George Best

  General Notes:

George Best was convicted at Maidstone, Kent, on the 15th March 1790 for stealing a watch. He was sentenced to death but this was later changed to transportation for life, he arrived in New South Wales on the 28th August 1791 on board the "William and Ann".
George spent his early years in the colonyon a prison farm at Toongabbee where he became overseer and seedsman, after only five years of service he was granted a pardon on the 1st May 1797.
George's wife Martha was also a convict who had arrived on the "Indispensible" in May 1796, they married in 1797, and settled on a 30 acre grant along Seven Hills Road which was purchased in the early 1920's for the construction of the Masonic homes, this building is still being used by community groups in the district.
George and Martha raised a large family, all born in wedlock and all soundly educated. Although uneducated themselves they sent some children to a boarding school in Sydney and engaged private tutors for the others. Such luxuries were possible because George was one of the most successful farmers in the colony.
In 1832 the family had established a pastoral station on the south bank of the Murrumbidgee River where Wagga Wagga now stands, working it in conjunction
with the properties at Seven Hills and Yass. This station along with others in the area in 1835 were in trouble for illegal "squatting" because the region was beyond the Nineteen Counties, the "limits of location" prescribed by Governor Darling in 1829.
George also participated actively in the life of the colony, as a leading emancipist he gave evidence before the Bigge Commission, 1819-21, and returned to England in 1823 on the schooner "Sally" to give further evidence.
Records show that when George died in 1836 he owned 3155 acres, some at Seven Hills and the rest in the Yass district.

  Noted events in his life were:

• source. Brian & Lee-Anne Kenane (nee Moloney) & http://www.easystreetretreat.com.au/australianroyalty where it is noted:
On 24 Nov 1789 he burglarised the home of William Cheeseman the elder in East Peckham, Kent, and stole a watch, its case, chain and key as well as a steel seal. The indictment records that he was a labourer of the Parish of East Peckham. He was tried at the Lent Assizes in Maidstone Kent in 1790 and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to transportation for life.
He was transported aboard the ship 'William and Ann' which sailed from Plymouth, Devon, England in 1791 and arrived in Sydney on 28 Aug 1791 as part of the Third Fleet. The master was Ed. Bunker.
George received a conditional pardon in 1800 and an absolute pardon in 1804.

• fact. George Best was born in 1757. He was a farmer in Sussex, England. On 24 November 1789 he burglarised the home of William Cheeseman the Elder in East Peckham, Kent, and stole a watch, its case, chain and key as well as a steel seal. The indictment against George Best records that he was a labourer of the Parish of East Peckham, however, a contemporary newspaper reported that George Best had to be brought by a writ of habeus corpus from Surrey to face the charges laid against him in Kent. George Best was tried at the Lent Assizes in Maidstone, Kent, in 1790 and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to transportation for life. Martha Chamberlain was indicted for steeling various items of clothing about 10:00pm on 23 May 1795 from the room of John Cox at 22 New Compton Street, St Giles, London. Her accomplice, John Jones, was also indicted. Martha Chamberlain was committed to Newgate Goal and tried at the Old Bailey, 1 July 1795. Martha was sentenced to transportation for seven years. John Jones was also transported. George Best arrived in Sydney 28 August 1791. By 1793 he had become the taskmaster/overseer at the Government Farm at Toongabbie. In 1796 he received his first grant of land, 30 acres at Toongabbie. In 1797 George Best became the father of a son by Martha Chamberlain, a convict who had arrived in Sydney 30 April 1796. George and Martha were married on 17 September 1797. George Best received a conditional pardon in 1800 and an absolute pardon in 1804. The 1828 census shows George Best as holding 805 acres, of which 70 acres were cultivated. He also owned 19 horses, 340 cattle and 1,140 sheep. In 1832 he appears to have been running an Inn in his home at Toongabbie. Martha Best nee Chamberlain died 14 March 1833 and George Best died 3 July 1836. They are buried together in the burial ground of St John's, Parramatta. Transported for life arrived 1791 aboard the William and Mary. Convicted at Maidstone Kent 1790

• connection. ⁵⁴⁵ Maureen Clare Feher's connection to me is as follows:

Maureen Clare Blower (1952) married Le Grand Feher (1954)
Her father is Cyril Blower (1919) who married Berenice Best (1924)
Her father was George Best (1888)
His father was Benjamin Best (1853)
His father was Robert Best (1812)
His father was George Best (1758) who married Martha Chamberlain (1778)
They had Thomas Best (1799)
He had Mary Best (1820) who married Daniel Brien (1817)
His father was 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)

George married Martha Chamberlain on 17 Sep 1797 in St Johns C of E, Parramatta, Sydney, NSW Australia. (Martha Chamberlain was born on 6 Nov 1776 in St Giles, London, Middlesex England ²⁵⁰, christened in May 1796 on board the 'Indispensible' (Convict), died on 14 Mar 1833 in Seven Hills, Sydney, NSW Australia and was buried in Mar 1833 in St Johns C of E Cemetery, Parramatta, Sydney NSW Australia.)