Events 4 - The Crossing of the Blue Mountains

When Governor Macquarie arrived in 1810 and made his first tour to the farms along the Nepean it represented the outer extend of colonial settlement to the west of Sydney Cove. The Blue Mountains represented a difficult barrier to expansion. He encouraged any explorers to find a way.
A number of explorers made attempts to find a way over the mountains, but were often confronted by the high sandstone cliffs. The most celebrated crossing was that done by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson in 1813, who followed the ridge lines that the Aboriginal people used as their trading routes.
Macquarie then sent George Evans to survey the route and he went as far as the site of Bathurst. In 1814 he commissioned William Cox to build a road across the mountains, which he managed to complete in just 27 weeks. Macquarie drove over the road in a coach in 1815.

Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth see the other side

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1813_crossing_of_the_Blue_Mountains

The local connection to the crossing was that Castlereagh and Emu Plains was often the staging area for the crossings. Gregory Blaxland, who lead the successful expedition had his farm nearby at St Marys, while William Cox was something of a local and also built the church and parsonage for Henry Fulton.
Lieutenant Hobby again appears as the overseer of the convict gang building the road and often in charge of construction. He becomes a trusted friend of Cox and a Hawkesbury pioneer landholder.
Aborigonal leader, Yarramundi's son Colbee works as the native guide for the road construction and helps smooth the way with the local Gundungarra people. For this and other work as a guide he is the first native to receive a land grant from a grateful Governor Macquarie.

William Cox

Event 3 - The Rum Rebellion

After the departure of the marines, who had accompanied Arthur Philip, the NSW Corps was charged with maintaining security and order for the colony. Unfortunately they soon used that power for their own benefit and made life difficult for a succession of governors.
Rum and other alcohol become the currency of the day and the NSW Corps gained a monopoly on it, thus being called the "Rum Corps" by the colonists. The handing out of large land grants to officers, the control of grazing stock and grain also added to their power.
When Governor King tried to place some controls on the Corps, he met strong opposition. The English authorities decided to sent Naval hero William Bligh out as his replacement in 1806 to restore control to the Governor and reduce the power of the Corps. He met even stronger opposition from leaders of the Rum Corp including the wealthy and influential John Macarthur, a former member of the Corps.

William Bligh

The dispute reached peak in 1808 when troops commanded by Major George Johnston entered Government House during a dinner party and arrested Bligh. Until the arrival of Lachlan Macquarie in 1810, the Rum Corps and John Macarthur ran the colony as they wished; handing out favours to their supporters. Both Macarthur and Johnston were tried for the insurrection, but received little punishment. Both returned to amass their fortunes in NSW.

Painting of Major Johnston proclaiming the overthrow of Bligh

http://www2.sl.nsw.gov.au/archive/discover_collections/history_nation/terra_australis/rebellion/

Most farmers along the Hawkesbury-Nepean supported Bligh, as he had distributed grain stores to the families during floods, against the wishes of the Corps. The local link to the rebellion comes mainly through Reverend Henry Fulton and former Corps Officer Thomas Hobby.

Fulton was having dinner with Bligh when the troops entered Government House. He was put in detention and stopped from preaching by the Corps. He went to England in 1810 to give evidence on behalf of his friend Bligh.

Hobby had been in the Corps and taken part in the trading ring. Governor King had accused him of sedition and he left the Corps, but still involved himself in their activities. After the arrest of Bligh he and other supporters tried to get farmers in the Hawkesbury-Nepean to sign a letter of support for the rebellion. They managed only four signatures.

Events 2 - Vinegar Hill/Irish Rebellion

The 1804 uprising by Irish convicts has been variously referred to as the Irish Uprising and "The Battle of Vinegar Hill 2". This is because its roots were in the Irish Rebellion in Ireland in 1798 where the first Battle of Vinegar Hill took place.

In 1804 about 200 mostly Irish convicts rebelled in the area of Castle Hill, raided farms for weapons and made a stand at Rouse Hill where they fought an ill-fated engagement with soldiers and their supporters under the command of Major George Johnston.

The insurrection was crushed quickly by Johnston, when he dishonoured a flag of truce in meeting with the rebel leaders;  instead overpowering them and scattering the ill-equipped rebels. The ring leaders were then quickly tried and executed.

