Author: J W

Bangadyinyanga Wulmali Ganama ngurrayin Dharug Bayadyinyanga Yiyura Sydneyin Wulmali Ganama Wurrunggadyin Budyari Dharramarra Bayadyinyanga Budyari wurrungadyin barayin barribugu Bayadyinyanga Budyari wagulgu yiyuragu ngurragu Bayadyinyanga Budyari Ngunnawal Yiyura websiteyin bangadya.

We are made from Wulmali Ganama Country. We are the Dharug Speaking People from Sydney on behalf of our Wulmali Ganama Old Ones. Good Day. We speak well of our Old Ones from yesterday to tomorrow We speak well of all First Peoples and their homelands. We speak well of the Ngunnawal People from where our website has been created.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that content within the kittyjoseph.org website may contain images of deceased family members. We recommend proceeding with care.

c.1809 – Birth of Kitty of the Cannemegal (Warmuli) or Prospect clan of the Dharug people in Australia

Kitty of the Cannemegal (Warmuli) or Prospect clan of the Dharug people was born in c.1809.

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The Dharug People

As per the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Prospect is the land of the Dharug people.

“Warali Wali (‘possum’ in Darug language) is a traditional totem of the Darug people“. The Aboriginal artwork below has been purchased and included in the website banner to represent Kitty and our large family’s proud Dharug heritage.

“The Darug nation today is the traditional custodian of the land in the Greater Sydney region, stretching from the Hawkesbury River in the north to the Georges River in the south and out to the Blue Mountains in the west. They are one of the largest Aboriginal nations in Australia with a vibrant culture and a long history of connection to the land. They are committed to ensuring the protection and recognition of their cultural heritage and living culture. They have been actively involved in promoting the recognition of their rights to country, culture and self-determination. This commitment has been central to the Darug nation’s ongoing presence in the Sydney region.”

“The Darug nation has also been active in advocating for the recognition of Indigenous peoples and their rights in Australia, and for the protection and preservation of their culture and land. They continue to fight for sovereignty and self-determination.”

“The Warmuli is also one of the main tribes in the Darug nation. They are known for their perseverance and integrity, and their culture is deeply rooted in their spiritual beliefs. They are a close-knit community and value their traditions and customs.”

Valuable information about the Dharug language is found at bayala.net.au.

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1813 – Birth of Joseph Budworth in England

Joseph Budworth, Kitty’s future partner and father of six of her children, was born in 1813 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. His parents are unknown, as is discussed at the bottom of this page under the heading ‘Joseph Budworth’s Unknown Parents and Mistaken Identity’.

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1814 – Kitty Admitted to the Parramatta Native Institution

On 28 December 1814, Kitty was in the first cohort of Aboriginal students admitted to the Parramatta Native Institution, along with three other girls named Maria (whose brother Colebee would later marry Kitty), Fanny and Friday.

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1814 – Establishment of the Parramatta Native Institution

The Native Institution was established at Parramatta by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on 10 December 1814 as a ‘school for the education of the native children’. It was a children’s home and asylum and was run by a Christian missionary, William Shelley. In 1823 it was moved to Blacktown. It closed in 1833.“

“The institution was launched on 28 December 1814 at Parramatta during a festival and feast for Aboriginal people dwelling between Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Macquarie hoped that this occasion would lead to an improved understanding between Europeans and the Indigenous population. After a lengthy discussion and a meal of roast beef, bread and ale, the first children to be enrolled in the institution were handed over by their parents.“

“The Native Institution was designed to inculcate European ideas of ‘civilisation’, commerce and Christianity into Aboriginal people and turn them into industrious workers.“

“The Native Institution was significant as the first school for Aboriginal children in New South Wales… However, the practice of government authorities removing Aboriginal children from their families to educate them, as occurred at the Native Institution, is seen as an important precursor to the policies that led to the stolen generations.“

On 4 January 1817, the Sydney Gazette published a newspaper article which included the following:

Governor Macquarie directed “That no Child after having being admitted into the Institution, shall be permitted to leave it, or be taken away by any Person whatever, (whatever Parents or other relatives) until the Boys shall have attained the age of sixteen years, and the Girls fourteen years.”¹

“Aboriginal parents had resisted the school and pined for their children from the beginning – an open slat fence was built early in 1815 to provide parents the requested opportunity to gaze upon their children while at school. Shelley, before his early death in 1815, noted the reluctance of Aboriginal parents to give up their children and Yarramundi spoke of the fear of ‘men in black clothes’ taking the children to the Institution in 1818.” (Brook and Kohen, 1991, p.263).

