Mary A. Hardwick ^{394,850,1278,1280,1282,1294,1298,1302,1316,1317,1329,1330}

  General Notes:

Came over as a free settler on the Minorca with her husband.



Granted 70 Acres of land on the Nepean river (Royal Australian Historical Journal, Vol XVIII Map P234, Grant number 32). She was actually giver 30 acres, plus 20 for being married, plus 20 more for having 2 children. The land was bounded by
Stanyards, Westmores and the Nepean River.



Pierce, her husband, was assigned to her as a convict servent, and she recieved tools, seed and food from the government stores.



The area was known as Evan, but later known as Castlereagh after about 1811.



Mary started a school in 1805, the first in the Castlereagh area, and was listed in journals as a "Markswoman". This may have been the first school in Australia, and she charged 8 Pence for a five day week.

  Noted events in her life were:

• Residence, 1822, Australia. ^1278,1280

• Arrival: NSW Australia. ^1278,1280

• Baptism, 7 Jan 1770, St Leonard, Shoreditch, London, Middlesex England. ¹³²⁹

• Arrival, 1801. ¹³⁰²

• Residence, 1828, Bathurst, NSW Australia. ¹³⁰²

• Residence, 1820, Castlereagh & Evans, NSW Australia. ¹²⁸²

Mary married Pierce Brigginton Collits, son of Collits and Unknown, on 15 Nov 1795 in St Dunstans, Stepney, London, Middlesex England ^1294,1316.^,1317 (Pierce Brigginton Collits was born in 1765 in Thomastown, near Kilkenny, Ireland UK,^{1281,1302,1314,1321,1322} died on 19 Sep 1848 in Mt York, NSW Australia ^1281,1318 and was buried in Hartley Vale, NSW Australia ¹²⁸¹.)