James Bloodworth [Convict "Charlotte" 1788]

James BLOODWORTH was born 7/3/1759 England to Robert BLOODSWORTH and Ann BAKER. He married Jane MARKS 9/12/1782 Shoreditch, Middlesex

He was convicted of stealing a game cock and two hens and was sentenced to 7 years transportation. He arrived in Sydney Cove on the 26/1/1788 on "Charlotte". His wife and 4 children remained behind in England

James lived with Sarah BELLAMY and they had 8 children.

James died 23/3/1804 Sydney

James Bloodworth arrived in Australia with the First Fleet on the 'Charlotte' and was immediately appointed master bricklayer in the settlement at Sydney Cove. Since there were no architects in the fleet, he was largely responsible for the design and erection of Australia's first buildings, designing the first Government House, the storehouse at King's Wharf on the shore of Sydney Cove and many private houses. He was appointed Superintendent of brickmakers and bricklayers in September 1791. He was emancipated in December 1791 (the second person emancipated in the colony. He was made Sergeant of the Sydney Loyal Association in March 1802. He was so well regarded that when he died he was given a State funeral.

The Colony's First brick-makers When the First Fleet reached Sydney Cove in January 1788, a consignment of 5,000 bricks and 12 wooden moulds for making bricks was included in the cargo carried by the transport Scarborough. This token consignment was adequate enough to enable the first settlers to make a start on the colony's first buildings, until the location of a suitable site for brick-making could be found. A site deemed suitable for this endeavour would need to have a plentiful supply of clay and a ready source of fresh water. Approximately a mile from the settlement, at the head of a Long Cove and consequently so named, a suitable site for brick-making was located. This site was later named Cockle Bay, and, still later, Darling Harbour.

In March of 1788 brick-making began at this site under the instruction of James Bloodworth. The site was to become known as the Brickfield. The approximate area is at the lower end of George Street, now known as Haymarket. James Bloodworth was a bricklayer and he had knowledge of brick-making. He had been sentenced in Kingston upon Thames Local Court [Magistrates Court], to seven years transportation for forgery. He was placed in charge of a gang of labourers who were responsible for the erection of the first brick huts built by May 1788.

Notes taken from William Sheather's tree include: James Bloodsworth was probably the child of this name baptised at Kingst on on Thames, Surry, 7th Mar 1759, son of Robert and Ann Bloodsworth. He w as sentenced there on the 4th Oct 1785 to seven years transportation beyond the seas for an untraced crime. The house of Robert bloodsworth on Heaton Street (now Eden Street) was ass essed as unoccupied at 31 Dec 1785, as also was that of James Squire (q v) Until Ordered to "Friendship" on the 10th Mar 1787, Bloodworth was held at Southwark goal. No reason has been found for the sudden last minute dispatch to the first fleet of Bloodsworth and James Squire, who had been in gaol for 18 months when on the 31st March they were both marked by the contractors as not on "Friendship", as they did not appear on the list of Major Ross for " Charlotte" the transport that carried them to NSW, Australia Bloodswort hs Dispatch to the fleet may have been delayed while awaiting an answer (not so far traced) to a petition in mid November 1786, but it is clear that any request for "mercy" (in his case a free pardon) was refused. Bloodsworths skill as a brickmaker and builder gave him early recognition in the colony, He was employed in construction of the first Goverment House (First stone laid on 15th may 1788) in which governor Phillip was able to celebrate the Kings birthday on the 4th june 1789, This was followed by many more fine buildings. Bloodsworth was emancipated in March 1791 and on the 1st September he was appointed master bricklayer. James was the brickmaker for the Goverment house at Parramatta. Though now free to leave the colony, his devotion to Sarah Bellamy (qv ), by whom he had eight children to (four surviving infancy), may have kee ped him in NSW, Australia. The couple lived in a house in south street (today O'Connell Street) an on the 9th of December 1794 Bloodsworth received a 50 acre gra nt at Petersham Hill. By the mid 1800 Bloodsworth had 14 acres sown in wheat with 12 ready for planting maize, he owned three hogs, 32 goats, and a mare and foul. The household (himself, a woman and four children) was supported from public stor es, Two years later he was listed with 225 acres, having apparently purchased additional land. He had 34 acres cleared of which ten were about to be planted with maize and his stock included two horses and 11 hogs, While Bloodsworth, his four children and one servant were on stores, Sarah Bellamy and two other servants were off. Bloodsworth had became a sergant in the Sydney Loyal Association in 1802, and in 1803 he was offered employment in Van Deimens Land, the Lieutenant Governor David Collins saying that in his opinion Bloodworth alone had the skill to plan and construct buildings, family concernes caused him to reject the offer. Bloodsworth died on the 21st of March 1804 and was given an impressive public funeral, attended by many of the foremost residents of Sydney, with 14 female mourners, 24 male mourners, the non commissioned officers of the New South Wales Corps, as well as many spectators. The chief mourners were two sons and an infant daughter. Sarah Bellamy was executor of his estate.

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James was a master bricklayer and builder and was responsible for the design and building of Sydney's first buildings.

http://australianroyalty.net.au/individual.php?pid=I55053&ged=purne...
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bloodsworth-james-1798
http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/bloodsworth-james-1798
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bloodsworth
http://www.convictrecords.com.au/convicts/bloodworth/james/126780
http://www.australian-english-genealogy.com/James%20Bloodworth.html