Henry Bawn

1847/48–1898

A teenage robbery charge, an independent household by his twenties, and fifty years of minor brushes with the law before a funeral arranged by his brother.

Born: 1847 or 1848 · registered Sydney
Died: 12 September 1898 · Sydney Hospital · buried Waverley Cemetery

Henry was born in 1847 or 1848 and registered at Sydney (reg. 202/1848).¹ At about sixteen, in April 1864, he was charged as an accessory to a robbery at Mr Rattray’s store on the Surry Hills, alongside another boy, Robert Rowland; he was remanded, with bail allowed, and no further record of the outcome has been found.² By 1871 he had his own household, recorded in a Sydney directory simply as “Bawn Henry, Darlinghurst.”³ That September he was arrested for stealing clothing from a house at Cremorne, the property of a James Potter; he was discharged.⁴

Henry died at Sydney Hospital on 12 September 1898. His funeral notice, placed by his brother James, records the mourners moving from the hospital’s Domain entrance to the Waverley Cemetery; his own death registration names his parents directly as George and Ellen.⁵

The Record

Sources & References

1
Birth, 1848

NSW BDM birth index: Henry Bawn, reg. 202/1848, father George, mother Ellen.
2
Robbery charge, 1864

“Central Police Court,” Empire, 28 April 1864: “Henry Bawn and Robert Rowland, two little boys, were brought up, charged with being concerned in the robbery at Mr. Rattray’s store on the Surry Hills. Remanded till Friday. Bail allowed.”
3
Directory, 1871

Sydney directory, alphabetical index, p.3150: “46 Bawn Henry, Darlinghurst.”
4
Theft charge, 1871

NSW Police Gazette, 13 September 1871, p.244, citing p.228: “Henry Bawn, charged with stealing wearing apparel from the house of C. Dangar, Cremorne, the property of James Potter, has been arrested by Detective Camphin and Constable M’Dowell. Discharged.”
5
Death, 1898

NSW BDM death registration 8349/1898, Sydney, father George, mother Ellen. Funeral notice, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 September 1898: “The Friends of JAMES BAWN are kindly invited to attend the Funeral of his beloved BROTHER, Henry Bawn... to move from the Sydney Hospital, entrance, Domain... to the Waverley Cemetery.”