John CROWLEY was born on the 13 May 1775 at Millbrook, Bedfordshire, England, the son of Francis CRAWLEY and Elizabeth JACKSON.

At age 26, John CROWLEY was tried on the 16th July 1801, with William PEPPER and John SHERWOOD of stealing a sheep. The property of Edward PLATT of Lidlington.
All three were sentenced to death. William PEPPER was hanged on the 1 August 1801. John CROWLEY and John SHERWOOD had their sentence commuted to transportation for life. John Crowley arrived in Sydney on the 11 March 1803 aboard the HMS Glatton.

John CRAWLEY was described as 5'7" tall with a very fair complexion, flaxen hair and light hazel eyes.

In 1805/1806 he was indented to Mr BADGERY.
On the 28th February 1811 he sought and obtained permission to marry. In all records his name was spelt CRAWLEY when the spelling changed is not known.
His Ticket of Leave was obtained on the 21st July 1810
His conditional pardon granted on 5th June 1815, the same day as his brother-in-law Thomas CROSS.
Both men had a horse and cart and carried goods for the men working on the road over the Blue Mountains.

On the 4th March 1811 at St.Matthews church Windsor John married Jane Charlotte BRYAN/BRYANT, the daughter of Jane ISON/LLOYD and William Bryan(t).
John was 35 and Jane Charlotte was 15. She had been born on the 17th May 1796 and baptised on the 14th August 1796.

On the 30 June 1820 from Windsor, John Crowley wrote a memorial to Governor Lachlan Macquarie asking for a grant of land, saying he was supporting a wife and four children. He received 100 acres fronting the north bank of the Grose River. Only 40 acres separated them from her mother and stepfather, William EATON 1769-1858.

In 1820 he was listed as a farmer at North Richmond, where he had 250 acres of land, of which 52 acres was cultivated and 70 acres were cleared. he was running 220 head of cattle, 7 sheep and 13 horses.

He was employing 7 men:- John MORTON age 53 'Mangles'1820, as his convict servant. James ROBINSON age 27, 'Glory' 1818 as a ploughman, Patrick RILEY age 45 'Guilford 2' 1815 as stockkeeper. John KNOTT age 28 'Baring 2' 1819 as a shoemaker. Then three labourers John VARLEY age 58 'Royal Admiral' 1792. George FORESIGHT age 40 'Cambridge' 1827 and William ASTON age 16 Prince Regent 1827. Over the next 20 years his land holdings grew to 324 acres.

John Crowley died on the 9th May 1833 just 4 days shy of his 58th birthday.

Three years later Jane Charlotte married William ASTON who had been John's labourer. She lived to be 72 and died on the 6th February 1869. On the 8th she was buried in the family vault with John Crowley at St. Peter's Cemetery Richmond.

The children of John CROWLEY and Jane Charlotte, nee BRYANT were:-

1. Jane Crowley b: 21 December 1812 d:13 June 1823

2. Elizabeth Crowley b: 12 May 1815 d: 17 January 1891 m. Thomas HOWELL 1809-1876 at St.Matthews Windsor on 28 February 1832.

3. John Crowley b: 22 June 1817 d: 15 January 1887 m. Mary Ann JOHNSON 1817-1893 at Windsor on the 17 May 1836.

4. William Crowley b: 26 November 1819 d:30 October 1892 m. (1) Emma BAINES 1825-1867 at Windsor in 1845 (2) Sarah WILLIAMS 1834-1920 at Bingara in 1888.

5. Eliza CROWLEY b: 30 August 1822 d: 4 February 1897 m. Thomas EATHER 1824-1909 at St.Peter's Richmond on the 25 July 1843.

6. Charlotte Crowley b: 4 October 1825 d: 26 June 1840

7. Ann Crowley b: 16 January 1828 d: 30 August 1893 m. William H WOOD 1829-1879 at St.Peter's Richmond in 1847.

8. Mary Ann Crowley 1830 ? 1834