Patrick (convict) Read

  General Notes:

source: Keith Shrimpton where it is noted:
Patrick arrived as a convict on the "Guildford" on the 1/4/1818

The Pragmatic Pioneers (Page 284/5/6)

ANCESTORS OF ANN READ

PATRICK READ.

Patrick was convicted in Dublin, Ireland, in June 1817, and sentenced to Transportation for Life. He was born in about 1793, his native place according to the information given on his death certificate, was County Meath, and his parents were James Read and Ann Riley. He was illiterate; he signed all known records with his Mark. Reed, Reid or Read, it was all the same to Patrick, so the spelling of his name varies according to the inclinations of the writer at the time. Patrick was buried as Read, so for the sake of convenience, the family is referred to as Read in this narrative, although this spelling may not appear as such in the original records. He sailed from Cork on the convict transport Guildford; this vessel arrived at Port Jackson on the 1st April 1818. The indents describe him as a labourer, twenty four years of age, five foot four and a half inches tall, dark sallow complexion, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

He was initially sent to the convict settlement of Port Macquarie, before being assigned as a convict servant to John Pendergast, a settler at Corowallis. John Pendergast arrived on the Minerva in 1800, and was by this time a solid citizen and substantial settler with six children, the youngest being twin daughters Bridget and Charlotte. He was apparently most unimpressed when his daughter Bridget formed a romantic liaison with his convict servant, Patrick Read. According to family legend, John Pendergast refused permission for his daughter Bridget to marry Patrick, which would explain why they did not marry until 1831, the year Bridget came of age. Bridget's brother James was apparently more sympathetic to their cause and by 1828, Patrick had a Ticket of Leave and was working for him, and Bridget and their first born son James, were all living on his property at Lower Portland Head. Patrick and Bridget eventually married on the 31st October 1831, the entry appears in the St.Albans Church of England Register.

In 1829, Patrick purchased a ten-acre farm on the Southern bank of the Hawkesbury, in the Parish of Cornelia, from John McCann. In 1838 he discovered that McCann in fact did not own the land, it was still Crown land. Having drained and fenced what he thought was his farm, and after a number of attempts to again purchase it, he was advised in 1842 that it must go up for auction. The purchaser at auction was Patrick's brother-in-law, James Pendergast. It would seem reasonable to suspect, that James was acting as an agent for Patrick and Bridget in this matter. Patrick was granted a Conditional Pardon in 1836.

The Reads had a total of fifteen children. It has taken years of research by a number of people to trace their eventual fate, and some are still not yet fully accounted for. After being married according to Anglican Rites, the Reads returned to the Church of Rome to baptise their children. The first five were baptised at St.Matthews Catholic Church, Windsor, all on the same day, 29th November 1835. Most of the others appear in the St.Joseph's McDonald River Register. Their first three children were baptised as Pendergast, as at the time they were born their parents were not married; they were therefore required to carry their mother's maiden name. Others appear in the registers as Reid, Reed, as well as Read.

Their children were -
James, born in 1827 at Lower Portland Head and baptised James Pendergast. He was still alive in 1872, but nothing more is known about him; Ann, born in 1829 at Lower Portland Head and baptised Ann Pendergast, died unmarried as Ann Reed in 1849; Bernard, born 1831 at Lower Portland Head and baptised Bernard Pendergast, married Mary Ann Cann at Wingham under the alias of John Riley and used the name Riley for the rest of his life and was buried in 1897 under that name; Margaret, born in 1833, married George (Hewitson) Riley in 1848 at Windsor, under the alias of Margaret O'Reilly; Sarah, born in 1834, married Francis Terence Smith in 1852 at Windsor and died at Inverell in 1926; Thomas, born about 1836, married Mary McCormick at Stratford, Victoria, in 1865, and died at Heyfield, Victoria, in 1916; William, born about 1839, is believed to have married Matilda Searle at Taree in 1864, under the alias of William Riley and to have died as William Riley at Dungog in 1902; Cathreen, born about 1836, married George the son of George Cavanough and Jane Gosper in 1867 at Windsor as Kate Reed and died at Yamba in 1925; Mary, born in 1843, her subsequent fate is unknown; Elizabeth, born about 1845, nothing more is known about her except that she was still alive in 1872, as was her elder sister Mary; Jane Sophia, born in 1848 and died in 1851; Patrick John, born in 1850, nothing more is known except that he was also still alive in 1872; Ann, born in 1852, married Benjamin Gosper as Ann Reid and died at Richmond in 1917; Louisa Bridget, born in 1855, married John Carroll in 1877 at Scone and died at Singleton in 1890; Charles Bartle, born in 1857 at Lower Portland Head, his subsequent history is unknown. He was still living in 1877, when he is a witness at the marriage of his sister Louisa.

