Honest John BARRETT J a Brief History

Honest John BARRETT J A brief History... 1812 to 1888 JOHN BARRETT - TIMBER MERCHANT B Brisbane Street, Launceston, Tasmania by Gwenda M. Webb - Launceston, Tasmania. John Barrett was born in 1812, one into trouble only once during his time in the of a family of six boys and one girl, to James and country, appearing before the magistrate, Mr. Rebecca Barrett. The family came originally Simpson, on the 7th of June 1832 on a charge from Suffolk, England, (1) but by the time of of disobedience of orders and neglect of duty. John’s transportation in 1827, he had moved He was found guilty and ordered to receive 25 to London. John’s father, James’ was a cutler. lashes. The rest of his sentence was uneventful, He had a small shop in the George Yard; it was and on the 26th of November 1835 he was one of the warren of shops which sprang up granted his Ticket-of-Leave. This enabled him around the yard of the George Inn, near Hatton to work for himself (9). Garden, in North London. During the interval between In 1826 John, aged 14, was receiving his Ticket-of-Leave and the grant of a unemployed, but assisting his father and also Conditional Pardon (10), John had joined with doing odd jobs as an errand boy. (2) On the several other emancipist. They worked as timber 14th of February 1826, John Barrett was indited fellers, clearing land for settlers and carrying for “...feloniously assaulting Caroline, wife of the resulting timber away to sell for fuel. John Jas Meyers, on the Kings Highway, putting her received a carriers license (11) and spent several in fear, and taking from her person, and against years working with the gang in various sites her will, one umbrella, one shilling and a pair of around Northern Tasmania. The work was hard, patterns, value sixpence” (3). and they lived rough, but several of the owners John was duly tried on the 16th of of big properties preferred to employ free men, February 1826 at the third sessions at the Old who were working for their own benefit, rather Bailey; he was found guilty. As the offense had than use convict labour, usually working at occurred on the King’s Highway, and Highway “Government Stroke”. Robbery incurred a mandatory death sentence, John and the gang were working he was first sentenced to death but, as he was on “Mountford” estate when a Methodist aged only 14 at the time, he was recommended missionary, Nathaniel Turner, rode up. He to Mercy on account of his youth, and the accepted their offer of food and drink and, sentence was reduced to transportation for life. after lunch, gave a brief talk to the 12 men. He John was first sent to the hulks, where preached so effectively that all 12 of them were his behaviour was reported as “indifferent - converted. There after they were known, at flogged once for disobedience of orders” (4). first derisively, and then with somewhat greater He was selected to be transported on the ship respect, as the Twelve Apostles (12). The men “Asia”. This ship carried a number of other joined various Protestant Churches and most of juvenile offenders and it is reputed that, when them continued to work in one or other branch Governor Arthur looked at the shipping indents of the timber trade. William Hills, for example, for the “Asia” and saw how many youthful became a funeral director and Joseph Clayton offenders were on board, he was inspired to set a builder. They continued to meet annually on up the reformatory at Point Puer. the day of their mass conversion. John was to The “Asia” left England on the 1st of be the last survivor of the group. He joined the August 1827 and landed 157 male convicts at Wesleyan Church, and became an active and Hobart Town on the 29th of November 1827 regular attended of church functions, supporting (5). The ships Surgeon, Campbell France, it’s work with gifts of money as he became more reported very fully on the voyage (6). The affluent and supplying timber at cost price for passage out was apparently smooth. Several of many of the churches in Tasmania. the convicts brought belongings with them. One Because John’s sentence had been Robert Phillips came particularly well equipped For Life, he had received only a Conditional with tools to start a business after serving his pardon. He applied to have it upgraded to time, but John had nothing but the cloths he Absolute Pardon, so that he could return to stood up in. England. He claimed that he had “...held a Upon arrival, John was recorded as Conditional Pardon beyond the regulated Convict No. 1002, and a physical description period, and his general conduct was satisfactory” was recorded (7). He was Now