Depiction of "Vinegar Hill Two"

The rebellion was mostly led by political prisoners from the Irish Rebellion of 1798, who had been transported to Australia. Their main aim was to escape back to Ireland to continue the struggle against English rule there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Hill_convict_rebellion

There were people in Castlereagh who took both sides of the battle. Irish Catholic ex-convicts like James McCarthy had great sympathy for the rebel cause. His wife Ann came to the colony on board a ship containing many of the rebels.
McCarthy was a friend of Father Harold, who was also transported for his part in the Irish Rebellion. He in turn knew the Reverend Henry Fulton, as they both came to the colony on board the "Minerva"as political prisoners.

Some of their neighbours played a part in defeating the rebels at Rouse Hill, however. Thomas Francis (1764-1820), who is buried in the Old Anglican Cemetery, was of the "Active Defence Force" that defeated the rebels; while Lieutenant Thomas Hobby played his part in raising the alarm against the rebels as he rode back to Parramatta to muster the troops.

Events 1 - Aboriginal Wars

Contrary to earlier histories, the Darug people fought wars of resistance against the British, who had taken over their lands. Low levels of resistance and reprisal throughout the period 1790 to 1816 saw some notable spikes in fighting.
* The year 1790 saw the "Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars" that contained the "Richmond Hill Battle" of 1795.
* 1797 saw the "Battle of Parramatta", where Pemulwuy and his supporters attacked and burnt farms. Pemulwuy was a greatly feared warrior who was believed to have supernatural powers, but was killed in 1802 and his head sent to England.
* From 1799 to 1805 unrest continued in the Hawkesbury and Parramatta areas in what was called "The Black Wars".
In 1800 settlers near Windsor murdered two Aboriginal boys as a reprisal for the death of a farmer. They were tried and convicted, but in the continued fighting they were released to defend their farms and no punishment took place.
After a period of calm, fighting began again in 1816 in what is called "The Cumberland Plain Wars". There were Aboriginal attacks in the south-west and at Mulgoa, as well as Kurrajong. The most infamous incident was the "Appin Massacre" where soldiers killed a large number of native men, women and children. Peace began with Macquarie meeting Aboriginal leaders at Parramatta in December 1816.

http://www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au/west/1790s

http://www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au/west/1800s

A depiction of Pemulwuy

Many of the soldier/settlers at Castlereagh would have been involved in battles with the Aboriginal people. While the Mulgowi and Boorooberongal were considered mostly peaceful they often bore the brunt of reprisals from attacks by other groups. There is a contemporary account of an "Aboriginal Hunt" undertaken by local land owners to rid the area of Aboriginal people.

Lieutenant Thomas Hobby was the officer in charge near Windsor when the two Aboriginal boys were murdered and gave evidence at the inquiry where he gave some excuse for the men's actions.

The Locals 4 - The Henry Fulton and The Ropes

At Site 4 in the Old Anglican Cemetery can be found the graves of some of the early pioneers of the district. People such as the Fields, the Hadleys and Harris families are amongst the headstones.
Most of the burials here were conducted by the Reverend Henry Fulton (1761-1840).

Fulton was implicated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and transported for life to NSW, along with some of the rebellion leaders. He was guarded by Lieutenant William Cox, who would later become a friend and build the first road over the Blue Mountains, as well as many prominent buildings around the Hawkesbury.

From 1800 he performed services as chaplain and was put on a salad, and later pardoned. He was a friend of Governor Bligh and was at Government House when the "Rum Rebellion" took place. He later was called to England to give evidence on Bligh's behalf against Major Johnston and the "Rum Corps".

As the district chaplain he performed the first burial of Mary-Ann Smith in 1814 and later started a school "The Castlereagh Academy" here - the first secondary school in Australia. He was also on the Board of the Native Institute at Parramatta and headed St Stephen's Church in Penrith.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fulton-henry-2074

Fulton and McHenry memorial

The family vault contains Henry, his wife Ann, son-in-law, John McHenry and two of his sons. The local Henry Fulton Public School honours his place in our history.

First Fleeters - Anthony and Elizabeth Rope were great survivors. They escaped hanging, survived times in English prisons; the hazardous voyage to Australia and the first years of the colony when food was scarce. They struggled to get by, but eventually gained land and supported  their expanding family, while living to an old age. Ropes Creek and the new suburb of Ropes Crossing are named after them.

http://www.ropepulley.org/index_files/Convicts.htm

The Ropes Graves

The Locals 3 - John and Ann Harris; John Single and Charles Hadley

At site 3 we can view properties that have intertwined the lives of the Landers, Harris, Hadley and Singles families. Family properties - Landers Inn, Hadley Park, Nepean Park and Minnaville have been significant local landmarks, and it is only Minnaville that does not stand today.

