Search:

William EZZY (also HIZZY & William HYSSIE) arrived in the Colony on 7 Oct 1792 on 'Royal Admiral'

William was born at Beenham in Berkshire England, late in 1767 and had a twin brother, who did not survive. William was a Brewers Servant in London. He was arrested and indicted as William IZZY for stealing a wooden cask and 36 gallons of yeast and sentenced to 7 years transportation to NSW. William, his wife 'free wife'Jane and their daughter Louisa sailed on the ship 'Royal Admiral' and arrived in Sydney Cove on Sunday 7th Oct 1792. The Convict Indent for the 'Royal Admiral' describes William as a man of above average height, with black hair. He was sent to Parramatta Town and would have most likely been put to work with other convicts, clearing the country and cultivating the land. No records remain of who William EZZY was assigned to during this period and likewise no records remain of when he received his pardon.

William was granted 130 acres of land at Clarendon on 11 August 1804 by Governor King, the greater part of which became the original portion of the Richmond RAAF Base in NSW. He applied himself to his farming with evident success, for it was no time at all before he and Jane were entirely off Government Stores and were supplying themselves and their growing family with their daily food requirement and for the next six years the family settled down to farming and raising their children.

By 1810 William had entered into partnership with John BOULTON, also a former convict, and were in cultivation of acres of Wheat, Barley and Corn. Jane EZZY had also formed partnership agreements with John BOULTON in her own right and it was partly the demand to 'trade in her own right' that developed into a well documented explosive situation that finally split William and Jane apart, with Jane having left her husband William by 1816. Jane EZZY died in Sydney in 1821 and William married Jane MILLS, his assigned convict housekeeper since 1823, on 18 May 1829 with the Consent of the Governor, as Jane MILLS never received a full Pardon during her lifetime. There were no children born to his second marriage.

In March 1811 William received a Licence to sell beer in Sydney and from July to December 1815 a battled raged between William and John BOULTON over the ownership of Boulton & Ezzy's Farm at the Hawkesbury. As well as farming crops William raised horses. His great-great-grand daughter Queenie TAYLOR was shown a book in which it was written "William EZZY supplied the horsed for the crossing of the Blue Mountains". Blaxland, Lawson & Wentworth crossed the mountains in 1813 starting out from the Penrith area and went up over the mountains from Emu Plains, so it would appear there would have been no reason for them to obtain horses from Windsor. However, there were of course several crossings of The Blue Mountains. One group, led by Archibald BELL set out from Richmond on 6 Oct 1823 along with the Assistant Surveyor, Robert HODDLE, accompanied by three men and two natives, following a route Archibald BELL had mapped out the previous September and two unsuccessful shorter journeys in the previous weeks of the same year. On any one of these journeys they could have used horses purchased in the Windsor area. I have been unable to locate the title of the book or confirm this information. However, Archibal Bell, acted as his son John Ezzey's Supervisor, whom he spoke of as a
"very worthy character", so we know that there is a documented connection between these two gentleman.

1828 Census shows "EZZEY, William, 66, Free by servitude, Royal Admiral 1791, 7 years, Farmer, Cornwallis, 26 acres,
21 cleared, 16 cultivated, 1 horse, 4 catle".

He is buried in St.Matthew's C/E, Windsor, but does not have a headstone and the location of the grave is unknown.

William and Jane had eight children :
i. Louisa IZZEY, b. 8 Jan 1792, Parish St.Thomas, Southwark, England, buried: 15 Nov 1792, Old Burial Ground Sydney
ii. James William EZZY, b. ca 1792, either England or Australia, d. before 1 Nov 1817, left colony & died young.
iii. John EZZEY b. 6 Oct 1795, our direct ancestor married Rebecca LAMB.
iv. Lucy EZZY b. 19 Mar 1798 married (1) William Thomas BAYLIS / BAYLISS. (2) John ROBERTS
v. Mary EZZY, b. 1800, Ezzys Farm, Hawkesbury NSW AUS, d. 17 Oct 1816, Windsor NSW Australia.
vi. Charles EZZY b. ca 1800 married Harriette.
vii. Elizabeth EZZY b. 5 Oct 1805 married (1) Joseph DARGIN and had three sons (2) Charles HUGHES and had seven sons
viii. Sophia EZZY b. 7 Nov 1807 married James DARGIN and had eight children.

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey Ref: t17911207-37 http://www.oldbaileyonline.org
Trial Summary: ROBERT TIRESMAN, WILLIAM IZZY, THOMAS WATMORE, theft: simple grand larceny, theft: receiving stolen goods, 07 Dec 1791.
* Crime(s): theft : simple grand larceny, theft : receiving stolen goods,
* Punishment Type: transportation,
* Verdict: Guilty, Not Guilty,

Original Text:
38. ROBERT TIRESMAN and WILLIAM IZZY were indicted for stealing, on the 2nd of November last, a wooden cask, value 5 s. and 36 gallons of yeast, value 16 s. the property of Felix Calvert, Robert Ladbroke, William Whitmore, Robert Calvert, and Charles Calvert: And THOMAS WATMORE was indicted for feloniously receiving the same, knowing it to be stolen.
(The case opened by Mr. Garrow.) (The witnesses examined separate.)

