William Dumaresq - Settler
St. Aubin's - Map 8
Sir William Edward Parry of the Australian Agricultural Company visited William Dumaresq's St. Aubin's estate in 1832. He had previously visited St. Heliers, the estate of Colonel Henry Dumaresq and found it a beautiful estate however when he toured St. Aubins, Parry was far less impressed stating afterwards that he did not like it at all.
St. Aubin's Estate
St. Aubins was an estate of 13,000 acres owned by William Dumaresq, who had recently resigned from his position of surveyor of roads and bridges in the colony. He moved to St. Aubins, where a wooden homestead was built probably using convict labour.
Convicts at St. Aubins
Convicts at St. Aubins in 1832 included William Kennealy, Lewis Ward, William Jones and Robert Morrison.Select here to find other convicts assigned to William Dumaresq.
William and Christiana Dumaresq
William Dumaresq married Christiana Susan Macleay, daughter of Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay in 1830. Their children were Elizabeth Ann (died in infancy); Susan Frances Sophia Dumaresq b. 1832; William Alexander Dumaresq b. 1835; Alexander Macleay Dumaresq b. 1836 and Eliza Henrietta Dumaresq b. 1841.Bushrangers
They were residing at St. Aubins when the estate was robbed by bushrangers. The Australian gave the following account:The attempted assassination of Captain Dumaresq appears to have consisted in his being thrown down in attempting to pass the robbers. One of the servants screamed out on seeing him fall, and Mrs. Dumaresq was for some time in great alarm for his safety, until three of the party brought him back to show that he was not hurt. There appears to have been only one shot fired, which wounded the cook. The man who did this, however, expressed his sorrow declared the gun had gone off accidentally, shook hands with the sufferer, and begged forgiveness.
Mrs. Dumaresq was not dragged to the dairy and there locked up with her servants. The robbers never even entered the rooms of the dwelling house ; indeed earnestly begged that Mrs. Dumaresq would not be alarmed, that they did not intend to injure her or any one else - they left her domestics with her, and tried to avoid even being seen by them. - The persons locked up were some of the men who endeavoured to assist their master in the defence he meditated. One of the party had been a servant of Captain Dumaresq's, and the whole of the transaction shows forcibly the benefit of that just treatment of his servants for which Captain Dumaresq's establishment is so remarkable. Merely a few articles to the value of about 10 pounds were taken from the store, and the robbers decamped.
On the 12 July 1834 the Sydney Monitor posted a Notice offering a reward for the capture of three men who had robbed the dwelling house and stores of William Dumaresq on 19th May......
John Crawford arrived on the York in 1831 and was a runaway from Hugh Cameron
Joseph Lynch who arrived on the Waterloo in 1831 and was formerly assigned to William Dumaresq
James Feeny (Pheeny) who arrived on the Jane.
All were associates of the infamous bushranger John McDonald.
Visitor to the Estate
The estate was visited By Lieutenant George Pulteney Malcolm in October/ November 1835.....Lieutenant Malcolm had arrived on the Henry Porcher in 1835 and spent over a year in New South Wales travelling extensively. He kept a journal throughout the voyage and afterwards on his travels in Australia.
A copy of the journal is held by the State Library of New South Wales. Lieutenant Malcolm spent six weeks in the Hunter region where he also visited James Bowman's estate Ravensworth, Robert and Helenus Scott at Glendon and Henry Dumaresq at St. Heliers.
Death
William Dumaresq outlived his brother Colonel Henry Dumaresq by thirty years. He died at the residence of his daughter in Cleveland, Queensland in 1868.Notes and Links
1). Select here to find convicts assigned to William Dumaresq2). William Dumaresq was visited by James Backhouse in 1836....
3). Le livre rouge; or, A new and extraordinary red-book containing a list of Pensions. By Pierre Franc McCallum.
4). Obituary of William John Dumaresq - Sydney Mail 21 November 1868
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