Thomas Rickerby (c. 1751–1818)
Thomas Rickerby (c.1756-1818), a coachman, was found guilty on 18 April 1787, at the Old Bailey, London, of stealing hay from his employer Lord Lonsdale. Sentenced to 7 years transportation he arrived at Sydney in August 1791 aboard the William and Ann as part of the Third Fleet.
Rickerby was granted a 30 acre land grant at Mulgrave Place; by 1800 he held 80 acres. He was appointed chief constable at Hawkesbury in 1798. By then he was living with Catherine Smith, who was described in records as his housekeeper; he named his farm 'Catherine Farm'. In 1801 the couple adopted a young Aboriginal boy who was reported in the Sydney Gazette to have been injured because he was fair-skinned.
Rickerby is recorded, with Andrew Thompson, as being the owner of one of two horses located at Windsor in 1800. He bred Old Kit (179?) by Rockingham which appears in the pedigree of the sire Bloomsbury.
* information from Biographical Database of Australia — https://www.bda-online.org.au
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Clare, Catherine (partner)
- Rickerby, John Pilot (adopted son)
Citation details
'Rickerby, Thomas (c. 1751–1818)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/rickerby-thomas-30548/text37869, accessed 9 November 2024.