOKER	30 May 1814	Airds, New South Wales, Australia	15 Mar 1880	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	65
Son in Law	William RAY	abt 1759		17 Oct 1835		76
Son in Law	Nathaniel BOON	1792		18 Feb 1839		47
Daughter in Law	Sophia MITTON	24 May 1801	Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia	17 Jan 1892	Lake Albert, New South Wales, Australia	90
Daughter in Law	Mary WEBBER	abt 1797	Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK	07 Feb 1854	Dapto, New South Wales, Australia	57
Daughter in Law	Jane Willison WOOD	1820	Cork, Co Cork, Ireland	1916	Tarrawanna, New South Wales, Australia	96
Daughter in Law	Janet MCKENZIE	abt 1809		04 May 1901	Robertson, New South Wales, Australia	92
Son in Law	Daniel LOWE	07 Oct 1810
Son in Law	John HART			1830	Windsor, New South Wales, Australia
Son in Law	Christopher LEDWIDGE	1799		05 Feb 1834	Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia	35
Son in Law	Henry ANGEL	abt 08 Jan 1791	Woodgreen, Hampshire, England	07 Dec 1881	Lake Albert, New South Wales, Australia	90
Daughter in Law	Elizabeth Willison WOOD	abt 1821	Cork, Co Cork, Ireland	03 Jan 1916	Gosford, New South Wales, Australia	95
Granddaughter	Mary RAY	16 Sep 1809		1837		28
Granddaughter	Sophia RAY	28 May 1812	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	1877	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	65
Grandson	William RAY	07 Dec 1814		30 May 1885	Marrickville, Sydney, Australia	70
Grandson	John RAY	12 Oct 1817	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	10 Sep 1859		41
Granddaughter	Maria RAY	16 May 1822		22 Apr 1924	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	101
Grandson	Nathaniel BOON	14 Sep 1825		11 Feb 1911	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia	85
Granddaughter	Margaret BOON	17 Sep 1826		09 Jul 1904		77
Grandson	Thomas BOON	12 Aug 1828
Grandson	James BOON	20 Nov 1830
Grandson	Jonathan BOON	20 Nov 1830		15 May 1901		70
Grandson	Nicholas BOON	20 Nov 1830		18 Nov 1899		68
Granddaughter	Sarah Ann BOON	02 Jun 1832		12 Oct 1854		22
Grandson	Daniel BOON	25 Nov 1852		19 Jul 1876		23
Granddaughter	Mary Ann BROOKER	24 Mar 1821	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	09 Jan 1863	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	41
Granddaughter	Sarah Elizabeth BROOKER	20 Mar 1823	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	23 Nov 1890	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	67
Grandson	William BROOKER	26 Dec 1824		09 Jun 1892		67
Grandson	Jonathan BROOKER	16 Jun 1827	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	14 Feb 1829	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	1
Granddaughter	Elizabeth BROOKER	11 Mar 1830		08 May 1905		75
Grandson	Jonathon BROOKER	19 Jul 1832	New South Wales, Australia	03 Jun 1888	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	55
Grandson	James BROOKER	16 Oct 1834	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	17 Sep 1907	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	72
Granddaughter	Sophia Jane BROOKER	19 Jul 1838	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	1916	Redfern, New South Wales, Australia	78
Grandson	Joseph Henry BROOKER	27 Feb 1840	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	21 Dec 1840	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	0
Granddaughter	Eliza BROOKER	21 Feb 1843		20 May 1877		34
Granddaughter	Mary Anne HARRIGAN	1835		07 Aug 1870		35
Granddaughter	Elizabeth HARRIGAN	10 Jun 1837		20 Dec 1915		78
Grandson	James Edward HARRIGAN	28 May 1839		12 May 1929		89
Granddaughter	Sarah Jane HARRIGAN	1855		28 Oct 1893		38
Grandson	William HARRIGAN	22 Dec 1857		04 Sep 1948		90
Granddaughter	Louisa Emily HARRIGAN	22 Mar 1860		17 Jan 1889		28
Granddaughter	Alice Clara HARRIGAN	05 Aug 1863		17 Jan 1956		92
Granddaughter	Mary BROOKER	18 Dec 1848		20 Jul 1931	Kangaloon, New South Wales, Australia	82
Grandson	Jonathan BROOKER	03 Dec 1849	Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia	17 Jun 1906	Kangaloon, New South Wales, Australia	56
Grandson	William BROOKER	24 May 1851	Charcoal Creek, New South Wales, Australia	05 Apr 1935	Kangaloon, New South Wales, Australia	83
Grandson	Murdo BROOKER	13 May 1853	Charcoal Creek, New South Wales, Australia	29 Jun 1913	Robertson, New South Wales, Australia	60
Granddaughter	Sophia LOWE	14 Apr 1828	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	29 Mar 1893	Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia	64
Grandson	John Christopher LEDWIDGE	26 Jul 1832	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	01 Jul 1873	Hay, New South Wales, Australia	40
Grandson	Christopher LEDWIDGE	05 Feb 1834	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	08 Aug 1869	Balranald, New South Wales, Australia	35
Grandson	Henry ANGEL	16 Nov 1836	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	09 Jul 1924	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	87
Grandson	William ANGEL	17 Oct 1838	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	28 Oct 1891	Newtown, New South Wales, Australia	53
Granddaughter	Keturah ANGEL	05 Oct 1841	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	22 Nov 1932	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	91
Grandson	Robert ANGEL	05 Oct 1841	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	19 May 1870	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	28
Grandson	Richard ANGEL	19 Feb 1844	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	16 Jun 1907	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	63
Granddaughter	Mary ANGEL	10 Feb 1847	Hay, New South Wales, Australia	07 Jul 1932	Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia	85
Granddaughter	Sarah M ANGEL	10 Feb 1847	Hay, New South Wales, Australia
Grandson	James ANGEL	08 Mar 1850	Hay, New South Wales, Australia	05 Jun 1926	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	76
Grandson	Edward Jonathon ANGEL	13 Jun 1852	Hay, New South Wales, Australia	08 Nov 1934	Lake Albert, New South Wales, Australia	82
Grandson	Samuel ANGEL	18 Feb 1853	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	21 Apr 1938	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	85
Granddaughter	Louisa Willison BROOKER	1853		1854		1
Granddaughter	Rosina BROOKER	1855	Tarrawanna, New South Wales, Australia	20 Jan 1944	Corrimal, New South Wales, Australia	89
Grandson	James Albert BROOKER	22 May 1858		27 Oct 1939		81
Granddaughter	Mary Louisa BROOKER	15 Mar 1860		02 Nov 1937		77
Grandson	William Willison BROOKER	03 Nov 1862	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	19 Mar 1863	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia	0

Events in Mary Anne WADE (1777 - 1859)'s life
Date	Age	Event	Place	Notes	Src
1777		Mary Anne WADE was born	London, Middlesex, England
Jan 1789	12	Conviction	Old Bailey, London, England
06 Jun 1790	13	Immigration	New South Wales, Australia	per 'Lady Juliana'
27 Sep 1793	16	Birth of daughter Sarah WADE	Norfolk Island		85
10 Dec 1796	19	Birth of son William James WADE BROOKER	Norfolk Island		85
20 Aug 1803	26	Birth of son Edward BROOKER HARRIGAN	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia		85
24 Jun 1809	32	Birth of son John BROOKER	Windsor, New South Wales, Australia		83
07 Dec 1810	33	Birth of daughter Elizabeth BROOKER	Hawkesbury District, New South Wales, Australia		85
28 Nov 1812	35	Birth of daughter Mary BROOKER	Hawkesbury District, New South Wales, Australia		71
30 May 1814	37	Birth of son James BROOKER	Airds, New South Wales, Australia
1817	40	Married Jonathan BROOKER (aged 57)	Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
14 Mar 1833	56	Death of husband Jonathan BROOKER (aged 73)	Airds, New South Wales, Australia
17 Dec 1859	82	Mary Anne WADE died	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, Australia

