Mary Carter (Stevens) Lees, Convict "Earl Cornwallis" 1801

Arrived in Australia on 12 June 1801 as a convict on board the ship "Earl Cornwallis"

Mary was born at Somerset, England. At the age of 21 when she was convicted at Leicester Court in Somerset District on 28th March 1799 of stealing goods to the value of 30 shillings from Thomas Andrews. She was sentenced to be transported "beyond the seas" for the term of seven years. Mary arrived in N.S.W. on the ship "Earl of Cornwallis" on 12th June 1801. The 784 ton ship had 193 makes and 93 female convicts on board. 27 males and 8 females died during the voyage of six months.

On hear arrival, Mary was assigned to John Lees as a domestic worker. It was customary for army corps officers and men to have a convict assigned to them as a servant and then be freed on servitude on marriage. John and Mary married on 20th November 1809 at Penrith Church of England. At the time of their marriage, they had five children with a further five children being born after the marriage.

Their children were:-

Maria 7/9/1802 - Died 30/11/1819

Hannah 25/6/1804 - Died 1874

Richard 10/8/1805 - Died 15/11/1891

John 19/9/1807 - Died 22/12/1848

Mary 27/9/1809 - Died 1877

Esther 12/1/1812 - Died 1875

Samuel 20/4/1818 - Died June 1818

Timothy 19/12/1815 - Died 1878

Sarah 20/4/1818 - Died 26/5/1855

Cornelius 25/7/1820 Died 8/3/1886 (Grandfather of Rachel Hope)

Not long after settling on their land, their house burnt down leaving them without shelter, possessions or clothing. Mary was expecting thier second child, Hannah at the time. She was born four months after the fire in 1804.

They made an approach to the Governor who supplied clothing and immediate necessities from the Government Store.

In a colony where rum was used as a currency, consuptions of it was widespread. As an ex-member of the infamous NSW corps, John would have celebrated the births of the children in the usual fashion. Richard was born next in 1805.

In March 1806, the Hawkesbury River burst its banks in a massive flood, destroying crops and harvest reserves of the previous year. It was recorded that John had lost 5 bushels of wheat and, lost 4 acres of corn. He was recorded as having a wife and three children at the time.

When the land began to produce again, many people were still dependant on Government Stores, but John and Mary and the children were keeping themselves.

A new Church of England church, St Phillips, was built in Sydney and the family patronised it with the baptisms of Maria, Hannah and Richard (Maria for the second time) on 5th January 1806.

The next two children bore the names of their parents, John Jnr was born 1807 and Mary in 1809; the year the river flooded again.

In 1809 John and Mary were moved to legalise their relationship. Marriages were not performed widely up to this period for several reasons, including the day to day struggle to exist, the lack of clergy or priest, and the preoccupation of successive governors with more urgent matters.

Marriages were done in this fashion: Couples marrying by banns had thier intentions announced for three consecutive Sundays in the church, giving time for anyone knowing of any reason why they should not be married, to inform the minister. For John and Mary, the banns had been called, and they were the eleventh couple to be married in the new church. Mary, baptised the previous day, had her name entered under baptisms of illegitimate children.

In 1810 the first in a series of caterpillar plagues destroyed crops of wheat, barley and vegetables. The plagues reoccurred every few years, John and Mary would have had to deal with this problem.

Upon the arrival of Governor Macquarie, and the resulting smooth running of the colony, Mary finally received her Certificate of Freedom on 5th Janyary 1811. It had been due in 1806 but the problems of th ecolony had with some governors and administrators during this period had been responsible for the delay.

In 1812 Esther was born and baptised 3 weeks later along with brother John Jnr at St Matthews, Windson.

The farm had begun supporting livestock when Samuel was born in 1813. He was also baptised at St Matthews, Windson.

There were few incidences of childhood diseases in hte colony at the time and thier rural existence made them least likely to contract them.

The arrival of mail from home (England) would have been advertised in the Sydney Gazette by the Post Office. The news may have been old but the letters would have been thoroughly read. John had some literacy and could sign his name but Mary signed her name by her "mark".

Produce from the farm was bartered locally whilst the bulk of the crops was sold to the Government Stores.

Mary gave birth once more, to Timothy, in 1815. He was baptised at the local Church of England in Castlereash.

John's addiction to strong drink was affecting his health and threatened his family, farm and possessions until an encounter with a snake and an awakening to his mortality. John then became the spiritual one and Mary remained the practical one. The baptising of thier children before marriage and the church wedding indicated a basic belief in God before John's dramatic conversion.

John build the first chapel onto their home, and a new spiritual life invaded the family. Mary did not share John's zeal, in fact opposed it when she ordered a servant to milk cows on a Sunday. John took the servant to court for working on the Sabbath and the magistate ordered that the "master's" orders were to be obeyed, thus overruling Mary. Nevertheless, she supported him over the years in giving subscriptions to the misionary cause.

It appears that with the arrival of Mary, John was a very hard working man and was assigned two convicts who helped to clear the remaining of his 454 acres.

He built a "lean-too" on the side of the house in 1817 measuring 24 feet by 12 feet to house his ten children. It was build from split slabs and iron bark and shingles made from white gum and box timber found on the property. It was also used as a church meeting place. A substantial church was started in 1819 on two acres of land set aside by John Lees for the church and a market garden for the church. The church measured 28 feet long by 14 feet wide by 12 feet high. and was build of brick. This was a community effort.

In 1820 Richard, at the age of 15, took over the running of the farm til his death in 1891. Cornelius, at the age of 15, was assistant to Richard after his father died in 1836.

John Lees and some of his family moved to Sydney on 2nd October 1827 where he suffered a stroke. He returned to Castlereagh where he was bedridden for 7 years. He died on 28th August 1836 aged 65 and was buried at St Johns Church of England, at Castlereagh.

After her return from Sydney, Mary nursed John til his death and concentrated on management of three farms. She lost interest in the church as she had enough to do until her death on 26th July 1839

GEDCOM Note

<p><p>Mary Stevens</p></p><p>http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&amp;guid=0b02633f-7768-4c3f-b8...</p>

GEDCOM Note

<p>Notes For Mary,</p><p><p>Written by Jenny Wellington</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Mary was sentenced at Ilchester Court during the Somerset Lent Circuit hearing on 28th March 1799 to "Stealing Goods val. 30/- of Thomas Andrews". This was for 17 yards of printed cotton. She was committed by William Phelips clerk, for stealing 17 yards of printed cotton, property of Thomas Andrews, worth 3/9. Ilvelchester Goal. Listed in Goal Calendar for Lent 28-3-1799. She was sentenced to transportation for 7 years. She had been held at the Castle of Taunton. The sentence was confirmed at the Summer Circuit 1799 and the Lent Circuit the following year. She arrived in Australia on the "Earl Cornwallis" on 12 June 1801. The ship left England on 18th November 1800, master Jas. Tennent, and 193 male and 95 female convicts. 27 male and 8 female convicts died during the voyage.</p><p><p></p></p><p>Mary received her Certificate of Freedom on 5 January, 1811.</p>

GEDCOM Note

Convict Mary Stevens was sentenced for stealing 17 Yards of Printed Cotton in 1801, And was transportation to NSW 0n the ship " Earl Cornwell she meet and married John Lees Snr

Convict