Thomas William Wood LANE died at Surry Hills, Sydney on 15 April 1890. His death certificate stated that his parents were Thomas and Eliza, that he had lived 58 years in NSW, was 77 years of age and born in Gloucester, England. A search of the IGI did not find a Thomas with those parents, but did reveal one who was baptised at Painswick, Gloucester, England on 20 June 1812, the first of twelve children born to Richard LANE and Sarah WOOD, who had married at Hempstead, Gloucester on 8 March 1812. This tied in with the middle names Wood Lane which had been given to both my grandfather and father, although no-one knew why! Richard and Sarah's children were:

1. Thomas William, bap. 20 Jun 1812
2. Edith, bap. 14 November 1813
3. Nancy, bap. 14 May 1815
4. Ruth, bap. 6 April 1817
5. Elizabeth, bap. 21 March 1819
6. Caroline, bap. 11 March 1821
7. Nathaniel Richard, bap. 19 February 1823
8. Harriet, bap. 6 February 1825
9. Henry, bap. 15 October 1826
10. Anna Maria, bap. 14 February 1830
11. Sarah, bap. 27 January 1833
12. Pamela, bap. 23 February 1834

No trace of Thomas' arrival in NSW could be found until Pat Price discovered his arrival as a convict via the ship Heroine on 19 September 1833. He was confirmed as the Thomas baptised at Painswick by the details of the court case in which Thomas was charged, on 27 September 1831, with having

...feloniously and burglariously broken and entered the dwelling house of Benjamin Turnbull, and stolen, taken and carried away therefrom forty gold seals, fifty gold rings and brooches, one silver watch, four smelling bottles with gold tops, and other articles...

and his mother Sarah with having

...feloniously received [the same], she .. then and there well knowing the said goods and chattels to have been feloniously stolen.

Thomas was convicted and sentenced to death, commuted to transportation for seven years. Sarah was acquitted of her charge. It is puzzling to me why Thomas stole these goods, because the indents of the Heroine state that he had been a carpenter for six years. Perhaps as the oldest of ten children at that stage, he saw (or was persuaded of) the chance for quick money. Whatever the reason, he would not have seen any of his family again, as he thereafter lived and died in NSW.

Thomas received his certificate of freedom in 1841, at the end of his seven years. Two years later, he married Frances Matilda MUDIE at Lane Cove on 11 September 1843. Their marriage certificate states his age as 26 (actually 31) and hers as eighteen (actually thirteen). This early start gave them time to have sixteen children between 1844 and 1876:

1. Richard b. 3 August 1844
2. David b. 14 April 1846
3. Ann Louisa b. 10 May 1848
4. Amelia Matilda b. 8 January 1850
5. Thomas William b. 14 November 1852
6. Frances Matilda b. 14 February 1854
7. Sarah b. 17 July 1856
8. Nathaniel b. 26 October 1859
9. Eliza b. 24 June 1860
10. Susan Jane b. 14 May 1862
11. Edith Jane b. 12 September 1864
12. Agnes b. 12 August 1866
13. Walter b. 12 May 1868
14. Albert Ernest b. 3 November 1869
15. George Henry b. 12 August 1874
16. Arthur Reginald b. 22 September 1876

Thomas' will left all his estate to his "dear wife, Frances Matilda Lane, her heirs executors and administrators". The will was signed in a very shaky hand, written on 9 April 1890, shortly before his death.