THE IRISH ARE COMING - TO BE SURE, TO BE SURE – TO THOMPSON SQUARE
When “Granny” Butler told historian George Reeve in 1931 that the Doctor’s House had always been known as Doyle’s House she was right on the money.
Our story begins in Dublin, Ireland. It concerns the Doyle family of Bartholomew and Bridget Doyle and their children, James ( b. 1765 d. 1836), Anthony (b.1767), Mary (b.1770), Thomas ((b.1772), Andrew Hastings (b.1774 d. 1841), John (b. 1777) and Bridget (b.1778 d.1846).
Both James and Andrew were transported as political prisoners to Australia, but as James was the man who came to the Square, I will concentrate on his story.
James and Andrew came from a reasonably comfortable family. James worked as an army clothier in Dublin. Somehow they became entangled in the Irish Rebellion Movement and were both convicted and sentenced to life in exile in 1801. They were both transported on the “Rolla” in 1803 and whilst Andrew’s wife and children made the voyage with them, alas, James’s wife Margaret and young child Mary, were left behind. Margaret had been charged with selling up the family home and furniture in Dublin. She made a hurried dash to the wharf in Cork....only to arrive one day late! The “Rolla” had already sailed and it would be many years before James was to see just one of them again. ( It seems that in 1799 James states in a Petition that he has a deserving wife and 3 children....sadly, two must have perished).
We next hear of James co-existing with a partner farmer at Richmond. But its not always an idyllic existence. In 1806 he and his partner, John Fox were attacked by about 6 or 7 people who rushed into their house. James and John were attacked viciously. They were knocked down and one was wounded in the side with a pitchfork and the other on the head with an axe. Stolen was 25 bushells of wheat, 12 bushells of maize a quantity of wearing apparel and other property to a very considerable amount. Whilst the culprits were apprehended there is no record of what happened to them.
James spent most of his first 15 years in Australia in Richmond as a farmer. He receives a Ticket of Leave in Aug. 1812, claiming his first one issued in 1810 had been burnt in a house fire 3 months earlier.
Then, in 1812 he files a “Petition for Mitigation of Sentence” to His Excellency Govr. Macquarie and of all people it is signed in support by Saml. Marsden – who openly was against the convicts and would have had no time for Catholics! James receives his Conditional Pardon on Jan. 1813.
The Sydney Gazette 4 July 1818 records the granting of a liquor license to James and in 1819 he leases from Charles Beasley the site of the present Doctor’s House, Thompson Square, Windsor. Some time after, James most probably bought the site and he was innkeeper of The Lord Nelson on this site until 1831 when he let the license to Joseph Delandre though he continued living there until his death in 1836. So, “Granny” Butler knew her history !
From “The Australian” 9th July 1830 - “PUBLIC HOUSES IN WINDSOR” – Mr James Doyle, Windsor, entertaining travellers at the sign of “The Lord Nelson”, and his attitude and utility in his line are of too good fame throughout the Colony to require comment; this inn is delightfully situated on the banks of the Hawkesbury, near to the spot Governor Macquarie designed for a terrace – ( It is not one of the most perfect likenesses of His Lordship, but that defect may be amended by lessening his whiskers and using a little vermillion and less white.)
But we are jumping ahead of our story in forgetting James’s family back in Ireland. But James had not forgotten them!
In November, 1821, the “John Barry” sailed into Sydney carrying Mary Doyle who travelled under the guardianship of her Uncle James Canton, second husband of Bridget Doyle (James’s sister). Mary’s great grandmother later writes in 1977 – “ Grandma Browne was an aristocrat who came out from Northern Ireland with her carriage, pair of horses, and coachman in a sailing ship in the early 1800’s. She had a little black servant girl, Mary, who carried her prayer book, behind her, up the aisle in church.” Mary’s relationship to aristocracy might have been through her mother Margaret St George Dowling.
Mary went to live in Windsor with her father. What a re-union that must have been! So many stories to tell as two “strangers” had to get to know each other in an environment which had been at one time unknown to both of them.
Mary settled in quickly for on the 25th October, 1822, she marries under special license John William Browne. The Rev. Mr Cross officiates in St Matthew’s Church Windsor and the event is witnessed by Sophia Isabella Doyle ( wife of James’s brother, Andrew) and her cousin, Sophia Isabella Doyle ( Andrew’s daughter). Mary is shown in the 1828 Census as living in Windsor, Catholic, housekeeper, with three children and a 70 year old servant, James Union. Mary later moves to Liverpool.
In July, 1828, the “Cleopatra” arrives carrying James’s widowed sister, Bridget Canton and her daughter, Mary Ann Tarpy (from her first marriage). They all re-unite in The Lord Nelson, Thompson Square. It must have been a grand occasion. I can just imagine all the Doyles at a gathering organised by James to introduce his family to his friends in the Square – Richard Fitzgerald, John Howe and Thomas Tebbutt to mention just a few of the town’s prominent inhabitants.
When James dies in 1836 he leaves his Windsor residence to Bridget including all plate and furniture and a cash legacy of 6,000 Pounds. He also leaves an enormous benefit to the Catholic Church.
