Thomas Valentine Blomfield
Encyclopedia
Thomas Valentine Blomfield (14 February 1793 - 19 May 1857) was a British soldier, pioneer New South Wales
settler and pastoralist, Magistrate, Justice of the Peace and Liverpool
District Council member.
, England
. His parents were Thomas Blomfield (1750–1833) and Mary Seaman.
in the 2nd Battalion of the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot in the British Army
. On 17 June 1811, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
. He served in the Peninsular War
and was awarded the Military General Service Medal
, with clasps for Busaco (1810), Albuera
(1811), Ciudad Rodrigo
(1812), Badajoz
(1812), Salamanca
(1812), Vittoria
(1813), Orthes
(1814) and Toulouse
(1814).
In February and August 1815, Thomas wrote to his family from Limerick
, Ireland
. The battle weary 48th regiment had returned to Ireland
on 19 June 1814 and fought in several of the American battles but were mainly garrisoned in Southern Ireland. From 1817 until 1824, the 48th Regiment of Foot was stationed in Australia
. Thomas arrived on the ship "Dick" on 3 August 1817 with a detachment of his regiment which had been ordered for service in New South Wales
.
on 3 August 1820 "to Christiana Jane Brooks, eldest daughter of Richard Brooks, Esq., a respectable settler and a magistrate of the Territory". Thomas and Christiana were married at St Philip's Church
, Sydney
.
His wife, Christiana Jane Brooks (1802–1852), was born on 15 January 1802 in Surrey
, England
, the eldest daughter of Captain Richard Brooks (c1763-1833) and Christiana Eliza Passmore (1776–1835). Christiana spent her childhood in Greenmile, Kent
, England
. She arrived in New South Wales
, aged 12, in March 1814 on the Spring with her parents, older brother and four younger sisters. Another sister was born that year in New South Wales.
In a letter dated 4 September 1820 to his father, Thomas described Christiana:
"She is of a fair complexion, about 5ft 5 inches in height, fair hair and dark brown eyes and, of course, in my opinion, not ugly."
Both Thomas and Christiana were prolific letter writers and many of these have been preserved in a collection published in 1926 entitled "Memoirs of the Blomfield family being letters written by the Late Captain T. V. Blomfield and his wife to relatives in England".
Thomas continued in the Army until January 1824 when he sold out his commission. He settled on land he named "Dagworth" (after the farm where he was born), an estate of 2000 acres (8.1 km²) on the Hunter River
, granted to him on 21 April 1825.
In a letter to her niece, Louisa, dated 2 June 1825, Thomas’ wife Christiana describes her husband:
"Uncle Thomas has very dark hair, a high forehead, dark blue eyes, rather a short nose, a small mouth with a fine set of very white teeth, which he shows very much when he laughs; a very black beard, and nice black whiskers. Altogether he has a round face, a cheerful good-tempered countenance habitually when he laughs, which he does often and most heartily. In height he is five feet seven, and in my opinion a very good figure, and I know several young ladies who used to think so, too, when he was a bachelor. Oh, you'll enjoy meeting him! He is such a joy!"
Thomas is ranked as one of the pioneering band whose early settlement and recognition of its possibilities contributed to the development of the Monaro area in New South Wales. In 1848, when the applicants for leases were gazetted, Thomas sought to obtain Run No. 8, known as Collarnatong, consisting of 35000 acres (141.6 km²) and the boundaries whereof, as set out in the Gazette, refer to neighboring runs as being those of Messrs Cassels, Brooks, Brierly and Eccleston.
After the death of Christiana’s parents, Captain Richard Brooks in 1833 and Christiana Brooks in 1835, the Brooks property "Denham Court" near Liverpool
passed to Christiana and Thomas Blomfield where Thomas lived until his death on 19 May 1857. He was buried in the small churchyard at the Church of St Mary the Virgin near Denham Court in Ingleburn
. Christiana had died five years earlier on 31 October 1852 at Denham Court and was also buried in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary the Virgin.
