Edward L. Collman was born c1787 in Canterbury, Kent, England. He was a purser in the navy and served on H.M.S. Ringdove in 1812.
He married Ann Collins in 1815 in Greyfriars, Newgate, London, and two sons were born to them, John in May 1817 (died Nov 1817), and Charles (Aug 1818). Both sons were baptised at St. Marylebone, London. At the time of his trial, Edward was working for Messrs. Lewis and Coy., a dyemaker of Oxendon St, London as the principal collecting clerk, when he embezzled 4s 6d from his employer. It was stated that he was a man of the highest respectability and was trusted with large sums of money in the company.He was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday 26th Feb. 1819 to 14 years transportation, and arrived in Australia on the 5th voyage of the Canada on September 1st, 1819.
Edward applied to the Colonial Secretary of the day to have his wife and son Charles sent to him as soon as he arrived in Australia, and even sent a letter to his wife by way of the Admiral Cockburn, but it was not answered. Edward had received a letter from Ann's mother by way of the Minerva, 3 weeks before the Providence arrived in 1822 with Ann, Charles and a daughter Caroline. Anne's mother had stated that she had been having a relationship with a man named Cook and that the girl child was his. If this man was still living, I doubt that Ann would have come out to Australia.In 1822 Edward was sentenced to 3 years at Port Macquarie for absenting himself from his work as Clerk of the Sydney Barracks by Darc'y Wentworth. He went there in Nov. 1822.
Ann formed a few relationships, one with William Hooper shortly after her arrival, and then it was stated in a letter in Nov. 1822 that she had formed a relationship with a James Saunders.
Edward asked Frederick Goulburn, the C.S. of the day that " he wants to volunteer as a clerk or in any such capacity as the C.S. may deem to be sent to any place remote from Sydney, as he found it most distressing to hear from others that his wife should be living in such a disgraceful manner and he wished never to breathe the same atmosphere with a woman who is so entirely lost to all sense of shame".
He was sent to Port Macquarie on the Lady Nelson on January 20th, 1823 for his 3 year sentence.
Edward again wrote to the Colonial Secretary in February 1824 stating that due to his wife's conduct, this was the cause of his dereliction of duty, and that during the 13 months that he had been in the settlement at Port Macquarie, he had settled down to his duty there and was in the good opinions of Capt. Allman and his superiors. He then stated that just prior to his being sent to the settlement, he had told the Col. Sec., that his wife had been cohabitating with a man in England and had a child by him and that since then he had learned from others that she was now living with another man, Thomas Williams, a convict and baker by trade, who was the father of her son Thomas Williams, born in December 1823 to Thomas Williams and Ann Coleman. (Collman). [NB: Collman was often referred to as Collman or Coleman in records.]
Edward wrote in 1824 to ask to have his ticket of leave again restored to him.
Edward wrote many letters to the Colonial Secretary about his wife's association with Thomas Williams, and stated that he felt that his son should not be in the presence of such "a vile woman"
Edward had correspondence with Col. Sec. Alex. McLeay about taking his son away from his mother. A copy was also sent to the Archdeacon on 19/5/1826 to have the boy sent to the orphanage. Charles was sent to the orphange in July 1826, for one year.
Further correspondence relating to Edward has been found:
7/8/1828 - col. sec. office Sydney. regarding Edward's escape from the colony by the Wanstead which was supposed to be bound for Hobart Town. He asks that Edward's papers be sent by the next vessel.
8/8/1828 - reply from the principal supt. of convicts office in Sydney, stating that Edward had been attached to the Liverpool barracks and had received a pass on the 16th to Sydney to return on the 20th ult., and had not by that date presented himself there.
16/9/1828 - Inverary Park, Argyle. - letter from David Reid. Edward had been sent to Bong Bong as clerk of the bench, but someone else had been appointed before him. Reid asked that he be appointed as clerk to the bench at Goulburn.
11/12/1828 - Edward Collman and James Baker walked a distance of nearly 300 miles taking the census around for a period of 6 weeks. Their salary to be made up to 5/- a day for the period of time that they took the census around.
Sep 1828 - Edward was admitted to the bench of magistrates at Inverary at a salary of 2/- per diem, and still held this position in Nov 1831.
9/7/1831 - Edward received his ticket of leave, number 31/399
Aug 1832 - appointed to the Post Office as deputy postmaster at Inverary.
1832-1836 post office directories list E.L. Collman at Inverary Park, Inverary.
5/5/1842 - Edward died and was buried on 7/5/1842 in the parish of St. Laurence, Sydney, in the county of Cumberland. He was living at the Benevolent Asylum at the time of his death. He was aged 55.
This page was created and maintained by John Graham, a member of the Gerringong Historical Society, as part of his Westernport site. It is based solely on information supplied by Lynne Stevens, a g2-gd of Collman (and to whom thanks are expressed for permission to quote from her research) who can be contacted at [email protected]. The last update was May 30th, 2000.