William Rowe (1755 - 1795)

Born 1 Sep 1755 in Lanivet, Cornwall, England

Husband of Joan (Bishop) Rowe — married 8 Jun 1773 in Cornwall, England

Husband of Ann Hooper — married 1 Apr 1782 in Cornwall, England

Husband of Mary Hawkins — married 11 Sep 1791 in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died May 1795 at age 39 in Richmond, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Helen Honeysett [send private message]

Biography

William Rowe was a convict on the First Fleet.

William was baptised 1 September 1755 at Lanivet in Cornwall. He passed away in 1795.

William Rowe was one of 208 convicts 1788 “Scarborough “........... His brother John also on “Scarborough”

William Rowe tried 19-3-1784, Launceston Assizes, Crime - Stealing a bag of money from Benjamin Odgers. His younger brother, John Rowe, was also tried at Launceston on the same day for a different crime, and was transported on the same ship "Scarborough" in the First Fleet .

Cornwall- William Rowe, tried Launceston for breaking & entering the dwelling house of Benjamin Odgers, about 12 at midnight with the intent to murder him and for stealing from the said Benjamin Ogders privily secretly and without his knowledge, one canvas bag value 3d, 8 ,one half crown value 2s 6d his goods & monies....found not guilty on the first charge, on the second found guilty of stealing goods & monies, but not privily from the person; Sentenced and Transported, 7 years..................................

Hulk Report - Onboard prison hulk "Dunkirk" Tolerably, decent,...

Gaol Report - Tolerably Decent and Orderly.

Bodmin Gaol: 19-3-1785, William Rowe, stole canvas bag. Death commuted to 7 years Transportation to New South Wales....

Ship "Scarborough, departed Portsmouth 13-5-1787, carrying 208 male convicts, (no deaths) arrived N.S.W. 26-1-1788...

Marriage: William married Mary Hawkins ('Mary Ann', 1791), at Parramatta, by Richard Johnson, both signing the register of St John's with a mark.

15-5-1795 William Rowe was granted 30 acres of land opposite Richmond Hill, at the upper part of the River Hawkesbury in the district of Mulgrave Place.^[1]

Death: In that month (May 1795) the community was attacked by large bodies of Aborigines, and Rowe, with his child, was killed. "The natives attacked a farm nearly opposite Richmond Hill, belonging to one William Rowe, and put him and a very fine child to death". His wife, seriously wounded, "crawled down the bank [of the river] and concealed herself amongst some reeds half immersed in the river, where she remained a considerable time without assistance". William Rowe (as 'Roe') was buried 29th May.^[2][3]

His wife Mary was taken to Parramatta hospital, where she recovered slowly. However she was unlucky again: On 25 August 1811 she was robbed and brutally murdered.

May 1795 - William Rowe, Community of Richmond Hill was attacked by Aborigines . William & his child were killed & his wife seriously wounded on their isolated farm on the right bank of the river ( near the current North Richmond Bridge)

Blood revenge - murder on the Hawkesbury, William Rowe, North Richmond, Isolated farm on the Hawkesbury, opposite Richmond Hill, wife wounded — Master Rowe, North Richmond ,3 year old son of William Rowe, mother Mary wounded..

Sources

1. ↑ from "Land Grants 1788-1809 New South Wales,- Norfolk Island - Van Diemen's Land, Edited by R. J. Ryan, quoted in Biographical Database of Australia (BDA): No. 417 WILLIAM ROWE, 1795 May 15 Granted 30 acres opposite Richmond Hill at the upper part of the River Hawkesbury in the district of Mulgrave Place. Rent: 1 shilling per year commencing after 10 years. https://www.bda-online.org.au/mybda/search/biographical-report/10011060001?f=william&l=rowe&ol=&i=3&s=&p=
2. ↑ Gapps, Stephen. The Sydney Wars : Conflict in the Early Colony 1788-1817, Sydney, NSW : NewSouth Publishing, 2018.
3. ↑ Gillen, Mollie, The Founders of Australia : A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet, 1989.

• colonial secretary’s Office fiche 3267;9/2731. P50
• Australia history.wordpress.com
• nla.gov.au
• Www opc.cornwall.org- Cornwell Marriages
• familysearch.org
• history of first fleet
• Scarborough 1788

See also:

• William Rowe : First Fleet, Cornwall OPC https://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/emigrant_pdfs/rowe_william_1787.pdf
• Catie Gilchrist, “Mary Rowe: At What Price Theft?” St. John’s Online, (2020), https://stjohnsonline.org/bio/mary-rowe,
• Community Contributions, Convictrecords database https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/rowe/william/133374
• The First Fleet Register sourced from Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources, University of Wollongong http://firstfleet.thruhere.net/convict.php?id=606
• Draft Hawkesbury Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Study https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/186450/AT1toItem1-Draft-Hawkesbury-Aboriginal-Cultural-Heritage-Study-GML-Heritage.pdf