Over 85 illustrations - maps, documents, photos
and lifestyle paintings. The reproductive clarity of
most illustrations is quite outstanding and a credit
to the printer.
Example illustrations from the early days of Port Dalrymple
Thomas Massey and the first 50 years
of Launceston Tasmania -Biography
Portion
of
an
Early
Map
of
North
Eastern
Tasmania
showing
the
settlements
that
made
up
Port
Dalrymple
-
York
Town
and
George
Town,
either
side
of
the
harbour
mouth
and
Launceston
at
the
junction
of
the
North
and
South
Esk
rivers.
Ringed
is
the
location
of
the
principal
landholdings
and
homes
of
Thomas
Massey,
on
the
South Esk River, from about 1823. Principle roads are shown.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-230643911
Location map of this story
York Town, Port Dalrymple, Van Diemen's Land 1808.
As seen from the opposite bank of the Tamar estuary, three years after
establishment.
Copied around 1810 by J Lewin from an original work by G P Harris Deputy
Surveyor at Port Dalrymple.
In
the
early
days
of
settlement,
before
the
steam
driven
circular
saw,
housing
timbers
and
weather-boards
were
either
split
from
very
straight
grained
logs
or
more
commonly
sawn
over
a
pit
using
a
long
2-man
ripsaw,
with
one
man
guiding
the
saw
and
pulling
up
from
above
(the
topnotcher)
and
the
second
man
in
the
pit
pulling
down.
There
were
several
variations
on
this
idea,
but
on
flat
ground
it
was
easier to roll a heavy log over a pit than lift it onto above ground trestles.
Early settler’s cottage - made from ‘pit sawn’ local timber - York Town, Port Dalrymple.
Very likely similar to Thomas’ and Ann’s first home in the settlement.
Not
all
timber
splits
readily.
The
skill
in
splitting
is
selecting
a
straight
grained log of a suitable species.
Most early huts and homes were built of sawn or split timber.
“Having a spell”
Artist J. A. Turner
The best dogs could outrun a kangaroo. Artist: J. A. Turner
(Artist - William Owen, England 1769 - 1825)
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Colonel William Paterson - Portrait 1799.
William
Paterson
FRS
(1755-1810)
was
at
heart
a
botanist.
Born
in
Scotland
he
trained
in
hoticulture
in
London
and
started
his
working
life
collecting
specimens
in
Cape
Colony,
South
Africa,
for
Mary
Eleanor
Bowes,
the
wealthy
Countess
of
Strathmore.
Paterson
published
an
account
of
his
expeditions
in
Narrative
of
Four
Journeys
into
the
Country
of
the
Hottentots
and
Caffraria
(1789),
[see
Google
books].
Mary
lost
control
of
her
fortune
to
a
new
husband
who
refused
to
pay
Patersons
expenses.
Disgruntled,
impoverished
and
bitter,
Paterson
joined
the
army
as
an
ensign
–
the
lowest
rank
of
commissioned
officer.
He
served
in
India.
In
1789
he
was
gazetted
Captain
in
the
New
South
Wales
Corps,
probably
through
the
patronage
of
Sir
Joseph
Banks.
He
corresponded
with
Banks
and
rose
to
second-
in-command
of
the
NSW
Corps.
In
1798
he
was
gazetted
lieutenant-colonel
and
elected
a
fellow
of
the
Royal
Society.
King
appointed
Paterson
lieutenant-
governor.
On
occasions
Paterson
found
himself
Acting
Governor
of
the
Colony
-
a
position he disliked and tried to avoid.
Silver
Plate
Goblet
that
family
tradition
states
was
given
to
Thomas
Massey at the time of his reinstatement by Governor Macquarie.
In
view
of
the
circumstances,
this
gift
seems
highly
likely.
Perhaps
it
was
a
Wedding
Present.
There
is
no
hallmark
or
makers
mark
-
the
goblet could have been locally made.
At the time of writing the goblet was still in possession of the family.
Macquarie Goblet - said to be given to Thomas Massey 1810
© Rutherford J Browne 2018
This site and book are protected by copyright. All or parts of it may not be copied or disseminated in any way
without the permission of the copyright owner. You may copy, reference or quote small sections of the work as long
as due acknowledgement is made.
To His Excellency Lachlan Macquarie Esquire
Captain General and Governor in Chief in and
over His Majesty's Territorys of New South
Wales and its Dependencies. &c. &c. &c
May it please Your Excellency,
I make bold to
apologise for the liberty of troubling your
Excellency with this address, but my stay
being wished on this Colony, that I most
humbly solicit your Excellency that you
will be pleased to renew the lease of my
House. I have been at a great expense to
The amount of £200 and by leaving it at
an uncertainty will be a great disadvantage
to me, previous to this Your Excellency is
not unacquainted with the inconveniences
that I have met with, I hope Your Excellency
will be so condescending as to comply with
the request above stated.
I remain with due
Respect Your Excellency's humble
obedient and devoted Servant at
Command, Thomas Massey
Jan 22 1810
Thomas Massey
1810 Memorial to
Macquarie requesting
renewal of the lease of
his house. He refers to
the fact Macquarie is
“not unacquainted”
with his case.
The letter may have
been written by a
“hired pen”, but the
handwriting is similar
to that on the back of
his daughter’s mirror
in 1839 and suggests a
good education .
At the time of writing
this request, Thomas
would appear unaware
of his reinstatement.
Thomas Massey Memorial to Macquarie of 1810
5. 1810 Macquarie quells Rum Rebellion
Third Governor of New South Wales 1800-1806.
King
likely
knew
Thomas
Massey
from
the
six
months
they
spent
together
on
the
Voyage
to
Australia
in
1791.
King
as
a
passenger,
but
a
trained
Naval
Officer,
used
to
assessing
men,
and
Massey
as
a
convict,
pressed
to
serve
as
a
member
of
the
crew.
It
is
unlikely
that
Thomas,
with
his
training
as
a
soldier,
went
unnoticed.
Thomas
received
rapid
preferment
under
King,
receiving
a
conditional
pardon
in
1800, the year King became Governor of NSW, and a full pardon in 1802.
It
was
probably
King’s
personal
choice
to
promote
Thomas
to
the
Post
of
Chief
Constable of the new settlement at Port Dalrymple.
Governor Philip Gidley King
The third and final move to the Ben Lomond district
The three stages of establishing a new holding: ( Artist J.A. Turner)
1. The raw arrival. 2. Some simple comforts make a big difference.
3. Happy in a home for all seasons. Gardens and fruit trees were an important
feature for Thomas.
10. 1822-1846 Evolution of Massey landholdings