Series 17: 'The Hassall Family: Descendants of Rowland and Elizabeth Hassall', unpublished manuscript by Jean Stewart (1999); and 'James Samuel Hassall (1823-1904)', paper by Jean Stewart (1998), 1998-1999

property and when they had finished a day's work. Ann Hassall provided them with a huge meal of soup, hasty pudding, hominy, vegetables and ''sugar-bag'' which was made from empty sugar bags soaked in a bucket of water which was sucked from a piece of stringy bark dipped into it.166 His interest in the Aboriginal people of the Bathurst district resulted in his writing a report on the Aboriginies in which he expressed his views on the best means of civilising them and of protecting the white population against both Aborigines and bushrangers.167

Denbigh became a large establishment, almost like a scattered village with a carpenter, blacksmith, shoemaker, dairy man, gardener, brickmaker and schoolmaster living there in houses made of rammed earth. Up to 12 to 20 convict servants worked from 6 in the morning in the summer and from 8 in the morning in winter until sundown. There wheat was grown and sold at 8s. per bushel, hay at £8 per ton. Horses sold at £60 to £70 each, so it was a profitable enterprise. The convicts were supervised by a Scottish overseer who called them to work in the morning by the sound of a large bullock horn. A vineyard and orange grove flourished in the rich soil and in the grape season a watchman guarded the grapes from local boys.168

[Picture] DENBIGH (1869).

From Pain, A.F., complier, St. Paul's Cobbity, Parish of Narellan.

166 Hassall, James, In Old Australia, p.4. 167 Hassall Correspondence, A1677-2, p.1351-7. 168 Hassal, James, In Old Australia, pp.4-5.

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[Picture] Denbigh, the house of Thomas Hassall, in more recent times.

A story of one of Thomas Hassall's assigned servants was told by his son, James. Connor, a coachman, was well trusted by the family and was very quick-witted. Once Ann Hassall returned from Sydney leaving her trunk behind and it was sent on later by dray. On arrival it was found that the trunk had been broken and its contents stolen. Connor was sent to investigate and found strips of material outside dressmaker's shop which he recognised as belonging to his mistress. He called the police and the shopowners were arrested. He fell from grace, however, when he was found to have stolen horses and sold them. As a result Connor was given seven years on Norfolk Island.169

There was some concern expressed in the colony that the clergy were abusing their positions and not carrying out thier pastoral duties properly. Those with farming interests were singled out and it was decided to limit the land owned by clergy to 80 acres. Thomas Hassall in January 1828 petitioned Lord Bathurst for a further land grant. In his petition he described how he had inherited land and stock from his father and that he was also responsible for looking after the property and stock of his mother and three sisters. He mentioned that he had already received two grants of land, one of 230 and one of 800 acres and on that he depastured 300 head of horned cattle, 20 horses and 2,000 breeding sheep. He also said that he kept at least 30 servants of the Crown. He stated that he had received ''two geographical miles'' from Sir Thomas Brisbane with the promise that if he kept convicts and improved the land he could expect to receive more. Sir Thomas Brisbane had left before the pledge could be honored so Hassall appealed to Bathurst saying that he had spent not less than £1000 on improvements. He also mentioned that for his mother and sisters he had to provide pasturage for 35 horses, 600 head of horned cattle and 3,500 breeding ewes, and that would have been more if £5000 worth of ewes had not died because of poor pasturage and much more would have been lost without the assistance of his brother-in-law, Reverend William Walker, who was able to offer temporary pasturage.170 In October 1829 Governor Darling wrote a report on the interests of the clergy and about Thomas Hassall, who held 1,280 acres, he wrote: ''The case of Revd. Thos Hassall is different. He inherited some land and considerable herds and flocks from his father, and became possessed of more by Marriage,

169 Ibid., p.7. 170 Historical Records of Australia, Vol.XIII, p.715-7.

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the usual method in this Colony where money does not prevail of making settlement on wives and children; and it wold be unjust and cruel in the extreme to prevent them from reaping the benefits where the country does not admit of any other provision, added to which, Mr Hassall (sic) is a very prudent young man, lives in great retirement, and does his Clerical duties with the greatest decorum and punctually throughout a very large District, and entirely to my satisfaction; nor have I had any instance of negligence... I feel no reluctance in granting Mr Hassall (sic) one [licence] to the extent he requires...''171

