FF THOMAS LUCAS Marine ‘Scarborough’ (c1759-1815)

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 Thomas Lucas enlisted as a private marine in the 23rd Portsmouth Company. in 1786.He was a former glazier and he went to NSW on the Scarborough- He was noted during the voyage as leaving Marine John Easty’s mess on 1^st September 1878 and falling down a hatchway.

At Port Jackson in 1788 he served in the company of Captain John Shea (Scarborough) and also worked in the colony as a glazier. He was about 29 y/o.

On 29^th December 1791, a son Thomas by Ann Howard (Convict- Lady Juliana), age given as 28 y/o in 1789 at embarkation, was born and baptised on 29^th January 1792 in Sydney.

Ann Howard born in London in 1758was indicted for stealing, on the 8th day of December 1787 , one corded dimity petticoat, value 3 s. two muslin aprons, value 4 s. a child’s laced cap, value 10 d. the property of John Reader .
The prisoner went to nurse the prosecutor’s wife, and carried away the things the next day, and the petticoat was on her; she was taken directly.

GUILTY .Transported for seven years .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Recorder.

Ann was transported on the Lady Juliana part of the second fleet leaving Portsmouth during July 1789 arriving at Port Jackson during June 1790.

In December Thomas enlisted in the NSW Corps as a corporal and after several years of marine duty in Sydney he went to Norfolk Island in October 1794 by Daedalus, with Ann and son Thomas

They married in 17^th August 1801, by which time they had four children. The reason why Thomas and Ann had not married earlier was the Rev Fulton did not arrive at Norfolk Island until 1801 when their marriage was legalised and their children baptised.

On the Island he worked as a glazier and painter. He also cultivated his 60 acre land grant, acquired live-stock and built a two storey shingled dwelling. In 1808 it was decided to abandon Norfolk Island and resettle the free settlers and convicts in Tasmania.

So Thomas and Ann with their four children, Thomas, Richard, John and Nathaniel left Norfolk Island in 1808 on board the City of Edinburgh and settled at Browns River later named Kingston where they received a land grant of 42.25 acres cleared and17.75 acres uncleared: later he held 530 acres.

Thomas aged 56 years died on 29 August 1815 and was buried at St David’s Hobart

At his funeral the Masonic Lodge performed their ceremonies over a brother mason at the graveside.

Rev. Robert Knopwood was the Officiating Minister who entered the following details in his diary for that day;'1815-1st September.

At 3.00pm I buried Mr. Lucas from Browns River. He has been a marine that came out when the settlement at Port Jackson was formed, then became a settler and went to Norfolk Island.There he remained till the island was evacuated; most of the settlers came to this colony. He was a Mason, and buried by the Brothers in masonic form.'

A few months later, on 14 December 1815, the eldest son Thomas married Elizabeth Blinkworth. The following year, 1815, the second son Richard married Elizabeth Green, a widow with two children.

In this period Ann apparently ran the farm with the help of her sons, supplying wheat and meat to the Government stores. Ann lived to see John married to Sophia Sherbud on 21 July 1824, but Nathaniel was still single in 1832.

Ann died, on 10^th June 1832, aged 74 and was buried beside her husband in St David’s Cemetery, the inscription on the tombstone reading:

THOMAS LUCAS, a Marine settler, who came from England
With his Excellency, Governor Phillip, at the first forming of the
Territory of New South Wales, who died 29^th August, 1815,
(aged 56 years).

ANN LUCAS, wife of the above, who died 10^th June 1832.

Complied by John Boyd 2020

Sources

-The Founders of Australia by Mollie Gillen

-Nathaniel and Olivia written by Rhonda Kroehnert and Betty Taber

- Geoff GRANT (Descendant of Nathaniel Lucas) - Article featured in the First Fleet Folio October 2004

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