On 31 May 1820, Kitty’s academic progress was stated to be “reads and writes well”, and she was in “good health”.

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Kitty’s First Husband – Colebee

Maria had an elder brother named Colebee, who was born about 1783. He is also recorded as being from Richmond, the son of Yellomundi (Yarramundi) and grandson of Gombeeree from the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug.

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William Cox

Colebee had a strong association with the explorer, builder, road builder, pastoralist and magistrate William Cox. Cox arrived in Sydney in 1800, and he and his family had a significant role in the early New South Wales colony.

On 12 July 1814, Governor Macquarie commissioned Cox to build a road across the blue mountains. 

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William Cox & Colebee

On 27 August 1814, William Cox stated in his journal “Got two natives who promise to continue with us – Joe from Mulgoa and Coleby from Richmond”.

In 1816, Colebee was an Aboriginal guide for Military Detachments sent out by Governor Macquarie.²

On 31 August 1819, Colebee became the first Aboriginal person granted land by the Colonial Government under British Law, being “granted 30 acres (12.1 hectares) of land located on the Richmond Road at the intersection of what is now Rooty Hill Road”, Black Town, or what is today Blacktown.

Between 1819 and 1822, Colebee became a constable at Windsor (Brook and Kohen, 1991, p.51).

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1822 – Kitty Marries Colebee

On 12 June 1822, Colebee married Kitty. “A number of unspecified items were supplied and paid for from Institution funds” (Brook and Kohen, 1991, p.51).

Brook and Kohen (1991, p.51) state that “taking advantage of an occasional visit to see his sister, Colebee could easily have made known his feelings and intentions towards Kitty as she grew older. It was normal practice for Aboriginal girls to marry at an early age, and to marry men much older than themselves. Alternatively, love may have had little to do with it, and it may well have been a marriage of convenience. When Macquarie drafted the rules and regulations for the Institution, he decided that girls would be discharged at fourteen years of age. Arranging a marriage for thirteen-year-old Kitty to a ‘Europeanised’ Aborigine would be deemed a success by all those connected with the Native Institution..

Brook and Cohen (1991, p.51) identify that “the newlywed, Kitty and Colebee, settled immediately at Black Town on a small farm of their own, with the stated intention of cultivating the land.” A letter which Dr John Harris wrote to Frederick Goulburn, the colonial secretary, is “the first recorded use in Australian history of the name ‘Black Town’. This letter stated: “Sir, I beg to state for your information that House the Road Constable yesterday complained to me that Coleby the Black Constable is seldom or ever seen at the Black Town, but is constantly away with the Natives and is of no use there as a Constable – I have had frequent complaints of him before from Windsor for drunkenness and violent conduct…” (p.51).

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1823 – Birth of Kitty’s Son Samuel

In 1823, Kitty and Colebee had a son, named Samuel.³ (See 23 August 1827 baptism certificate 867: Vol 128. below).

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1824 – Background of Joseph Budworth (born c.1813)

In 1824, while Kitty was married and had her first son in Sydney, Australia, on the other side of the world in Liverpool, England, there was an 11 year old boy named Joseph Budworth who was in trouble with the law. Incredibly, this boy would later become Kitty’s second husband.

Budworth was born c.1813 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

On 24 September 1824, Budworth was committed with having feloniously stolen three shillings and ninepence, in silver and copper monies.⁴

In October 1824, Budworth was listed on the County of Lancashire, Liverpool, England, as being tried for the crime of felony. He was sentenced to “6 months and whipped time.”⁵

In October 1826, Budworth was listed as a prisoner at Liverpool Gaol who had been previously committed and convicted of felony 3 times. This states his name was “Joseph Budworth alias Davis”. He was convicted in October 1826 and discharged in April 1828.⁶

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1827 – The Baptism of Samuel

On 23 August 1827, Kitty and Colebee’s son Samuel was baptised at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Richmond.³

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1829 – Joseph Budworth Sentenced to 7 Years in Australia

On 29 March 1829 in Lancashire, England, Budworth was committed as a criminal, charged with feloniously stealing one firkin of butter, and sent to the Liverpool Jail.⁸

On 30 March 1829, The Albion reported the following:

On 4 May 1829 at the Liverpool Court, Budworth was tried for feloniously stealing butter, and at trial sentenced to 7 years transportation to Australia. He had four previous convictions at this time.⁹

The 8 May 1829 ‘The Liverpool Mercury’ newspaper reported the following on page 159:

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1829 – Joseph Budworth Transported to Australia

On 26 June 1829, Budworth was sent to the prison hulk Justita to await his transportation to Australia.

