THIRD CHILD OF WILLIAM AND SARAH MANWARING

Thomas William Manwaring was the third child and second son of William and Sarah. He was born on 7th May 1833 at Cranbrook, Kent.

Thomas grew up at Cranbrook and would have attended school there until he was old enough to go to work being employed as an agricultural labourer on farms around the Cranbrook area.

On the 1st December 1850 at the young age of seventeen he married Harriett Stanley, the daughter of Stephen and Mary Stanley. Thomas's brother George and Harriett's sister Mary were witnesses to the marriage which was held at St Dunstans Church, Cranbrook.

Harriett like Thomas was born at Cranbrook, and grew up in the area presumably attending school and helping her mother in the home with household chores. At the time of her wedding Harriett was only fifteen years old and was living with her parents at Stream Farm situated near Cranbrook on the road to Golford Green.

After their marriage Thomas and Harriett lived with Harriett's parents at Stream Farm and their first child Emily was born there early in 1851. Thomas was working as an agricultural labourer in the Cranbrook district at this time and on 23rd March 1851 Emily was baptised in St Dunstans Church at Cranbrook. Two years later their second child Fanny was born and on 23rd January 1853 she also was baptised in St Dunstans church at Cranbrook.

Thomas worked as an agricultural labourer around Cranbrook to support his family for the next four years and in that time a decision was made by Thomas and Harriett to emigrate to Australia with Thomas's mother and father and family. They applied for emigration status through the Government Emigration Scheme, were accepted and scheduled to depart early in 1857.

Harriett's sister Mary who had married Thomas's older brother George also decided to emigrate with their two children and in early March they would have made the long journey to Southhampton to board the Anna Maria for the three month journey to Australia.

When Thomas and Harriett with their two young children arrived in Sydney on 25th June 1857 they, under Government rules, would have been provided with shelter and rations for a short time until Thomas was able to find work.

It was not long until Thomas acquired a job as a labourer with the Kent Brewery in Parramatta Street. The brewery was owned by the Tooth Bros who came from Cranbrook and this may have led to the position being offered to Thomas, possibly knowing the family or having some connection to them through working as an agricultural labourer around the Cranbrook district before emigrating. Thomas and Harriett settled into their new life, renting a home at 20 Dale Street, Chippendale, which was close to Thomas's work at the Brewery.

Thomas and Harriett had two more children after their arrival in Australia, Mary Louisa born on 8th December 1858, just six months after their arrival in Australia, and Stephen William, their only son, born on 7th October 1861.

Thomas and Harriett lived all their lives in the South Sydney area and the Kent Brewery was the only employer that Thomas had in his working life. The family lived at 32 Bank Street from 1860 to 1864, 10 Dale Street from 1864 to 1869 and 35 Bank Street from 1869 to 1872.

They were living at Rosehill Street, Redfern when their eldest daughter Emily married her husband John Speirs in 1873 and were there until 1875 when they moved to Wells Street in Newtown.

On 28th November 1876, tragedy struck the family when Thomas was killed while working at the Kent Brewery. An inquest was held into his death by the City Coroner at the Travellers Rest Hotel, Redfern with the jury finding that the death had resulted from scalds through accidentally falling into a vat of boiling beer.

Thomas was buried at Necropolis after a funeral that left from Wells Street on the Thursday morning following his death. He was only 42 years of age.

After Thomas's death, Harriett stayed at their home in Wells Street until 1879 when she moved to Evelight Street. She was looked after and cared for by her family until her death on 20th March 1895. She was living with her daughter Emily at 31 Phillip Street, Waterloo at this time. Her cause of death was listed as Apoplexy (another name for a Stroke) which lasted six hours.

She was buried at Rookwood Cemetery on 22nd March 1895.

Family Chart