Personal Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wade From 1809, Wade lived with Jonathan Brooker near the Hawkesbury River. It was there that she raised a family which numbered 21 children (current researchers question this assertion), seven of whom lived to have their own children. Brooker was given a certificate of freedom in February 1811 and was granted 60 acres (24 ha) of land by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, at Tarrawanna, New South Wales. Mary received her certificate of freedom on 1 September 1812. In 1816, the family settled on the property of Airds (comprising the modern suburbs of Airds, Bradbury, St Helens Park and Rosemeadow, among others) in Campbelltown, New South Wales. Wade married Jonathan Brooker on 10 February 1817 at St Lukes, Liverpool, New South Wales, and her husband owned 30 acres in 1822, but a bushfire burned out the property in 1823. Brooker's livelihood as a chair-maker ended because all his tools were destroyed. The family became destitute and pleaded to Governor Thomas Brisbane for aid. They recovered, with Wade and Brooker owning 62 acres (25 ha) of land in Illawarra by 1828. They lived there until Brookers' death on 14 March 1833. He was buried in the graveyard of St. Peter's Church, Campbelltown. Wade died in Wollongong, New South Wales on 17 December 1859 (her birthday), at the age of 84. Her funeral service was the very first to be held in St Paul's Church of England, Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, with her son having donated the land on which the church was built. At the time of her death, Wade had over 300 living descendants and is considered one of the founding mothers of the early European settlement of Australia. Her descendants now number in the tens of thousands, including Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia. Wade's story is told in the book Mary Wade to Us, published as a family tree, noted in the further reading below. That, and the stories of Rudd's other convict ancestors, has been collated into two leather-bound volumes by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is kept in the National Library of Australia in Canberra. In 2017, the NSW Government named the Mary Wade Correctional Centre, a remand centre for women, in her honour. https://www.marywadefamily.org/items/show/1

Source References:

63. Type: Web Page, Abbr: Trove, Title: Trove National Library of Australia, Locn: http://trove.nla.gov.au/

- Reference = Illawarra Mercury 22 Dec 1859, Sydney Morning Herald 24 Dec 1859 (Name, Notes)

- Notes: DEATH. Suddenly, on the 17th inst., at her son's residence, Fairy Meadow, Mary, relict of the late Mr Jonathan Brooker, in the 87th year of her age. Illawarra Mercury 22 Dec and SMH 24 Dec 1859 ONE OF THE LARGEST FAMILIES IN THE WORLD.— We this day record the death, at the ripe age of 87, of one of the founders of one of the largest families, without doubt, in this colony, if not in the world— Mrs. Mary Brooker, mother of Messrs. James and John Brooker, and of Mr. Edward Harrigan, of this district. The deceased lady arrived in this colony shortly after its foundation, was subsequently married twice, and gave birth to no less than twenty-one chil- dren, the majority of whom grew up and were married —and of these seven are now alive, one of them being upwards of sixty years of age. Without taking account of the number of immediate relatives who have died, or of the numbers collaterally connected by marriage, and only reckoning the children born of some of the immediate relatives up to five years back, the number of descendants now living number 148 ! These are distributed as follows :— Children ... 7 Grandchildren ... 43 Great-grandchildren ... 84 Great-great-grandchildren ... 14 148 It is roughly calculated that, counting those of her immediate relatives who are dead, and those alive collaterally connected, this family would number up-wards of 300.—Illawarra Mercury of Thursday.

71. Type: Book, Abbr: Wagga Pioneers, Title: Pioneers of Wagga Wagga and District, Auth: Wagga Wagga & District Family History Society Inc, Publ: Wagga Wagga & District Family History Society Inc, Date: 2004, Locn: http://www.waggafamilyhistory.org.au/

- Reference = 5 (Name, Notes)

76. Type: Web Page, Abbr: Find a Grave, Title: Find A Grave, Locn: https://www.findagrave.com/

- Reference = https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13799329/mary-brooker (Name, Notes)

- Notes: Mary was born on 17 Dec 1775 at St Margaret's, Westminster, Middlesex, England to parents Lawrence Wade and Mary Smith (1). She was baptised on 7 Jan 1776 at St Margaret's, Westminster (2). She lived with her parents and siblings Elizabeth, Henrietta and Henry at Pump Court, Perkins Rents, Westminster (3). Her father Lawrence was a drover and her mother was from a family of butchers. The following is information about Mary's criminal charge, trial, transportation to Australia and life in Australia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wade Mary had 14 children (7 lived to adulthood) and at the time of her death, 300 living descendants. She is fondly remembered as the 'Pioneering Matriarch of Australia'. Mary died on 17 Dec 1859, Fairy Meadow, New South Wales (4). She was buried on 20 Dec 1859, Episcoplanian Burial Ground, Pioneers Rest Park, Wollongong.

85. Type: Book, Abbr: Mary Wade to Us, Title: Mary Wade to Us, Auth: Mary Wade Family History Association, Publ: Mary Wade Family History Association, Date: 1986, Locn: https://www.marywadefamily.org/items/show/1

- Reference = Page X, 1-14 (Name, Notes)

