Researchers who have claimed this convict
There are currently 4 researchers who have claimed Thomas Priest
- Researcher (925)
- Researcher (John McElroy)
- Researcher (Ann Williams-Fitzgerald)
- Researcher (Jenny Bicanic)
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Biographies
Thomas Priest b. 1756 son of Thomas & Hannah
At the age of 17, Thomas enlisted in the 37th Regiment of the British Army.
By the age of 20 he was involved in the The American War of Independence under the Command of Cornwallis & Abercrombie.
He was wounded in the "Battle of Bunker Hill" & witnessed the British war crime of the “Burning of Falmouth” (todays Portland).
He served the whole of War before returning to England.
It is likely Thomas after returning from the War to the district of Stafford may
have married, even had children & become a farmer..
It seems outrageous after serving his country in the entirety of the American
War of Independence & no doubt injured & many times decorated; He was convicted in 1788 of stealing 3 sheep with his brother & later sent to the Colonies as a common Convict at age 35 in 1790...separated from his probable wife & family for ever, with only 5 years left on his 7 year sentence.
Although his experiences in the War it seems did prepare him for the ordeal ahead...his passage on the HELL SHIP “NEPTUNE”.
Convict vessel of the 2nd Fleet.....
The treatment of convicts aboard the Neptune was unquestionably the most
horrific in the history of transportation to Australia. Convicts suspected of petty theft usually due to starvation, were flogged to death; most were kept chained below decks for the duration of the voyage; scurvy and other diseases were endemic; and the food rations were pitiful.
The Master of the Neptune, Donald Traill, was described as a demented sadist, he had previously Captained Slavery ships to the America’s.
On the Neptune 178 men & 11 women died on the passage out.
Very few were able to walk off the ship on its arrival at Port Jackson.
The fact that both Priest brothers Thomas aged 35 & William aged 34 both survived the journey demonstrates their comradeship & tenacity in getting each
other through it...
Thomas Priest met Catherine (Anne) Rochford b 1781 from Middlesex, a convict serving 7 years per the vessel Brittania in 1798.
Thomas & Catherine unmarried had a child Thomas in 1801 in Sydney, the 1st of many.
There is no record of Thomas & Catherine ever marrying..could it be because Thomas had left a wife in England behind ?
Likely on the advice of Thomas’s brother, William who had lately returned from Norfolk Island as Convict indent, Thomas saw opportunity at Norfolk.
Thomas & Catherine then took up land at Norfolk Island.
Thomas was an overseer of blacksmiths with John Robley (q.v.) and John Owles by 1805. He had 27 acres of land, a dwelling house, plus two out-houses.
Three more sons were born to them while living on the island.
At the Governments insistence all Islanders including Thomas Priest & family had to leave the Island & arrive on the Porpoise to Van Diemen's Land in 1807; with a promise of resettlement on good terms.
On their arrival in Van Diemen’s Land Thomas was granted 42 acres of land in the Argyle-Hobart Parish.
By 1819 Thomas had wheat, beans and potatoes growing, with two bulls, two cows and 455 sheep & is reported as doing some time as the Local Police Constable..
Thomas owned other land holdings many Pubs including “The Good Woman Tavern” in Argyle.
Thomas Priest died 18th July 1851 Hobart aged 96.
Catherine Priest died...1857 Hobart.
Submitted by Researcher (John McElroy) on 30 May 2018
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Disclaimer: The information has not been verified by Claim a Convict. As this information is contributed, it is the responsibility of those who use the data to verify its accuracy. Research notes
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