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"The Father of the Coal River". Born circa 1796. Son of Catherine Kearney. Married Susannah Nash in 1823. Had at least thirteen children; Thomas (b. 1824), William (b. 1826), Robert (b. 1828-d. 1832), George (b. 1830), Robert (b. 1832, d.1841), Henry (b. 1835), Mary Anne (b. 1836), Alfred Walter (b. 1840), Edwin (b. 1842-d. 1842), Edwin (b. 1842), Frederick John (b. 1845), Arthur James (b. 1848-d. 1848), Arthur James (b. 1848). Granted 50 acres of land in the Parish of Caledon in 1819-1821. In October 1828 Kearney applied to the government to purchase an additional 500 acres adjacent to his existing Coal River grants. In the application Kearney stated that he currently possessed 1,520 acres by grant and 500 acres by purchase. Some 150 acres had been improved, and improvements included a "Barn and Men's Hut Dwelling - Out-houses and erections to a very considerable amount upwards of Two miles of compleat Fencing."1
Kearney also stated:
"I am preparing - with - Stone Masons, Carpenters, Brickmakers and others to Erect a Stone Dwelling & Dairy and appropriate Buildings at a large expense - and that I employ Seven Free and Eight assigned Servants. I have Fifteen Hundred Sheep, upwards of 300 head of Horned Cattle, 30 horses, &c &c."2
The homestead, which he named Laburnum Park, was completed during 1829.
Kearney was the licensee of the Wellington Arms on the Coal River in 1834. Purchased extensive properties on the Coal River. These properties included Penrice, Rosebank, Colebrook Dale and Laburnum Park. Kearney had purchased Nairn's grant at Lower Jerusalem prior to 1837. To this he added the 1,385-acre Lot 1 of Lieut. Governor George Arthur's Jerusalem Estate. This is the land later known as Colebrook Dale. The Colonial Times of 5th November 1839 included an advertisement featuring Kearney's horses at stud: "To Cover, this Season, at the Coal River, Richmond, the following celebrated Horses, the property of Mr. William Kearney:-"
"Sir Peter - This beautiful dark grey horse will be permitted to serve a limited number of mares…"
"Old Donald Caird - So well known throughout the Island, requires no further recommendation…"
"Wellington - Wellington is of the original Arab breed of this Colony… has proved himself the sire of the very best hunters with Mr. Gregson's hounds…"
For the 1840 Richmond Races (held at a track on Nugent), Kearney donated a Silver Cup, value £50.
In 1842, Kearney owned the following properties: Laburnum Park (his residence), Penrice, Rosebank, Kearney's Cottage and Lyne Grove. Kearney's estates' were, however, heavily in debt. Kearney appears to have been involved in the wattle bark trade at this time. The loss of Mr. Dawson's cutter Matchless on 9th March 1846 at Kangaroo Point with a load of Kearney's wattle bark undoubtedly caused serious loss, and the drowning of his overseer, Mr. Parker, in the same incident exacerbated Kearney's problems.3 By May 1846, he could not delay his creditors any longer, and his bankrupt estate was sold at auction. On Saturday 2nd May 1846, Mr. Stracey auctioned Kearney's Coal River properties, as well as his interest in several buildings in Hobart. Laburnum Park of 610 acres was sold for £1,450 to Alexander Goldie; the life interest of Kearney in 310 acres on the Coal River was also purchased by Goldie for 19s. per acre. Kearney's life interst in 69½ acres was sold for 18s. per acre to W. J. T. Clarke (of Quorn Hall, Campbell Town). Colebrook Dale comprising 1,340 acres was purchased by W.T. Parramore for 30s. per acre. A further 1,250 acres was also sold to W.T. Parramore at 27s. per acre. Rosebank Estate of 600 acres was purchased by Mr. Thomas Browne for £998 19s. Mr. G.F. Read purchased 640 acres at 10s. per acre, and Mr. Maddock paid 16s. per acre for 500 acres. Kearney purchased from his own bankrupt estate his Penrice Estate of 978 acres for 35s. per acre. His life-interest in two Hobart properties was also bought back by Kearney: a property in the Old-Market, Hobart, for £160, and another in Bathurst-street for £66. Five months later "Four Hundred very fine Ewes, with their last dropping of lambs" belonging to the estate of William Kearney were advertised for sale.4
On New Years Day, 1853, his horse, Donald Caird, won the Richmond Plate at the Richmond Races. The same day his son William Kearney jnr was murdered. In 1858 the Penrice property comprised 920 acres, of which Kearney himself farmed 518 acres. The remainder of the farm was leased, or at least occupied, by six others. In addition to Penrice, Kearney also owned Rosebank which comprised 350 acres at the time, a further 610 acres of sheep-run at Native Corners, and a 30-acre farm at Native Corners leased to William Plummer. In 1858, Kearney was also leasing George Armytage's 6,068-acre Ferniehurst. Armytage's 1,200-acre parcel of Crown Land Lease at Brown Mountain (and bordering Ferniehurst), it can be assumed, was also sub-let to Kearney. Crown Land comprising 500 acres (Lot 183) was also leased at Native Corners by Kearney. Additional smaller blocks owned by Kearney in 1858 included: cottage and two acres near Enfield (leased by Jeremiah Hinds), farm of 13 acres on the Jerusalem Road near Enfield (held jointly with Thomas Kearney's wife, and leased by James McGowan), hut on 2 acres on the Jerusalem Road, near Enfield. Kearney was elected as a Richmond Municipality Councillor in its inaugural year in 1861. Died 31st May 1870 aged 74 years at the residence of Captain Riddle, Battery Point, Hobart. His last words were "Tell God to write my epitaph; let Watty Wilkins make the coffin; and bury me at Richmond."
"The funeral service was read by the Rev. Mr. Galer, and, amongst other incidents it was affecting to witness an aged negro servant, of 36 years' attachment sitting with a bowed head, and an arm drooped over his master's coffin, murmuring the responses as the priest read. The deceased was buried beside his brother, and after all was over the concourse met where the roads turned off, just outside the burial ground, when it was quietly decided that these simple words alone should mark the tomb-stone: 'He lived respected, and died lamented.' So returned to our mother earth what remained of the 'Father of the Coal River' and in every sense of the term a true colonist."
Buried in Kearney Vault, St. Luke's Cemetery, Richmond.
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1 AOT LSD 1/90/p.202.
2 AOT LSD 1/90/p.202.
3 Colonial Times, 10 March 1846, p.3.
4 Colonial Times, 13 October 1846, p.3, c.1.
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