- Notes: Who was Mary Wade? We know quite a lot about Mary Wade after her arrival in Sydney in 1790, but little about her in London nearly two centuries ago. The evidence from her trial indicates she was living in Westminster (County Middlesex until 1789) for at least 12 months before the trial, and that her mother had several younger children. People did not move far afield at that time, so searching records for Westminster and adjacent areas was where the search for our Mary Wade began. The age given at the trial for Mary was "ten years last December". So, 1778 or thereabouts narrowed the time to be investigated. One of Mary's descendants (a great-great-great grand daughter) Linda Webb, carried out a fairly exhaustive search of available records in London. The records searched were: 1. International Genealogical Index (Mormon Records ). 2. G.l.R.O. (Greater London Records Office) baptisms, burials, apprentices and poor rate book. 3. Parish registers of baptisms, marriages and deaths covering a span of about twenty years for churches in the general area. It was at St Olaves, Southwark (Bermondsey) that progress in the search was made. Baptisms and burials for 1743-1796 were searched and marriages 1754-1796. Also, records of parish poor children and apprentices 1767-1782. This was Wade country: a marriage of George Wade a 'tailor' and Mary English, 4th June 1775, with the baptism of George Junior on 6th October 1776 and of Mary, 21s1 December 1777, with no further record of children to George and Mary was located. The St Olaves' records also show the death of George Wade on 27th December 1777. Assuming this was George Wade senior, his widow would have been left with two small children. At the trial, Mary's mother was not addressed by name but she stated her husband was a drover and she had several children younger than Mary. Had she remarried? If we accept December 1777 as the baptismal date of our Mary Wade, she was at least 11 and not 10 at the time of the trial. Maybe her mother lied in the hope of leniency for a younger child. When asked her age by the judge, Mary replied, "going on eleven" . The judge questioned this, "Are you not older than that"? George and Mary were common names and there were several Wade families in the area. We cannot say for certain, but available evidence points to our Mary Wade as a daughter of George Wade and Mary English as shown above. We have indicated the records searched to give any later researcher a starting point. The Life and Times ofMary Wade Contributed by Marjorie Morrow, a great, great, grand daughter of Mary Wade. When Mary Wade was born in London in the late seventeen seventies none would have envisaged that this babe would become the founding mother of a large family group in Australia, a group which today counts Mary's living descendants in thousands. This child was sentenced to death at the Old Bailey when ten years old, and thereby hangs our tale. To really appreciate the story of Mary Wade we need to let our minds travel back through time for more than two hundred years, so that we can place her story in its rightful context, and judge her world by the standards of that world, and not by the standards of 1985. Into what sort of a world was Mary born? European settlement had taken place in the New World of the Americas, and a trade route round the Cape of Good Hope to India and the east Indies was being used by European ships. Ships had been round Cape Horn. The Indian and Pacific Oceans were known, but a large land mass, now called Australia, was not on the map. The idea of a Great South land was discussed, but, although early navigators touched at places un the Western Australian Coast, the existence of a large land mass was still unproven. Dutch, Portuguese and French sent expeditions to the South Seas hoping for substantial results. The names of Dirk Hartog, Torres, Van Dieman, Tasman and others are found on modern maps, but it was the great English navigator, James Cook, who really put Australia on the world map, although the name Australia came later. The various European countries were fighting among themselves. East Indies trade was very important to Britain, and a Great South land in the wrong hands could materially alter things. James Cook left Plymouth 25-5-1768, ostensibly on a scientific visit to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus. He sailed in H is Majestie's Barque, Endeavour, with a naval crew. On board also were a good astronomer, Green, two naturalists, D.C. Solander and Joseph Banks, and sundry servants. Cook carried sealed orders from the Admiralty, not to be opened till his scientific mission was completed. These orders were to look for the Great South Land. After leaving New Zealand in March, 1770, the east coast of the continent was Sighted 28-4- 1770 at Point Hicks (now called Cape Everard). Subsequently Cook sailed north, charting the east coast of the land mass. He spent some time in Botany Bay, so named because of the great variety of new plants found by Solander and Banks. Observations of birds and other animals, and of the Aborigines were also recorded. Later on, because of this time spent collecting specimens, Banks became accepted as an authority on the new land. Cook continued northward up the coast, noting the entrance of Port Jackson, but not entering the harbour. On this northward voyage the Endeavour struck the Great Barrier Reef, was beached at Endeavour River, where Cooktown now stands, for temporary repairs, then sailed on to Batavia, and via the Cape of Good Hope to England. On 22-8-1770 Cook claimed the whole of the east coast of the continent from Point Hicks to Cape York for Britain, under the name of New South Wales. The name Australia was not yet used. Other relevant factors influencing Mary's world at this time were the Industrial Revolution, and changes in land usage in Britain in the eighteenth century. The Industrial Revolution led to the development of factories for the mass production of goods, and this spelt the death knell of the cottage industries. The sale of home produced goods almost ceased, and these sales had provided that little extra income for a poor family which made very hard lives just a little easier. Sundry Enclosure Acts were passed, the net result of which was that farms became much larger, and ownership was concentrated in fewer hands. There was an increase in food production, but on the debit side many small tenant farmers and farm labourers lost their "ancient and traditional right" to some form of land usage. These factors produced a large body of unemployed, many of whom went to larger centres seeking work, and were often unable to cope with their new life-style. Even if work was found, wages were low and the hours long. If these people did not find work they had two alternatives, starve or steal, and the jails soon overflowed. English society at this stage was clearly divided into the upper class who owned everything, and the lower classes who were utterly dependent on the upper class for employment, essential to their survival. The will to live is strong in all of us, and many turned to crime to survive. The police system of the time was inadequate, and the government used severe punishment for convicted persons as a deterrent. As a result, we find that about 200 crimes were punishable by death. These crimes ranged from treason, murder and arson, down to picking pockets of more than one shilling. Many people caught were not convicted, as there were no police prosecutors. Even so, in the decade 1780 to 1790, more than 50 persons a year were executed (by hanging), and many more had their sentences changed to transportation overseas for life. Up to the time when the British colonists in North America declared their independence from Britain many convicts were sent to America, but after 1776 this dumping of convicts ceased. Early in the 18th Century a curious system of convict dumping prevailed. In 1717 a Transportation Act was passed which allowed the removal of prisoners overseas. The Government assigned the right to a prisoner's labour, for the term of his sentence, to an agent, who then became wholly responsible for the prisoner. These agents were often ship's masters, who transported these convicts to America, and sold them to planters as labourers. However, by 1774 this system was not emptying the jails fast enough, and an Act was passed which enabled the establishment of a penal colony on a suitable site. Thereafter any convict could be marked for transportation. Old unserviceable ships were moored in the Thames and in various ports. These old ships were stripped down and used as detention centres. The convicts were kept in them and required to work as labourers nearby, often in chains. Conditions on these old hulks were bad, and disease among the convicts was rife. There was another group of people needing help. These were the people who had remained loyal to Britain during the War of American Independence, and were no longer acceptable in North America. In the seventeen eighties William Pill and his government were more concerned with saving their Empire than with emptying the jails. When the war with France ended in 1783, Britain had gained Canada, but had already lost her North American colonies, the loss of which had far-reaching consequences. Pitt appointed Thomas Townsend, Viscount Sydney, as Secretary of State, and his duties included finding a place to dump convicts. Several places on the African Coast, Canada and New Zealand were considered, and rejected. An American loyalist, Matra, in 1783 suggested the east coast of the newly-discovered continent as a suitable site, and Joseph Banks supported the idea. Britain as a maritime nation needed a good navy, and for this suitable timber was needed. An earlier report by Cook, who discovered Norfolk Island in 1774, suggested that Norfolk Island pines could supply timber for masts and spars, and the flax growing abundantly on the island could be the raw material for ropes and canvas sails. It was also realised that a naval base in this area might well be an advantage. From 1784 the idea of a penal settlement on the east coast of New South Wales was considered. Convicted prisoners marked for transportation to Botany Bay were sent to the hulks, and used as labourers till their transport could be arranged. In the King's speech at the opening of Parliament in 1787 plans were announced for founding a penal colony in New South Wales. A naval man, Captain Arthur Phillip, was appointed to lead this expedition to an unknown land, 12,000 miles away, and to found a settlement there. Nothing was known of the physical nature of the new land, or of its climate rainfall, etc. Phillip's task was indeed formidable. The First Fleet was assembled. It consisted of eleven ships, two of which were warships. H.M.S. Sirius of 520 tons and the Supply, an armed tender of 170 tons. The remaining nine ships were chartered merchant ships, six of which were to be convict transports, and three were to carry stores. Provisioning this fleet for the voyage and the first year or so at Botany Bay was a mammoth task. Several government departments were involved. Ration scales were laid down, and minimum requirements for accommodation or convicts were stated, but these regulations were often disregarded. Convicts came from overcrowded hulks and jails where disease was prevalent. Medical inspections prior to embarkation were often cursory; so many convicts boarded transports weak or ill and quite unfit for a long and uncomfortable voyage. This First Fleet finally left Plymouth 13-5-1787, and after an eight months voyage arrived at Botany Bay between 18th and 20th of January, 1788. It transferred to Sydney Cove in Port Jackson on 26th of