Henry Cabell

Story

It was on 26th January 1788, that my great, great, great, great grandfather, Henry Cabell, became the first migrant (or convict) to step foot on Australian soil.

In 1783, 19 year old Henry Cabell, from Mendham, Suffolk, England, was sentenced to hanging, but commuted to transportation to Australia on the first fleet, for the crime of burglary.

It was while in gaol he met his future wife, Susannah Holmes, who had also been sentenced to transportation for the crime of burglary.

While gaoled together, Henry and Susannah bore a son in the spring of 1786, also named Henry. During this time, Henry\’s petitions to allow him to wed Susannah were refused, as was his request to be transported along with Susannah and his son.

In November 1786, Susannah was sent to Plymouth with her son to board the transport to Australia under Captain Arthur Phillip. She was escorted by the Norwich gaoler, John Simpson, who has now become historically know as ‘The Humane Turnkey\’.

After being separated from Henry, she was escorted to the transport ship, only to have the ship\’s captain refuse the baby, as he had no instructions about infants. The young Henry was then turned over to the gaoler, John Simpson, while Susanna was dragged, sobbing, to the decks below.

Simpson, who was determined and resourceful, took the infant back to London, where he immediately arrived at the residence of the Home Secretary, Lord Sydney.

Simpson\’s heartfelt plea to Lord Sydney to reunite not only mother and child, but also father, was agreed upon by Lord Sydney, who also ordered that they be married before they board the transports.

It was then, after 10 days apart, that the trio were reunited in Plymouth. During this time, this heart-rending story that attracted the attention of the press, who labelled John Simpson the ‘humane turnkey\’, and sympathisers organised a public subscription for them which yielded 20 pounds (about 2 years salary).

The trio then spent the next 8 months at sea on the ship ‘The Friendship’ as part of the First Fleet, arriving at Botany Bay on 18 January, 1788.

Captain Arthur Phillip deemed this area as unsuitable for settlement, and so they moved onto Port Jackson, and landed in Sydney cove, on 26 January 1788.

It was there that Captain Arthur Phillip decided to disembark, and it was Henry Cabell who carried Captain Arthur Phillip ashore, thus becoming the first settler ever to step foot on Australian soil.

Lord Sydney\’s orders for Henry and Susannah to be married prior to boarding were miscarried, and thus they were not wed prior to their journey.

On 6th February, the women disembarked from their ships, and on 10th February 1788, the first Sunday after the women were unloaded, Henry and Susannah were married, along with four other couples, in the first marriage service ever on Australia soil.

It was not long after that Australia\’s first civil law court was established by Captain Arthur Phillip.

On 1st July 1788, Henry and Susannah Cabell issued a writ reciting that the parcel that they had on board the ship ‘The Alexander\’ had not been given to them, despite numerous requests. This was the parcel that contained goods bought with the subscription money that was raised prior to their departure from Plymouth.

This became the first civil case ever to be heard under English law in the Australia colonies, and the verdict was given in favour of the plaintiff, (Henry and Susannah), for the sum of 15 pounds.

The name henceforth was spelt Kable (it was spelt phonetically in the records of the penal settlement.)

Henry went on to become a constable, and then Australia\’s first chief constable in the new colony.

After his sentence had expired, he prospered commercially.

In 1798, he opened a hotel called ‘The Ramping Horse\’ from which he ran the first stage coach in Australia, and became a successful merchant and ship owner

He had a further 10 children with Susannah, who passed away in 1826, and lived to the age of 82, when he was buried in the family vault beside Susannah.

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