His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint the undermentioned Gentlemen to be Magistrates of the Territory, viz. Thomas Valentine Blomfield, of Dagworth, Hunter's River and Denham Court, in the County of Cumberland, Esquire; and Charles Boydell, of Cam. Yr. Allyn Hunter's River, Esq.
On 9 August 1848, Thomas was listed in the District Council appointments published in the Sydney Morning Herald:
Liverpool
. - Messrs, John Brown Bossley and Thomas Valentine Blomfield, to hold office until the 1st May, 1851.
On 27 October 1851, Thomas was amongst a large list of appointees as Justices of the Peace published in The Sydney Morning Herald. He had earlier appeared in a list of "The New Commission" published in The Sydney Herald on 7 January 1836 which is thought to also be Justices of the Peace.
In 1839, Christiana’s sister, Honoria Rose Riley (née Brooks) died leaving three young orphans. Honoria had been left a widow about three years before when her husband, William E Riley (c1808 - 1836) died. The three children raised by Christiana and Thomas, in addition to their own 11 surviving children, were:
Edward Valentine Blomfield
(1788–1816), English classical scholar, was also born on Valentine’s Day, 5 years earlier than Thomas Valentine Blomfield, and given the 2nd name Valentine. It is not known if the two were related.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
settler and pastoralist, Magistrate, Justice of the Peace and Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
District Council member.
Birth
Thomas was born on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 1793, at Dagworth Farm, SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His parents were Thomas Blomfield (1750–1833) and Mary Seaman.
Military career
On 8 June 1809 (aged 16), Thomas enlisted as an EnsignEnsign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in the 2nd Battalion of the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. On 17 June 1811, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He served in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
and was awarded the Military General Service Medal
Military General Service Medal
The Military General Service Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1847, for issue to officers and men of the British Army.The MGSM was approved on 1 June 1847 as a retrospective award for various military actions from 1793–1814; a period encompassing the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic...
, with clasps for Busaco (1810), Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
(1811), Ciudad Rodrigo
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1810)
In the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, the French Marshal Michel Ney took the fortified city from Field Marshal Don Andrés Perez de Herrasti on 9 July 1810 after a siege that began on 26 April...
(1812), Badajoz
Battle of Badajoz (1812)
In the Battle of Badajoz , the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, besieged Badajoz, Spain and forced the surrender of the French garrison....
(1812), Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
(1812), Vittoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
(1813), Orthes
Battle of Orthez
The Battle of Orthez saw the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington defeat a French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France near the end of the Peninsular War.-Preliminaries:...
(1814) and Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (1814)
The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
(1814).
In February and August 1815, Thomas wrote to his family from Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The battle weary 48th regiment had returned to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on 19 June 1814 and fought in several of the American battles but were mainly garrisoned in Southern Ireland. From 1817 until 1824, the 48th Regiment of Foot was stationed in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Thomas arrived on the ship "Dick" on 3 August 1817 with a detachment of his regiment which had been ordered for service in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Settlement in New South Wales
In a letter to his father dated 4 September 1820, Thomas announced his marriage had taken place in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
on 3 August 1820 "to Christiana Jane Brooks, eldest daughter of Richard Brooks, Esq., a respectable settler and a magistrate of the Territory". Thomas and Christiana were married at St Philip's Church
St Philip's Church, Sydney
St Philip's Church, Sydney is the oldest Anglican church parish in Australia. The church is located in the Sydney CBD, between York Street, Clarence and Jamison Streets on a location known as Church Hill. St Philip's is part of the Diocese of Sydney, Australia...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
His wife, Christiana Jane Brooks (1802–1852), was born on 15 January 1802 in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the eldest daughter of Captain Richard Brooks (c1763-1833) and Christiana Eliza Passmore (1776–1835). Christiana spent her childhood in Greenmile, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She arrived in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, aged 12, in March 1814 on the Spring with her parents, older brother and four younger sisters. Another sister was born that year in New South Wales.