January, 1788, and on 7th February, 1788, Phillip proclaimed the Colony of New South Wales, and became the first Governor. Phillip's support should have come from his officers, but these were mostly military men with ideas of their own importance, and Phillip was a naval man. The officers would guard convicts, but would not accept as a duty the supervision of convict labor. Phillip had, therefore, to appoint many supervisors from convict ranks, and this often caused trouble. The soil round Sydney is poor, tools to prepare the ground were inadequate, and methods of cultivation suitable in England failed at Sydney Cove. Very little livestock came with the first fleet, and soon these animals escaped to the bush and were lost. Time passed, tents and huts were erected, and some order was achieved. At first the full ration laid down was issued, but it was soon realised that the little colony was dependent on food supplies from elsewhere. As time passed the ration was cut, and cut again. After two years the ration was reduced to one third of the full ration. Men grew weaker and the hours of labor were reduced of necessity. In fact the little colony was facing starvation, and still no more store ships had arrived from Britain. As well as establishing a colony on the mainland Phillip had been instructed to colonise Norfolk Island as soon as possible, to prevent any other nation taking it over. Norfolk Island was discovered by Cook in 1774, who reported good pine trees and plenty, of flax on the Island capable of supplying masts, spars, rope and canvas for the navy. The Island lies just over 1000 miles from Sydney in a generally north easterly direction, and about 660 miles from Auckland. It is roughly elliptical in shape, five miles long and three miles across, with an area of approximately thirteen square miles. It has a precipitous coastline with no natural harbour, and an average elevation of 350 feet. There are two main peaks, Mount Banks 1048 ff and Mount Pitt (1038 fl). When discovered the Island was uninhabited and densely forested. On 141h February, 1788, the Supply, commanded by Lieut. Ball, took Lieut. Philip Gidley King to Norfolk Island, together with a petty officer, a surgeon's male, two marines, two men who knew about flax, 9 male and six female convicts. This small and carefully chosen group was to establish a settlement on the Island. They were supplied with rations and seed to start food production. The Supply arrived off the Island on 19th February. A shore party was landed by small boat to examine the Island. Lack of suitable landing places prevented the main party from landing till 6th March. People and goods were put into a small boat and rowed ashore. A storehouse for their rations and shelter for the people were quickly organised. Some land was was cleared, seeds were panted, and results came fast. The soil is very fertile, and rainfall and temperature are suitable for plant growth. King's fIrst estimate was that the colony would be self- supporting within four years. For the first year life was not as hard on Norfolk Island as it was on the mainland. The great drawback was lack of good landing places. As the food position on the mainland deteriorated, Phillip sent more convicts to Norfolk Island to relieve distress on the mainland. However, a drought occurred on the Island and conditions there deteriorated. Also, pests showed up. Blight and caterpillars ruined the crops, and a hurricane 26-2-1769 caused a lot of damage and food producing gardens were destroyed. After two years Phillip decided to send King to England, to report on the colonies, and Major Robert Ross was appointed to relieve King as Controller on Norfolk Island. Ross left Sydney on H.M.S. Sirius on 5-3-1790. The crossing to Norfolk was stormy, and landing was hazardous, and before the cargo was landed the Sirius was wrecked, but the crew was saved. Now, not only were there extra convicts on the Island, but also the crew of the wrecked ship; thus population increased without extra stores. King returned to the mainland aboard the Supply, which had accompanied the Sirius, and Ross assumed control at once. He recognised the seriousness of the position and proclaimed a reduced ration immediately. Things were grim on the mainland and on the Island. While Phillip and his First Fleeters faced hardship, isolation and hunger, life went on in London as before. Crime was rampant, and jails filled more rapidly than transportation could empty them. Mary Wade was eleven years old when she fell foul of the law. The following transcript of her trial speaks for itself. REFERENCE MITCHELL LIBRARY Mary Wade Trial OB/SR Jan 1789 Ind. 5. CRIME COMMITTED: 5·10-1788 SENTENCED: JANUARY 1789 ARRIVED PORT JACKSON 6-6-1790 ABOARD "LADY JULlANA" Mr.RECORDER. 155. MARY WADE and JANE WHITING were Indicted for feloniously assaulting Mary Phillips, on the King’s Highway, on the 5th of October, and putting her in fear, and feloniously taking from her person, and against her will, one cotton frock, value 3s. one linen tippet, value 2d. one linen cap, value 2d. the property of John Forward. MARY PHILLIPS. Court. How old are you?- Eight years old. Do you know what you are come here for, child? - Yes. What are you come here for? - About my frock. Will you tell me the truth about it? - Yes. Do you know the difference between what is true and what is false?- No. Let us try if we cannot go on without her. Call the next witness. JANE FORWARD sworn. I am wife of John Forward. When I came home from my labour, on Friday, I enquired for my child, and a boy told me he sent her to the Treasury for a bottle of water; that was the 5th of this month. I came home at half after five; I live in Charles Street, Westminfter; the child was not at home. Does she live with your - She is my child; she is eight years old next April. Is she a sharp child of her age? - Yes Have you taught her any thing? - She has been in the country from me four years; I fetched her home in August last. Have you taught her 10 fay her prayers? - Yes, she can say her prayers. Have you taught her to say her catechism? - Yes. I sent the boy to look for her; he went, but could not find her; then I went myself. When I came to the door, to go out, I met her at the door crying. saying, mother I have been robbed. She had no frock, no cap, no tippet. I asked her where; she said at the privy, in the Treasury. And i asked her how she came home; she said, there was a gentlewoman came with a light, and two boys; then she knew where she was. The boy's name is John Phillips. JOHN PHILLIPS sworn. I am brother to the girl. She went out, that afternoon, a little before five; my mother came home about half after five. The girl went out for a bottle of water; I sent her out: she had a frock, cap, and tippet on. I saw her no more, before my mother came home; I saw her afterwards, without her frock and cap. CATHERINE McKILLAN sworn. I was standing at the bottom of New Pye-street, Perkins's Rents, where we live. At the bottom of New Tothill-street I met the two prisoners; and we used to go to the Treasury very often, to get two or three halfpence; and I asked them why they did not go; and the big one made answer, I will not go for this good while; and the little one said she would not. Then I asked them what they had done, and they said, nothing; but I promised them I would not tell; and they told me they look a frock, a tippet, and a cap, off little girl, in the Treasury. And says the little one, (that is, Mary Wade) here is the cap and the tippet; and she said the frock was at Mr. Wright's, in the Almonry, in pawn for eighteen-pence, and she had tore the duplicate; I did not see the duplicate. Then Wade said, I wish I had not done it, to the big one; and the big one said, it was your own fault. Then the little one said, I was in a good mind to have chucked the child down the necessary; and I wish I had done it. How long have you known these two girls? I have known the little one a twelvemonlh, and the other about ten months. The little one was taken up before, for stripping a child, and chucking her into a ditch; only she was too young. This was the Monday evening, the Monday before last, between six and seven o'clock; it was the same night it was done. Did they give you any part of the eighteen-pence? No, Sir, I never had a farthing. When did you tell of this? - The Saturday. Who did you tell it to? - This gentlewoman; I went to her. How came you to go to her? - They told me the child lived in Charles·street, at the shoemaker’s; and there is but one shoemaker’s in Charles street. Had you and they quarrelled between that day and the Saturday?- No, Sir; we did not quarrel at all. How came you to go? - I only went because I thought the gentlewoman would have her property again, the child's frock, and cap, and tippet. Had you no other reason for going than that? - No, Sir. Who advised you to go? - Nobody advised me to go, and nobody told me; but the woman that took the cap off her head, that little one, robbed her of every thing she had; and Mrs. Matthews took the cap off the little one's head, and said she would ask the gentlewoman. Them two girls, and a boy that was in Bridewell, were telling of it; and Mrs. Drummond, Mrs. Matthews's mother, heard them talking of it; and when they robbed her, she went to the board to try to get a shilling or sixpence; and she tied a string about her door, and the little one owned she untied it and took her things; then Mrs. Drummond asked her where they were, and she would never tell; so she told me; both the prisoners, and another boy that is in Bridewell, told Mrs. Drummond themselves; and when the little one would not pay Mrs. Matthews a shilling, she took the cap off her head, and said she would tell this prosecutrix. I know Mrs. Matthews; she did not advise me to tell the woman in Charles-street. MARGARET TINDALL sworn. I was getting things ready for washing, and I took a light down to the wash-house, that joins to the privy; there were two children, one ran by me. I went into the yard to see if there was any water, and I heard a child cry, and I went into the privy, and there I saw a child stripped of her frock, tippet, and a cap. l asked the child how she came there, she told me a girl brought her there and stripped her; I told her 1thought she knew them, and belonged to them; she said she did not; I let her out of the place, and told her to be a good girl and go home. There was a girl run out by me very quick. JAMES KIMBER sworn. I took the frock in pledge on Monday, the 5th of January, in the evening, between six and seven; I think it was a person like the tall prisoner, but I cannot swear positively to the person; it was pledged in the name of the shorter, Mary Wade; I do not recollect seeing any more than one, nor I cannot recollect the person. Do you recollect the dress and appearance of the person who pledged it? - No. Are you a servant to Mr. Wright? - Yes. What kind of a frock was this? - Here it is, a dark cotton. Was it a young person? - Yes; a young person, and like the tall prisoner. Look at Catharine McMillan; was it her? - No, it was not. Was il a decent person, or a ragged person? - I cannot recollect; I could not recollect when I was before the magistrate. Do you make a point of taking in every thing, from every body?