Minnaville before demolition

John Harris (1771-1838) arrived as a convict on the Second Fleet (1789). He joined the NSW Corps in 1801 and after leaving it he received his land grant on the Nepean, which he called "Minnaville".
Ann Harris (1773-1835) arrived as a free settler pregnant to her convict husband Benjamin Cook. He died on the voyage in 1800, but in 1801 she married Antione L'Andre, a French prisoner of war, who was to establish the colonies first vineyards. They called themselves Landers and had 4 children. One son built and operated Landers Inn.
After Antione died from a centipede bite in 1811 she married John Harris and had two children.

Landers Inn stables in its "hay" day

John Single received his grant in 1803 and had the convict farmer Charles Hadley assigned to him. They became friends and John asked the Governor to pardon Charles, stating what a gentleman and hard worker he was. John Single was to build the substantial Georgian House  on his property he called "Nepean Park".

Nepean Park circa 1822

Charles Hadley tried to get a land grant, but in the end was helped by Ann Harris to acquire the grant of Martin Mince. She bought it for 50 pounds one day and sold it to Charles the next for the same price.
Charles built the two story house "Hadley Park' between 1811 and 1821.

Hadley Park circa 1812

Many of the families graves can be found in the Old Anglican Cemetery on Church Street. The newer Christ Church (1878) on the hill was built by John's son, Joseph Single on land owned by Ann's son, James Landers who had married Charles daughter, Ann Hadley…. the family connections continued with the children!

Christ Church 1878

The Locals 2 - James McCarthy, Samuel and Rosetta Terry

The suburbs of Cranebrook and Mount Pleasant bare the names of two large farms that were located in the area. They illustrate how clever and/or industrious men could become very successful after arriving as convicts.

James McCarthy (1772-1851) was granted "ticket-of-leave" and 100 acres from Governor King. When he died he had expanded his farm to 470 acres. He was a devout Catholic, who secretly held Mass with Father Harold in his home. In the early colonial period Catholics were not permitted to practice their religion by the authorities.
When his daughter died in 1806 she was buried on the property and later other Irish Catholics had their burials on his property. This is considered the first Catholic burial ground in Australia.

McCarthy's Cemetery

Samuel Terry (1776-1838) came to Sydney as a convict in 1800, but within twenty years he was the richest man in the colony. After his sentence ended he acquired inns and ran them successfully. In 1810 he married the widow Rosetta Marsh who also ran successful businesses. The two then bought many more hotels, houses and land. They ran milling, brewing and shipping businesses.
Their most valuable farm became "Mount Pleasant" on the hill here, where they built a large house in 1820 with an outlook to the river. The farm stretched more than 1000 acres from Llandilo to the Nepean River.

Portrait of Samuel Terry

The importance of the two men is recognised not only in the suburbs, but both have a school named after them. Samuel Terry Public School is at Cranebrook, while McCarthy Catholic College is at Emu Plains.

The Locals 1 - John Lees and Edward Field

Both John Lees and Edward Field were soldiers in the NSW Corps, who received land grants from Governor King. They were neighbours at Site 1 where the Upper Castlereagh Church stands. Both married convict women - John to Mary and Edward to Elizabeth. Both then had large families to support.

Edward Field (1768 -1826) was to be the better farmer and despite losses from floods he achieved a modest level of prosperity. He had blacksmith skills that were employed by other farmers in the district. He and Elizabeth are buried in the Old Anglican Cemetery and so are several of their descendants.

John Lees (1777-1836) was initially held back by his love of alcohol, but after an incident involving a snake he became a devout Christian man. He devoted a "sacred acre" of his land to build a chapel in 1817, that became the first Weslyan (Methodist) church in Australia. He and Mary were first buried in the Old Anglican cemetery, but later moved to a position near his church site.

Lees grave in foreground 

Important People 4 - Governor Macquarie

Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived in NSW at the end of 1809 and replaced William Bligh after the tumult of the "Rum Rebellion". He is regarded as the most successful of the early governors through his  reforming of the administration and embarking on a program of developing roads and public buildings.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/macquarie-lachlan-2419

Portrait around 1819

In 1810 he undertook a tour of the western and south-western areas of the colony. During this trip he initiated and named the four "Macquarie Towns" - Windsor, Richmond, Wilberforce and Castlereagh.

He was concerned with the state of the farms along the Nepean and the frequency of flooding, so he ordered that Castlereagh township would be established on the higher ground to the east. William Cox was commissioned to build the church and parsonage for the Reverend Henry Fulton on Church Street.

Original street plan for Castlereagh

The town didn't succeed as soil quality and water were an issue and farmers preferred to remain near the river. Church Lane, Church Street and the old cemetery are reminders of its location.

