John Maskey was sentenced to 7 yrs transportation at Cambridge Assizes 12/3/1805 for stealing stockings & gloves. He was transported from England 27/7/1807 on board "Duke of Portland", a 523 tonne Bordeaux vessel under command Master I.C. Spence & carrying 189 convicts.
He arrived in NSW on 10 November 1807
Mary Prichard was convicted at Monmouth Summer Assizes 3/8/1801 & sentenced to 7yrs. She & a friend Margaret Harris had stolen from shop owner William Robert's store in Llanstrisant ( near Shepstow) in Wales AM on 11/5/1801. Mary & Margaret transported on "Gatton" on 23/9/1802. Arrived in Sydney 11/3/1803.
Mary was assigned to French convict FERDINAND MEURANT who was deported in 1800 for robbing a bank in Ireland. Before Mary & John Maskey became partners, Mary had 2 children fathered by MEURANT. They were EDWARD born 17/12/1804 in Sydney NSW & baptised in the parish of St Phillips, Sydney & ELVA. Newspaper clippings show ELVA was buried 3/8/1810 as per her obituary in "The Sydney Gazette" 10/8/1810 stating she was 6 yrs of age. Her death was from severe burning of her clothes 5 days previous..
John Maskey was living with Mary Pritchard, as his housekeeper, in the Hawkwsbury District.
It was many years after they had started a family that they married on 18/8/1826 at Castlereagh. John & Mary Maskey were farmers at the Evan (Nepean) District in 1828. They eventually acquired 40 uncleared acres, 32 cleared, 31 under cultivation, with 1 horse & 17 cattle.