Richard Hill (1800-1862)
Born: Abt 1800, place unknown
Died: 10 December 1862, Bothwell, Tasmania
Parents: Unknown
Spouse: Sarah Bale (1829-1911)
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Richard Hill (c. 1800-10 Dec 1862)
+Sarah Bale (7 Apr 1829-25 Feb 1911)
1-John Richard Hill (5 Jan 1849-2 Mar 1932)
2-Edward Hill (9 Jun 1850-23 Dec 1853)
3-Sarah Ann Hill (9 Apr 1852-13 Dec 1860)
4-Alfred Hill (14 Jan 1855-16 Nov 1860)
5-Henry Hill (12 Feb 1857-9 Nov 1860)
6-Mary Ann Hill (10 Mar 1859-30 Apr 1885)
7-Louisa Maria Hill (8 May 1862-19 May 1936)
+Peter Davie (27 Sep 1864-2 Nov 1913)
Richard Hill was born about 1800; his place of birth is unknown. In March 1827, he was convicted of sheep stealing at Oxford, Oxfordshire, and sentenced to transportation for life. He departed London aboard the Asia II in August 1827 and arrived in Hobart on 30 November the same year. By the early 1830s, Richard was assigned to Captain Patrick Wood and was living in the Bothwell district, where he attended musters in 1832, 1833, and 1834. He obtained a Ticket of Leave in 1836 and a Conditional Pardon in 1840, allowing him to establish himself as a free settler.
On 10 August 1847, Richard married Sarah Bale at St Luke’s Church, Bothwell. Sarah had been born in Norwich, Norfolk, in 1829 and arrived in Hobart in 1845, likely with her mother, Ann Hovell Bale. Richard worked variously as a farmer and shepherd, and by the early 1850s, the family was living at Bendeveron, later moving to Dennistoun. Before May 1858, Richard acquired a small property of one rood and eleven perches in High Street, Bothwell. Richard and Sarah had eight children between 1849 and 1862, several of whom sadly died young. Their surviving children included John Richard (1849), Mary Ann (1859), and Louisa Maria (1862).
Richard died at Dennistoun on 10 December 1862, aged 62, and was buried in the Bothwell Public Cemetery. After his death, the High Street property was transferred to Sarah, who later remarried Alfred Ainsworth. Sarah remained a long-term resident and property owner in Bothwell until her death on 25 February 1911, aged 81.
Unless otherwise stated, all events took place in Tasmania.
RICHARD HILL
c. 1800: Born, place unknown.
10 August 1847: Richard Hill, a 47-year-old farmer, married Sarah Bale, aged 20, at St Luke's Church, Bothwell; witnesses: Daniel Hunt and Margaret Hunt.
10 December 1862: Died at Dennistoun, Bothwell, aged 62, shepherd; cause: jaundice; informant: his employer, William Blackburn Wood.
Buried at Bothwell Public Cemetery.
Spouse: SARAH BALE
7 April 1829: Born in Norwich, Norfolk, England; daughter of John Bale and Ann Hovell.
24 May 1829: Baptised in Norwich, Norfolk, England.
10 August 1847: Richard Hill, a 47-year-old farmer, married Sarah Bale, aged 20, at St Luke's Church, Bothwell; witnesses: Daniel Hunt and Margaret Hunt.
15 April 1867: Alfred Ainsworth, a 40-year-old shepherd, married Sarah Bale, a 43-year-old widow and milliner; witnesses: John Bale, Rosanna Bale, John Richard Hill, Ann Bale, Francis Knowles, Mary Knowles, Rachel Mozley and Mary Wilson.
25 February 1911: Died in Bothwell, aged 81; cause: sarcoma of the jaw and exhaustion; informant: her son-in-law, Peter Davie.
27 February 1911: Buried at Bothwell Public Cemetery.
AINSWORTH - On February 25, 1911, at Bothwell, Sarah, relict of the late Alfred Ainsworth. In her 82nd year. [TROVE]
For more information, see the Alfred Ainsworth page.
