Phillis Funnell (1801 - 1879, Chiddingly to Tasmania)

Family:
Father - John Funnell married 5 January 1790, Chiddingly, Sussex
Mother - Mary Willard
Siblings:

Thomas (1790 - 1870)
John (born 1792)
William (born 1794)
Henry (born 1795)
Walter (born 1797)
Fanny (born 1798)
Harriet (born 1804)
Mary Ann (born 1812)

John Funnell born 6 November 1818, Chiddingly, Sussex and baptised 28 March 1819, Chiddingly, Sussex. Parents - Phillis and John Thelwell (warrant for arrest of putative father of bastard dated 6 November 1818 - John Thelwell late of Ringmer now a gunner driver in the Corps of Royal Horse Artillery stationed at Ringmer for the child to be born of Phyllis Funnell of Chiddingly ref P292/15/12 - A2A online accessed 16/07/2007

Husband - Richard Hickman (1794 - 1876 married Phillis 29 December 1821 in Hellingly, Sussex)
Children:
Frances (1823 - 1908)
Henry (1825 - 1910)
Ellen (1827-1905)
Owen Henry (1830 - 1908)
Eliza (1832 - 1908)
Lois (1833 - 1907)
Harriet (1836 - 1892)
Richard (1839 - 1891)
(Please note: I have not fully checked out all the above people yet hence many death dates are missing)

Census Information:
1841 census:
During the 1841 census Phillis aged 40 was living with Richard at North Street, Hellingly. He was an Agricultural Labourer. At home with them were Ellen aged 13, Owen aged 11, Eliza aged 9, Lois aged 7, Harriet aged 4 and Richard aged 2.

The following information is from an extract published by Robert Kellett:

Richard Hickman or Hickmore as he was probably known in England, was a wagoner in Sussex. As there were no railways supplying London in those days, a tremendous amount of goods, vegetables, horse and cow feed for threater number of animals then in the city, were moved into the London by wagons.

In a letter dated 26.11.1841 from Hailsham Union asks that two of Richard Hickmer’s children be admitted to the workhouse naming the children, the father’s earnings of 12/- a week and the decision that only one child be admitted. (It is clear from records that the winter of 1841/42 was very severe and that there was great hardship).

Letter from Hailsham Union 9 May 1842 agreed to assist Richard Hickman and the family to emigrate to Van Dieman’s Land and asking the Poor Law Commissioners to sanction the sum of £40 for expenses. They had to act quickly as the ship sailed on the 17th)

Letter from Poor Law Commission dated 12 May 1842 gives authority for the emigration proposed. The name is clearly spelled Hickman although there is a strange flourish on the ‘H’.

Letter from the Land and Emigration Commission to the Poor Law Commissioners, dated 20 May 1842 confirms the arrangements. In summary, the Land and Emigration Commission provide a free passage to the family (except the father), the Hailsham Union paid £40 for expenses and Richard Hickman paid his own passage money £15 14s 6d.

The family sailed to Van Dieman’s Land on the Appoline arriving in Hobart on 1 October 1842 after 5 months at sea. A copy of the list of immigrants received into the Belle Vue Quarter shows that Richard aged 45, Hop Planter and family left early to reside with a friend in town but to have their rations continued until 26th October. 

It has not been established as to where the Hickman family first moved. They remained in close contact with the Geeves family who sailed on the Appoline, two of the daughters Lois and Eliza married two of the sons, Stepen and Osborne Geeves in 1851 and 1856.

The family ultimately settled on a property named ‘Normanville’ at Brushy Creek Road in Lenah Valley (then called Kangaroo Valley and sometimes Kangaroo Bottom). The census in 1851 has no record of Hickman as a householder. Records in the Lands and Titles Office for 1855 indicate as follows:

25/5/1855 Richard Hickman owner and occupier of farm and cottage.
6/7/1855 Conveyance of 200 acres in Kangaroo Valley from Sinclair Williamson to Richard Hickman Ref 4/1530
19/10/1855 Conveyance of 200 acres in Kangaroo Valley from Richard Hickman to his sons Owen and Richard. 

In 1868 Richard became the owner of 150 acres of the property and 50 actres were given to Henry.

At Normanville the family established Orchards and then Jam manufacturing and they were among the first to export apples to England, some time after 1876 when the first trial shipment was sent from Huon Valley by William Bailey - 20 cases of french crabs.

By 1857 Richard jnr was courting Sarah, daughter of John and Cecily Rowland. Some of his letters to Sarah have been preserved and give the impression that he and his mother were living alone at Normanvile. At no time does Richard make mention of his father over the years 1857 - 1859.

Richard Hickman sen went to Geeveston where he took up some land opposite the Congregational Church and eventually planted a small apple orchard. He also made use of his knowledge of hedging and planted most of the hawthorn hedges in Geeveston. A small portion remain to this day (1998). He is remembered as being very active up to his death in 1876 as the result of a fall from a high old mulberry tree. 

Phillis remained at Normanville with Richard jnr and Sarah and it seems that for some reason there was an estrangement between Phillis and Richard which caused them to separate permanently. When Phillis died on 6 April 1879 she was buried in the cemetary of the Congregational Church in New Town where her name appears on her son Richard’s family headstone. 

© Kerry Baldwin