Mary Ann Browning 1837 - 1909
Mary Ann Browning was my 5th great-grandmother who came to Australia through the Bounty Scheme in 1840. She later married ex convict Charles Bustard Bostock (See previous post) She was only 3 years old when her and her family made the rough voyage to Australia.
Mary Ann Browning was born on 3 September 1837 to William,
36, and Anne Littlejohn, 35. (See link for details on Browning Family) Mary Ann was her parents’ seventh child and the
last one to have been born in England.[1] There is much conjecture regarding the place
of Mary Ann’s birth. Throughout her lifetime, Kent, Bedfordshire, and
Launceston were listed on various documents as her place of birth.[2] At the time of her birth, her parents had
spent a few years relying on parish support and were regularly living in a poor house.[3] This would have been the last resort as
poorhouses were bleak places and were horrible by design. These institutions
were unhygienic, cramped and provided repugnant food. However, utterly
destitute people could find a place to sleep and eat.[4] The industrial revolution and recent war
were causing widespread poverty in England at the time, and many people could not
find stable employment.[5]
More tragedy struck the family in the first year of Mary
Ann’s life. In 1838, the family were back living in a poorhouse in Launceston,
Cornwall, when Mary Ann’s sister, Dinah, sadly passed away at the age of three.
Dinah’s death was most likely due to the unsanitary conditions of the
poorhouse.[6] Launceston’s economy was also greatly
affected when the local’s assizes were moved from Launceston to Bodmin. This
caused a domino effect as hundreds, or thousands of pounds spent in the town
from the visiting lawyers, judges and other court officials suddenly
disappeared from the economy.[7] All this hardship may have been the reason
for William and Anne to apply for ‘The Bounty Immigrant Scheme’. They were
prepared to make the unknown journey to Australia in search of a better life
for themselves and their children.
The Bounty Immigrant Scheme allowed settlers in New South
Wales to recruit workers from England by paying their passage. Once these
workers arrived, they were examined by a board set up by the colonial
government. If the workers passed this examination, the settler would be issued
a certificate that entitled him to claim back the money used to sponsor the
worker’s passage. Preference was given to skilled workers that these settlers
could use for their business or farm. The colony was also looking for healthy
couples with children, preferably daughters of marriageable age, as men
outweighed the number of women living in Australia.[8] The Brownings had two daughters of
marriageable age, which would have helped their application.[9] The Bounty Scheme often received criticism
that British authorities used it as a way to dispose of people who relied on
Parish support.[10] It seems likely that the Brownings would have
been encouraged to apply, so they were no longer the Parish’s responsibility.
William’s trade was listed as a gardener, and Anne listed her occupation as a
house servant.[11] The Browning Family’s application was
successful. Mary Ann and her family were bought out by the Australian
Agricultural Company, sponsored by a Mr Capper.[12]
Mary Ann was only three years of age when her family boarded
the ship Premier for the voyage to Australia. They set sail on 2 April 1840
from Plymouth, England. The eight members of the Browning family were among a
group of 153 bounty immigrants.[13] Just one week into the lengthy journey, there
was a measles outbreak. The outbreak continued for another five weeks and
unfortunately claimed the lives of 4 children. Willian and Anne would have been
anxious to avoid losing another child.[14] The journey to Australia was even more
difficult because the ship sailed directly to Australia. They endured three
months at sea, living in cramped conditions with little food to eat, without
stepping on land.[15] However, their experience residing in the
poorhouse may have steeled them for such a hardship.
However hard the journey was, it was not to be a boring one.
A fortnight before the ship arrived in Australia, there was a mutiny on board.