In a letter dated 4 September 1820 to his father, Thomas described Christiana:
"She is of a fair complexion, about 5ft 5 inches in height, fair hair and dark brown eyes and, of course, in my opinion, not ugly."
Both Thomas and Christiana were prolific letter writers and many of these have been preserved in a collection published in 1926 entitled "Memoirs of the Blomfield family being letters written by the Late Captain T. V. Blomfield and his wife to relatives in England".
Thomas continued in the Army until January 1824 when he sold out his commission. He settled on land he named "Dagworth" (after the farm where he was born), an estate of 2000 acres (8.1 km²) on the Hunter River
Hunter River
The Hunter River is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major port....
, granted to him on 21 April 1825.
In a letter to her niece, Louisa, dated 2 June 1825, Thomas’ wife Christiana describes her husband:
"Uncle Thomas has very dark hair, a high forehead, dark blue eyes, rather a short nose, a small mouth with a fine set of very white teeth, which he shows very much when he laughs; a very black beard, and nice black whiskers. Altogether he has a round face, a cheerful good-tempered countenance habitually when he laughs, which he does often and most heartily. In height he is five feet seven, and in my opinion a very good figure, and I know several young ladies who used to think so, too, when he was a bachelor. Oh, you'll enjoy meeting him! He is such a joy!"
Thomas is ranked as one of the pioneering band whose early settlement and recognition of its possibilities contributed to the development of the Monaro area in New South Wales. In 1848, when the applicants for leases were gazetted, Thomas sought to obtain Run No. 8, known as Collarnatong, consisting of 35000 acres (141.6 km²) and the boundaries whereof, as set out in the Gazette, refer to neighboring runs as being those of Messrs Cassels, Brooks, Brierly and Eccleston.
After the death of Christiana’s parents, Captain Richard Brooks in 1833 and Christiana Brooks in 1835, the Brooks property "Denham Court" near Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
passed to Christiana and Thomas Blomfield where Thomas lived until his death on 19 May 1857. He was buried in the small churchyard at the Church of St Mary the Virgin near Denham Court in Ingleburn
Ingleburn, New South Wales
Ingleburn is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ingleburn is located 44 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region...
. Christiana had died five years earlier on 31 October 1852 at Denham Court and was also buried in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Public service
On 1 November 1834, Thomas' appointment as a Magistrate was published in The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser:His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint the undermentioned Gentlemen to be Magistrates of the Territory, viz. Thomas Valentine Blomfield, of Dagworth, Hunter's River and Denham Court, in the County of Cumberland, Esquire; and Charles Boydell, of Cam. Yr. Allyn Hunter's River, Esq.
On 9 August 1848, Thomas was listed in the District Council appointments published in the Sydney Morning Herald:
Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
. - Messrs, John Brown Bossley and Thomas Valentine Blomfield, to hold office until the 1st May, 1851.
On 27 October 1851, Thomas was amongst a large list of appointees as Justices of the Peace published in The Sydney Morning Herald. He had earlier appeared in a list of "The New Commission" published in The Sydney Herald on 7 January 1836 which is thought to also be Justices of the Peace.
Children
Thomas and Christiana had 12 children:- Thomas Edwin BLOMFIELD (1821–1903) - Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army
- Richard Henry BLOMFIELD (1823–1896)
- John Roe BLOMFIELD (1824–1889) - Anglican Priest
- Christiana Eliza Passmore BLOMFIELD (1826–1904) - married James John Riley (1821–1882), Mayor of PenrithPenrith, New South WalesPenrith is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Penrith is located west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith...
