Our earliest ‘London” ancestors to New South Wales, as best I can establish, were Patrick John London – (1770 – 1810) & Sarah (1780 -1818). Patrick being a member of the New South Wales Corps & 73rd Fleet of Foot or better known as Redcoats. Patrick & Sarah London
While Patrick would only live a month after arrival before dying, their infant son William and his wife Sarah were residents of the fledgling settlement of Sydney. William would grow up to become very familiar with Sydney.
1995 saw the commencement of ‘The Big Dig’ an archaeological project spanning several decades. What was a bit of an accidental find initially became a major salvage of Sydney’s early European settlement. Sydney a world-famous city by this stage, was doing some rebuilding when excavations unearthed the early layers of the settlement of the 1800s. The location of interest concentrated between Gloucester and Cumberland Street. These streets are a short walking distance to the well-known Sydney Harbour in the location known to tourists and locals alike as The Rocks.
A staggering 750,000 items evidencing daily life from 1795 through the decades of colonial settlement would be unearthed and preserved for future generations. The confirmed sandstone foundations of 30 early dwellings were identified.
The Gadigal people whose home this had been first did not leave behind found archaeological evidence of their occupation within these streets. Further excavation sites around Sydney’s early settlement did uncover evidence of campsite fires dated to be up to 300 years before European settlement.
1810 saw the arrival of our Patrick and Sarah London to Sydney. In the same year a local widowed convict Ann Armsden (Legg) married a local baker in George Talbot. The big dig excavations would uncover the foundations of Ann’s family home built first in 1795.
Sourced from, do click here for the fascinating work undertaken by so many from The Big Dig. Visitors to Sydney can visit The Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre and there is an important reference book available, ‘Inside the Rocks by Grace Karskens
A visit to Sydney city in 2019 and a chance decision to stay at The Rocks followed by a day walking around the area uncovered these unexpected historical gems for me.
Yews to Eucalypts 