Molly Morgan facts for kids

Molly Morgan (born Mary Jones, 1762 – 1835) was an amazing English woman. She started her life as a convict but became a successful landowner and farmer in Australia.

Molly was born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. She married William Morgan in 1785 and they had two children. In 1789, some yarn was found at their house. This led to Molly and William being sentenced to be sent far away. Molly was sent to New South Wales, Australia, as a convict on the ship Neptune with the Second Fleet. William was caught later and also sent to Australia.

After some time, Molly found a way to return to England. She got her children back and became a dressmaker. She married Thomas Mears in 1797. But in 1803, she faced new charges and was sent back to Australia a second time. This time, she traveled on the ship Experiment.

When Molly returned to Australia, she worked hard to get land and animals. In 1814, she was jailed for seven years for milking a cow that was not hers. But by 1819, she was trusted enough to be given land to farm. She was set free by 1822. She married Thomas Hunt in 1822. Molly started a small business selling drinks on her land. She also received more land from the governor, Thomas Brisbane, and built an inn called the Angel Inn. By 1828, she was known as one of the biggest landowners in the Hunter River area. Molly also helped other settlers. She gave money to build a school and even turned part of her home into a hospital. She also rode to Sydney to speak up for other convicts. Molly's wealth went down in her later years. She died on 27 June 1835, at Greta, Australia.

Early Life in England

Molly Morgan was born as Mary Jones in 1762. Her family lived in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. She was baptized on January 31, 1762. Her parents were David Jones, a worker and ratcatcher, and Margaret Jones. Molly went to school for a short time and later became a dressmaker. From a young age, everyone called her "Molly."

Her first child was with a farmer who did not marry her. Her first husband was William Morgan. They married on June 25, 1785, when Molly was 22. William was a carpenter and wheelwright from a nearby village. Molly and William had two children together.

Life as a Convict

First Journey to Australia

A drawing of the Neptune, the ship Morgan was transported on.

In 1788, Molly Morgan and her husband were arrested. Some yarn was found hidden at their house. This yarn was reported missing from a nearby factory. Molly was sentenced to be sent away for seven years. She had to sail to Australia on the ship Neptune in 1790. This ship was part of the Second Fleet. Molly's children stayed in England.

The journey was very hard. Out of 502 convicts on the Neptune, 164 died during the trip. Many died from hunger and neglect. Almost half of all the convicts died either on the ship or soon after arriving. Ship owners were paid for each convict they transported. If a convict died, the owners did not have to feed them. This meant they made more money if convicts died.

However, Molly received better treatment than other convicts. She got extra food and special benefits. She did not suffer the harsh treatment that others did. Because of this, Molly was in good shape when she arrived. She reached Botany Bay in Sydney, New South Wales, on June 28, 1790. Molly was then sent to Parramatta.

Three years later, William was caught and sent to Australia. He arrived with other prisoners. Molly was allowed to join him. They both worked in Sydney. William worked in labor groups, and Molly worked in a factory. Because she behaved well, Molly soon received a "ticket of leave." This allowed her and William to open a small shop.

Molly decided to try to leave the colony in New South Wales. She wanted to go back to her two children in England. She found a way to join Captain John Locke on his ship, the Resolution. This ship was heading to England. She left on November 9, 1794, along with thirteen other convicts. When she arrived in England, Molly found her children. She became a dressmaker in Plymouth, Devon, to support her family. In 1797, Molly married Thomas Mears. He was a wealthy man who worked with metal. Molly was still legally married to William at this time. William had already started a new family in Australia.

Second Journey to Australia

In 1803, Thomas Mears' house burned down. Molly was found responsible for this event after a trial. She tried to escape to London but was arrested. For her punishment, she was sent back to Australia a second time. This was for another seven years of being a convict. She traveled on the ship Experiment. She arrived in Australia on June 24, 1804.

This journey was different from her first one. The Experiment carried 136 female convicts and only 2 male convicts. Only 6 women died on this trip. When she arrived, Molly could not find William in Sydney. She received help from several people. A few years later, she gained land and animals in Parramatta. In 1814, she was sent to jail for seven years. This happened in the Newcastle Penal Colony. She was accused of milking a cow that was not hers. The man who actually took the cow only got three years in jail.

In 1819, five years after she was jailed, Governor Lachlan Macquarie trusted Molly. He gave her a "ticket of leave." Eleven other convicts who were behaving well also received this. These twelve convicts were given land in West Maitland. This area became known as Wallis Plains. It was located near Wallis Creek and the Hunter River. These convicts could use this land for farming. It was a test to see if criminals could improve their lives. Molly received her own farm. She was the only female convict in the group to do so. By 1822, Molly was given her freedom.

Life as a Landowner

Molly started a settlement on the land she received at Wallis Plains. She became a very successful farmer there. She also started a small business selling drinks. Her third husband was Thomas Hunt. He was a soldier who was 30 years younger than her. They married on March 5, 1822.

By this time, Thomas Brisbane was the governor of New South Wales. He was impressed by Molly's farming skills. In November 1823, Governor Brisbane rented 159 acres of land to her. Molly built the Angel Inn in the middle of this land. As more people moved into the area, both her inn and her drink business made a lot of money. Molly also began to sell small parts of her rented land.

Between selling parts of her land and the money from her businesses, she became one of the richest people in the area. A newspaper article in The Australian on January 23, 1828, called her "one of the largest landholders on the Hunter River." In May 1830, she was officially given the 159 acres of land she had rented. In 1830, she moved to Anvil Creek. There, she bought 203 acres of land and had her own farm. She lived there until she died in 1835.

Many places in the area were named after Molly Morgan. Wallis Plains was often called Molly Morgan's Plains. The road from Anvil Creek to Singleton is now called Molly Morgan’s line of road. Molly Morgan Drive in Maitland and Molly Morgan Ridge in North Rothbury were also named after her. People sometimes called Molly "Queen of the Hunter Valley."

Besides owning and farming land, Molly also helped other settlers. In 1827, she gave £100 to help build a school in East Maitland. She also rode her horse to Sydney many times. She spoke with the governor about runaway convicts. She even turned part of her home into a hospital.

Later Life and Death

In the last few years of her life, Molly had trouble keeping all her property. Problems with sales caused her wealth to quickly decrease. She retired for her last few years. She lived at Anvil Creek in Greta, New South Wales. She died there on June 27, 1835, when she was 73 years old. When she died, she no longer owned any property and had unpaid loans. After her death, she had a long obituary in the newspaper. It was the longest obituary published at that time.

See also

• Convicts in Australia

Images for kids

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  A drawing of the Neptune, the ship Morgan was transported on.