1-JOHN RICHARD HILL
5 January 1849: Born in Bothwell; informant: his grandmother, Ann Bale.
4 February 1849: Baptised in Bothwell.
2 March 1932: Died in Launceston, aged 83.
3 March 1932: Buried at Carr Villa Memorial Park, Launceston.
HILL - On the 2nd March, 1932, at his residence 79 Balfour-street, John Richard, relict of the late Sarah Hill, in his 83rd year. [TROVE]
2-EDWARD HILL
9 June 1850: Born in Bothwell; informant: his father, Richard Hill, a farmer.
15 October 1850: Baptised in Bothwell.
23 December 1853: Died in Bothwell, aged 3; cause: convulsions; informant: his grandfather, John Bale.
Buried at Bothwell Public Cemetery.
3-SARAH ANN HILL
9 April 1852: Born in Bothwell; informant: father, Richard Hill, a farmer.
12 June 1852: Baptised in Bothwell; named Martha Hill.
13 December 1860: Died in Bothwell, aged 8; cause: consumption; informant: her grandfather, John Bale.
Buried at Bothwell Public Cemetery.
4-ALFRED HILL
14 January 1855: Born in Bothwell; informant: his grandmother, Ann Bale.
30 January 1855: Baptised in Bothwell.
16 November 1860: Died in Bothwell, aged 5; cause: diphtheria; informant: his grandfather, John Bale.
Buried at Bothwell Public Cemetery.
5-HENRY HILL
12 February 1857: Born in Bothwell; informant: his grandmother, Ann Bale.
25 February 1857: Baptised in Bothwell.
9 November 1860: Died in Bothwell, aged 3; cause: measles and sore throat; informant: his grandfather, John Bale.
Buried at Bothwell Public Cemetery.
6-MARY ANN HILL
10 March 1859: Born in Bothwell; informant: her grandmother, Ann Bale.
6 April 1859: Baptised in Bothwell.
30 April 1885: Died in Bothwell, aged 26; cause: consumption; informant: her stepfather, Alfred Ainsworth.
3 May 1885: Buried at Bothwell Public Cemetery.
HILL - On April 30, 1885, at her mother's residence, Bothwell, Mary Ann Hill, aged 26 years. [TROVE]
7-LOUISA MARIA HILL
8 May 1862: Born in Bothwell. For more information, see the Peter Davie page.
Residences & Properties in Bothwell
The following properties and records relate to Richard and Sarah during their time in Bothwell. Click on the images for the full history of each property.
[E3] Arthur Street
Census (1848)
[I5] High Street
Conveyed from John Thomson (before 1858)
Complete maps located on the Property History page. Tasmanian Archives - Bothwell B37, AF819/1/26 (modified)
Resources Used:
Ancestry Australia: Convict Musters, New South Wales and Tasmania, 1806–1849; Norfolk Church of England Baptism, Marriage and Burial Registers, 1600–1935; Public Member Family Trees
Australian Defence Force Academy: The AIF Project: Australian Anzacs in the Great War, 1914–1918
Bateson, Charles: The Convict Ships: 1787–1868
Central Highlands Council: Bothwell Cemetery Records
FamilySearch: Tasmania Civil Registration — Deaths; Tasmania Government Gazette, 1833–1925
Find A Grave: Cemetery records
Libraries Tasmania: Ships’ Arrivals and Passenger Lists; Tasmanian Birth, Death and Marriage Registers
National Archives of Australia: Defence and War Service Records
Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office: Bothwell Church of England Baptismal Register (NS1854); Bothwell Presbyterian Church Registers (NS592); Tasmanian Census Returns; Convict Conduct Registers (CON31)
The LIST (Land Information System Tasmania): Historic Deeds, Grants and Titles
TROVE (National Library of Australia): The Examiner; The Hobart Town Advertiser; The Hobart Town Daily Mercury; The Mercury