and son of Edward RileyEdward Riley (pastoralist)Edward Riley was a merchant and early pastoralist in Sydney, New South Wales. Born in London to George Riley Snr, a well-educated bookseller, and Margaret Raby, he was the younger brother of Alexander Riley and the first person in his family to be interested by colonial life, moving to Calcutta... - Louisa Matilda BLOMFIELD (1828–1858)
- Barrington Wingfield BLOMFIELD (1830–1835)
- Arthur BLOMFIELD (1831–1887) - Monaro pioneer
- Henry Wilson BLOMFIELD (1833–1924)
- Edwin Cordeaux BLOMFIELD (1835–1913)
- Euston BLOMFIELD (1837)
- Frank Allman BLOMFIELD (1840)
- Alfred BLOMFIELD (1842–1901)
In 1839, Christiana’s sister, Honoria Rose Riley (née Brooks) died leaving three young orphans. Honoria had been left a widow about three years before when her husband, William E Riley (c1808 - 1836) died. The three children raised by Christiana and Thomas, in addition to their own 11 surviving children, were:
- Alexander Raby RILEY (1833) - Attended school conducted by the Church of England clergyman, Dr William Woolls, and was one of the first matriculants to the University of Sydney (aged 19) in 1852.
- Christiana Sarah RILEY (1836) - married William Essington King
- Margaret Maria RILEY (1837) - married Thomas Alexander BrowneThomas Alexander BrowneThomas Alexander Browne was an Australian writer, who sometimes published under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood and best known for his novel Robbery Under Arms.-Biography:...
(best known as novelist, Rolf Boldrewood) (1826–1915), and herself published "The flower garden in Australia. A book for Ladies and Amateurs" under the pseudonym Mrs Boldrewood
Edward Valentine Blomfield
Edward Valentine Blomfield
Edward Valentine Blomfield was an English classical scholar and brother of Bishop CJ Blomfield. He was born at Bury St Edmunds....
(1788–1816), English classical scholar, was also born on Valentine’s Day, 5 years earlier than Thomas Valentine Blomfield, and given the 2nd name Valentine. It is not known if the two were related.
External links
- http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an2723147 Drawing of Denham Court by William Hardy WilsonWilliam Hardy WilsonWilliam Hardy Wilson was an Australian architect, artist and author. He "is regarded as one of the most outstanding architects of the twentieth century".-Early years:...
- http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/ngv-collection/area?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cubmd2LnZpYy5nb3YuYXUlMkZjb2xhcHAlMkZwdWIlMkZhcnR3b3JrcyUyRjYxMDg0JTJGZGV0YWlscyZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D Portrait of Thomas Valentine Blomfield by Augustus EarleAugustus EarleAugustus Earle was a London-born travel artist. Unlike earlier artists who worked outside Europe and were employed on voyages of exploration or worked abroad for wealthy, often aristocratic patrons, Earle was able to operate quite independently - able to combine his lust for travel with an...
- http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=422558 Blomfield family papers - State Library of New South Wales
- http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/archives/chrp/1821-1840.html#Blomfield Memoirs of the Blomfield Family - The University of Newcastle, New South Wales
- http://life.csu.edu.au/~dspennem/PDF-Articles/MrsBoldrewood.pdf Mrs Boldrewood
- http://www.usyd.edu.au/arms/archives/Record_2005.pdf Alexander Raby Riley
- http://www.daao.org.au/main/read/3728 William Essington King
- http://www.monaropioneers.com/blomfielda.htm Arthur Blomfield, Monaro pioneer
- http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2217445?searchTerm=thomas+blomfield The Sydney Gazette 1 November 1834 - Appointment as Magistrate
- http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12853237?searchTerm=thomas+blomfield The Sydney Herald 12 October 1835 - Bank of Australia announcement
- http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12853722?searchTerm=thomas+blomfield The Sydney Herald 7 January 1836 - The New Commission
- http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12906099?searchTerm=thomas+blomfield The Sydney Morning Herald 9 August 1848 - Appointment as member of Liverpool District Council
- http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/1509353 The Sydney Morning Herald 27 October 1851 - Appointment as Justice of the Peace