aged 16 years, (13). His pardon was extended in July 1845 to height 4 feet 11 and a half inches with brown cover travel between the Australian Colonies, hair, brown eyes; his trade or calling was listed as but he was forbidden to return to Europe. The errand boy, and his native place as Suffolk. This extension of his pardon enabled John to direct was the Assignment period in Van Diemen’s his attention to the rapidly growing settlement Land, when prisoners were assigned to settlers, at Port Phillip, later the colony of Victoria, to to work out their sentences under supervision. the north. While continuing to provide fuel John was fortunate in his assignment, as he was and building materials to both Government assigned to Lewis Gilles(8), and at first worked and private individuals in Van Dieman’s Land, on Gilles Property “Eppindorf”. near Ross in he made several trips to mainland Australia to the Midlands of the Island. This was a sheep explore the growing market there. property, and John would have learnt some He had further incentive to work hard rural skills there, which must have helped him and improve himself, as he was now a married later, when he became a property owner. He got man. John Barrett married Ann Broadhurst in Page 12 Honest John BARRETT J A brief History... 1812 to 1888 Continued... St. John’s Church, Launceston, on the 15th of John was able to pay off his mortgage on the B November 1842 (14). The groom was aged 29 Brisbane St. (24), property and to buy more and the bride 18. unfortunately we have not land in the country (25). In 1856 he bought been able to trace Ann’s forebears, or the date 500 acres from Keith J. King, originally Henty of her arrival in Tasmania. We know she was property, on the East Tamar, near Egg Island. not a convict or imancipist, but was probably This turned out a wise investment, as he erected one of the numerous immigrants who arrive in a few cottages for his workmen there. Some of the early 1830’s, being listed in ships manifests the workmen were working at this period on the as “...an 80 steerage” (15). properties of “Mount Stewart” and “Belmont”, The couples first son, James, was born clearing the land for their absentee-landlords on the 22nd of August 1843, his father being (26). described by the informant, a fellow worker of John’s workmen were now going John’s, as a “woodcarter” (16). Jame’s baptism further afield to meet the demand for timber was recorded in the Paterson Street Wesleyan and were beginning to work in areas out from Church Records, as were those of the sequent Patterson’s Plains, Prosser’s Forests and over children (17). By the time of the couples 5th to-wards the Piper River. John began to buy child, Mary Ann, was born in 1851, John was properties as an investment for his own future being described as a “Timber Merchant”, living use. His major purchase was undoubtedly in his own premises in Brisbane St, employing “Redmire”. This property was advertised for sale extra labour and both exporting and importing as “A valuable sheep and dairy farm within 16 timber. miles of Launceston” (27). In 1848 (18), John’s name appears in The farm was called “Redmire” after the Census as occupier of a house in George St., the home town of the original grantee, John owned by Philip Oakden, a leading Methodist Terry, and the district “Turner’s Marsh” after merchant and brother-in-law of John’s former Dominique Turner, Mr Terry’s son-in-law. The master, Lewis Gilles. The Barrett household property passed to Ronald Campbell Gunn who, included, John, Ann and 3 children: James, b. in turn, sold it 1860 to John Barrett for 1000 1843, John Jnr. b: 1845 and Rebecca, b: 1847; pounds (28), to-gether with some adjoining as well as one male servant. land (29). Three years later, when the 1851 Although now comparatively affluent, Census was taken in March (19), two more John’s life had sad moments. Three of his children, George (1849) and Mary Ann (1851) daughters, Rebecca, b. 1847, Harriet Louisa, b. had been born. The family was living in the 1854 and Martha Amelia, b. 1856, died as young Brisbane St., premises which John had bought children of childhood complaints which were from Charles Field, son of the original owner, the scourge of Victorian households. However, William Field (20). This property near the two girls, Mary Ann, b. 1851 and ester Maria, b. corner of Brisbane and George Sts., had a 40ft 1868, were to grow to adulthood, as did all their frontage on the south western side of Brisbane seven brothers: James, John, George, Robert St., and a private lane running into the timber Henry, b.

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