The boundaries of the property were defined by Bridget as “bounded in front by Thompson Square, on the N.W. by the banks of the Hawkesbury River, on the S.W. by Izark’s allotment, and on the S.E. by George Loder’s property.
Bridget seems to have spent her time between Windsor and a property in Mittagong, dying in 1846.
Her daughter, Mary Ann Tarpy, marries Edmund Burke in 1830. The ceremony of marriage, declared to be – “the most happy or most miserable” - is carried out by Father Thierry at Windsor in the home of Mr James Doyle. Miss Tarpy is declared to be “among the wealthiest among our Colonists”.
Edmund set about demolishing Doyle’s “Lord Nelson” to replace it with the residence which we now call the “Doctor’s House”. It was begun in 1844 or maybe a little previous to this date. The Hawkesbury Courier on the 17th Oct. 1844 records that “Mr Dunne who resides in Mr Burke’s new house, and has been employed finishing it, fell down two flights of stairs.” Edmund Burke does not appear to have owned the building, but rather acted as overseer for Bridget Canton. The property was meant to go to Burke’s son on her death.
And what of James Doyle, the man who started the story in the first place?
James Doyle’s Death Notice in the Sydney Herald states he died after a severe and lingering illness in Thompson Square, March 2 March 1836.
The Sydney Monitor - April 9 April 1836 – FUNERAL AND INTERNMENT OF JAMES DOYLE
“ Never did the inhabitants of the town of Windsor witness anything similar to the above. The procession from Mr Doyle’s house to the church yard was peculiarly interesting. The hearse was preceded by a number of children, vested in white and decorated with crepe, one of whom walked before the rest bearing in his hands the cross, the emblem of redemption; this part of the procession was terminated by the officiating clergyman, dressed in splendid robes...........Immediately after came the hearse with the remains of the deceased enclosed in a highly ornamented coffin – the pall was borne by six respectable colonists, including R. Fitzgerald of Windsor Esq........”
James was interred in the Roman Catholic Burial Ground at Windsor.
Give him a nod and a wink next time you drive by.
The images :- 1. This is Hardy Wilson’s impression of the Doctor’s House
2. An image of Andrew Doyle, James’s brother
3. An image of Sophia Isabella Doyle, Andrew’s wife
4. An image of James Doyle’s Will, signed by him and witnessed by Richard Fitzgerald, John Howe and Thomas Tebbutt.
Here we have the signatures of some of the great occupiers of the Square all on one document.
* Do we have any graphologists in our midst? In the absence of any portraits surviving of these characters, their personal signatures are the closest thing we have to providing us with a window into their thoughts and into who they were. What do you think?
When “Granny” Butler told historian George Reeve in 1931 that the Doctor’s House had always been known as Doyle’s House she was right on the money.
Our story begins in Dublin, Ireland. It concerns the Doyle family of Bartholomew and Bridget Doyle and their children, James ( b. 1765 d. 1836), Anthony (b.1767), Mary (b.1770), Thomas ((b.1772), Andrew Hastings (b.1774 d. 1841), John (b. 1777) and Bridget (b.1778 d.1846).
Both James and Andrew were transported as political prisoners to Australia, but as James was the man who came to the Square, I will concentrate on his story.
James and Andrew came from a reasonably comfortable family. James worked as an army clothier in Dublin. Somehow they became entangled in the Irish Rebellion Movement and were both convicted and sentenced to life in exile in 1801. They were both transported on the “Rolla” in 1803 and whilst Andrew’s wife and children made the voyage with them, alas, James’s wife Margaret and young child Mary, were left behind. Margaret had been charged with selling up the family home and furniture in Dublin. She made a hurried dash to the wharf in Cork....only to arrive one day late! The “Rolla” had already sailed and it would be many years before James was to see just one of them again. ( It seems that in 1799 James states in a Petition that he has a deserving wife and 3 children....sadly, two must have perished).
We next hear of James co-existing with a partner farmer at Richmond. But its not always an idyllic existence. In 1806 he and his partner, John Fox were attacked by about 6 or 7 people who rushed into their house. James and John were attacked viciously. They were knocked down and one was wounded in the side with a pitchfork and the other on the head with an axe. Stolen was 25 bushells of wheat, 12 bushells of maize a quantity of wearing apparel and other property to a very considerable amount. Whilst the culprits were apprehended there is no record of what happened to them.
James spent most of his first 15 years in Australia in Richmond as a farmer. He receives a Ticket of Leave in Aug. 1812, claiming his first one issued in 1810 had been burnt in a house fire 3 months earlier.
Then, in 1812 he files a “Petition for Mitigation of Sentence” to His Excellency Govr. Macquarie and of all people it is signed in support by Saml. Marsden – who openly was against the convicts and would have had no time for Catholics! James receives his Conditional Pardon on Jan. 1813.
The Sydney Gazette 4 July 1818 records the granting of a liquor license to James and in 1819 he leases from Charles Beasley the site of the present Doctor’s House, Thompson Square, Windsor. Some time after, James most probably bought the site and he was innkeeper of The Lord Nelson on this site until 1831 when he let the license to Joseph Delandre though he continued living there until his death in 1836. So, “Granny” Butler knew her history !
