Thomas Henry Pyke (bef. 1808 - 1861)

Born before 27 Apr 1808 in Wootton Rivers, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Milsom) Pyke — married 13 Jan 1842 in St Katherine Cree, London, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 12 Sep 1861 after age 53 in The Upper Werribee, Ballan, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Thomas Pyke was born in Wiltshire, England.

Thomas Pyke migrated from England to Australia.

This profile is part of the Pike Name Study.

Thomas Henry Pyke, son of Thomas and Catherine, was baptised on 27 Apr 1808 at Wootton Rivers, Wiltshire, England. ^[1]

A newspaper article reports that Thomas Henry Pyke settled in Ballan in 1838, The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) Sat 24 Feb 1940 Page 14 Pioneers of the Werribee ^[2]

Pioneers of the Werribee

....

Thomas Henry Pyke, in a letter to la Trobe, records that his brothers took up the country at Parwan Creek (now including the site of the township of Melton), In 1838, he himself settling at Ballanie, near Ballan, on the Upper Werribee, a few years later, ....

On 13 Jan 1842, Thomas married Sarah Millsom, at Saint Katherine Cree church, London, England. ^[3]

Thomas passed away in 1861 at "The Upper Werribee" pastoral station at Ballan, Victoria, at the age of 53. His death registration listed his parents as Thomas Pyke and Catherine Ann (Goodman). ^[4] His death was reported in The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Thu 26 Sep 1861 Page 4 Family Notices: ^[5]

PYKE.—On the 12th inst., at his residence, the Upper Werribee, Ballan, Thomas Henry Pyke, Esq., J.P., late of West Wick House, Wiltshire, aged fifty-three.

The inscription on Thomas' tombstone reads: ^{[6] [7]}

Sacred to the Memory of
Thomas Henry Pyke Gent
of
The Upper Werribee, Ballan
Who Died
The 12th day of September 1861
Aged 53 years.

An interesting article was written about Thomas in 1937 in The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946) Sat 27 Mar 1937 Page 4 PASTORAL PIONEERS: ^[8]

PASTORAL PIONEERS

By R.V.B. and A.S.X.

[No. 171]

THE PYKES

THOMAS HENRY PYKE - Gentleman Pyke, as he came to be known - and his brothers, William and George, who were members of a Wiltshire county family, came out to Port Phillip in 1838. William, who had qualified as a surgeon, and George lost no time in settling on the land. They established a station on the Toolam Toolern Creek. It was not till 1842 that Thomas decided to invest in pastoral country. He purchased the Upper Werribee run, or Morockdong, from Robert Gray. In 1850 Thomas bought Morton's Plains, in the Mallee, north-west of Lake Buloke, from Joseph Raleigh, who had been in partnership there with William Lockhart Morton, of swing-gate and machine shearing fame. Then In 1852 Thomas Pyke acquired Ballanee from John von Stieglitz.

All the time Gentleman Pyke had kept up considerable style. His pack of hounds, the Upper Werrlbee Hunt, was famed above all in the colony. Charles Sladen had a pack at Geelong. With Compton Ferrers, Alexander Cunningham had another at Mt. Mercer, and the "Goulburn Boys" ran the North-east Hounds. With the gradual extinction of wild dogs, kangaroos increased, and became the principal quarry, although emu, for short, speedy runs, were not despised.

The early '50's brought great wealth to the pastoralists, especially those close to the goldfields. Although he spent freely, Gentleman Pyke made much money. Selling out his properties in 1853, he and his family returned to England.

William Pyke died in September, 1850. His widow married George Gray, of Rockbank. George died in July, 1855. Thomas Pyke came back to Australia In 1860. He had then lost his wealth, and was broken in health. He died at Wedderburn in September, 1861. He left six children, and in the Ballan district there are many grand and great grand children keeping fresh the memory of Gentleman Pyke, who was one of the most progressive and picturesque of the pastoral pioneers.

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N69N-MQP : 10 February 2018, Thomas Henry Pyke, ); citing - 2:2RLSZ8G, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,279,365.
2. ↑ Trove, NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA, The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) Sat 24 Feb 1940 Page 14 Pioneers of the Werribee, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204009834
3. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKGN-S2T : 10 February 2018), Thomas Henry Pyke and Sarah Millsom, 13 Jan 1842; citing Saint Katherine Creechurch,London,London,England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 374,464.
4. ↑ Death Regn No 6986, 1861, Births, Deaths, and Marriages Victoria, https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history
5. ↑ TROVE, Family Notices (1861, September 26). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 4. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5704431
6. ↑ BillionGraves, Grave site information of Thomas Henry Pyke (Died: 12 Sep 1861) at Ballan Old Cemetery in Ballan, Moorabool Shire, Victoria, Australia , https://billiongraves.com/grave/Thomas-Henry-Pyke/3250716
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 26 January 2021), memorial page for Thomas Henry Pyke (1808–12 Sep 1861), Find A Grave: Memorial #147794337, citing Ballan Cemetery, Ballan, Moorabool Shire, Victoria, Australia
8. ↑ TROVE, ASTORAL PIONEERS (1937, March 27). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), p. 4. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141787524

• Parish registers Wootton Rivers & Milton Lilbourn & Wilcot Wilts.

• Parish Marriage Record St Katherine Cree London

Acknowledgements

• Tombstone image courtesy of State Library of Victoria - from J. T. Collins Collection, La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. Photographer: John T. Collins (1907-2001), Photographer, (April 10, 1973).