- No; we ask them many questions when we take them in; it being a week afterwards, I could not recollect the person; I endeavoured before? Court. In the way you carry on that business, it is a very dangerous one to the publick; your house may become the repository of all the stolen goods in the town. JOHN TAYLOR sworn. I am an officer in St Margaret’s parish. This McMillan, and this little girl, came to my house about a quarter past ten last Saturday night, and McMillan telling me the story she has related, I said, are you sure you are right; she said I will shew you. I went to apprehend the parties. I went to the woman that had the cap, the corner of the court, just by where the other girl lived; Ido not know her name; then I went to the lodgings of the little prisoner, thinking to get it out of her; there I found the child's tippet in the room; from there, the girl went along with me, and we apprehended the tall prisoner; and the little prisoner told me, that the big one wanted her to put the child down the necessary. I put them both into Bridewell. I went to the pawnbroker's that night, and saw the frock. (The things depoted to.) To the child's mother. I suppose your child at present is maintained by your husband?- Yes.They are all the things that she lost that night. Court to she child. Has your mother taught you to say your prayers? - Yes. And your catechism? - No; I cannot say my catechism. You have told me, do not you know, the difference between telling a lie, and telling the truth? - Yes. Will you be sure to tell me the truth, to tell me all you know about this? - Yes. You know, when you say your prayers, you pray to God to take care of you, and to protect you? - Yes. Well, and he will be good to you, if you speak the truth?- Yes. And if not, you must expect to be punished? - Yes Now, remember, you are going to promise before- God, that your speak the truth? - Yes. Court. Give her the oath. (Sworn.) Now tell me how you lost your frock, and your cap and your tippet? - John sent me to the Treasury for a bottle of water, there I saw these two girls. and they asked me to fill the bottle for me, and so they broke it; and they took me into the necessary, both of them, and said they would get me another bottle. and bid me not cry; and the little girl pulled off my clothes. and the biggest girl staid with the boy; and the little off pulled off my petticoats, and put them on again; and the great girl staid till the boy came with the bottle of water. Had you ever seen the girls before? - I saw the little girl sweeping the streets. How often? - A good many days; almost ever, day. I went to the Treasury. Had you ever seen the great girl? - No. You did not know her? - No. Do you know either of them now?- I know the little girl. When did you fee them afterwards? - Not for a good while. Did you ever see her again? - No. Was you before the Justice?- Yes and the little girl too. Were the two girls that were before the justice either of them that stripped you? There was little girl that stripped me. Was that the same little girl that you saw before the Justice that stripped you?- Yes. As to the great girl, you do not know any thing about her? - No. How came you to let them strip you? I did not know but they would give me another bottle; they bid me not cry; the little one did. But you knew very well they had no business with your clothes? - Yes. Why did you let them? How came you In let them take away your clothes? - I thought they were going to put on my clothes again; and they ran away with my clothes instead of putting them on again. How came you let them take them off? - I did not know they were going to strip me. But you know they did take off your frock? - Yes and they took off my two petticoats, and my pocket but they put them on again. That was all that they did to you?- Yes. Nobody beat you? - No. Nobody hurt you?- No. Court to Mary Wade. How old are you - Going on eleven. Are not you older than that - No Have you no friends? - Yes. Are they not here? - No; they live at Westminster; they was here to-day, only they could not come in to me. PRISONER WHITING's DEFENCE. I am going in fourteen: I have no friends. Have you a mother? - Yes; she lives at Westminster, in Peter-street. -_____ WADE. Are you the mother of that child? - Yes I am indeed; she was ten years old last December. I have a husband, he is a drover. Court. I hardly can ask you how your child has behaved; for I am afraid you are as much in fault as she is, by not taking proper care of her, and keeping her at home, and making her industrious; letting her run about the streets, was the sure way to lead to the place where she is now; therefore I ought rather to ask you, what you can say for yourself then for her? - It is the other girl that induces her out, when my back is turned, to go a begging with her. I never brought her up to go a begging; all the butchers know me well. I have a great family of them. I hope you will take better care of rest, or else they will all come to the gallows. Court to Jury. Gentlemen, I am distressed how to state to you, that this is a less crime than robbery; because, though there is no such violence as would affect the constancy of a grown person, or alarm them; yet the very circumstance of fuch a child falling into the hands of two strangers, young as they are, standing over her and stripping her, does seem to me to be equivalent to holding a pistol to the breast of a grown person; therefore, I cannot state it to be any thing less than robbery; the consequence of that is, that they must answer it with their lives. Therefore you are to confider, whether the fact is sufficiently established against both or either of these prisoners. Now, that this child was drawn away into this privy by somebody, and was there stripped of her cloaths, stands to clearly established, that there can be no doubt about it, upon the evidence of Mrs. Forward. Here the learned Judge summed up the evidence, and then added - For the sake of example, I cannot recommend to you, if you should be of opinion that the crime is sufficiently fixed upon them, I cannot recommend to you to say, it is of a less degree of atrociousness than robbery; the tender years of these persons may be a circumstance to be attended to in other views; but as to the denomination of the crime, I think it would be a dangerous thing to society, if you were to be induced, by any humanity, to lower the offence at all below the rank of actual robbery. So that if you say, that they are both. or either of them guilty, I think you must fay they are guilty of the crime for which they stand indicted, robbery, and not larceny. MARY WADE, JANE WHITING. GUILTY, Death Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before the LORD CHIEF BARON. I know nothing of what Mary looked like, but that ten-year-old was a survivor. Both physically and mentally she must have been strong to live through all the horrors she surmounted. With a death sentence on her head, and separated from her family, she was taken to Newgate Prison. Instructions to the prison officers were that she was “to be hanged by the neck till she be dead". On arrival at Newgate the usual practice was a tepid bath, prison clothes and all the hair cut off. Mary escaped the final indignity of a public hanging. On 17/4/1789 George The Third respited her death sentence on condition she be "transported for and during the term of her natural life to the Eastern Coast of New South W ales or some island adjoining". Ninety-three days elapsed between her death sentence and its respite, and ninety-three days in daily expectation of hanging would not be pleasant under any circumstances. Having survived so far, Mary was next put aboard the "Lady Juliana", a ship lying in the Thames, a ship on which Mary spent almost a year. This ship was one of the vessels comprising the Second Fleet. Whenever the Government decided to assemble a fleet of vessels to transport convicts overseas they called tenders for this service, stipulating requirements the tenderer must meet. However, once the tender was accepted it was difficult to ensure that all requirements were observed. Consequently, transportees were often at the mercy of the ship's masters and their officers. Contracts varied considerably. In some cases payment was according to the number of convicts embarked, and this did nothing to encourage a healthy voyage, whereas when payment was based on the number landed at the end of the voyage more care was given to the human cargo. In the case of the "Lady Juliana" of 401 tons, payment was on a per capita basis for women convicts. The ship itself was chartered at nine shillings and sixpence per registered ton, per month, from the time the ship was chartered, until six weeks after discharge of her cargo in New South Wales. An allowance of forty shillings per head was given for clothing for the voyage. The basic victualling allowance was sixpence a day per convict. Before sailing this was increased to ninepence a day per convict if fresh provisions were served, and was increased to one shilling a day per convict in foreign ports if fresh provisions were used. Also seven shillings a day was paid towards a surgeon's salary as long as convicts were on the ship. The "Lady Juliana" was considerably delayed in the Thames after chartering. The British Government only needed the transports and store ships for the voyage to Sydney, and often a new charter was arranged for the return voyage. The East India Company agreed to charter the "Lady Juliana" for the return voyage, provided she could reach Canton by 15/1/1791 in a fit state to load a cargo of lea for Britain. The Master of the "Lady Juliana" was Captain Aitken, the Surgeon was Richard Alley, who had been a naval surgeon for some years. The Agent on board was Edgar, and the Steward was Nicol. By the standards of their day these were reasonable and competent men. Aitken provided himself with some rolls of linen before sailing, and during the voyage several women convicts turned this linen into shirts, which found a ready market on arrival at Port Jackson, making a handsome profit on Aitken’s original outlay. This would be considered exploitation of prisoners today, but in 1789 was accepted practice. Provisioning the "Lady Juliana" was supervised. Water had to be carried in casks, and if the casks contained Thames water it became unusable before a ship could reach the Cape of Good Hope. Most vessels called at Tenerife in the Canary Islands to get good water for the rest of their voyage. No-one was ever sure how long a voyage would last, because ships depended on wind power. In selecting a route, prevailing winds were always taken into account; in the absence of wind ships were often becalmed, and no wind meant no progress. Eventually the "Lady Juliana" left the Thames and sailed round to Plymouth, where one section of the Second Fleet assembled. This group of ships sailed from Plymouth on 29/7/1789. The "Lady Juliana" carried 226 female convicts, the youngest of whom was our Mary Wade, not yet eleven years old. From the source material available we can form a fairly detailed picture of life on board this voyage, and as convict transports went, the conditions aboard were good. The voyage was long and slow. Calls were made at Teneriffe for water, and at St. Jago in the Cape Verde Islands for water and pork. After 120 days the "Lady Juliana" arrived at Rio de Janeiro, where it remained for 45 days. It took another 50 days to reach Table Bay (Capetown) on 1/3/1790 where a stay of 19 days was made, and then another 75 days elapsed before arriving at Port Jackson. During this voyage rations were issued in full, and lengthy stays in port ensured fresh food. The ship was kept clean, and the women had free access to the deck. These things combined to ensure that most of the women from Newgate and sundry country jails arrived as a fairly healthy group. Five deaths occurred during the voyage, but compared with the death rate in other vessels of the Second Fleet this was almost negligible. The "Surprise" had 36 deaths from 256 embarked, and landed 121 sick men. The "Neptune" had 147 deaths in 424 convicts, and the "Scarborough" had 73 deaths from 259 