From “The Australian” 9th July 1830 - “PUBLIC HOUSES IN WINDSOR” – Mr James Doyle, Windsor, entertaining travellers at the sign of “The Lord Nelson”, and his attitude and utility in his line are of too good fame throughout the Colony to require comment; this inn is delightfully situated on the banks of the Hawkesbury, near to the spot Governor Macquarie designed for a terrace – ( It is not one of the most perfect likenesses of His Lordship, but that defect may be amended by lessening his whiskers and using a little vermillion and less white.)
But we are jumping ahead of our story in forgetting James’s family back in Ireland. But James had not forgotten them!
In November, 1821, the “John Barry” sailed into Sydney carrying Mary Doyle who travelled under the guardianship of her Uncle James Canton, second husband of Bridget Doyle (James’s sister). Mary’s great grandmother later writes in 1977 – “ Grandma Browne was an aristocrat who came out from Northern Ireland with her carriage, pair of horses, and coachman in a sailing ship in the early 1800’s. She had a little black servant girl, Mary, who carried her prayer book, behind her, up the aisle in church.” Mary’s relationship to aristocracy might have been through her mother Margaret St George Dowling.
Mary went to live in Windsor with her father. What a re-union that must have been! So many stories to tell as two “strangers” had to get to know each other in an environment which had been at one time unknown to both of them.
Mary settled in quickly for on the 25th October, 1822, she marries under special license John William Browne. The Rev. Mr Cross officiates in St Matthew’s Church Windsor and the event is witnessed by Sophia Isabella Doyle ( wife of James’s brother, Andrew) and her cousin, Sophia Isabella Doyle ( Andrew’s daughter). Mary is shown in the 1828 Census as living in Windsor, Catholic, housekeeper, with three children and a 70 year old servant, James Union. Mary later moves to Liverpool.
In July, 1828, the “Cleopatra” arrives carrying James’s widowed sister, Bridget Canton and her daughter, Mary Ann Tarpy (from her first marriage). They all re-unite in The Lord Nelson, Thompson Square. It must have been a grand occasion. I can just imagine all the Doyles at a gathering organised by James to introduce his family to his friends in the Square – Richard Fitzgerald, John Howe and Thomas Tebbutt to mention just a few of the town’s prominent inhabitants.
When James dies in 1836 he leaves his Windsor residence to Bridget including all plate and furniture and a cash legacy of 6,000 Pounds. He also leaves an enormous benefit to the Catholic Church.
The boundaries of the property were defined by Bridget as “bounded in front by Thompson Square, on the N.W. by the banks of the Hawkesbury River, on the S.W. by Izark’s allotment, and on the S.E. by George Loder’s property.
Bridget seems to have spent her time between Windsor and a property in Mittagong, dying in 1846.
Her daughter, Mary Ann Tarpy, marries Edmund Burke in 1830. The ceremony of marriage, declared to be – “the most happy or most miserable” - is carried out by Father Thierry at Windsor in the home of Mr James Doyle. Miss Tarpy is declared to be “among the wealthiest among our Colonists”.
Edmund set about demolishing Doyle’s “Lord Nelson” to replace it with the residence which we now call the “Doctor’s House”. It was begun in 1844 or maybe a little previous to this date. The Hawkesbury Courier on the 17th Oct. 1844 records that “Mr Dunne who resides in Mr Burke’s new house, and has been employed finishing it, fell down two flights of stairs.” Edmund Burke does not appear to have owned the building, but rather acted as overseer for Bridget Canton. The property was meant to go to Burke’s son on her death.
And what of James Doyle, the man who started the story in the first place?
James Doyle’s Death Notice in the Sydney Herald states he died after a severe and lingering illness in Thompson Square, March 2 March 1836.
The Sydney Monitor - April 9 April 1836 – FUNERAL AND INTERNMENT OF JAMES DOYLE
“ Never did the inhabitants of the town of Windsor witness anything similar to the above. The procession from Mr Doyle’s house to the church yard was peculiarly interesting. The hearse was preceded by a number of children, vested in white and decorated with crepe, one of whom walked before the rest bearing in his hands the cross, the emblem of redemption; this part of the procession was terminated by the officiating clergyman, dressed in splendid robes...........Immediately after came the hearse with the remains of the deceased enclosed in a highly ornamented coffin – the pall was borne by six respectable colonists, including R. Fitzgerald of Windsor Esq........”
James was interred in the Roman Catholic Burial Ground at Windsor.
Give him a nod and a wink next time you drive by.
The images :- 1. This is Hardy Wilson’s impression of the Doctor’s House
2. An image of Andrew Doyle, James’s brother
3. An image of Sophia Isabella Doyle, Andrew’s wife
4. An image of James Doyle’s Will, signed by him and witnessed by Richard Fitzgerald, John Howe and Thomas Tebbutt.
Here we have the signatures of some of the great occupiers of the Square all on one document.
* Do we have any graphologists in our midst? In the absence of any portraits surviving of these characters, their personal signatures are the closest thing we have to providing us with a window into their thoughts and into who they were. What do you think?
