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William John Faddy
Marine
Introduction by Isabel Graham:
(William Faddy’s g/g/g
granddaughter):
"The Faddy Family: the Early Beginnings.
'Every story must have a beginning and some may say an
ending. This family history has two beginnings and
hopefully has no ending. The first tangible insight
into our early ancestry took place in far off Ireland,
in the 11th century'
(PJ).
Some six hundred years later the name Fadahay became
Faddy. There is a long history which has been well
documented. Our ancestor Peter Fadahay was
fighting in the Battle of Lestoz (1742) with William,
Duke of Cumberland, and was injured in the leg. The
Duke sent the Prince (then known as Peter, Count
of Taaffe) to St James Palace in England to be
cured. While there Peter met and married 'an English
girl of royal blood'
(PJ).
Their firstborn child was called William after the
Duke. He became William John Faddy, a marine
officer in the First Fleet to Australia. There were
eight children as a result of the Prince's marriage to
the English girl. William John and his English wife
Martha Johnson had three children…"
1.
WILLIAM JOHN6 FADDY (PETER5
FADAHAY, NICHOLAS4, JOHN3,
JOHN2, WILLIAM1)
was born 1746, and died 1 August 1798. He married
MARTHA ESCOTT JOHNSON abt. 1765. She was born abt.
1750.
William John Faddy
became a Second Lieutenant of Marines in the Royal
Navy. MG: "He had a fair amount of sea
service before going to NSW with the First Fleet. His
commission as Second Lieutenant 88th Company was dated
20 July 1780, but he is found with that rank on HMS
'Champion' (from 'Repulse') on 9 March
that year... On 25 November 1780 he went to 'Medway' for
a month and to 'Crescent' from Plymouth headquarters on
15 January 1781, thence at the end of 1783 to 'Leander.'
"On 18 February he was transferred to the
54th
(Plymouth) Company, and on 18 November
he married Martha Escott Johnson, daughter of an Exeter
grocer. Their children included: Amelia (1785),
William and Peter (twins, born 1783? both baptised
1787). On 30 April 1787 Faddy was officially
instructed to go with the Fleet on 'Friendship', which
he already entered on 9 March."
Isabel Graham
wrote (November 2005): "On the transport ship
'Friendship' with him was Second Lieut. Ralph Clark and
Captain James Meredith. The ship was much smaller than
the ten other ships, only 275 tons. The surgeon on the
ship was Dr Thomas Arndell. Francis Walton was the
ship's master."
MG
continued: "On the voyage and during his years in NSW
and at Norfolk Island, (William) Faddy
was often drunk and quarrelsome, though perhaps no more
than most of the other marine officers" (MG,
page 123). Accounts of conditions on the ships, or at
Sydney Cove and Norfolk Island during times of near
famine, with concern about ships and supplies, show that
there was plenty to cause emotions to vacillate and
relations with others to move from boredom to antagonism
(ED, page 447). "Those with no strong moral
convictions for temperance found diversion or solace in
gambling, rum... and other activities."
After leaving Teneriffe on June 10, 1787,
Lieutenant Ralph Clark wrote an entry in his diary on
his wedding anniversary, June 22. Feeling the
loneliness of separation from his "adored Alicia",
that evening "he, Dr Arndell and Lieutenant Faddy
had a drinking party, and sang until ten o'clock at
night" (Clark, ME, page 63).
Another day "a convict woman,
Elizabeth Barker, brought 'allegations' against the
doctor, Captain Meredith, and Lieutenant Faddy",
for which she was punished.
Clark goes on to say "Faddy
cannot sleep for the bugs, but Clark thanks God he is
free of them" (Clark, ME, page 64). January
3, 1788 "brought sharp gales, seals, and a triangular
quarrel between Meredith, Faddy and Clark"
(Clark, ME, page 89). At one point William
Faddy insulted Ralph Clark to the point where the
latter asked for a court marshal to clear himself, but
was persuaded to accept an apology, giving up several
points "on account of his (Faddy's)
Young Family". On 4 January 1788 Clark wrote a
glimpse of the social life in the "Friendship's" mess:
"The mess mates drew for something that could not be
divided; there were three prizes and a blank. I was the
most lucky; I drew the filtering stone" (for
filtering water?
Note:
The claimed
connection from Taaffe through Fadahay to Faddy
has not been viewed in available records, although one
document shows the Fadahays as being "Dukes of Taaffe in
Ireland. (W.G.).
Perhaps a "dripstone" as in Colleen
McCullough's novel of Richard Morgan, "Morgan's Run").