embarked. The women convicts aboard the "Lady Juliana" were a mixed group. A few were elderly and infirm, some were educated, some were illiterate, and there was a child called Mary Wade. Discipline aboard was lax, and according to the Steward, Nicol, most, if not all men aboard selected a mistress from among the convicts for the duration of the voyage. The long slow voyage was not without incident. At Capetown a fire was actually started on deck, but was extinguished in time to avoid tragedy, though panic did develop. On eventual arrival off the Heads of Port Jackson the weather was not good. It was wet and windy with a strong southerly blowing, and this almost blew the ship onto North Head. Only the tide saved her from disaster. The "Lady Juliana", not really a sound ship, was unable to make her way up the harbour unaided, and was finally assisted up to Sydney Cove on 6/6/1790. The convicts were disembarked on 11/6/1790 as the ship had been declared unfit to take them on to Norfolk Island. However, convict carpenters made repairs to the ship, so that by the end of July the return voyage under charter to the East India Company began. Before we follow Mary any further, let us take another look at the colony in New South Wales. when the "Lady Juliana" arrived in June, 1790. The First Fleet left Plymouth in May, 1787, and it was now three years since the colonists had left England. No supplies or communications had reached them. Phillip had expected store ships that had not arrived. Food was rapidly running out. Only eight weeks of rations at full strength remained. The ration issue had been cut and recut drastically, till now only one third of the ration was being issued to everyone from the Governor down. Everyone was starving. Men were so weak they could hardly work the shortened hours. The clothes that had come from England three years earlier were in rags, and even sentries at Government House were bare-footed, and over the whole colony gloom was settling. Isolation and loneliness and short rations were now coupled with the almost certain knowledge that the settlement was either forgotten or abandoned by Britain. Weak and half starved as they were, it is easy to imagine the excitement when a ship was sighted bearing into the Harbour. Here, at last, was the long-awaited relief. News of home and something more to eat! What more would you want? News of home, letters and papers the ship did bring, but she was only a convict transport with only enough stores for her own people. But she also brought news of other vessels on their way. Immediate relief was at hand and the ration was increased at once, but everyone was now aware that the survival of the colony was still completely dependent on the arrival of regular food supplies from outside. The small amount of stock that had come with the First Fleet had mostly been lost. The native vegetation did not offer naturally growing food plants. The two warships Sirius and Supply were used continually to help the food situation. The Sinus made voyages to Batavia for food supplies until it was wrecked at Norfolk Island 10-4-1790, and the Supply ferried people and stores from Sydney Cove to Norfolk Island. Mary Wade arrived on 3~6~1790 (landed 6~6~ 1790) when things were desperate. The "Lady Juliana" was unfit to continue over to Norfolk Island, so shortly after disembarkation 150 of the younger and healthier women were put aboard the Surprise, and arrived off Norfolk Island 7-8~1790. The Surprise was one of the vessels of the Second Fleet, carrying only male convicts. The death rate during the voyage was very high, and the general conditions aboard were so bad the vessel became known as one of the Hell ships of the Second Fleet. I cannot imagine the trip across to Norfolk Island was pleasant, but the little girl, not yet thirteen years old, made the trip. Landing people or goods on the island was hazardous. When the Surprise was disembarking her convicts, one boat~load of women and stores capsized in the heavy surf. Seven lives were lost, and the boat was smashed to pieces. Mary may have been in that boat. If she was, she survived . If she wasn't she almost certainly witnessed the accident. So this was Mary's introduction to Norfolk Island. No special provisions were made for female convicts. Most of them were assigned to non-convict men, ostensibly as house servants, but in most cases as mistresses would be a more accurate description. Gardens for the growing of vegetables were established to help the serious food position that had developed. Women convicts hoed these gardens, and when a plague of caterpillars struck the women were engaged in picking them off the leaves. As the food position in Sydney grew worse Phillip had sent more convicts to Norfolk Island, but after the loss of the Sirius no more supplies reached the Island, and the food position grew worse. Major Ross, who had relieved King as Commandant on 13-3-1790, realised how vulnerable the settlement was as regards food, and developed a plan which he hoped would get many convicts self~supporting and not depending on rations. Briefly his plan was as follows : - 1. Each male convict would be allowed one acre of uncultivated ground. 2. Every three convicts would get a sow. 3. Convicts with land would get two free days per week to work their land. 4. After three months their flour ration would be reduced to ¾ ration, and further reduced each three months till March, 1792, when it would cease. 5. The meat ration would cease twelve months after the sow farrowed. Ross reasoned that if a man did not work on his own land he would not eat, as rations would eventually cease. Additional encouragement was held out to allotment holders. Any spare pork would be purchased for sixpence a pound, and any poultry at one shilling a bird. From time to time the top producer was given an extra "holiday," or free day to work on his land. For the privilege of having their own allotment the convict was required to pay rent at the rate of one bushel of Indian Corn per year. Each male convict was encouraged to keep a female convict, and so keep her off rations as well. This female convict was excused public labour, and was free to work in the allotment garden. Pine trees were protected, and clearing by burning was not allowed. Small trees or shrubs cut down were to be cut up for firewood. Bringing their land into cultivation was to be done only after the convicts had fulfilled their labour obligations to the Government. We must remember that Norfolk Island is just a small green dot in the ocean, a long way from Sydney, and in 1790 utterly dependent on ship-borne stores from Sydney. Sydney was starving, HM.S. Sirius had been wrecked, and the population of the island much increased. As food was short on the island, theft increased and Ross severely punished any misdemeanours. Although living conditions were better at Norfolk Island than in Sydney, both colonies faced a food crisis. Then out of the blue "the providential birds" arrived on the island and were quickly added to the diet. These birds are known by a number of names, shearwaters, petrels and mutton birds. They are migratory birds breeding on islands off NSW., Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. In 1790 flocks of brown headed petrels arrived at Mt Pitt on Norfolk Island, their traditional breeding ground. The breeding season extends over three to four months, and the birds were quickly added to the food supply by half-starved humans. One official record says 4000 birds were taken in one night, and one estimate is that 200,000 birds were slaughtered for food in less than three months. Incidentally in the succeeding years fewer birds were taken annually, but these birds were exterminated on Norfolk Island within a decade. In recent years a small breeding colony of them has been found on Lord Howe Island. This, then, was the position on Norfolk Island when Mary Wade arrived there on 7-8~1790, not yet twelve years old. A supply line with Britain was again in place. Temporarily at least, things were better. Major Ross was still the Commandant. The Norfolk Island records are not complete, and I have not located any list indicating to whom Mary was assigned. We will now follow the fortunes of two men, Teague Harrigan and Jonathan Brooker, both of whom played an important part in Mary's life. Toward the end of 1790 the jails and hulks of Britain were again full, and the Third Fleet for Sydney Cove was organised in two divisions. The transports "Atlantic" of 422 tons, the "Salamander" of 320 tons and the "William And Ann" formed the Plymouth Division which sailed from Plymouth 27/3/1791. Jonathan Brooker was aboard the "Atlantic" and Teague Harrigan was on the "Salamander". These ships called at Teneriffe and St Jago in the Cape Verde Islands, and thence sailed direct to Sydney. The "Atlantic" arrived in the Harbour 20/8/1791 after a voyage of 146 days. The "Salamander" arrived the next day. Both Brooker and Harrigan had sentences of seven years, and both were sent to Norfolk Island, Harrigan arriving there on 4/9/1791 and Brooker a few weeks later on 11/11/1791. Teague Haragan (Harrigan) came originally from Cork, Ireland, and apparently crossed over to England (as many Irish still do) looking for work. Maybe his search was unsuccessful, for we find him appearing at the Bristol Quarter Sessions to answer a charge of stealing two coats, value twenty shillings, from the dwelling place of John Proctor Anderson, the previous June. Anderson's charge and evidence of oath was recorded 18/7/1789, and at his trial on 5/10/1789 Harrigan was found guilty of stealing and convicted "to be transported to such place as His Majesty shall direct, for the space of seven years". After conviction, Teague was eventually put aboard the ship "Salamander", one of 160 male convicts bound for N.S.W. The ship also carried nine months' provisions, and on arriving at Sydney Cove was ordered to Norfolk Island with her convicts and her cargo. The cargo needed re-organising into casks or bales for landing on the island. Lack of suitable harbourage or wharfs meant all freight, human or otherwise, was transferred to small boats for a hazardous trip to shore through heavy surf. At this stage Major Ross was still in charge and ruling the Island with severity. Mary Wade and Teague Harrigan are now on Norfolk Island. We shall leave them there now and return to Sydney, where Jonathan Brooker had arrived on the "Atlantic" 20/8/1791. Jonathan Brooker came originally from Kent, although his crimes were committed in London . I find the name Brooker (often spelt Broker in early records) quite interesting. The name is listed as a peculiarly local name in an area of Kent until the great social upheavals of the eighteenth century. The name itself means dwellers near a brook. In England, from very early times, many people were carers of the land as tenant farmers. The name Brooker occurs in the Hundreds Rolls in the thirteenth century. These tenant farmers swore allegiance direct to their sovereign, as well as to their overlord, and came to be the "yeomen of England". The Hundred was a land division within a shire, and the rolls included the names of tenant farmers on parts of large estates. Jonathan may well have been a victim of the Enclosure Acts, since he went to London in search of work. He was at least twice in trouble with the law. The Process Book of the Surrey Quarter Sessions says that on 20/2/1788 he was accused of an assault on Isaac Solomon. He pleaded not guilty, and after trial was acquitted with no prosecution. At this stage he was living at St George (Southwark), and was called a labourer. Some year and a half later, on 5/10/1790, he was charged with the theft of 200 pounds of glue, valued