Patrick Read died at Cockfighters Creek, Wollombi, on the 27th September 1872, at the grand old age of eighty years, and was buried in the same plot as his daughter, Louisa Bridget Carroll. Their final resting, place is the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Wollombi, where their headstone can still be found. Bridget eventually went to live with her daughter Sarah Smith at Inverell, and died there on the 28th August 1885.

  Noted events in his life were:

• connection. ⁹⁰⁸ The connection between Susan Smith and myself is as follows:
Susan Smith (c1960)
Her father is Ronald Smith (c1935)
His father was Ronald Smith (c1910) who married Emmiline Hicks (c1910)
Her father was Richard Hicks (c1880) who married Francis McKeogh (c1880)
Her father was John Riley (John Bernard Reed/Riley/Pendergast) (1831)
His father was Patrick Reed (1792) & he also had Cathreen Read (1841) who married George Cavanagh (1838)
His father was George Cavanagh (1807) who married Jane Gosper (1820)
Her father was Thomas Gosper (1798)
His father was Thomas Gosper (1768) & he also had John Gosper (1801)
He had Archibald Gosper (1842)
He had Amy Gosper (1872) who married William Shrimpton (1869)
His father was Richard Shrimpton (1826) & he also had Richard 3rd Shrimpton (1855) who married Susannah Jeffery (1857)
Her father was John Jeffery (1834)
His father was John Jeffery (1808)
His father was James Jeffery (1781) & he also had William Jeffery (1803)
He had James Jeffery (1837)
He had Mary Jeffery (1860) who married William South (1854)
They had Annie South (1891) who married Leslie Rice (1885)
They had Hazel Rice (1913) who married Emmett Whyte (1899)
They had Sandra Whyte (1943) who married Colin Parker (1936)
His father was Arthur Parker (1894)
His father was William Parker (1868) who married Martha Butler (1872)
Her father was Joseph Butler (1844) who married Elizabeth Roser (1844)
Her father was John Roser & he also had John Roser (1838)
He had George Roser (1868)
He had Charles Roser (1897)
He had George Roser (1923) who married Olive Elliot (1924)
Her father was Frank Elliot (1891) who married Doris Emery (1903)
Her father was Jack Emery (1867) who married Phoebe Davies (1876)
Her father was Joseph Davies (1852) & he also had G. A. Davies (1894)
He had Colin Davies (1925)
He had me Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

• emigrated: on the Guildford, Apr 1818, Australia. ¹⁰²² my name is Laurence Reid and i am the great grandson of patrick reed born co meath 1790-1794 convicted of burglary and sentenced to death but committed to life sent to australia arriving april 1818 aboard the guilford 3 he was in kilmainham gaol waiting sentencing in 1817-1818 i believe his mother was anne riley his father james reed

Patrick married Bridget Pendergast, daughter of John (convict) Pendergast and Jane (convict) Williams, on 31 Oct 1831 in St Albans C of E, NSW Australia. (Bridget Pendergast was born in 1810 in Cornwallis, near Windsor, NSW Australia and died on 28 Aug 1885 in Inverell, NSW Australia.)