The crew went on strike after a confrontation between Captain Were and a crew
member. The Captain placed the man and three of his fellow ringleaders in irons
for the rest of the journey. The four crew members were charged and bought
before the Police Court on arrival in Australia. During the court case, James
Neilly, Chief Officer on board the ship, was deposed to give a recount of the
mutiny. He stated that the confrontation that led to the mutiny was between
crew member Hartwell and Captain Were, which began after the Captain called
Hartwell lazy and struck him. Hartwell was said to have struck him back,
leading to Hartwell being taken below deck. The other crew members took
exception with the treatment of Hartwell and, after some pushing and shoving,
took Hartwell back on deck. Captain Were then ordered for the men’s tea to be
thrown overboard. This did nothing to improve the situation, as the crew
members then refused to work. With no crew, Captain Were enlisted the help of
the emigrants to man the ship. John Turner, the surgeon aboard the ship,
testified to his versions of events. He reported that after some emigrants gave
aid to secure the ship for the night, William Browning was accused of telling
people that “bloody work would be the consequence if the immigrants persisted
in assisting the Captain.” He also stated that William spoke to him, wishing to
use his influence with the Captain to pardon the crew. John Turner provided
further testimony regarding the events that transpired while seeming to
underplay any fault of the Captain and himself. John Turner seemed determined
to paint William badly for standing up for the crew. He finished his testimony
with
“The conduct of
two of the immigrants, William Browning and James Leek, during the progress of
the mutiny, was most disgraceful - exciting their companions to add fuel to the
already ignited flame; their expressions were also very disgusting.”[16]
The testimony seems extreme as the only thing William was accused of doing was defending the crew. The colony’s legal system agreed with William, as the four crew were released without charge once Captain Were and his ship had left the colony.[17]
After 90 days at sea, the Premier arrived in Port Jackson,
New South Wales, on 1 July 1840. This was considered quite a good time for the
voyage from England. However, after all the excitement of the mutiny and the
measles outbreak, the Browning family would have been quite relieved to be
disembarking to start their new life in Australia.
See The Bostock Browning Family Group Sheet for details on Charles and Mary Ann's children.
We will cover the Browning family's years in Australia and Mary Ann's married life in a future post.
[1]
John T Spurway & Allen, Allison, Australian Biographical and Genealogical
Record – Series 1 1788 – 1841, A.B.G.R, Sydney, 1992, pp. 50-51.
[2]
Death registration of Mary Ann Cloghessy, died 12 July 1909, Railway Heights,
Casino, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriage, New South Wales, 08833/1909;
Birth certificate of Christopher Busteard, born 14 January 1860, Registry of
Births Deaths & Marriages, New South Wales, 12698/1860; Passenger List for
Mary Ann Browning, Premier,1840, State Records Authority of New South Wales,
Kingswood New South Wales, Australia, Persons on bounty ships (Agent's
Immigrant Lists), Series: 5316, Reel:
2134, Item: [4/4787], New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger
Lists, 1828-1896, Ancestry.com, accessed 19 June 2022.
[3]
Esme Smith, The Browning Story:
Tracings from the Past, Self-Published, Alstonville, 2001, p 5.
[4]
Jessica Brain, ‘The Victorian Workhouse’, The History of Britain Magazine
website, n.d,
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Victorian-Workhouse/,
accessed 18 June 2022.
[5]
Kieran Hosty & Berry, Bridget, ‘Convict Hulks’, Sydney Living Museum
website, n.d,
https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/convict-hulks,
accessed 19 June 2022.
[6]
Esme Smith, The Browning Story: Tracings from the Past, Self-Published,
Alstonville, 2001, p 5,
[7]
Peter Herring & Bridget Gillard, Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey –
Launceston, Cornwall County Council, Cornwall, 2005, p 26,
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/msqjwtre/launceston-main-report.pdf, accessed
20 June 2022.
[8]
Leone Huntsman, ‘Bounty Emigrants to Australia,’ Clogher Record, 2002, vol. 17,
no. 3, pp. 801–812, https://doi.org/10.2307/27699475, accessed 19 June 2022.
[9]
Huntsman, ‘Bounty Emigrants to
Australia,’ p 803.
[10]
Passenger List for Susan and Hannah Browning, Premier,1840, State Records
Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood New South Wales, Australia, Persons on
bounty ships (Agent's Immigrant Lists), Series: 5316, Reel: 2134, Item: [4/4787], New South Wales,
Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896, Ancestry.com,
accessed 19 June 2022.
[11]
Passenger List for William and Anne Browning, Premier,1840, State Records
Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood New South Wales, Australia, Persons on
bounty ships (Agent's Immigrant Lists), Series: 5316, Reel: 2134, Item: [4/4787], New South Wales,
Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896, Ancestry.com,
accessed 19 June 2022.-
[12]
John T Spurway & Allen, Allison, Australian Biographical and Genealogical
Record – Series 1 1788 – 1841, pp. 50-51.
[13]
‘Shipping Intelligence’, Commercial Journal and Advertiser, 4 July 1840, p. 2,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226455704, accessed 18 June 2022.
[14]
Esme Smith, The Browning Story: Tracings from the Past, Self-Published,
Alstonville, 2001, p 10.
[15]
Esme Smith, The Browning Story: Tracings from the Past, Self-Published,
Alstonville, 2001, p 10.
[16]
‘Police Court’, Sydney Monitor and
Commercial Advertiser, 9 July 1840, p 2,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32183831, accessed 18 June 2022.
[17]
‘Mutiny’ Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser, 4 July 1840, p 2,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3218374 , accessed 18 June 2022.
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