"The doctor drew the mustard pot and Mr Faddy
a rotten pumpkin, Capt. M. the blank. Capt. M. and Mr
Faddy had some words again. Mr. F. is the most Selfish
Grumbling and bad hearted Man I was ever Mess mates
with, I am glad he is going to leave our mess when we
get to Botany Bay..." (MG, and ME,
page 89).
"At Norfolk Island, however, where both
men had been sent in March 1790
(Clark by 'Sirius', Faddy by 'Supply') Clark
took Faddy's part in the altercation between him
and Lieutenant Robert Kellow, which led to a duel in
July 1790." With the increase in "mutton-birding",
supplies of other (salted) meat was reduced, then
stopped altogether, and other foodstuffs depleted.
Strife developed mid-1790.
"Lieutenants Faddy and Kellow quarrelled, and
Ross (a thorn in the side of many, according to
ED, page 447) refused to sit at table with
either, for one had lied to him... An inquiry put the
blame on Kellow..." Regarding this incident, JR
adds that the other officer "was sent back to
England. Many years later Mary Steeper (daughter of
Sophia Faddy from her first marriage to ?? Hopkins)
was shown Faddy's paddock where the duel was
fought."
In March 1791 a Captain Hill arrived in
Norfolk Island with a fresh detachment of 21 men.
Received with enthusiasm, he soon became an enemy of the
"establishment". Quarrelling with Major Ross, he also
"did not speak to Lieutenant Faddy for ten
weeks" (ME, page 335). Clark "ended his
NSW association with Faddy on good terms. On 26
November 1790, Faddy was nearly drowned in a
boating accident while going to Phillip Island to shoot
birds. Their boat was upset in the surf.
He lost his gun, greatcoat and cap, the boat's crew
losing all their clothes and fishing lines (MG,
also ME, page 331). "Faddy returned to
Port Jackson by 'Queen' in December 1791" (MG).
"Lieut Faddy was given a grant of
land, which we understand was where the Domain now is.
My father tried to find the document, because if written
on parchment it was still legal; but he could find no
trace of it. After waiting for over twelve months for
word from his wife, who refused to come out here, Lieut.
Faddy gained permission to return to England"
(JR).
He sailed to England by "Gorgon". On 18
April 1793 he was "commissioned First Lieutenant 76th
Company, and served on the 'Royal Sovereign' in 1794.
He was promoted Captain Lieutenant on 24 July 1797. On
31 December that year he went on 'Vanguard', where he
served until his death in action on 1 August 1799 at the
Battle of the Nile" (MG).
Major Peter Faddy (PF) wrote to
his nephew Sam: "Of (Peter Fadahay's) sons, my
father William, you know was killed on board Lord
Nelson's ship the 'Vanguard', at the Nile on 1st August
1798, being a Captain of Marines."
He died insolvent, mostly (according to
his wife) because his years in NSW had ruined his
private affairs. Mrs Faddy, however, found a patron in
Admiral Nelson.
On 11 December 1803 she was thanking
Nelson for orders that sent her son William to "Renard",
and five letters pay tribute to Nelson's friendship.
Children of WILLIAM JOHN FADDY and MARTHA
JOHNSON are:
2. i. WILLIAM7
FADDY, b. 8 January 1783; d. September 1810.
2. ii. PETER FADDY, b. 8
January 1783.
2. iii. AMELIA FADDY, b. 1785.
Sources:
Letters, books, photos and certificates
supplied by Isabel Graham. Other reference books, and
Family Tree Maker
(11)
Database, supplied and filed by Warwick Grace,
Fellowship of First Fleeters, South Coast Chapter, Nov.
2005 and 2013.
Note by Warwick Grace (W.G.):
Books or letters quoted (with code for author):
Molly Gillen (MG):
"The
Founders of Australia",
p. 123;
M.B. Eldershaw (ME): "Phillip
of Australia" (A&R, 1972);
see also Jonathan King: "The
First Fleet" (MacMillan, 1982);
Eleanor Dark (ED) novel "The
Timeless Land" (Imprint, 1940).
References to PF are to a letter
from Major Peter Faddy, Indian Army, 1862.
JR
refers to Jessie Robertson's letter, 1974.
Another letter was by Phillip Johnson, in
1990 (PJ).
The Descendant Chart is based on Bruce
Manuel's list (BM), edited for a direct line to
Isabel Graham (nee Faddy).
Warwick Grace # 6496.1
Member of the South Coast Chapter. |