During his visit Macquarie also met some of the Aboriginal people and was determined to improve their lot. He invited Aboriginal leaders to a feast at Government house and set up the Native Institute at Parramatta.  Yarramundi of the Boorooberongal people sent his young daughter to be educated there and she became a real trailblazer for her people.

Part of his expansion program was to find a way over the Blue Mountains and he rewarded Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth for finding a way over them. He commissioned William Cox to build the first road over and travelled on it in 1815.

Important People 3 - Governor King

Settlement near the Nepean River was thin and disorganised prior to 1803. The area was viewed as prime agricultural land and some settlements may have occurred at "Birds Eye Corner" on the major bend of the river.
Settlement accelerated with Governor King surveying the area and handing out land grants along the river between present-day Penrith and Agnes Banks. Most of the best blocks were given to ex-soldiers as an inducement for them to remain in the colony, but many grants were also given to enterprising convicts, who often proved the better farmers.

Map of grants along the Nepean

Governor King was very successful through grants like these and other reforms in making the colony largely self-sufficient in food production. The fencing of the land, however, inevitably led to conflict with the traditional owners. A number of conflicts occurred during his time along the Hawkesbury-Nepean.

Philip Gidley King

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/king-philip-gidley-2309

Important People 2 - Arthur Phillip and Watkin Tench

Captain Arthur Phillip led the First Fleet to Australia and established the colony as its first Governor. He faced the difficult first years and tried to establish good relations with the Aboriginal people with only mixed success. He was generally successful in moving the colony toward sustainability before returning to England in 1792.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/phillip-arthur-2549

Portrait of first Governor Phillip

Captain Watkin Tench undertook a number of explorations for Governor Phillip to the south-west and west of the colony. He discovered the Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers. He established relationships with local tribes and wrote descriptions of their lives.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/tench-watkin-2719

Portrait of Marine Captain Tench

Governor Phillip and Tench came out to the Nepean and Hawkesbury area in 1791 where they met Yarramundi the "Chief" of the Boorooberongal people.

Important People 1 - The Mulgowi and Boorooberongal

0. Prior to 1789, the land district around Castlereagh and the Nepean River was the territory of a number of neighboring Aboriginal groups, the Mulgowi (Mulgoa), who lived on the Nepean River between present day Mulgoa and Castlereagh, and the Boorooberongal who occupied the land north of Castlereagh to beyond Richmond. Castlereagh was a middle ground, the boundary line between the two groups. Both belonged to the larger language group of the Darug, which extended from the sea to the mountains, taking in much of the Sydney basin.

0. Both groups were hunter-gatherers, relying on the river and the forest land around it for food, shelter and other resources. Their diet included fresh water fish and shellfish, eels, possums (as their main source of protein) and kangaroo which were hunted in organized drives, often involving a number of groups coming together. Edible yams, berries and fruits were also collected, mainly from the rainforest valleys to the west of the River in the mountain foothills. As food sources were seasonal, groups moved around their territory to access the resource. In autumn eels were plentiful in the swamps and eddies of the river, while in summer when food was plentiful a number of groups would come to the River to take advantage of it.

0. 
   

   

   using fish traps in the river

   
   

0. The river also provided other resources beside food. The gravel deposits that would later be exploited by miners and quarry workers, were also important to the Aboriginal people of the area. The main source for stone material in the Sydney region was the Nepean-Hawkesbury system and the associated tributaries. Chert and silcrete were used for small tool manufacture, such as scrapers, while the profusion of basalt pebbles made the area ideal for making axe heads and chisels. The Mulgoa who made these tools traded them for goods with other Aboriginal people throughout NSW.

0. 
   

   

   Stone axes made from river gravels

   
   
   Information from Penrith Lakes Scheme—Conservation Management Plan, September 2010 
   

Site 4 - Old Anglican Cemetery on Church Street

Not much remains of Macquarie's planned town of Castlereagh today apart from some of the street layout and the original cemetery. The church, glebe house and academy are no longer, but many of the graves of the colonial pioneers can be seen in the cemetery.
Notable burials here are the Fulton and McHenry families, as Henry Fulton was the first minister for the area and John McHenry the first Magistrate. John was also Henry's son-in-law.

Fulton/McHenry Monument

Fulton is notable as a teacher and established what was known as the "Castlereagh Academy" - the first secondary school in Australia!

Castlereagh Academy

Anthony and Elizabeth Rope were First Fleeters who survived the privations of the voyage and early settlement to live fruitful lives. The Herbert family plot are descendants of another first fleet married couple.