at eight pounds. He was tried, found guilty of felony, and ordered to be transported for seven years. At this time he was described as a chair maker of the Parish of St Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey. As the "Atlantic" loaded convicts at Woolwich, I expect Jonathan spent the time from his conviction in October, 1790, till March, 1791, on a hulk on the Thames, working as a day labourer (in chains usually) along the river bank. I have not found documentary evidence of his date of birth, but calculations made from the dates shown in official documents indicate he was over thirty when he arrived in N.S.W. He was disembarked in Sydney, where he remained for a short time, and eventually went aboard the ship "Queen" for transfer to Norfolk Island, arriving there 11/11/1791. To digress for a moment, I find it interesting that two men received sentences of seven years for theft, one to the value of twenty shillings, and the other to the value of eight pounds, while a ten-year-old girl received originally a death sentence for theft to the value of three shillings and eleven pence. On 3/11/1791 Philip Gidley King returned to Norfolk Island as Governor, immediately replacing Ross. Major Ross was a quarrelsome man. He quarrelled with his staff, and his scale of punishments for convicts was very severe. King was a much more humane man and was very welcome. He found the whole population, free or convicted, were restless, and his first task was to settle them down again. He quickly abandoned the Allotment plan, devised by Ross, to get convicts off rations in a relatively short time. Jonathan Brooker arrived on the Island a week after King's return as Governor. We now have our three principals, Mary Wade, Teague Harrigan and Jonathan Brooker, all on Norfolk Island, often referred to as a tropical paradise. King had replaced Ross and life was easier for all. King's scale of punishments for misdemeanours was less severe than that of Ross, or of Phillip at Sydney Cove. Norfolk Island records are far from complete. Many were lost in a fire which destroyed the Crystal Palace in 1936, and many more may have just been lost, so our story over the next few years is brief, but some recorded events of importance did occur. A record exists which gives the birth of Sarah Wade, a "convict child" on 27/9/1793. There is no mention of the father's name. At this stage Mary was not yet sixteen. A second "Wade convict child" appears in 1795, also without a recorded father. There is some evidence to suggest that Jonathan Brooker was the father of both these children, but I do not find it conclusive. Later in this story we will find that Jonathan was either the father or step-father of all of Mary's children. The death certificate of the first child, Sarah Wade, gives Jonathan as the father, but I do not find the evidence of death certificates always accurate. The person concerned never supplied the details, and quite often it is not a member of the immediate family who does, and without corroborative documentation I do not always accept it. We need also to remember that as time passed most convicts and ex-convicts strove to achieve respectability, and I can well imagine Mary herself making this claim. The second child, William, always appears as William Booker in later musters, but so also does Edward Harrigan appear as Edward Brooker even as late as the 1828 Census. At a later stage, after Jonathan's death, William inherited Jonathan's land on the Illawarra. I found Mary's declaration at the time interesting. She stated that Jonathan was her husband, and that William was her eldest son. She did not say he was ]Jonathan’s son. William claimed Jonathan as his father. Some time before his twelfth birthday, William became part of Jonathan's household. Were the terms father and step-father synonymous for him? Another suggestion has been made that the appearance of very tall men in succeeding generations points to Jonathan, but this is easily discounted. Harrigan was a very big man, as may have been others on Norfolk Island. We simply do not know for certain, and does it matter? I think not all all. Both Brooker and Harrigan had sentences of seven years, and if the whole sentence was served they would have been free by servitude in 1797. Both men were on rations till the end of 1795, but not afterwards. They must, therefore, have been self-supporting, or working for someone who fed them. While still on Norfolk Island Harrigan received his Certificate of Emancipation from Governor King. He lost this document somewhere along the line, and we find him receiving a replacement certificate from Governor Macquarie 12/9/ 1812. King's letters at the Mitchell Library contain a reference to Jonathan Brooker. In 1798 he received £4-15-6 from the Government in payment for pork purchased from him, and on this entry Brooker is marked "freed by servitude". I do not know exactly when any of our three principals returned to the mainland. Official papers make statements that so many persons were returned to the mainland, but no lists of names are appended. We do know, however, they were all back by 1800. The 1800 Census shows Mary Wade living with Teague Harrigan in Sydney, and Jonathan Brooker working for Doctor Balmain at Parramatta. A baptismal record at St. Phillips, Sydney, shows Edward Harrigan son of Teague Harrigan and Mary Wade, born 1803 and baptised 1804. A story comes down in the Harrigan family that this child was born in a tent on the Tank Stream. Just when Mary joined Jonathan I'm not sure, but we do know they were on the Hawkesbury for a time before going to the Airds district. I have not been able to trace the exact whereabouts on the Hawkesbury. As far as I can ascertain Jonathan had no land in the area. Balmain did have land there, so he may have still been in his employ. Also Jonathan's skill as a carpenter may have provided work in a developing area. William Ray, who became Jonathan’s son-in-law (step) had land rented at Mulgrave Place in 1608. As children we heard a lot of talk among our elders of Pill Town, Wilberforce and Windsor, so I expect the Brookers were thereabouts. In fact, the Mutch Index places them in the Windsor district as late as, 2-6-1811 when Jonathan received a land order for 60 acres in the newly opened district of Airds. This is an interesting statement, because on 28-11-1609 Surveyor Meehan surveyed land for Jonathan Brooker, William Ray and John Mitton in a new area, 35 miles south-west of Sydney, an area later named Airds by Governor Macquarie. I think this might be a case where the official paper work was well behind the action. The Hawkesbury had fertile flats but was prone to big floods. In my family group (through Mary and Jonathan's son John) the legend persists that John's mother (Mary) was taken across the river for his birth, 24-6-1809, before a big flood. The Hawkesbury floods are well documented, and on 1-8-1809 the river had risen to 46 feet, and eight lives were lost. In consequence of this, Windsor and other areas were laid out on higher ground in 1610. John's death certificate gives his birthplace as Windsor. The early Hawkesbury settlers met considerable difficulties before mastering their land (to some extent). Preparing their land for planting with primitive tools was exhausting. Crops could be lost entirely with one flood, and any stock they had was at risk at flood time. Along the river banks today you can still see some of the old two-storey barns where people and stock found shelter on the top floor during floods. Maybe a carpenter called Jonathan Brooker helped to build some of them. It is not surprising that many of the early Hawkesbury settlers sought land elsewhere, as this primitive flood-prone area had many disadvantages. Jonathan Brooker was interested in Liverpool district, which included the present Campbelltown and Appin areas. The land he was granted at Airds was surveyed in 1809, but when the family moved there I do not know for certain. Neither do I know just when Mary Wade joined Jonathan, but it was before 1809 as their son John was born 24-6-1809 at Windsor. John was followed by two sisters, Elizabeth born 7-12-1810, Mary born 28-11 - 1812, and a brother James born 30-5-1814. Before the family could lake up residence at Airds there was much to do. The land needed clearing and some sort of shelter was required. The area was originally timbered, and uncleared parts provided shelter for aborigines who were not always friendly. Escaped convicts were another problem, as they would plunder and steal. At the beginning of 1810 Lachlan Macquarie arrived to take over the administration of the colony as Governor. He followed Bligh, a naval man, during whose term very considerable difficulties had arisen between the Governor and a militant military faction. Macquarie was the first military man to become Governor, and was accompanied by his own regiment. He was a very able administrator, a man of personal prestige, and one who did not engage in corrupt practices. He was very anxious to rehabilitate those convicts who had served out their terms, and been pardoned, and his policy aimed at achieving this. This policy was not acceptable to everyone in the colony, and so two sharp social divisions developed among the settlers. The names "exclusives" and "emancipists" explain themselves. Earlier, in 1804, Governor King (formerly of Norfolk Island) set out the terms governing the assignment of convicts to settlers. The settler had to sign for his assigned convict, and had to feed, clothe and house him for twelve months. The hours of work for each convict were set down at ten hours on weekdays, and six hours on Saturday. Convicts could work for payment in their spare time but the settler had first call on any extra time worked by his assigned servant. Regaining liberty for a convict was achieved in one of four ways: Firstly a ticket-of-exemption allowed a convict to live with a particular person while of good behaviour. Such a convict was excused from Government service. Secondly, a ticket-of-leave exempted a convict from both government and assignment service to work for himself. The government no longer fed, clothed or housed such a person. This was given only to sober, industrious and honest convicts after satisfactorily serving three years of their sentence. Thirdly, conditional and absolute pardons were sometimes given for exceptional service. Fourthly, by expiration of the original sentence, freedom was gained. Jonathan Brooker had really gained his freedom by 1797 on Norfolk Island, where we find "free by servitude" against his name, but it was not till February, 1611, he received his Certificate of Emancipation, and although Lot 129 at Airds was surveyed in 1809 he did not receive official ownership till 1616, after he had already worked the land for several years. Mary Wade received her Certificate in September, 1812. Just when Jonathan and family were established in Airds I'm not sure, but Jonathan Brooker of Airds subscribed to a fund for building a Court House in Sydney, on the Liverpool subscription list 1·7·1813. While on the Hawkesbury or during the early years at Airds four children were born. Some evidence suggests the first three were born on the Hawkesbury, and the last one at Airds. These four children, John, Elizabeth, Mary and James all have baptismal records at Saint Luke's Anglican Church, Liverpool, dated 13-4-1819, and the parents are given as Jonathan and Mary Brooker. The baptisms were performed by Rev. John Youl. I find the date interesting. Macquarie founded Liverpool in 1810. Six years later, in 1816, tenders were called for the building of a church designed by Greenway. Various difficulties were encountered during the building, and the church