On 10 August 1829, Budworth and the other 59 convicts onboard were transferred from the Justita onto the Claudine at Woolwich, England.

On 15 August 1829, the Claudine arrived in Plymouth. That evening, another 120 convicts were transported onto the ship.

On 24 August 1829, Budworth was transported from London as a convict onboard the Claudine. This ship was an “East Indiaman built in Calcutta in 1811 from teak wood with a tonnage of 452 tons.”

180 prisoners and their guards were on this 104 day voyage to Australia, which was very rough, with two 17 year old prisoners dying on the journey.

The Claudine’s Muster Roll and Passenger Manifest describes Budworth as follows:

• Age: 16;
• Education: None;
• Religion: Protestant;
• Marriage Status: Single;
• Employment: Stable boy;
• Height in feet & inches: 5, 0.75;
• Complexion: Ruddy much freckled;
• Hair: Brown;
• Eyes: Hazel;
• Marks or Scars: yes.

On 6 December 1829, the Claudine arrived in Sydney, carrying 16 year old Joseph Budworth among the convicts.

Budworth was assigned to work for William Cox of Clarendon, the same man who had worked with Colebee. Cox’s “large estate at Clarendon near Windsor had all the appearance of a self-contained village. Over fifty convict servants acted as smiths, tanners, harness makers, wool sorters, weavers, butchers, tailors and herdsmen. Cox had steadily improved his flocks, which Commissioner Bigge described in 1820 as among the six best in the colony.”

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1820s-1840s – The Cox Family and the Liverpool Plains Area

From 1826, three of Cox’s sons, George, Henry and Edward, progressively staked claims to the Liverpool Plains area including at Binnea, Noemby or Nombi, and Connabarabran.

“By 1826 William Cox’s sons George and Henry had extended their cattle even further north, staking a claim to land at Binnea, south of Coonabarabran, providing the nexus for Jinnie’s move between Mudgee and Coonabarabran… by 1829 George and Henry Cox had moved on from ‘Binnea’ and had established a run at ‘Nomeby’ (‘Nombi’) further northeast into Kamilaroi lands.”

The 1841 NSW Census shows that “G and H Cox” were in residence on the “District Liverpool Plains”.

Similarly, another of William Cox’s sons “Edward Cox”, was in residence on the “District Liverpool Plains”.

The 20 September 1848 NSW Government Gazette titled ‘Claims to leases of Crown Lands, beyond the settled districts. Liverpool Plains district identifies the Cox family’s extensive land ownership in this area.

This includes: Cox George. Name of run, Nomeby. Estimated area, 60,000 acres… and bounded as follows, on the north by Belumbela ridges ; south by Buballa range, east by Bowen or Cox’s Creek ; west by rocky ridge.

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c.1831 Death of Colebee

By 1831, Colebee had died. On 14 March 1831, Maria Lock wrote a letter requesting she be awarded her brother Colebee’s land, resulting in her being granted his 30 acres of land at Blacktown.

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c.1831 – Kitty and Joseph Budworth Meet

As stated in the PhD of Dr Rosemary Norman-Hill, “As Colebee and Cox had an established relationship, Colebee and Joseph may have met before Colebee’s death, given the property was situated on Boorooberongal lands. According to Kohen (1993; 1996; 2010), Joseph met Black Kitty after she became a widow, suggesting she may have been cared for by Colebee’s family on Country. On 15 February 1837, after serving his seven years, Joseph earned his Certificate of Freedom (Kohen, 2010). By that time the couple had moved along the stock route of the Liverpool Plains in western NSW, with their children being born along this journey.”

“Black Kitty and Joseph Budsworth had a productive partnership, producing six living children, three sons and three daughters. It is unknown whether Colebee and Black Kitty’s first son Samuel went with them or stayed with members of the Richmond clan.”

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1832 – Birth of Kitty and Joseph’s First Child Catherine

In 1832, Joseph and Kitty had a daughter named Catherine, who was born in Nomby. Catherine’s daughter Martha’s birth certificate states her mother’s name, maiden surname and birthplace was “Catherine”, “formerly Budworth” and “Nomby, Tambar Springs”.

On 4 May 1852, Catherine married Joseph Stafford.

Catherine died 26 August 1906. Catherine’s death certificate states her father was Joseph Budsworth, and his occupation was ‘Boundary Rider’. It states the maiden surname of her mother was unknown.

Interestingly, Catherine’s baptism certificate provides a number of incorrect details as to who her parents were. The reasons for this are detailed below under the heading ‘Risk of Aboriginal Child Removal’.

