Researchers who have claimed this convict
There are currently 2 researchers who have claimed James May
- Researcher (1738)
- Researcher (14701)
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Biographies
The General Muster in 1806 lists James May per “Coromandel”, prisoner employed as a Constable at Parramatta. Listed with him in the General Muster is Grace May per “Experiment”, came free, lives with James May at Parramatta. The Convict Indent for the “Coromandel” also lists James May of Surrey, Croydon Gaol Delivery, tried 8th August, 1803 and sentenced to transportation for life. James received a Conditional Pardon on 31st January 1811 “for giving information of and prosecuting to conviction a person for unlawfully distilling spirits”.
James's wife Grace decided to accompany her husband to NSW with their two young children.
It is fairly certain that one of the two children on the “Experiment” was Thomas and the other Martha, an infant who later died in 1805.
James and Grace appeared to have been respected citizens of the Parramatta/Windsor district. There is a reference to them and their two daughters born after their arrival, in a book called “Early days of Windsor” by James Steele written in 1916. In Chapter 3 under the heading “Some Pioneer Families” he records;-
“From an old well-preserved Windsor Muster Book, dated 1813-1818, giving a half -yearly census of the military officers, soldiers, civil officers, free people, settlers and prisoners – male, female, and children being shown in each Division we find the following well known names of pioneers. (This Muster Book is now in the Mitchell Library) It will be noted that only the names of children born before 1818 are given. Among the soldiers, freemen and settlers who were in the district with their families, we give a selection of such names as are still familiar or that may be seen on the tombstones of our churchyards. The names are those of Windsor only, and do not include such other places as Wilberforce or Richmond, and the families are only as recorded during the period 1813 to 1818. Children born at a later date cannot be given:-
---James and Grace May arrived in the Coramandel and Experiment, two daughters Ann and Elizabeth ---
we believe that all the children mentioned in the above with very few exceptions were born in New South Wales.”
The reference to Ann and Elizabeth mentioned above appears to be incorrect, as they were born later in 1807 and 1812.
The 1822 Muster, also recorded that Thomas held 40 acres of land, 20 acres of which was cleared. Land titles records show that in 8th October, 1816 when Thomas was only 13 or 14 years old, 40 acres of land were granted by Governor Lachlan Macquarie to James May his father. This land was granted to “James May his Heirs and Assigns to hold forever, being forty acres of land lying in the District of Bathurst near Rouses farm on the Windsor road”. He was not permitted to sell or alienate the land for a period of five years, and to cultivate twelve acres within the five years. James however died 9th December 1819 at the age of 48, and his wife Grace had died earlier on 17th September, 1817 at the age of 38. So ownership of the land passed on to Thomas.
Submitted by Researcher (14701) on 29 September 2021
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