Daniel Brien

   Another name for Daniel was Daniel Bryan.

  General Notes:

Little is known of Daniel's life before his arrest on the 7th February 1787 for stealing clothes from a girls boarding school. He was tried and sentence to death at the Old Bailey on the 9th February, copy of trial follows -

" 263. DANIEL BRIAN was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 7th February, one breakfast cloth, value 1s. fourteen shifts, value 30s. one white quilted petticoat, value 3s. one fannel petticoat, value 1s. one pair of stays', value 1s. one cotton gown, value 10s. a frock, value 2s. two other frocks, value 2s. three pairs of stockings, value 1s. three pair of sleeves, value 1s. the property of Susannah Walker, in her dwelling house.
SUSANNAH WALKER sworn.
I live at Clapton; I keep a boarding school for ladies there; on the 7th of February I lost the things mentioned in the indictment.
(Looks at the inventory)
When did you write that inventory ? ----- Two or three days after the robbery.
(The things enumerated)
COURT. From what part of the dwelling house did you lose them? ----- From the hall, about one o'clock in the afternoon; they were linen put up for the washerwoman; I had not seen them myself that day; I never saw the prisoner till at the public office.
JANE PROCTER sworn.
I live with Mrs. Walker, as a servant; on the 7th of this month, some linen was taken from the hall; I saw them flung down stairs into the hall, about one o'clock that day; I saw an account taken of them; and I know the particulars contained in the inventory were put in the bundle, and were the same as Mrs. Walker has mentioned; I saw them at Justice Wilmot's office; I opened the bundle there, and saw they were the things that were lost; I know nothing of the prisoner.
WILLIAM STYLES sworn.
I am a brick-maker; I was at work; and two young men came through the brick-field, one had a bundle under his arm; seeing somthing white under his arm, I thought it was a apron; it was between two and three o'clock on Wednesday 7th February; they were going towards Haggerston; we thought if we run after them they would run away, but we did run after them; and I took one of them by the collor; the other got the bundle; the prisioner came up the same lane to their assistance; he came up the same lane, and I ran past him; while I was disputing with the man I had hold of, the prisioner said, Jack, what is the matter ? come accross the road and give me the bundle, I will not be stopped, nor go back for any one; the prisioner said, Jack, go and fetch your mother, for these things are for her to wash; then we detained the prisoner at the officer's house at the Black Bull, at Haggerston, and the bundle; and in the evening we went to the Justice's.
COURT. The prisoner was not one of the first two ? ----- No
Did you see Mrs. Proctor that night ? ----- Not that night; the prisoner was committed that night; I did not see Mrs. Proctor till the Monday following.

THOMAS WILKINS sworn.
There were nine of us working in the field for Mr. Samuel Scott; on Wednesday the 7th February, between two and three, I saw two men coming across the field; and up the lane I saw something white like an apron, which was a large bundle under the arm of one of them; and we pursued them up the lane with the bundle; the last witness took the man that had the bundle, and the others ran away; then the prisoner came up the same lane, to assist in the lane where the other was stopped; the prisoner says, Jack, what is the matter ? come over the road, and give me the bundle, I will not be stopped by any body; the things are your mother's, and are going to be washed; he went to fetch his mother, but he never returned again; we took the prisoner and the bundle to Mr. Davis, at the Bull, at Haggleston, and then to the Justice with the bundle.
When was you before the Justice ? -----
On the Saturday, but nobody was sitting; then we went on the Monday morning, and then I saw Mrs. Walker; I never saw the prisoner, or the other lads before.
(The things produced and deposed to.)
__________ ARMSTRONG sworn.
COURT. You are one of Mr. Wilmot's Men ? ----- Yes.
Do you remember the prisoner being brought to the office ? ----- I did; I saw the prisoner and Mr. Davis going to the office in the morning, and in the evening of the 7th February, which was Wednesday, when I came to the office the things were open, and the Justice ordered me to take care of them, and I have had them ever since under lock and key.
MRS. WALKER. I looked over the things in the parlour at the Justice's; I knew them to be my property.
JANE PROCTOR. I looked over the things and know them to be Mrs. Walker's property.
__________ ARMSTRONG. I saw the prisoner and others near Shoreditch church this same day. the robbery was committed in company; and there was another that I knew well; they were going towards Hackney road; I saw the prisoner in the evening at Mr. Wilmot's office, and the things were there also; they laid open in the office; when I came the Magistrate took the marks, and they were advertised; and the lady came, and she owned them.
COURT. Did you see the linen in that bundle put up in the presence of DAVIS ? ----- Yes, I have had it ever since under lock and key; they were looked over by the lady and the maid; I was not present; it was requested that nobody but the ladies might be in the parlour; they were delivered back to me in about a quarter of an hour after.
COURT TO WILKINS. Davis opened the bundle in his own house ? ----- Yes.
COURT TO MRS. WALKER. Do you remember this bundle being taken into the parlour ? ----- Yes, it was brought in by the officer; I opened the bundle and looked over the things, and I believe them to be my property.
MRS. PROCTOR. I was present in the parlour, and know the things.
COURT. When you had looked them over were they put in again ? ----- Yes, they were tied up again; all those that I looked at; Armstrong had the bundle.
PRISONER'S DEFENCE.
I was going across the field, and two men were coming past; I thought I knew one of them, and I saw these three men run after them; I ran up to see what was the matter; I said, Jack, what is the matter ? he said, he had some things to take to a washerwoman for his mother, and these men would not let him; and I said, I will take care of the things while you fetch your mother; he went away, and never returned; and they kept me.
The prisoner called one witness to his character.
GUILTY, DEATH
Tried by the second Middlesex Jury before Mr. Justice GOULD"

