The Summerell Story

           On 13th August 1803 Charles Summerell  appeared in the Somerset Summer Assizes, England,. charged with stealing ,( on 9th October 1802 ,) a grey gelding worth 10 pounds ,.property of Thomas Hunt. The offence was committed at Nailsea (near or part of Bristol) He pleaded not guilty.  Charles was sentenced to hang but he was reprieved and the sentence was commuted to 14 years transportation to the east coast of New South Wales.Australia. Sailing from England on the 28th of January 1806.,….Charles arrived in Sydney on the  12th of July 1806 as a convict aboard the ship " Fortune 1 "  A voyage of 165 days . 260 convicts embarked with 256 disembarking following the death of 4 .  The "Fortune 1" was under the command of Henry Moore . Fortune's muster of convicts was mixed with the muster of Alexander. These transports were to sail with a ship commanded by William Bligh, who was going out to become governor of NSW.  

In 1820 Charles  petitioned Governor Macquarie for a land grant as his sentence had expired in 1817. It is unknown whether he received the grant. On November 24th 1825 Charles was granted his official certificate of freedom. At this time he was 47 years old, had a dark ,sallow complexion,. black to grey hair and dark eyes and was 5'6" tall. His certificate stated that he was a native of Gloucestershire and was a pin maker by trade, although his court case stated that he was a labourer. 

O the 15^th of July 1815 Charles(31) married Mary Webb (21) at St Johns in Parramatta. They were married by the Reverend Samuel Marsden.  Mary was also a convict ,.having arrived on the “Wanstead” in 1814 . Mary Webb, Amelia Maton and Mary Smith ,.all single women stole "one piece of printed cotton of the value of 1 pound 12 shillings ..from the shop of Thomas Gibbs in the Parish of Christ Church (Southwark) in the county of Surrey" on 19th of Feb 1813. Convicted at Surrey Assizes on 29th March 1813 to 7 years transportation. She was a nursemaid on arrival and was age 20. On the 13^th of January 1814 ,only a few days after her arrival , Mary was on a list of women prisoners from the “Wanstead” sent to Parramatta.

Their first child – Ann was born  April 1^st 1815 in Parramatta . Christened 16^th April 1815 also at Parramatta. Anne married Joseph Wicks in 1833. 

The next child was a son – William ,.born 17^th April 1817 ,Parramatta.  (christened 28^th Nov 1821). William eventually settled in the Bombala/Nimmitabel area where he died in 1896.

George was born on the 3^rd of May 1819 ,.but his birth wasn’t registered until 1824, at Liverpool.
George was a shepherd on Black Springs Station.  In 1852 George married Ann Roach at “Nimmitybelle”.  They produced ten children before Georges death on October 24^th 1878 at Bombala. It is believed that George died of cancer. Although Georges marriage and death certificates used the name Summerell, his present day descendants use Summerill.

The fourth child was Charles (1821-1889) . was baptised Charles Sommerell  by the Reverend Thomas Reddall at St Peters Campbelltown. Charles is listed in the 1828 census as living with his parents.

John was the 5^th child (1824-1898)   born at Cowpastures (Camden) ,.died at Bombala. John never married.

The sixth child was Jane . Jane married James Bales and produced 14 children and many more descendants before her death in Temora in 1912. 

James Summerell was born in 1828 in the Lake Bathurst area ,…his two marriages produced 19 children…most of whom settled in the Bombala area.

Henry  was born in 1831 ,.the eighth child of Charles and Mary .

Mary Anns birth was  registered in 1833….as was her sister Elizabeth – children 9 and 10 of Charles and Mary.

It is not known when Charles died but we know that it was after 1845. Any info on his death or burial would be most appreciated. Mary (Webb) Summerell died 14^th August 1836.

CATHCART PIONEER WALL 

Summerrell

In memory of the Summerrell Family

Charles

His wife

Mary Webb

Convicts

Their children and the seventeen children of their son James and his wife Emily Williams who spread out across the Monaro.

 Their son Jim a blacksmith who pioneered bullock shoeing at Cathcart with his brother George and the thousands of their kin who now reside around Cathcart or who have radiated futher across this land of Australia