Mathew Hughes (abt. 1770 - 1845)

Born about 1770 in Castlepollard, County Westmeath, Ireland

Husband of Mary (Small) Hughes — married 12 Mar 1810 in St John's Anglican Church, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 25 Dec 1845 at about age 75 in Richmond, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Mathew Hughes was a convict after the Third Fleet transported to New South Wales

Mathew Hughes Alias: Mathias was born in 1770 at Castlepollard Town, Westmeath, Ireland.

He was a soldier private in the Westmeath militia and later a schoolteacher at Kissing Point.

Mathew was tried for murder in 1796 at Downpatrick, County Down, and transported to Australia for life via the Britannia I (1797) (age on arrival: 27)

He married Mary Small at Parramatta in 1810. She was the daughter of first fleet convicts John Small and Mary Parker.

He died at Richmond, NSW, in 1845.

Obituary for Hughes, Matthew (1770–1845) At his late residence, Richmond, on Thursday, the 25th instant, Mr. Matthew Hughes, aged 75 years, after a short but severe illness of six days, borne with Christian fortitude. Mr. H. was one of the first appointed to train and educate the minds of the youth of this rising colony and continued to perform the honourable and responsible duties of parochial schoolmaster for upwards of 45 years, with zeal, unwearied diligence, and ability, rarely to be met with. Mr Hughes has left a large family, and an extensive circle of friends and neighbours to lament his death,—but with a well-grounded hope that their temporal loss is his eternal gain.

^[1] Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961) Fri 12 Feb 1915 Page 7 Early Days of Windsor

It would be interesting to know more of the early teachers, but all we can trace is the appointment of Matthew Hughes who arrived 'in the Britannia,' and taught first at Kissing Point, near Sydney (1800 to 1810) then in Windsor from 1810-13. Two interesting letters from Matthew Hughes appear in the Historical Records, vol. 7, pages 277, .281. He had a large family, the eldest daughter being Susanah, born before the year 1818. Some of the younger members of the family are still living in the district, at an advanced age. Matthew Hughes was transferred to the Richmond school in 1813, where he remained till 1833. He died on December 25th 1845.

His grave is at Saint Peter's Anglican Cemetery ^[2]

Note

Note: REFERENCE_NUMBER: 2+

Came to Australia on the "Britannia", which sailed from Cork, Ireland on 10 December 1796 and arrived in the colony 27 May 1797.

Marriage

Husband: Matthew Hughes

Wife: Small-5

User ID: C0380E884FC47945B4102B99BD6C6E50CEAE

Marriage:

Date: 17 OCT 1808

Place: St John's, Parramatta, NSW, Australia

Note: Mary SMALL and Matthew Hughes were married in a civil ceremony by James MILEHAM on 6 Oct 1808.

From Judy Bellamy:

"I have a copy of the marriage certificate which shows their wedding date was 17th October 1808 at St John's Parramatta. It is a historical record so it is not a copy of the original but a typed copy of the details. I bought it from NSW Births Deaths and Marriages on 14th September 2008. The reference is 859 Vol 3A."

It seems there were two marriages both at St John's Parramatta. The second date was 12.3.1810.

During a period when there were was no ordained ministers available marriages, baptisms and burials were carried out by a public servant. When the Rev. Fulton returned he wrote cancelled across the register and two years later Mary and Matthew had their second wedding ceremony at the same church.

Sources

1. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/85857496?searchTerm=%22matthew%20hughes%22%20%22Pitt%20Town%22
2. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/122236684/matthew-hughes

• Convict indent
• Mathew Hughes. Australian Royalty website.
• Bobbie Hardy (1985). Early Hawkesbury settlers. Kenthurst Kangaroo Press. p. 148-149
• Browning, Yvonne & Williams, Anne & Pittard, Clarence (1990).St. Peters Richmond: the early people and burials 1791-1855. Y. Browning, Mullion Creek, N.S.W. p.317-387
• Nichols, Michelle & Legge, Laurel (1994). The Hawkesbury pioneer register. Hawkesbury Family History Group, Windsor, N.S.W. p. 100
• Smee, C. J. & Provis, J. Selkirk. The 1788-1820 Associations' pioneer register. Volume 1.
• Hall, Barbara (2004). Of infamous character: the convicts of the Boddingtons, Ireland to Botany Bay, 1793. Coogee, N.S.W., B. Hall. p. 106-107
• Hall, Barbara (2006). Death or liberty: the convicts of the Britannia: Ireland to Botany Bay 1797. Coogee, N.S.W., Barbara Hall.p. 101-105.

• The Smalls in Australia 1788-1988 publication

Note Mathew sometimes spelt with 2 't's as in his signature.