RICHARD DIGGINS sworn.
I am a watchman of the ward of Aldgate; I have seen the prisoner Watmore once, and the other two a great many times; I was directed to watch the two first prisoners; about the beginning of November I saw them come through Aldgate High-street into Whitechapel, that is the road from Tooley-street to Petticoat-lane; they had a sledge with no wheels, and a barrel, and a tub like a half barrel; I spoke to John Jameson; I did not go to Watmore's house; I went where they went to on the return along Fenchurch-street, Fish-street, over London-bridge, to Tooley-street, about half after four, when they returned, the place looked then like a brewhouse; I have since found it was a storehouse belonging to Messrs. Calvert and Co.; I observed they took a sledge and a barrel, nothing else; I observed a difference in the sound, that there was something in the barrels as they came towards Petticoat-lane, and empty when they returned; I took the prisoners the 19th of November, about four in the morning; the two first prisoners were coming again along with the sledge, and a barrel and tub upon it, as usual; I jumped across, and stopped the horse; Tiresman asked me what right I had to stop it; I told him I understood it was spirits or gin; he said, no, nothing but yeast from Mr. Calvert's; I said it was my duty to stop him; if he would go to the watch-house, we had officers that were looking after smugglers; he said, we will go back, and leave the sledge here; I said no, and they went with the sledge to the watch-house; they walked in; they saw no officers; I told them they would be there presently; with that, Tiresman says, we may as well shoot this barrel down here, and go for another turn, and by that time your officers will be come; I went and fetched the beadle, and the prisoner Tiresman showed us a key of a storehouse, marked Rupert-street, Whitechapel; we told him he had better tell where he brought it from; he said, from Mr. Calvert's; the prisoners were secured; in the barrel there was yeast, and nothing in the tub, that I look upon to be a receiver; I did not go to Watmore after the 19th.

JOHN JAMESON sworn.
I am a watchman in Aldgate High-street; I remember, the beginning of November, seeing the two first prisoners with a sledge; they went into Boar's-head court, Petticoat-lane; they came out about a quarter of an hour; I did not like to go into the court, it is a very bad place; Mr. Watmore lives in the court, but I do not know the house, or the number; they came back again with an empty cask, because it rumbled and tumbled on the sledge, and before it was solid and steady.

THOMAS PINNER sworn.
I am the constable of the night; I was in bed; I took the charge; they had a cask of yeast, containing 36 gallons, which they said they brought from Calvert's.

WILLIAM BOX sworn.
I am a constable; I went to a house in Petticoat-lane, where Flood lives, in Boar's-head yard, the 19th of November; Flood works for Watmore; I saw Watmore and Flood at Mr. Flood's, putting a cask down a cellar; I took no notice; I went and fetched Mr. Read, and we went back and found the same cask in the cellar; nothing else was in the cellar but the cask.

JAMES READ sworn.
I am storehouse-clerk to Messrs. Calvert and Co. the prisoner Tiresman and Izzy's business was to carry yeast; the value of a cask of yeast is 16 s.; they had no business to carry it to Rupert-street, but to Thames-street; seven in the morning is time enough; they certainly had no orders to carry any on the 7th or 8th, or on the 19th; I went to Flood's house, and saw a cask in the cellar; it is the property of Messrs. Calvert and Co.; we sell none of that kind; one and has Felix Calvert and Co.; the value of it is 5 s.

JOHN HOLDBEACH sworn.
I am an attorney. (Deposed to the firm.) (The two first prisoners called seven witnesses, and the last prisoner called eleven witnesses, who gave them very good characters.)

ROBERT TIRESMAN, WILLIAM IZZY, GUILTY - Transported for seven years. THOMAS WATMORE, NOT GUILTY.
Tried by the second Middlesex Jury before Mr. Baron PERRYN

Colonial Secretary Index, 1788-1825 State Records of NSW at http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/
EZZY, William. Per "Royal Admiral", 1792; of Hawkesbury
1802 Apr 10; Particulars of arms in possession of; appears as Easey (Reel 6041; 4/1719 p.93)
1804 Aug 11; On list of all grants and leases of land registered in the Colonial Secretary's Office (Fiche 3268; 9/2731 p.144)
1809 Feb; Produce received from at the Hawkesbury Stores (Reel 6040; 9/2673 pp.5, 7)
1810 Dec 1,5; Signatory to address from the settlers of the Hawkesbury to Governor Macquarie; & Macquarie's reply (Reel 6038; SZ758 pp.128-30)
1811 Mar 16; Of Castlereagh Street, Sydney. Received beer licence in Feb 1811 (Reel 6038; SZ758 p.184)
1816 Sep 20; Certification by William Cox that Ezzey was a free person settled at Windsor (Reel 6046; 4/1736 p.117)
1816 Nov 16; Landholder at Windsor. On list of persons who came as convicts and who claimed they were free at the last General Muster, without supporting documentation (Reel 6038; SZ759 p.285)
1821 Feb 24; Store receipts of for wheat, paid at Windsor (Reel 6051; 4/1748 p.160)
1822 Apr 6-7,10 ; Juror at the inquest into the death of William Sullivan held at Clarendon, Windsor and Richmond; also listed as Ezzey (Reel 6054; 4/1758 pp.81, 87b)

For further reading see 'Along the Windsor Richmond Road' 1985 (ISBN 0 9589831 0 0 and ISBN 0 9589831 3 5)

Article Source: http://www.familyhistoryarticles.com

'Along the Windsor Richmond Road' 1985 (ISBN 0 9589831 0 0 and ISBN 0 9589831 3 5) co-authored by Grace Douglass and Laurel Legge. ; and Colonial Secretary Index, 1788-1825 State Records of NSW at State Records

Please Rate this Article

# of Ratings = 4 | Rating = 5/5