FF THOMAS HEADINGTON Convict‘Alexander’(c1763?-1798)

- this story is under review by Membership Team

Born 1763 Bray, Berkshire England., the son of Richard and Elizabeth Heddinton, and baptised at Bray on 30^th October 1763.

He was tried at Abingdon and then sentenced to seven years transportation on 4^th July 1785.

He had been suspected of ‘having broke open a bureau at Bray  and stealing there about six or seven Pounds in Cash in a bag also a Wooden Dish with a great many Halfpence and Farthings; amongst which was a remarkable crooked Farthing and two large Silver Spoons.

An unskilled labourer, Headington was sent to the Ceres hulk by mid 1786, age given as 18 years but more likely he was 23 years old, and delivered to Alexander on 6^th January 1787.

He is then noted as going on HMS Sirius to Norfolk Island on 4^th March 1790.

However,the Norfolk Island Victualling Book, 1792-1796 also has Thomas Eddington as arriving on Norfolk Island aborad HMS Sirius,but a check of the shipping musters shows Thomas actually arrived on Norfolk Island aboard HMS Supply in March 1790, embarking in Sydney on 5 March and. disembarking at Cascade on 13 March 1790

Here at July 1791,he was supporting three, on a Sydney Town one acre lot, having cleared 52 rods and felled 26 rods of timber.* Note a rod is an old English measure of distance equal to 16.5 feet (5.029 metres), with variations from 9 to 28 feet (2.743 to 8.534 metres) also being used. It was also called a perch or pole.

He shared a sow with Susannah Milledge (or Miller aged 24- Lady Juliana) in February-Thomas is now 28 years

Thomas aged 28 years married Elizabeth Thompson, aged 43 years Convict Lady Juliana1790 , they were one of the many couples married by Reverend Richard Johnson in November 1791 on Norfolk Island.

Elizabeth Thompson with Elizabeth Scott was sentenced to seven years transportation on 19^th July 1788 at Northumberland Assizes for theft of 20 yards of printed cotton, 26 yards of calamanco cloth and 12 yards of linen cloth from two linen drapers’ shops at Alnwick. They had robbed at least one other shop in the town before they were arrested near the head of Cannongate Street after shopkeepers realising that the women were shoplifters went in search of them with the help of a constable. Both women were held in the country gaol until the 16^th April 1789 when they were sent to London for embarkation on the Lady Juliana transport. Thompson’s age was given as 41 years

Eight week after landing in Sydney Elizabeth was among 194 mostly female convicts sent to Norfolk Island aboard the Surprize in August 1790.

She was issued a pig under Major Ross’s plan to encourage as many convicts as possible to become self-sufficient.

By 13 July 1792 Thomas, now a ex-convictand Elizabeth were settled on Lot 59 ,a land grant ofof 12 acres(some eleven plough able) which was made official on 30 December 1796and  of which more than five were cultivated by October 1793.

In June 1794 Elizabeth Thompson was recorded as a convict, married, off stores with one child (Margaret born 16^th November 1792) supported by Thomas Eddington, settler.

Thomas died 13 January 1798 Norfolk Island, age 40 years, survived by his wife Elizabeth and two children Margaret (1792) and John (c1796)

His headstone today stands in the Norfolk Island Cemetery Kingston.

In 1805 Elizabeth who sentence had expired was noted as being off stores

On 30^th December 1806 Elizabeth Eddington was credited with sixteen pounds 5 shillings for the sale of sheep before leaving for VDL, with Margaret aged 15 and John aged 10 years.

Margaret aged 16 years in 1808became the mistress to Lieutenant Governor David Collins and had two children John(1808) and Eliza(1809), both baptised at Hobart on 14^th January 1810

Margaret died in Hobart on 19^th January 1822, after a marriage to Capt John Piper (Free Settler Pitt 1792)

Her brother John died in Hobart in 1869

Elizabeth lived in Hobart from 1811 until her death on 10^th April 1839 aged 92 years

The Fellowship of First Fleeters installed a FFF Plaque on Thomas Headington’sHeadstone on 6^th March 1980.

The FFF Plaque was removed by Norfolk Island Authorities between 2010 & 2013.

Refer FFF Web Site:http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au/graves.html

Under FFF Plaque 13 – Installed 6^th March 1980for

FF THOMAS HEADINGTON Convict‘Alexander’ (c1763?-1798)

Compiled by John Boyd 2020

Sources:

-The Founders of Australia by Mollie Gillen p170

-Dispatched Down Under by Ron Withington p45 &46

-The Second Fleet by Michael Flynn p567 &568

-The First 100 Land Grants, Thomas D.Mutch Index,

-Women off the Stores 16 June 1794 Norfolk Island TNA, CO/201/10, p199&200

- www hmssirius.com.au by Cathy Dunn- thomas-eddington-heddington-headington-convict-alexander-1788