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Risk of Aboriginal Child Removal

“In New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory many children of mixed descent were totally separated from their families when young and placed in segregated ‘training’ institutions before being sent out to work.”

“Mixed race’ children were particularly targeted for forcible removal”. Justice Chisholm stated that mixed race children “were removed because their Aboriginality was ‘a problem’”.

“Indigenous girls were targeted for removal and sent to work as domestics”. In New South Wales, “to 1921 81% of the children removed were female.”

Indeed, Catherine’s own mother Kitty Warmuli had been placed in the Parramatta Native Institution in 1814, when she was 5 years old. Children were not allowed to leave the Native Institution. “Aboriginal parents had resisted the school and pined for their children from the beginning – an open slat fence was built early in 1815 to provide parents the requested opportunity to gaze upon their children while at school. Shelley, before his early death in 1815, noted the reluctance of Aboriginal parents to give up their children and Yarramundi spoke of the fear of ‘men in black clothes’ taking the children to the Institution in 1818.” (Brook and Kohen, 1991, p.263).

The pervasive threat of child removal would have been particularly fierce for a teenage Aboriginal girl in the mid-1800s, explaining why Catherine’s baptism certificate did not identify her mother as Aboriginal, and instead listed another ‘Budsworth’ family. However, for Catherine’s death certificate, there is no reason for there to have been false information, indicating this is highly likely to be accurate.

Joseph’s three sons each have their father’s name as Joseph Budworth or Budsworth, and their mother’s name was listed for the 1833 birth of Joseph as “Kitty Budsworth”, the 1840 birth of James as “Aboriginal”, and the 1843 birth of John as “Kitty Aborigini”. Furthermore, Joseph’s death certificate states his father was Joseph Budworth and his mother was “Black Kitty”.

Conversely, the baptism certificates of their daughters Catherine, Mary and Sarah do not identify their parents. This is not surprising in the context that “Indigenous girls were targeted for removal and sent to work as domestics”. In New South Wales, “to 1921 81% of the children removed were female.”

In 1928, the Australian Aborigines Progressive Association (AAPA) wrote that “girls of tender age and years are torn away from their parents … and put to service in an environment as near to slavery as it is possible to find”.

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Nombi Station or Nomby

As per Catherne’s birth certificate, she was born at Nomby, Tambar Springs. Nomby is consistent with the land owned by George Cox and Henry Cox, as detailed earlier. A 1905 photograph of Nombi Station was published by the Art Gallery NSW in 1980.

‘The Land’ Newspaper published an article about Nombi Station on 6 September 2020: “Mount Nombi has a long history, being owned by the early pioneering families of the Liverpool Plains. First settled by the Cox family, from which the nearby Cox’s Creek is named. The property Nombi Station which included Mount Nombi, was purchased by the Orr family who came from Ireland to the Liverpool plains in the early 1860s.”

Beef Central published another article in 2020: “Historic Mount Nombi tipped to fetch $8m. Around $8 million is anticipated for the historic, high-rainfall, mixed farming platform Mount Nombi in north western New South Wales. Located 22km south west of Mullaley and 60km south west of Gunnedah, the property is nestled on the western edge of the renowned Liverpool Plains – long regarded as one of New South Wales’ premier agricultural regions.

Mount Nombi is a cattle and sheep breeding and finishing enterprise. Around 38 percent (610ha) of the property is arable and suited to winter and summer dryland crop production. However there is considerable scope to further expand the arable area and establish improved pastures across the grazing area. The 1589 hectares of country features fertile black basalt soils capable of running 400 self-replacing cows, with quality working improvements and a secure water supply.

Mount Nombi once formed part of Bando Station, which stretched from Mullaley to Tambar Springs. The holding was purchased by the Orr family who arrived on the Liverpool Plains from Ireland in the early 1860s. In the late 1800s, the Vivers family added the property to their extensive holdings and in 1904 constructed a grand weatherboard homestead south of Nombi Station for their son, calling the property Mount Nombi.

Col Medway from LAWD said it was a true mixed farming property, equally suited to livestock and cropping. “It is versatile operation with enough scale to sustain a standalone enterprise or an ideal addition for an existing agricultural business seeking diversity of production and climate,” he said. “There has been good interest from locals and producers seeking geographical diversity to spread their risk. It may even attract high-net worths from Sydney,” Mr Medway said.

