Terrys Meadows Estate

DESCRIPTION

NameTerry's Meadows EstateTypeEstateGeolocation^[1] Last edited by: Will Chittick

DescriptionIn 1800, Samuel Terry who worked as a labourer at Manchester, England, was convicted of the theft of 400 pairs of stockings, and sentenced to transportation to Australia for seven years.

Terry worked under the direction of the Reverend Samuel Marsden (‘The Flogging Parson’) at Parramatta, constructing the Female Factory and Gaol. He was flogged several times for neglect of duty.

In 1810, Terry married Rosetta Marsh, who had arrived as a free settler on board the 'Hillsborough'.

Terry prospered in the colony after receiving his Ticket of Leave, and between 1817 and 1820, held more than one fifth of the total value of all mortgages: more than the Bank of New South Wales. He acquired his wealth through shrewdness, and quickly gained the reputation of ‘The Botany Bay Rothschild’.

By 1820, he owned 1,450 cattle, 3,800 sheep, and 19,000 acres of land, almost exactly half of the land held by former convicts.

On 9 January 1821, Governor Macquarie issued a grant of 2000 acres to Samuel Terry, which became the Terry’s Meadows Estate, now known as Albion Park.

By 1828, Terry had increased his estates to 21,580 acres. In 1834, he suffered a stroke, became paralysed, and died four years later. His funeral was described as the grandest in the colony, and cost over £1,140, which was more than his annual household expenditure. He left a personal estate of £250,000, an income of over £10,000 a year from Sydney rentals, and an unknown sum of landed property.

Terry's Meadows became the property of John Terry Hughes’ (nephew of Samuel Terry), who renamed it, Albion Park. The township of Albion Park grew around the centre of the estate, which had been a meeting spot since the early days of European settlement. Tongarra Road was the old cedar track, which linked the Tongarra Valley to Shellharbour Village, and the port.

John Dunmore Lang was responsible for the migration of many Scottish settlers to Australia, between 1838 and 1840. Amongst the settlers were the McGill's, Russell's, Beatson's and McQuilter's.

Andrew McGill became one of the most important dairy cattle breeders in the district. McGill, with Duncan Beatson, managed the cattle breeding and dairying estate for Hughes. He was also a founding member of the Albion Park Butter Factory, the Shellharbour Steam Navigation Company, and an Alderman for four years. With Beatson and McQuilter, he was responsible for laying the foundations of the new breed of dairy cattle, the famous Illawarra Shorthorn.

Another important local was Gabriel Timbs Snr, who, as a child in 1839, came to live at Marshall Mount with his family. His father William, was employed by Henry Osborne, on his Marshall Mount Estate. In 1861, Gabriel purchased two portions of land at Mount Terry for the family farm, and in 1875 invested money in a ten acre lot in the Albion Park township. Gabriel enlarged existing buildings in the town, and built 12 new commercial buildings. He is warmly referred to as the 'father of Albion Park'. His son, Gabriel Timbs Jnr. served as Shellharbour Municipal Council Town Clerk for 31 years.

In the 19th Century, Albion Park was fairly isolated, and gained the reputation as the 'Hell Hole' of the Illawarra. In 1885, a policeman was appointed, and by 1895, communications were made easier with the installation on a telegraph.

External LinkTerry's Meadows Agricultural Estate SaleIn Equity Terry and Others vs Hoskin and Others 1858Colonial Extracts Terry's Meadows Estate 1862Law The Terry's Meadows Law Suit 1864List of Purchasers at the Terry's Meadows Sale 1860Reminiscences of Illawarra Albion Park and the Samuel Terry Grants 1924

Object