50-Day Family History Blogging Challenge - Day 10
Fragments of Family History – Thomas Rose – Baker and Family Man
Jennifer Jones from TRACKING DOWN THE FAMILY has initiated a 50-Day Family History Blogging Challenge. This is a big writing commitment but I have decided to participate. I have decided my topic will be “Fragments of Family History”. I will write short posts of newspaper items or single stories connected to my family history. This may expand over the 50 days.
Thomas Rose – Baker and Family Man
My 3x Great grandfather, Thomas Rose, while a convict, became a baker in colonial Sydney, his former occupation. By April 1806, he was one of fifteen licenced bakers for the township of Sydney.1
The following is a list of Bakers approved by the Bench of Magistrates convened on Saturday the 5th instant, and recommended to HIS EXCELLENCY to be licensed for the Township of Sydney ; all whom were accordingly directed to give the security required, for the due observance of the Restrictions contained in last week’s General Orders:
Andrew Frazer, Wm. Chapman, John Jeffries, Wm. Davis, Thos. Allwright, Jas. Vandicum, Robert Sidaway, T. Parsonage Charles Allen, William Neal Daniel Fane, Edward Jones George Talbot, William Bond, Thomas Rose.
Note the use of the long s (ſ) within words (liſt = list), at the start of words (ſecurity = security) but not at the end of words. Hence, Thomas Roſe is Thomas Rose.
The colony had endured major rains during March 1806 with flooding on the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers.
“The loss sustained on the low grounds from those floods is estimated to at least 6000 bushels of maize; which can be but ill spared, owing to the bad success of the last wheat harvest, and other casualties the grain has met with during the last year, from the uncommon weather, floods, & vermin.”2
The Government encouraged everyone to grow vegetables and to give seed wheat to their neighbours who had lost their crops. The Government introduced restrictions on the amount of bread that could be produced and how much could be sold.
“The Governor having directed a Bench of Magistrates to consider of the most equitable method of restricting the Consumption of Bread on the present Exigence, and restraining an unlimited issue of Loaves from the private Bakers, after conferring with whom the following Proposals were submitted to His Excellency's consideration:
1. Those who may be approved, to take out Licenses: and to find two sureties in 50. £ each, themselves in 100 £. for the due performance of the following Regulations, viz.
2. "That they do not deliver to their customers, who are off the Store only, more bread than what the Government Ration allows to those on the Store weekly.
3. " A List of the above-mentioned customers off the Store is to be delivered to the weekly Magistrate each Saturday by ten in the forenoon.
4. " Any person, not regular customer, applying for bread, is not to be supplied with such, until they produce to the baker an order for the same, which will be signed by a Person ap-pointed for that purpose.
5. " They are strictly to attend to the Order inserted in the Gazette of Sunday last, respecting the quality of the bread which they are to bake.
6. " They are not to bake any cakes, biscuit, nor any kind of pastry whatever;— Nor are any to be exposed for sale, on Penalty of 5 £ for each offence, and to have their ovens taken down ; their Licence and Securities forfeited."”3
Thomas Rose must have cultivated enough financial backers to go surety for him.
When the English Colony of New South Wales was established in 1788, a Governor was appointed to rule under English Laws. He had the authority to grant land, make Government appointments, and have ultimate say over the colony.
If convicts wanted to marry, they had to obtain the Governor’s permission. This was usually granted to maintain the moral fabric of the colony. Thomas Rose obtained Governor Philip Gidley King’s approval to marry Elizabeth Bartlett in 1806.4
Thomas Rose was granted a Conditional Pardon on 4 June 1806. This meant his sentence was over but because it was conditional, he could never return to England.
Thomas and Elizabeth had two children: Kezia Jane Rose born in 1807 and James Hannibal Rose born in 1808.5 They were living in a house in Chapel Row (later called Castlereagh Street).
On Sunday night last the house of Thomas Rose, baker, in Chapel Row, was robbed of property to the value of from 60 to £80 ; nearly the whole of which, through the activity of the Police, has been recovered. The depredators, as it turned out, were Mr. Rose's next door neighbours; upon whom suspicion falling, two men whose names are Warrington and Hargrave, were apprehended on Wednesday night with part of the stolen property in their immediate possession; & afterwards confessing the fact, gave information of the whole remainder of the articles being concealed within a tomb in the burial ground.
The bakery business was successful for Thomas, and he expanded by building a new bakery.
THOMAS ROSE, Baker, Chapel Row, begs to inform Owners and Commanders of shipping, and the Public at large, that he has erected buildings for the purpose of carrying on the Baking business on an extensive scale and that all orders for supply of vessels with Biscuit, &c. shall always be complied with at a short notice, and in a manner that will insure the same to keep well. Those furnishing their own meal or flour will also be treated with at a cheap rate. N. B.—Customers supplied, as usual, with bread of the best quality (according to the assize).
Everything seemed to be going well for Thomas, Elizabeth and their family.
More to come!
"General Orders." The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) 13 April 1806: p.1. Web. Accessed 22 Jun 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article627079>.
"SYDNEY." The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) 16 March 1806: p.2. Web. Accessed 22 Jun 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article627042>.
"General Orders." The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) 6 April 1806: p.1. Web. Accessed 22 Jun 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article627071>.
New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Online Marriage Record of Thomas Rose and Elizbeth Bartlett (Registration Number 666/1806).
New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Online Baptism Record of Keziah J Rose (Registration Number 982/1807) and James Rose (Registration Number 19/1808).
What an interesting story. Thanks for sharing.
I had never focussed on the long s not being used on the end of words before.
Kezia is an interesting name. I have come across it several times but not so much in the last hundred years- perhaps soon to be fashionable.