STERLING, Sarah Elizabeth ¹³⁷

  General Notes:

Born on a ship at the Nore, Sheerness, Kent, in about 1779. (The Pragmatic Pioneers)

She is described in the Newgate Calendars as being five foot two inches in height, with a fresh complexion, brown hair and gray eyes.

Sarah was committed for trial at the Middlesex Sessions on 1st June 1797 (aged 17 years) for stealing. At the trial, under oath, Henry Foreman said
"I am a cabinet maker, a journeyman: I met the prisoner at a bar near Bridges St, the corner of Russell St, she took me to Little Catherine St, to a house called the Dark -House, John Robins was with me, it was a public house; after sitting some time, I pulled out my watch to see what was o'clock, and the prisoner snatched the watch out of my hand, it was a silver watch, with a steel chain, and put it in her bosom: three men rushed in and assisted her in making her escape, one of whom I understood lived with her, they prevented me persuing her; the young man that was with me jumped over the table, but was prevented from going after her; I did not go to her lodgings till a fortnight after; the mother of the girl brought me a letter, and I got a constable and detained the mother, and she took us to her lodgings, she was getting her breakfast, and the man was in bed who assisted her in making her escape; I saw the watch in the pawnbrokers hands, the pawnbroker has it now; I know the watch by my father's name being on the back, and my name on the pendant ring; the chain was taken off and a piece of string fixed to the watch; she was in my company about three hours, I have no doubt of her person."

She was convicted. The watch was valued at 31 shillings and the chain 6 pence. She was sentenced to transportation to Port Jackson, on the Britainnia 18 th July 1798. (Brittania 11)

By 1800 she was living with Richard, on the 10 acres rented at Mulgrave Place.

She died 30th Nov 1826. The inscription on her headstone reads;
SARAH REYNOLDS
who departed this life
November the 30th 1826 aged 50 years
O Cruel Death thou would not Spare a Loving
wife A mother
Dear but she is gon left me in
Grief and nine children behind the
World to try and friends to find

RichardReynolds was pardoned on 12th October 1832 and did redeem himslef. He ended his life a respected farmer and grazier of the Southern Highands of NSW.

Richard Beel Reynolds died at Wilberforce on 26th August 1837, and was buried in the St.Johns Burial Ground on the 29th. His headstone still stands beside that of Sarah and their sonThomas, who died in 1818.



²⁵⁷

Sarah married Richard Beale Reynolds, son of Living and Living, in 1812.²⁵¹ (Richard Beale Reynolds was born on 19 Nov 1769 in Poplar, London, England ⁸⁵, christened on 3 Dec 1769 in St. Dunstans, Stepney, London,²⁵³ died on 26 Aug 1837 in Wilberforce, , New South Wales, Australia and was buried on 29 Aug 1837 in St. Johns church, Wilberforce, , New South Wales, Australia.)