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Budworth the Boundary Rider

The occupation of ‘Boundary Rider’ involves “An employee responsible for maintaining the (outer) fences on a station, or a publicly owned vermin-proof fence… The duties of a boundary rider for the most part consist in riding round the fences every day, seeing that they are all in good order, blocking up any panels that may be broken, putting out strangers (that is stock that have strayed on to the run), and, in fact, doing all that may pertain to keeping his master’s stock on his own land, and everybody’s else out of it.” 

This occupation is of particular note as Budworth had been a stable boy in England, and the Cox family were pastoralists.

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The spelling of Budworth and Budsworth

The alternate spelling of Budworth’s children’s names in their baptism certificate demonstrate that Joseph was alternately referred to as both Budworth and Budsworth.

As the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has stated, “Be mindful of spelling variations as people often recorded information as it sounded and in earlier times many people could not read and write.”

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1833 – Birth of Joseph (Junior), alias Myall Joe

Joseph (Junior) was born on 27 June 1833.

Baptised 1 June 1842 in West Maitland by J. T. Lynch, Roman Catholic. This baptism certificate states the father was Joseph Budsworth and his mother was Kitty Budsworth.

NOTE: Dean John T. Lynch, “who had arrived in Australia in 1838 and was stationed at Maitland in the same year, was closely associated with New England. Of him Monsignor P Hartigan wrote “He was a first-class horseman and as hard as the horse that bore him. He pioneered the Liverpool Plains, went further north than Armidale and combed the whole of the intervening country.” Joseph (Junior)’s baptism certificate shows that Lynch baptised him in June 1842, consistent with the Catholic Church’s records.

Married 6 August 1857 – The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser Thu 6 Aug 1857, page 3, Family Notices.

On 15 October 1860, it was reported in the New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime “Coonabarabran: Escaped, on the 4th instant, from the stable which is at present used as a lock-up-Joseph Budworth, alias Young Myall Joe, and Charles Johnston. Myall Joe is a half-case, about 5 feet 2 inches high, black hair, 26 years of age, has a deep scar under the eye.

Died 11 May 1863 in Queensland. The death certificate states his father was Joseph BUDWORTH and his mother was Black Kitty.

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The Meaning of ‘Myall’

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word ‘Myall’ is an Australian word for “an Aboriginal person living in a traditional way”. This notes the origin “is early 19th century: from Dharuk myal, miyal ‘person from another tribe’.”

According to the Collins Dictionary, Dharuk was “an Australian aboriginal language, now extinct, spoken in the area of the first European settlement at Port Jackson”.

Kitty was Dharug, providing a fascinating connection of the word Myall, with Kitty and her family being from the Dharug tribe, living on Kamilaroi lands.

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Baptism Certificate Points of Note

The alternate spelling of Budworth’s children’s names in their baptism certificate demonstrate that Joseph was alternately referred to as both Budworth and Budsworth. As the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has stated, “Be mindful of spelling variations as people often recorded information as it sounded and in earlier times many people could not read and write.”

The fact that the baptism certificate of Joseph Budworth (Junior) states that his father was Joseph Budsworth and his mother was Kitty Budsworth is a strong indication that Joseph and Kitty were married, as she had taken his last name. However, no marriage certificate has been found to date.

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1837 – Joseph Budworth Receives His Certificate of Freedom

On 15 February 1837, Budworth received his ‘Certificate of Freedom’.

Budworth receiving his Certificate of Freedom was reported on in the New South Wales Government Gazette on 19 April 1837, which stated that he had arrived on the Claudine.

“In the early decades of the New South Wales penal colony, convicts usually arrived with a sentence of seven years, fourteen years, or life… British government and legal officials in either London or Dublin, produced lists known as indentures or indents, giving details of the name, date and place of conviction and sentence of each convict sailing on a ship…”

“The captains of convict transports handed these documents to the Governor of New South Wales and his Secretary (later known as the Colonial Secretary at the Colonial Secretary’s Office, Sydney). When a convict’s sentence had expired, he or she could apply for a certificate of freedom… this was an official document issued by the Colonial Secretary and signed by the Governor confirming that a convict was a free person with an expired sentence who was restored to rights of citizenship, in particular the right to unrestricted paid employment…”

“Convicts who received a certificate of freedom when their sentence had expired, or had the sentence remitted by a pardon, were known as emancipists. A ticket of leave was a substantial relaxation of a convict’s sentence, permitting him or her to undertake full-time paid work with an employer of their own choice, within a prescribed district. The convict was required to attend regular musters.”

“The certificate of freedom remained an important identity document for expirees while New South Wales remained a penal colony up to the 1840s…”

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1840 – Birth of James, alias Myall Jim

James. Born 1840. Baptised 12 August 1845 by J. T. Lynch, Roman Catholic. This baptism certificate states the father was Joseph BUDWORTH and the mother was Aboriginal.

