Molly Morgan

Molly Morgan
Born	Mary Jones Template:Birth date Ludlow, Shropshire, England
Died	27 June 1835(1835-06-27) (aged 73) Anvil Creek, Greta, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation(s)	Convict, landowner, farmer
Known for	Prominent landowner and farmer in New South Wales; one of the largest landholders on the Hunter River; advocacy for convicts; community contributions

Molly Morgan (baptised 31 January 1762 – 27 June 1835) was an English convict who later became a prominent landowner and farmer. Originally named Mary Jones and born in Ludlow, Shropshire, England, she wed William Morgan in 1785, with whom she had two children. In 1789, following the discovery of stolen hemp yarn at their residence, both were sentenced to penal transportation. William initially fled but was eventually captured and transported; Molly was sent to New South Wales aboard the Neptune of the Second Fleet. After a brief period working together in Australia, William left Molly due to her involvement with other men.

In 1794, Molly escaped back to England by becoming the mistress of Captain John Locke and traveling on the Resolution. She regained custody of her children and worked as a dressmaker in Plymouth, remarrying Thomas Mears in 1797. In 1803, she faced accusations of arson involving her husband's home and was subsequently transported once again to Australia on the Experiment.

Upon her return to Australia, Morgan acquired land and livestock. In 1814, she received a seven-year prison term for milking a stolen cow but by 1819 had earned enough trust to be among twelve convicts granted land at Wallis Plains (present-day Maitland). Freed by 1822, she married Thomas Hunt and opened a wine shanty on her property. Governor Thomas Brisbane awarded her additional land where she constructed the Angel Inn. By 1828, she ranked as "one of the largest landholders on the Hunter River" and had several New South Wales sites named in her honour.

Morgan contributed to the settler community by funding a school, converting part of her residence into a hospital, and advocating for convicts in Sydney. Despite these achievements, her fortune diminished later in life. She passed away on 27 June 1835 at Anvil Creek in Greta, New South Wales, owning extensive landholdings.

Early life

Born Mary Jones in 1762 in Ludlow, Shropshire, England, Morgan was baptised in Diddlebury. She was the daughter of David Jones, a labourer and ratcatcher by trade, and Margaret Jones (née Powell). Receiving limited formal education, she trained as a dressmaker and was known as "Molly" from an early age. Her first child was born out of wedlock to a farmer who did not marry her. In 1785, she married William Morgan, a carpenter and wheelwright from Hopesay, Shropshire; together they had two children.

Initial conviction and escape

In 1788, Molly Morgan was apprehended for stealing hemp yarn during a period of family difficulty. A nearby bleaching factory reported missing yarn that was found concealed at the Morgans’ home. William avoided imprisonment initially with assistance from soldier acquaintances but Molly stood trial at Shrewsbury Assizes and was convicted on 8 August 1789. Her case was used as a deterrent against theft.

She received a sentence of seven years’ penal transportation and departed for Australia on the Second Fleet aboard the Neptune in 1790; her children remained behind in England. Of the 502 convicts onboard, 164 perished due to starvation and neglect during the journey. The shipowners profited from transporting convicts and incurred no loss for those who died en route. Utilizing her charm and exchanging favours with officers secured Molly improved conditions, extra food rations, and privileges, allowing her to arrive relatively healthy.

After landing at Botany Bay, she was transferred to Parramatta where she soon gained near freedom. William was later captured and transported to Australia; Molly joined him after his arrival. They worked in Sydney—William with labour gangs and Molly in a factory—before opening a small shop under a ticket of leave granted for her good conduct.

Following repeated quarrels caused by Molly’s ongoing flirtations, William abandoned her. Determined to reunite with her children back in England, she became Captain John Locke’s mistress and escaped aboard the store ship Resolution in November 1794 along with thirteen other convicts still serving sentences. Locke proposed marriage during the voyage but she refused.

Back in England, Morgan regained custody of her children and resumed dressmaking work in Plymouth, Devon. In 1797, she married Thomas Mears (also spelled Meares or Meyers), a prosperous brassfounder and bellringer, despite still being legally married to William who had since started another family.

Subsequent conviction and land allocation

Following the destruction of Mears' residence by fire in 1803, Morgan was convicted once more and sentenced to seven years of penal transportation to Australia. She arrived at Port Jackson aboard the Experiment in June 1804, a vessel carrying 136 female prisoners with a comparatively lower mortality rate than earlier journeys. Unable to locate William in Sydney, Morgan was assigned protectors such as Thomas Byrne and secured land along with livestock at Parramatta. In 1814, she was incarcerated for seven years at Newcastle Penal Colony due to milking a stolen cow, despite the actual culprit receiving a lesser punishment.

By 1819, Governor Lachlan Macquarie issued Morgan a ticket of leave and granted her between 20 and 30 acres at West Maitland (then known as Wallis Plains) as part of an experimental initiative aimed at rehabilitating convicts through agricultural work. Among twelve recipients, she was the sole female convict awarded her own farm. By 1822, Morgan obtained full emancipation.

Life in Australia

Morgan transformed her property at Wallis Plains into a prosperous farmstead and established a wine shanty. In 1822, she wed Thomas Hunt, a local soldier and army officer. Governor Thomas Brisbane, recognizing her agricultural success, leased her an additional 159 acres in 1823 where she constructed the Angel Inn. As the settlement expanded, both her inn and shanty became significant sources of revenue. Morgan also subdivided portions of her leased land for sale, ascending to become one of the most affluent landowners within the Hunter River district. An article from 1828 referred to her as "one of the largest landholders on the Hunter River." In 1830, she received official ownership of the 159 acres and acquired another 203 acres at Anvil Creek, which she farmed until her passing in 1835.

Several regional sites commemorate Morgan’s legacy, including Molly Morgan’s Plains (previously Wallis Plains), Molly Morgan Drive in Maitland, Molly Morgan Ridge near North Rothbury, and Molly Morgan’s road extending from Anvil Creek to Singleton. She earned informal titles such as "Queen of the Hunter Valley" and "Queen of the Hunter River." Beyond agriculture and land management, Morgan donated £100 toward constructing a school in East Maitland in 1827, advocated with colonial governors on behalf of escaped convicts, and converted part of her residence into a medical facility.

Final years and passing

During her later life, Morgan faced difficulties preserving her extensive land assets due to irregularities in transactions, resulting in a swift erosion of her fortune. She retired to Anvil Creek in Greta, New South Wales, where she died on 27 June 1835 at age seventy-three. At that time, she no longer owned property and carried outstanding mortgage liabilities. Her obituary—the most extensive published then—highlighted her unwavering assistance to settlers from 1820 to 1826 and expressed regret that her final years lacked the comfort warranted by her earlier generosity.

See also

• Convicts in Australia