Summary
Samuel Terry (c. 1776 – 22 February 1838) was transported to Australia as a criminal, where he became a wealthy landowner, merchant and philanthropist. His extreme wealth made him by far the richest man in the colony with wealth comparable to the richer in England. Terry left a personal estate of £250,000, an income of over £10,000 a year from Sydney rentals, and landed property that defies assessment.[1] At his death in 1838 he was worth 3.39% of the colony's gross domestic product, the equivalent today of over $24 billion.[2]
Samuel Terry | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1776 |
| Died | 22 February 1838 |
The year and circumstances of his birth are unknown. While working as a labourer in Manchester, England, on 22 January 1800 he was sentenced to transportation to the colony of Australia for the crime of stealing 400 pairs of stockings. He was taken to Sydney, Australia, where he served as a stone cutter. After working several jobs, he earned a farm in 1808.
On 27 March 1810 Terry married Rosetta (Rosata) Marsh or Madden, née Pracey, who had come free to the colony in 1799 on the ship, The Hillsborough. She was a widow (possibly of convict Edward Madden, and later of Henry Marsh), and she had three children when she married. She was an innkeeper, and on marriage Terry took over her Pitt Street property.[1] He continued to prosper, becoming a trader and became a supplier of food to the government.
By 1820 he possessed significant amounts of property and was a large shareholder in the Bank of New South Wales. There is some controversy about the means he used to acquire his wealth, and he became accused of extortion by his enemies. It was alleged that he brought land owners to his inn, who would become intoxicated and sign away their property in payment of debts. By 1821 he also brought 28 actions to the Supreme Court.
In the 1820s he was wealthy and a public figure. He was also a philanthropist, contributing to local societies and schools. He also worked for the emancipists and, in 1826, became president of the Masonic Lodge. He died on 22 February 1838 following three years incapacitated as a result of a seizure.[3]
The Samuel Terry Public School, Cranebrook is named in his honor.[4]
In 1967 Terry's biography, written by his great-granddaughter Gwyneth Dow, was included in The Australian Dictionary of Biography.[1]
Flour Business edit
In August 1820 Terry went into partnership with Thomas White Melville Winder[5].
The mills were built on a grant of land belonging to Terry in what is known today as Kensington[5].
Later this partnership was expanded into a board of six, William Hutchinson, Samuel Terry, Thomas White Melville Winder, George Williams, William Leverton and Daniel Cooper[5]. The Mill was renamed the Lachlan and Waterloo Flour Mills[5]. The partnership actually traded as Hutchinson, Terry & Co.
Death & probate edit
Probate of the will and executor was granted to Rosetta Terry, Tom White Melville Winder and James Norton[6].
Terry had a paralytic seizure and three years later died on 22 February 1838[7]. His burial was with Masonic honours[7]. The band of the 50th Regiment led the procession[1].
The personal estate he left was estimated at £250,000[7]. Income from the estate was estimated as being over £10,000 a year from Sydney rentals[7].
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d Dow, Gwyneth, "Terry, Samuel (1776–1838)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 7 February 2021
- ^ "Convicts and the Colonisation of Australia, 1788-1868 | The Digital Panopticon". www.digitalpanopticon.org. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "MR. SAMUEL TERRY". Sydney Times (NSW : 1834-1838). 26 February 1838. p. 2. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ Staff (2011). "Samuel Terry Public School". NSW Department of Education. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d Mitchell, Cecily Joan (1973). Hunters River. Newcastle, NSW: The Administrator of the Estate of Cecily Joan Mitchell. ISBN 0-9590772-0-0.
- ^ "Transcript of will of Samuel Terry 1838". www.hagger.org. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Dow, Gwyneth, "Samuel Terry (1776–1838)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 19 April 2024
Further reading edit
- Binney, Keith R. (2005). Horsemen of the First Frontier 1788-1900 and The Serpents Legacy. Volcanic Productions. pp. 146–148. ISBN 064644865X.
- "Samuel Terry - Asset Management". Samuel Terry Asset Management Property, Ltd. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
- "A.L.F"The history of Samuel Terry in Botany Bay : who died lately, leaving a ... fortune of nearly one million Sterling. With an appendix on emigration and transportation to the Australian colonies London : J. Pattie, 1838.
- William D. Rubinstein in association with BRW. The all-time Australian 200 rich list Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 2004.