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John Rowe (c. 1757–1810)

John Rowe (c.1757-1810) and Edward Miles were found guilty on 19 March 1785 at the Launceston Assizes, Cornwall,  of stealing two coats valued at 50 shillings and other goods valued at 17s.8d. Sentenced to 7 years transportation, the men were sent to the Dunkirk hulk early in 1786 and were discharged to the Scarborough in February 1787. They arrived at Sydney in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.

In 1792 he was granted 50 acres at Northern Boundary Farms (Parramatta). In 1797 he received a grant of 60 acres in the district of Prospect Hill. By 1800 he had 5 acres of wheat sown but no animals. He was living off stores; his wife and children were living on stores. Eight acres had been cleared by 1802.  22 acres had been cleared by 1806. They consisted of 5 acres of wheat, 1 acre of barley, 6 acres of pasture, and 10 acres of fallow pasture. The whole family was living off stores. Rowe received a grant of 100 acres at Parramatta in 1808.

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Citation details

'Rowe, John (c. 1757–1810)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/rowe-john-27823/text35566, accessed 12 May 2025.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Rawe, John
  • Roe, John
Birth

c. 1757
Lanivet, Cornwall, England

Death

February, 1810 (aged ~ 53)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.

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Convict Record

Crime: theft
Sentence: 7 years
Court: Cornwall
Trial Date: 19 March 1785
(1785)