Other business interest pointed to a prosperous man. By the 1840s Reverend Thomas Hassall had shares in the Bank of Australia worth £320, but he lost money when the bank collapsed. The depression of the 1840s forced him to sell several properties. Nevertheless he was sufficiently well off to be able to contribute enough funds to purchase the upper stained-glass windows in the new church of St John at Parramatta which was built in 1855 to replace the building with which he had been so closely associated in his younger days.172

It was said that Thomas Hassall named Denbigh in memory of Reverend Robert Cartwright who had been born at Denbigh in Shropshire and had been the resident chaplain at the Hawksbury in 1810. He had been one of the Hassall's customers when Hassall worked in the merchant's office in Sydney.173 Stories of Denbigh point to it as a happy place. James Hassall remembered that ''birthdays were strictly observed, and games of all kinds thoroughly enjoyed. Our uncle James Hassall of Matavai, who was very fond of young people, was often the life and soul of our meetings''.174 In 1844 a Harvest Home was held at James Hassall's when most of the inhabitants attended and enjoyed cricket, foot racing, dancing and a substantial dinner. Despite having dancing on occasion at Denbigh not all functions were allowed. When the schoolmaster, John Armstrong, suggested at a Temperance meeting that a tea party should be held, Thomas Hassall opposed it because of the presence of convicts with whom he and others would not like to socialise. Hassall also dissaproved of the schoolmaster riding his horse on Sundays and associating with Catholics.175

The enormous correspondence of the Hassall family contains very many letters written by Thomas Hassall throughout his life. They reveal his strong involvement with the lives of his children. In particular there is concern about his sons, Charles and George, who were a great disappointment to him as they proved ''unworthy and unsatisfactory'' and he sought advice from his son-in-law, Robert Hope, about the division of his possessions after his death especially with regard to Charles and George.176 Thomas Hassall and his wife made the long voyage to Geelong in 1853

171 Ibid., Vol XV, p.216. 172 Jervis, James, The Cradle City of Australia, A History of Parramatta, The Council of the City of Parramatta, 1961, p.70. 173 Stapleton, Eugenie, ''Ann (Marsden) Hassall and 'The Galloping Parson''' in Spotlight on History, No.4, St Mary's Historical Society, 1982, p.9. 174 Ibid., p.20. 175 Best, Roderick, Eliza Marsden Hassall, An Earnest Disciple, p.3. 176 Hassall Correspondence A1677-4, pp.391-3.

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clergymen.177

[Picture] Thomas Hassall's grave in front of the Heber Chapel, St. Paul's, Cobbity.

There is the story of a farmer in an outlying area who was seen standing by the road in his best Sunday suit on the morning of the funeral. When asked where he was going, he said he could not attend the funeral and so was merely paying his respects to his good friend.

The eulogy at his funerl service was delivered by Reverend R.I. King, the incumbent of Holsworthy and Principal of Moore College in Sydney and chaplain to the Bishop of Sydney. He said among other things: ''...his views of himself were then dictated by true Christian humilty. I well remember on the occasion of his receiving what he regarded as a signal mercy, how he wept at the remembrance of what he called his own 'many shortcomings'. It was on the occasion of his son's ordination''.178

177 Sydney Morning Herald, 9 January 1918. 178 King, Reverend R. L., Path of the Just, Funeral Sermon preached in St. Paul's Cobbedee on the occasion of the Death of the Rev. Thomas Hassall M.A.', published at the request of his family, F. White, Sydney, 1868, p.6.

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An obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald of 1 April 1868 said of him: ''To great activity of mind and body in his earlier years, when he first devoted himself to the Christian ministry, our lamented friend united a genuine, unaffected piety, with a sound evangelical style of teaching, and he was instant 'in season and out of season' in his endeavours to win souls to Christ. The burning heat of summer, or winter's drenching rains, did not deter this holy man from doing his Master's work; the presence of fever or disease did not appal him, for he was ever by the sick bed, or ministering to those in need. And now that his days on earth have passed away, and his mission is accomplished, may we not hope that he has entered into that rest 'which remaineth for the people of God'''.

In his will, Thomas Hassall left a great deal of land to the church, including an extra acre for the burial ground, 37 acres between the church and the river and 82 acres on the main road where the present stone rectory was built two years after his death.

[Picture]

[Picture] St. Paul's Cobbity and the Rectory. From Pain, Allan F., complier, St. Paul's Cobbity, Parish of Narellan.

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