On 4 March 1863, the New South Wales Police Gazette reported that: “A warrant has been issued by the Coonabarabran Bench for the apprehension of James Budsworth, alias Myall Jim, for stealing five horses the property of Charles Porter, a shepherd, residing at Yamambah. Budsworth is a half-caste, slightly built, about 23 years of age, 5 feet 7 inches high, rather good looking and intelligent; dresses very showy, and usually wears a gold ring and watch chain; is rather flash in his manner; and is well known about Liverpool Plains and Cassilis. The horses are at present in possession of the Narrabri police, the thief having galloped away, leaving a packhorse with a “swag”, in which was a book containing his name in various places.”

The 9 April 1863 Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser Newspaper stated in an article “CAPTURE OF TWO NOTORIOUS BUSHRANGERS”, “Senior Sergeant Balls has kindly furnished us with Information to the effect that Sergeant Armstrong, on the 4th Instant, succeeded in apprehending two noted bushrangers at a place called Rockgidgeal, near Cassills. One of the worthies Is named Thomas Dilllon. He escaped from Mudgee Gaol on the 18th October last. The other is James Budsworth, alias “Mudgee Jimmy”, a notorious cattle stealer.

The 16 April 1863 Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser Newspaper stated “James Budsworth, alias ” Mudgee Jimmy,” still lies in Cassilis lockup. This prisoner has to be forwarded to Coonabarabran bench, to be dealt with on a charge of horse stealing”.

In 1867 married Catherine RYAN in Coonabarabran, NSW.

On 24 January 1877, it was recorded in the New South Wales Police Gazette that James had been unlawfully wounded.

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1843 – Birth of John

John was born in October 1843.

Baptised 22 October 1845 by J. T. Lynch, Roman Catholic. This baptism certificate states the father was Joseph Budsworth and the mother was Kitty Aborigini (sic). The parents abode was “American River”. The baptism ceremony was performed in the “Parish of West Maitland in the County of Northumberland NSW”.

1849 – Birth of Mary

Died 18 May 1878. Mary’s death certificate states her father was Joseph Budsworth, and his occupation was ‘Laborer’. It states the maiden surname of her mother was “An Aboriginal”.

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c.1852 – Birth of Sarah

Sarah was born in c.1852.

On 24 April 1870, Sarah married Frederick George Hamilton. Their usual place of residence is both recorded as ‘Bundella Creek’.

Died 19 October 1886 in Inverell, NSW. Sarah’s death certificate states her father was Joseph.

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1859 – Budworth Sells Cattle

On 21 April 1859, the Maitland Mercury reported a notice that Joseph Budworth had sold all of his cattle.

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1865 – A Woman Named Kitty Committed to Jail

On 28 July 1865, as per the record of the Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser newspaper, an Aboriginal woman named Kitty was committed to jail by the Tamworth Court. This was in the same region where Kitty had her children. This is not confirmed to be the same Kitty as our grandmother, though the timing and region is consistent.

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1866 – Kitty Sentenced to Jail

On 6 July 1866, the record “Return of Prisoners Tried at the Different Courts of Quarter Sessions, 1866, Tamworth Quarter Session, 6 July 1855” stated the following: Name: Kitty (Aboriginal) Offence: Stealing a watch. When and Where Tried: Tamworth Quarter Sessions. Sentence: Twelve months imprisonment, Maitland Gaol.

On 21 July 1866, The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser stated “Kitty, aboriginal, stealing a watch, one year”.

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1866 – Kitty Dies

On 28 June 1866, Kitty died in custody from consumption, which is another name for tuberculosis. The Maitland Mercury stated: “An inquest was held at the East Maitland gaol, yesterday, by the coroner, James Thomson Esq, on the body of an Aboriginal woman named “Kitty,” who arrived in gaol on a committal by the Tamworth bench, on July 28th last year. It appears by the evidence of Dr. Wilton, the deceased showed symptoms of disease of the lungs soon after her admission into gaol, and has been in the habit of spitting large quantities of blood. Everything was done to her that could tend to her comfort and relief, nevertheless she died about nine o’clock on Thursday evening. Verdict Death from consumption.”

Of note, Kitty did NOT die from alcohol consumption, which had previously been incorrectly false alleged online. This is a false and improper conclusion as per Dr Wilton’s explicit findings.

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Kitty’s Legacy

Kitty is recognised by the City of Parramatta as a “Significant Aboriginal woman”.

