Old Bailey Proceedings February 1812
Offence: Deception > forgery
Verdict: Guilty
Punishment: Death...commuted to transportationfor life.
Thomas, was a pharmacist of 76 Oxford Street, London, who had previously been a surgeon’s mate in the Royal Navy; he failed to attach duty stamps to bottles of medicine he sold, He was arrested at Pill, near Bristol.
He was tried at the Old Bailey 15 JAN 1812 for uttering and vending forged stamps on his medicines as an apothecary. He undertook clerical work as a detainee and was pardoned in 1817. Date of absolute pardon 1 JAN 1817. In 1821 he and his wife came to Tasmania and were granted 500 acres of land at Carrick. For a time he was a Pound keeper at Glenorchy but eventually returned to N.S.W. in 1828 and set up a brewery in Sydney. His second wife Mary previously married to Dr. Allen followed him to NSW with her large family. They spent some time in charge of the ORPHAN SCHOOL HOUSE PARRAMATTA. Thomas also owned public houses in Sydney. He died at Castlereagh St. listed as a brewer in 1834. . His native place was given as Gloucester although no research has revealed anything further in this area.
He died at his residence in Castlereagh St. Buried in the Allen family vault in old Rookwood Cemetery NSW.