Thomas Bates

• Birth Notes
  • Born about. 1770 at Hornchurch, or Harwich, Essex, England.
    Mother's name was Mary Ann BATES
    Arrived in Sydney Cove NSW, 27 June 1790 - Aged 18, in the 2nd Fleet aboard the ship "Neptune".

• Death Notes
  • Died: 17 Dec 1836
    NSW Death Cert No. V1836266 20/1836
    Buried in the Devonshire Street Cemetery, also known as Central Cemetery Sydney, 20th December 1836.
    Johnson & Saintly - Gravestone Inscriptions...
    "Thomas BATES of the 102nd Reg’t of Foot, died 17th December 1836 aged 64 years"

• General Notes
  • Thomas Bates, Convict, Soldier or Both?       
    Written by Marie Heilbrunn    
    Monday, 26 March 2007 
    "My research on my 3 X Great Grandfather, Thomas Bates has led me to confirm that there were two Thomas Bates, both soldiers often confused, in the early Colony. The first to arrive was Thomas Bates, (probably born Harwich, England c.1772) on the Second Fleet ship the Neptune on 28th June, 1790, as a convict with 7 years, sentenced the Old Bailey Middlesex, 7th of May 1788, for stealing an odd pair of boots. This is confirmed in the 1822 Muster, when he is listed with six of his children (his wife Ann was listed under her maiden name of Griffin), as FBS (Free By Servitude), ship of arrival, Neptune, sentence 7 years, his occupation was given as carter, living in Sydney.
    
    The second Thomas Bates, Drummer, enlisted Chatham, UK, 23rd of  July 1789 (WO12/11028), arrived on the Third Fleet ship, Admiral Barrington, in 1791, and then was transferred to Norfolk Island 1791 on the ‘Atlantic’ and back 1793 on the ‘Kitty’(NI Victuals Book, page 80) November 1799, Port Dalrymple 1804 – 1806, married Elizabeth Ward, 1806, two children, George 1802/1804 and Rachel 1810, departed Sydney 1810.
    
    On the 12th of May 1800 at St Philip’s Anglican Church, Sydney, Thomas Bates married Ann Griffin, aged 16, the elder daughter of Michael Griffin, also a soldier in the NSW Corps."
    
    The following are notes provided by "The Daniels Family" web site...
    About Thomas BATES,
    Landed: Port Jackson aboard the Ship: Britannia - Year Arrived: 1791 Family Stories Life in Australia: Thomas transfered to the New South Wales Corps until his return from Hobart Town in 1809. He then bought land in Back Lane off Sussex St and became a boatbuilder. After he died Ann carried on the profitable business with the help of her sons. Life in early Australia must have been very hard on people especially the females. Ann was only ten years old when her mother died and her father never remarried so she would have had to play mother and bring up the young family with little or no help. Both her brothers joined the NSW Corps as drummer boys very young. They also died young not leaving any children although Thomas did marry Sophie Grandue. You and Your Family: My family descends from Maria Bates who married George Green. Their grandaughter married George Fray and they came to the Tweed River district to farm. My father, Sidney Fray, was a farmer and my husband, Rex Mannings, had a variety of occupations, aircraft mechanic, refrigeration mechanic,farmer and miner. We had four children, Gregory, Julie, Linda and James, all married. Life Before Australia: Thomas was the son of William and Elizabeth [nee Shapley] Bates. They were married in the village of Ulcombe in a farming district in Kent in England. They moved to Chatham during the Industrial Revolution to find work. It was here in Chatham where there were large barracks that Thomas joined the 102nd Regiment of Foot on 11th June 1789 at 17 years old. He came to Australia with the Second Fleet. Granted 80 acres by Governor Macquarie - 3 July 1820 as consequence of having a wife and six children - Military Discharge. Immigrated 27 June 1790 `Neptune` Second Fleet. Private (drummer) in 102nd, 73rd and 46th Regiments, NSW Corps Military Service - 17 years England and Australia. Married Anne Griffin (free settler) and had eight children. 17 July 1809 - on list of all grants and leases of town allotments registered in the Colonial Secretary`s Office. 3 July 1820 - Memorial to Gov. Macquarie 1 November 1825 - Boat builder of Back Street, Balmain, on list of persons liable to serve as jurors in the district of Sydney. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM PAGE 156 OF THE BOOK `THE SECOND FLEET` BY MICHAEL FLYNN 1993 L.A.H. Thomas Bates (c1772-1836) Thomas Bates, age given at 15 was sentenced to seven years transportation at the 7 May 1788 Middlesex Old Bailey sessions for stealing a pair of leather boots. The boy had snatched the two odd boots from a shop counter and run into the street. When caught he claimed another boy had taken them and dropped them and that he had picked them up. Bates remained in Newgate Gaol until May 1789 when he was sent to the Dunkirk hulk at Plymouth with a large group of London convicts. At the end of November he was embarked on the Neptune transport. There seems little doubt that the second fleet convict was the man of this name who joined the NSW corps at Sydney in August 1800 . In september, 1808 he was described as being 37 years old, born at Harwich, Essex, 5/4 in height, with a round fair complexioned visage, grey eyes and light brown hair, On 12 May 1800 he had married Ann Griffin (b c1785, came free per Brittania, 1791) at Sydney. She was aged about 15 and seems to have arrived in the colony as a child of about six, probably the daughter of a soldier. When the NSW corps was withdrawn from the colony in 1810 Thomas transferred to the incoming 73rd regiment. When the 73rd wss withdrawn in 1813 he transferred to the incoming 46th and was later discharged. In 1822 he was working as a civilian carter in Sydney. The following year he sent a memorial to the Governer, requesting a land grant, adding his shaky signature to the document. He was living in Back Street, in November, 1825 described as a boat builder. In 1828, age given as 53 he was recorded as a boat builder of Sussex Street, Sydney, owning 3 horses and 7 cattle, (without land). Bates fathered at least 8 children by Ann GRIFFIN they included, Lydia, 1806, Maria, 1808 William 1812, James,1814 Ann 1817, Nathaniel 1819 Martha 1823, Sarah 1826. Thomas BATES died on 17 Dec 1836 aged 64 and was interred in Elizabeth st, burial ground,(on the site of modern Central Station, Sydney). His headstone which mentioned his service in the 102 regiment was moved to Botany in 1901. His wife was buried with him following her death on 5 August, 1864.
    
    

Details of Thomas' family with Ann Griffin