Kitty’s descendants number in the hundreds today, including numerous great-great-great-great-great grandchildren. This website will further explore stories of Kitty’s descendants.

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1872 – Budworth Lapsed Conditional Purchase of Land

In the 16 April 1872 New South Wales Government Gazette, it stated that the Conditional Purchase of Crown Lands purchased by Joseph Budworth had become lapsed.

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1872 – Budworth Recorded in a NSW Census

On 1 August 1872, Budworth was recorded as living in the Gunnedah District, Pottinger County, Bundalla Parish at Coolah.

1880s – Budworth “An Old Man” Living on the Liverpool Plains

As an “old man”, Budworth was still living on the Liverpool Plains. The diary of Mary Jane CAIN has been published by the State Library of New South Wales and is quoted below.

“Bomera Station Was owned by two old Pioneers named Mr. Hale & Mr Durham, by whom my parents were employed as here given here…

Hale remained at Bomera a while he then had a manager a Mr William Clark Mr Hale went to Windsor where he died. Mr Clark managed the station then till his death which took place at Bomera. At Mr Clarkes death all the property was left to a Mr Andrews Towns he being a relative of Mr Hale this would be some where about between 1850 & 1860. A man by the name of Mr Samuel) Hole was manager.

After this Bomera Station changed hands a good many times I cannot think what the later hands names are. There was an old man taken a way by the name of Joe Budsworth & an old man Sam Freeman both those men were very feeble but being such faithfully servants & Mr Town’s being so kind hearted it was his wishes for them to go to Windsor his home”.

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1892 Death and Burial of Joseph

On 30 November 1892, Budworth died at Hawkesbury Benevolent Asylum, Windsor. NSW Death Registration Number 1892/14064.

NOTE: The Hawkesbury Benevolent Asylum was founded in 1818 by Archibald Bell and William Cox, who Budworth had first been assigned to upon arriving in Australia as a convict, 63 years earlier.

On 1 December 1892, Budworth was buried in the Church of England cemetery, Windsor, NSW. This was announced in the Windsor and Richmond Gazette on 10 December 1892, page 9.

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Text References

1. Brook, J. Kohen, J L. The Parramatta Native Institution and the Black Town : A History (1991). Kensington, NSW: New South Wales University Press, pages 59-62.  ↩︎
2. Sharpe, A. (2000). Pictorial history Blacktown and District. Alexandria, Australia: Kingsclear Books. ↩︎
3. Brook, J. and Kohen, J. (1991). The Parramatta Native Institution and the Black Town: A History. Kensington NSW: New South Wales University Press. ↩︎
4. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; PCOM 2: Metropolitan Police: Criminal Record Office: Habitual Criminals Registers and Miscellaneous Papers
   Description
   Year Range: 1874
   Source Information
   Ancestry.com. UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020.
   Original data:PCOM 2 1770-1951 Home Office and Prison Commission: Prisons Records, Series 1. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives. ↩︎
5. Class: HO 27; Piece: 27; Page: 389
   Description
   Year: 1824
   Source Information
   Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
   Original data:Home Office: Criminal Registers, Middlesex and Home Office: Criminal Registers, England and Wales; Records created or inherited by the Home Office, Ministry of Home Security, and related bodies, Series HO 26 and HO 27; The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England. ↩︎
6. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; PCOM 2: Metropolitan Police: Criminal Record Office: Habitual Criminals Registers and Miscellaneous Papers
   Description
   Year Range: 1874
   Source Information
   Ancestry.com. UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020.
   Original data:PCOM 2 1770-1951 Home Office and Prison Commission: Prisons Records, Series 1. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives. ↩︎
7. Brook, J. and Kohen, J. (1991). The Parramatta Native Institution and the Black Town: A History. Kensington NSW: New South Wales University Press. ↩︎
8. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; PCOM 2: Metropolitan Police: Criminal Record Office: Habitual Criminals Registers and Miscellaneous Papers
   Description
   Year Range: 1874
   Source Information
   Ancestry.com. UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020.
   Original data:PCOM 2 1770-1951 Home Office and Prison Commission: Prisons Records, Series 1. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives. ↩︎
9. Class: HO 27; Piece: 37; Page: 412
   Description
   Year: 1829
   Source Information
   Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
   Original data:Home Office: Criminal Registers, Middlesex and Home Office: Criminal Registers, England and Wales; Records created or inherited by the Home Office, Ministry of Home Security, and related bodies, Series HO 26 and HO 27; The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England. ↩︎

Joseph Budworth’s Unknown Parents and Mistaken Identity

A number of family trees, websites and documents have incorrectly stated that Joseph Budworth the convict born 1813, was actually a man by the name of Joseph Bore born 1811, the son of John Budsworth Bore and Margaret Bore nee Woods.