was not finished and opened till 3·12·1819, almost eight months after the recorded baptisms. Clergy in the colony were few, and Rev. Youl moved round the parish visiting settlers. It is possible that the Brooker family was visited by Youl, the children were baptised, and the church entry made when Youl was next in Liverpool. No record of marriage between Mary and Jonathan has been found, but in an early community where conditions were hard, and clergy few, a long·standing stable relationship was accepted as such. Jonathan was over thirty when he arrived in the colony, and may well have left a legal wife in England. By the time Jonathan and Mary were on the Hawkesbury, Mary and her first three children had been accepted as Jonathan's household. One child at least was not Jonathan's, but Teague Harrigan's. This child was called Brooker until he applied for land on the Illawarra in his correct name. With the receipt of their Certificates of Emancipation in 1811 and 1612, Jonathan and Mary were now officially free people. By the time they were settled in Airds not only were they free, but their sizeable family spoke of stability in their relationship. Jonathan was either the father or step-father of all the children, and Mary was their mother, and so it was Jonathan who brought stability to Mary Wade's life. Life was very hard for early settlers at Airds who did not have money and influence on their side. Bush fires, droughts and failed crops were especially hard on them. These early emancipist settlers were allowed thirty acres each, with more added if the settler was supporting women and children. Under the conditions of these free land grants the land could not be sold or alienated for at least five years, and a minimum of fifteen acres of the grant should be under cultivation within five years. The Government reserved the right to run a road through the land at a later date, if such a road became necessary, and any timber the navy needed was reserved. The virgin land was covered with thick bush, and here and there were pockets of heavily timbered country. The initial clearing of the grant was done by a convict clearing party, but the settler and his one assigned convict did the rest. The first area completely cleared became the site of the first shelter, usually a simple rough slab hut, and round this dwelling a vegetable garden and later an orchard developed. The success of this garden was important as food supply. When animals were acquired, pens and fences were needed. Roughly split wooden rails slipping into openings in wooden fence posts were the usual fences. Jonathan Brooker as a carpenter would probably have found cutting the openings in the posts easier than did many others. When a cow was added to the farm we find pigs soon followed. In the Australian summer heat perishable goods like milk, cream and butter quickly deteriorated. Sour milk fed pigs and eventually pork reached the table. If an animal was slaughtered for food, a little was eaten fresh, but the bulk was salted, pickled or smoked. Drought came and the need to provide water for man, beast and garden was a new difficulty (or the settlers. By 1815, a severe drought year, the need for well watered pastures was urgent. Dr. Charles Throsby with a small party of men left Glenfield, in the Liverpool district, and hacked a track to the escarpment of the Illawarra Range, and then cut a track to the coastal land at the foot of the Range. Good pasture and water were found. They also found areas of dense rain forest containing cedar, and the cedar getters soon followed. The Airds settlers were kept busy with their crops and their animals. The women looked after the food supply. The garden and orchard were theirs. They hoed and planted and watered. They cared for whatever clothes they had. Theirs too was the business of milking and making butter and cheese. Men and women had little time to spare. They worked from dawn to dark in order to survive. They had no laid on water, no gas or electricity, and none of the appliances we consider essential today. If they had any light after dark it was either fire light or candles, and if they had candles the woman of the house had usually made them. I have so far only written generally about the emancipist settlers at Airds. Individually they often had even greater difficulties. Jonathan Brooker was over fifty and supporting Mary and six children when they were at Airds. Mary's first child, Sarah, had married William Rae in 1808. She was fifteen at the time. In 1817 Jonathan’s original grant, Portion 129, was passed over to Warby and Jonathan rented a few acres nearby. Twice in the next few years we find Jonathan appealing to the Governor for help. These petitions or memorials were signed by Jonathan, indicating some formal education. Most convicts and emancipists signed with a cross. The first petition was to Governor Macquarie, in which he stated he was renting twelve acres and requested another grant. In the records of the Liverpool Muster of 1822 Jonathan is shown as a land holder with nineteen acres cleared, ten acres of wheat, and half an acre of garden and orchard, five hogs and twelve bushels of maize in hand, together with four bushels of wheat. The following year on 12·11 1823 a serious bush fire caused great damage. The dwelling, crops, garden and all tools were lost. Jonathan was a carpenter by trade, and the loss of his tools was serious. The family was destitute and memorial of 20-12-1823 tells the story: 20th December, 1823 His Excellency Sir Thomas Brisbane K.C.B., Major General, Governor in Chief of New South W ales. The memorial of Jonathan Brooker, free by servitude who arrived in this colony per ship Atlantic in the year 1791 most respectfully setteth forth: That your memorialist (a joiner by trade) has a wife and seven children, five of whom are now residing with memorialist and one only capable of labour and that he resides on a 20 acre farm in the district of Airds. That on the 12th November, his working tools, 18 acres of wheat and his home were destroyed by fire which has communicated the memorialist's premises from the flames of the surrounding bush in the absence of himself and family, by which accident memorialist and family are actually destitute of a habitation and deprived of every means of support. That the memorialist is 60 years of age and most humbly implores the charitable aid of Your Excellency in his afflicting case. And your Excellency memorialist as in duty and gratitation bound will ever pray. Signed by Jonathan Brooker. A further note was appended by Rev. Thomas Reddell which reads: I do certify to the correctness of Petitioner's Statement, and he having arrived at that period of life when the physical powers of man are rapidly on the decline I must respectfully and indeed earnestly recommend him to Your Excellency consideration. Thomas Reddell K.P. Meanwhile the Illawarra forests with their cedar trees were being plundered by cedar getters. Being a carpenter, cedar would have had a special appeal for Jonathan. If cedar was taken from Government land a tax was charged, but from privately owned land there was no tax. It was not long before Jonathan Brooker had a grant of land in the Corrimal area of the Illawarra, as also did his sons and sons-in-law. In the 1825 Muster Jonathan was still a landholder at Airds, and living with him were Mary, his wife, and their four children, John, Mary, Elizabeth and James. In the 1828 Census he is shown as a resident of Illawarra, with 50 acres all cleared, and 12 acres cultivated. His household included Mary (Wade), their children John, Mary, and James and Edward Harrigan, aged 25 and recorded as Edward Brooker. Jonathan died on 14th March, 1833, and was buried in the graveyard behind St. Peter's Church, Campbelltown. I found this burial at Campbelltown, although appropriate for a pioneer of the district, hard to understand, considering the difficulty that would be encountered transporting a body so far, until I read a report by Surveyor Jacques to the Surveyor General, written in December, 1831. He commented on the need for consecrated ground in the Illawarra, as the expenses involved in taking the dead to Campbelltown, the nearest consecrated place of burial, was beyond the means of most of the settlers. The distance was over thirty miles, and the journey involved the climbing of a mountain. As the register at St. Peter's gives the date of death as 14-3-1833, and the burial date as 16-3-1833, it may be that Jonathan was in the area of Campbelltown when he died. As a carpenter he may have worked in the area from time to time. The 1828 Census gives his age as 68, so in 1833 he would have been 73 years old, quite a good age for a man of that era, and one who had suffered much hardship in his life, but one who had established a family in a new land against such odds. Mary Wade, now always known as Mary Brooker, continued to live on the Illawarra for a further quarter of a century, till her death 17-12-1859. Mary's son Edward Harrigan had received a grant on the Illawarra at Fairy Meadow, and in 1857 he was instrumental in getting a church there. He made land available for the building, and later guaranteed the debt incurred in its construction. Parish records show that the first funeral service held in St. Paul's Church of England church at Fairy Meadow was Edward Harrigan's mother, Mary Ann Brooker. Mary was buried in the old C. of E. Cemetery at Wollongong. As Wollongong grew, this old cemetery became an eyesore. A special Parliamentary Act, No.29, 1940 (assented November 7th) cited as the Wollongong C. of E. Cemetery Act, 1940, appointed the Wollongong City Council as Trustees, and authorised the Council to do such things as were necessary to convert the Cemetery to a Rest Park. Careful records were made of names and relevant information. Tombstones were then laid flat on their respective graves, and covered with several inches of soil. Lawn was laid over the area and some roses were planted. Surrounded by a low stone wall, the area has an Entrance Porch wth a plaque reading: City of Wollongong Erected to the Memory of Pioneers of this District, Who Here lie at Rest. You cannot see Mary's tombstone or her grave, but you can visit the Pioneers' Rest Park and pay your tribute to a great survivor. After her death, 17-12-1859, the Illawarra Mercury, in an obituary, saluted her as the founding mother of the largest family in Australia. At the time of her death she had over 300 living descendants. Today she has thousands. Her death certificate is useless as a document for family history purposes. She was in the eighties when she died, with seven of her children still living. She was reputed to have had twenty-one children according to the certificate. The information regarding her death was supplied by the Coroner, and is scant. The certificate also states she was married twice on Norfolk Island, first to Harrigan and then to Brooker. This is extremely unlikely to be true, and if it is true, both men were still alive in 1819, and no mention of divorce is made. No record of a marriage to either of these men has been located. Mary lived in difficult times, but such was her character she survived the horror of a death sentence, separation from her family at the age of eleven, transportation across the seas for life, a baby on Norfolk Island before she was sixteen, life in a tent back in Sydney, the horrors of major floods on the Hawkesbury, and pioneering hardships at Airds until finally coming to rest on the Illawarra. I think all her descendants can be proud of her. How many of us, in our so called developed society, would survive her troubles and live on into our eighties?

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