From Dusty Records to Deep Connection: A Legacy Worth Remembering.

Once a source of shame or secrecy, having a convict ancestor has now become a badge of honour for many Australians, a unique thread in the fabric of national identity. But often overlooked in these stories are the families who lived through the consequences of transportation: those left behind in the old country and the brave few who followed their loved ones to an unknown land.

Hyde Park Barracks Image Credit: Contributed By Wikimedia Commons

One such story, rich with hardship and resilience, belongs to Matilda Jane Rollinson.

A Family Torn Apart

Matilda was born on 7 December 1808 in Plymouth, Devon, England, as the eldest daughter of Thomas and Jane Rollinson. In 1816, when Matilda was just eight, her father Thomas, described in convict records as a blacksmith of dark complexion, black eyes and with black hair, standing 5 feet 2 inches tall, was convicted of larceny for stealing naval stores worth 20 shillings. This was equivalent to a week’s wage at the time. At age 33, he was sentenced to 14 years’ transportation to the colonies.

He boarded the convict ship Fame with over 200 other convicts and departed from Spithead, England, on 9 October 1816. After 150 days at sea, they arrived in Sydney on 8 March 1817. The fate of the family now hung in the balance.

Crossing Oceans for Reunion

In an incredible act of determination, Matilda’s mother, Jane, along with her daughters Matilda (then 12) and Emma (8), followed Thomas to New South Wales. They left England on 7 July 1819 aboard the Lord Wellington, a ship carrying both 121 female convicts and several free settlers, including the Rollinson’s family.

After a harrowing six-month voyage, they reached Sydney Cove in January 1820. The journey was recorded in Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s journal:

"This forenoon anchored in Sydney Cove the Ship Lord Wellington Transport... having on board 121 Female Convicts with 35 Children, and Six Free Women with Ten Children, from England and Ireland... The Female Convicts have all arrived in good Health."— Lachlan Macquarie’s Journal, January 1820

Once reunited, Thomas established himself as a blacksmith in Richmond, New South Wales. He eventually received his Certificate of Freedom in 1830.

A Young Marriage and a New Life

At just 16 years old, Matilda married Edward Bayliss on 27 January 1825 at St Peter’s Church in Richmond. Edward, 24, was the son of a soldier and a convict, and like her father, a blacksmith.

They settled in Kurrajong, on the lower slopes of the Blue Mountains, west of the Hawkesbury River. Life in this rugged and developing farming community was undoubtedly tough. Over the next 28 years, the couple had nine children, eight of whom survived to adulthood. A testament to their perseverance.

Shadows Behind the Scenes

Not all was peaceful in Matilda’s life. On 3 March 1855, when Matilda was 46 and her youngest child only two years old, she appeared in court as a victim in a brutal domestic assault. An article from the Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal recounts the incident:

"While asleep in bed, she received a violent blow to the head, causing significant blood loss and leaving her bedridden for six days..."

Her children testified that Edward had threatened her the night before, after a dispute over wheat. They were living in separate tents at the time, a grim reflection of the family’s strained circumstances and poverty.

Despite the disturbing evidence, the jury acquitted Edward on the spot. The case highlights the fragile and often dangerous position of women during this era, especially those raising large families in isolated or impoverished conditions. One that unfortunately still exists today.

A Second Chance—or a Matter of Survival?

Matilda’s life took another turn in 1857 when, after Edward’s death, she remarried. At age 49, she wed 70-year-old William Harry in Rylstone. No family was listed as attending the ceremony, although her four youngest children were likely still at home. Was this a marriage of love, or one of necessity? Single women had few options for financial support, and remarriage may have been her only path to security.

Whatever the reason, their time together was short. William died in 1866.

Final Years in the Hyde Park Barracks Asylum

The last known chapter of Matilda’s life was spent in the Hyde Park Barracks Asylum, a government-run institution for infirm and impoverished women. Despite its name, it was not a mental asylum, but rather a haven (albeit overcrowded and under-resourced) for women who had no other means of support.

By 1882, the asylum regularly housed more than 275 women, far exceeding its intended capacity. Matilda lived out her final days there, passing away in 1885 at the age of 76 from bronchitis.

She had endured the transportation of her father, migration to a strange and harsh new land, early marriage, domestic violence, and widowhood. Yet, her legacy is immense. She outlived three of her children, two husbands, and left behind a staggering 81 grandchildren.

A Legacy Worth Remembering

Today, the Hyde Park Barracks still stands. Walking its halls, you can almost sense the weight of stories like Matilda’s. Stories of courage, pain, endurance, and family.

From the dusty pages of convict records to the quiet dignity of a life remembered, Matilda Jane Rollinson’s journey is more than genealogy. It’s a window into the lived experience of early Australia and a powerful reminder of the women whose quiet strength helped build it.

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