In March 2024, this case of mistaken identity was comprehensively refuted by evidence and by the unanimous agreement of independent experts in a WikiTree Genealogist-to-Genealogist forum.

Comparative Synopsis of the Lives of Joseph Budworth and Joseph Bore

Joseph Budworth was born in 1813 to unknown parents, though he has the alias of ‘Davis’ in some records. In 1829 as a convict he was transported to Sydney, Australia. He had a family with an Aboriginal woman named Kitty: 1831 a daughter Sophie, 1832 a daughter Catherine, 1833 a son Joseph, 1840 a son James, 1843 a son John, and 1849 a daughter Mary. Joseph BUDWORTH lived the remainder of his life in New South Wales, dying in 1892.

In contrast, Joseph Bore lived his entire life in England. He was born on 1 August 1811 in Lancashire, England, baptised on 1 September 1811, married Jane Hargreaves in Lancashire, England in 1841, had 8 children with her (1841, 184, 1846, 1848, 1849, 1852, 1855 and 1860), and died in Lancashire, England, in 1862. There is no evidence Bore ever left England. There is no evidence Bore ever came to Australia.

Bore is a completely different person from an unrelated family. Joseph Budworth’s parents were not John Bore and Margaret Bore nee Woods.

Summary of Differences between Joseph Budworth and Joseph Bore

1) Joseph Budworth and Joseph Bore have different names. Joseph Bore’s last name was Bore, and Bore alone. This is evidenced on his birth certificate, the 1841 census, the 1861 census, the birth certificates of his siblings, and Bore’s death documentation, which lists his last name as Bore, and Bore alone.

2) Joseph Budworth was born in 1813 as per multiple records. Joseph BORE’s birth certificate states he was born in 1811.

3) Joseph Budworth was having a family in Australia with an Aboriginal woman named Kitty in the 1840s at the exact same time Joseph Bore was having a family in England with Jane Hargreaves, on the opposite sides of the world.

4) There is no evidence Joseph Bore ever left England.

5) There is no evidence Joseph Bore ever came to Australia.

6) There is no evidence Joseph Budworth ever left Australia after he arrived in 1829. Many details about his life in Australia and connection to the Liverpool Plains of New South Wales are well documented as per the above biography.

7) Joseph Bore died in England in 1862. Joseph Budworth died in Australia in 1892.

Independent Expert Analysis and Unanimous Refutation

The question of whether Joseph Bore (1811-1862) was the convict Joseph Budworth (1813-1892) was critically analysed by independent experts in a WikiTree Genealogist-to-Genealogist forum. The unanimous conclusion of the independent experts was that they were two different men. A summary of their analysis is quoted below:

1) Matthew Fletcher G2G6 Pilot: “Several experts on British genealogy have generously given their time to look at this case. The unanimous conclusion is that Joseph Budworth Bore and the transported Joseph Bud(s)worth were not the same person”.

2) Helen Ford G2G6 Pilot: “I agree with Matthew that there is no evidence to link the convict Joseph Budworth with the West Derby Budworth Bore” and “The biggest problem is that there is no evidence to connect Joseph Budworth Bore of West Derby with Joseph Budworth the convict.”

3) John Atkinson G2G6 Pilot: “The man who was baptised in 1811 (often transcribed under the name Joseph Budworth) is Joseph Bore, and is therefore separate from the Joseph Budworth who came before the Liverpool Court a number of times and was eventually transported to Australia for 7 years.”

4) Anonymous Baker G2G6 Mach 3: “For the baptism of Joseph Budworth Bore, he was recorded as ‘Joseph’ ; parents christian names = ‘John Budworth’ and ‘Margaret’ ; parents surname = ‘Bore’.”

5) Gillian Thomas G2G6 Pilot: “There is probably an argument for correcting the LNAB (Last Name At Birth) for https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Budworth-55 to Bore, consistent with the name at baptism.”

6) Heather Jenkinson G2G6 Pilot: “I came to the same conclusion as most people Joseph Budworth and Joseph Budworth Bore are two different people.”

Request of Family Members

We request that in relation to Joseph Budworth, family members:

1. Make sure Joseph Budworth’s Date of Birth is 1813, and not 1 August 1811.
2. Delete the last name ‘Bore’ as his last name or associated with him.
3. Remove all family relationships to anyone with the name of BORE. His father was not John Bore. His mother was not Margaret Bore nee Woods. Joseph Budworth’s parents are unknown.

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