Then after spending two and a half years at Newgate prison, his sentence was changed on the 9th September 1789 to seven years transportation. He was transferred to the hulk Dunkirk at Plymouth, and on the 27th March 1791 sailed from Plymouth on board the Salamander bound for New South Wales.

Upon arrival in the colony of NSW the only recorded record of Daniel was that on the 4th March 1792 Daniel was a witness at the marriage of Thomas Smith and Mary Martin at Parramatta. When Daniel's time expired in 1796 we think he settled at Seven Hills. He did sign a Declaration of Loyalty to Governor Bligh in 1808, and was made a constable in 1810. On the 5th February 1811 Daniel was granted his ticket of freedom, and in 1821 he was granted 110 acres at Seven Hills.

On the 29th January 1821 Daniel married a convict girl called Ann Parker at St John's Parramatta, they were married by the Rev Samuel Marsden. Ann who was convicted at Exeter Court on the 29th July 1806, for larceny in a dwelling house at Tamerton Foliot, was sentenced to death at the age of 17 years, this was later changed to seven years transportation. Ann arrived in NSW on the Sydney Cove on the 18th June 1807.

The November 1828 census of NSW shows that Daniel had 300 acres - 50 cleared / 50 cultivated, plus 5 horses and 97 cattle. In addition he had one servant and two labourers working for him.

When Daniel died in 1837, he owned several farms on both sides of Meurant's Lane at Parklea, and the State Soccer complex at Parklea has been built on land which was owned by Daniel at the time of his death. To date, no record has been found of Daniel's burial place.

After Daniel's death Ann married a William Henry Smith. He was tried twice for the death of Ann, who fell, or was pushed into an open fire. He was found not guilty on both occasions.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Immigration, 21 Aug 1791, On Board 'The Salamander' (Convict).

• Occupation: Settler/Farmer/Orchardist.

• source. & Nola Jackson

• connection. Daniel Brien (1769) & he also had Sarah Jane Brien (1825) who married Benjamin Warby (1825)
His father was also Benjamin Warby (1805)
His father was John Warby (c1767) & he also had Elizabeth Warby (1802) who married James Layton (1804)
They had Eleanor Layton (1821) who married James Keighran (1808)
They had John Joseph Keighran (1845)
He had Joseph William Keighran (1879)
He had Leslie William Keighran (1904)
He had Mary Keighran (1927) who married Mervyn Collins (1925)
They had Les Collins (1950) who married me Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

Daniel married Mary Ann Parker (Alias Wilcox), daughter of Edward Wilcox and Ann Parker, on 29 Jan 1811 in St Johns C of E, Parramatta, Sydney, NSW Australia. (Mary Ann Parker (Alias Wilcox) was born on 10 Apr 1789 in Bow, Devonshire England, christened on 10 Apr 1791 in Devon England, died on 13 Jul 1865 in Seven Hills, Sydney, NSW Australia and was buried on 15 Jul 1865 in St Johns C of E Cemetery, Parramatta, Sydney NSW Australia.)