In a visit to the Friends section at Cornelian Bay cemetery the graves of Theophilus Henry Pollard, and his wife, Jane Dixon Pollard caught my eye, probably because of the surname, Pollard. (Apparently no relation, though, to our Friend Mary Pollard) I discovered that Theophilus was the grandson of another Theophilus, who had migrated to Australia in about 1831. In my last visit to Tasmania, I went to the old Friends’ cemetery in West Hobart (now Friends Park) and discovered there the headstone for Theophilus Pollard, as well a son, Henry Llewellyn Pollard. There are brief notes about the elder Theophilus in the “Quaker Arrivals before 1862” section of the Dictionary of Australian Quaker Biography (DAQB), and these (together with other information gleaned from the internet) inspired me to try to flesh them out. So here goes:

Theophilus was born on 29 December 1795, in Horsham, Sussex, son of Quakers Samuel and Catherine, of Dorking and Horsham Monthly Meeting. In 1818, he married Ann Lidbetter in Brighton, England, and about then, transferred his membership to Lewes and Chichester Monthly Meeting. With Ann, Theophilus had four children, Ann born in 1820, Theo. Sylvanus born in 1821, Henry Llewellyn, born in 1826, and David, born and died in 1828.

When he married Ann he was described as a farmer at Piddinghoe, which is a little east of Brighton. By 1825 he owned a brewery in Brighton (perhaps his farm had grown barley or hops, or he had ceased to be a farmer), but unfortunately became bankrupt in that year and the business was sold. This had repercussions for him as a Quaker, and he was disowned by the Monthly Meeting for “failure to pay just debts.”

His wife then transferred her membership and that of the three surviving children to Southwark Monthly Meeting. This is in London, so it seems that the family moved there. Theophilus was employed as a gravedigger at the Friends Whitechapel Burial Grounds and was replaced in 1832. Quite a comedown from farming and brewing!

In about 1833 he migrated to Australia, with his daughter Ann, aged about twelve at the time. His wife, and the two boys remained in England, with the boys going to the Friends School in Croydon, as had Ann.

In 1834, Theo. was admitted to membership in Hobart, “having made full acknowledgement to his Monthly Meeting of his delinquencies” (Quote from George W. Walker).

His membership lasted no more than twelve months, for in January 1835 he married Elizabeth Warren in an Anglican Church and was once again disowned by the Society for “marrying out”

But worse was to come!! At the date of that marriage, his first wife was still alive, though an invalid at the Retreat. James Backhouse reported this back to Walker who wrote “This is indeed very trying and will shake the very foundations of this in profession with us in Van Diemens Land”.