The Ropes Graves

A number of the families of original land grant families are here. Two of note are the Fields and the Hadleys and are found near the entrance to the cemetery. The grave of Ann Harris has important links to the district pioneers.

Ann is buried with her granddaughter

Site 3 - Near Landers Inn

This site next to the Landers Inn complex on Castlereagh Road gives a good viewpoint of a number of important colonial sites. The inn (1840's) was originally a two story coaching inn halfway between the settlements of Penrith and Richmond. It may have been called "Oddfellows Inn' and run by James Landers, the son of Antoine DeLandre ( a French prisoner of war) and Ann Harris. The sandstone stables were for the horse teams of coaches.

Coaching stables

Original Inn before fire destroyed top storey

To the south-west can be seen two significant colonial homes. Closest is Hadley Park, which can claim to be one of Australia's oldest homes. The land was bought from Ann Landers (Harris) in 1811 and the property established by Charles Hadley.

Hadley Park homestead

Further south is the substantial white Georgian house called "Nepean Park". It was built in 1822 by John Single and remains in private ownership.

Nepean Park

Looking up to the higher ground south-east can be seen Christ Church circa 1878. It was built to replace the original church on Church Street where Governor Macquarie set the site for the town of Castlereagh (Site 4).

Christ Church

Site 2 - Cranebrook and Mount Pleasant

The suburbs of Cranebrook and Mount Pleasant were named after the adjoining farms created after the 1803 land grants of Governor King.
"Cranebrook" was the farm of James McCarthy, an Irish Catholic convict transported in 1793. He was a successful farmer and secretly conducted Catholic mass in his home. His daughter Elizabeth was buried on the farm in 1806, in what became the first Catholic cemetery and oldest surviving burial ground in Australia.

McCarthy Cemetery near Penrith Whitewater

His neighbours farm "Mount Pleasant" was owned by another ex-convict in Samuel Terry. He became a phenomenal success and together with his wife Rosetta Marsh expanded the farm all the way to the river. When he died in 1838, he was the richest man in the colony!

Line of olive trees where Mount Pleasant farm was.

The village of Cranebrook grew to justify the building of a school in 1882. It is today a private home as a new school has been built nearby which is called Samuel Terry Public School.

1950's photo of Cranebrook School

Site 1 - Upper Castlereagh Church complex

The first site we visit on the Stage 3 Excursion is the complex of buildings and cemetery at the Uniting Church. It sits at the end of Old Castlereagh Road, at the western end of the Regatta Centre.

The site was part of the 1803 land grant given to John Lees, an ex-soldier of the "Rum Corps". He devoted an acre of his land for the building of the original church in 1817. The current stone chapel replaced it in 1847.

Stone Methodist Chapel 1847

Also at the site is the old school hall that is used for church and community meetings.

Hall and Cemetery

John Lees grave 

Near the hall is the grave of John Lees, after it was moved from the Anglican cemetery at Church Street.

Across the road is the Upper Castlereagh School and residence built in 1878.

Upper Castlereagh School 1878

Introduction

This blog is designed to support the Stage 3 History school excursion program to Penrith Lakes Environmental Education Centre. It will contain entries on the fascinating people and events that make up the early colonial history of the area around Castlereagh in Sydney's west.

In the period 1789 to 1840 this area stretching along the Nepean River at the foot of the Blue Mountains was the frontier of the English penal settlement. The local Aboriginal people of the Darug nation found themselves in conflict with increasing numbers of settlers. These settlers were a mix of men and women who came as convicts, free settlers and soldiers.

Their stories cover most of the important events of the early colonial period around Sydney. The posts on this blog will allow students and teachers to gather background to meet the learning outcomes of the Australian Curriculum and to better appreciate the excursion program that goes with it.

Hadley Park Colonial Homestead Circa 1812

I have used multiple sources for the entries within this blog. Most entries are in my own words unless acknowledged as a quote. This blog is for educational purposes only and is specifically aimed at students in Stage 3 (Years5-6). Older photos and paintings are borrowed from multiple websites and are subject to copyright in may cases.

References.

1. "Pioneers of the Castlereagh Anglican Cemetery" 1995 - published by The Friends of Castlereagh Cemetery.

2." Castlereagh Cultural Landscape Study" 1999 Briton and Morris for PLDC
3. 'Darug to Dungaree - A history of Penrith and St Marys" White and Murray

4. Australian Dictionary of Biography - http://adb.anu.edu.au
5. A History of Aboriginal Sydney - http://www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au
6. A History of Penrith Lakes - http://penrithlakes.com.au/history-of-penrith-lakes