Thomas Moore (1762 – 24 December 1840) was an early European

settler A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settl ...

in Australia. He was born in

Lesbury Lesbury is a small rural village in Northumberland in the north of England. It is built on the main coastal road southeast of Alnwick, on the north bank of the River Aln. Alnmouth railway station is about half a mile away. History The village ...

, Northumberland. In 1792 he arrived in Australia as the ship's carpenter on

William Raven William Raven (1756–1814) was an English master mariner, naval officer and merchant. He commanded the whaler and sealing vessel ''Britannia'' and the naval store ship in Australian and New Zealand waters from 1792 until 1799. While in command ...

's ''

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

''. Thomas Moore was also briefly described in the book Nanberry Written by Jackie French. In October 1792 Raven left a sealing crew at

Dusky Sound Tamatea / Dusky Sound is a fiord on the southwest corner of New Zealand, in Fiordland National Park. Geography One of the most complex of the many fiords on this coast, it is also the largest at 40 kilometres in length and eight kilometr ...

, New Zealand while he went off to obtain supplies for the colony. During that time a vessel (later finished and called the "Providence") was built. It is believed Thomas Moore, as ships carpenter was the mainly responsible for its construction. (Ref Letters Raven to Lieutenant Governor King 1793). In 1796 he was appointed master

boatbuilder Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires. Construction materials and methods Wood W ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

John Hunter. He married Rachel Turner in January 1797, who had come to NSW on '' Lady Juliana'' as a convict, been assigned to Surgeon John White, and to whom she bore a son, Andrew Douglas White. In January 1804 Governor

Philip Gidley King Captain Philip Gidley King (23 April 1758 – 3 September 1808) was a British politician who was the third Governor of New South Wales. When the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, King was detailed to colonise Norfolk Island for defence ...

launched what was believed to be the first vessel ever built in the colony, the armed cutter ''

Integrity Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. In ...

'', of 50 tons ( bm). Thomas Moore built her at Sydney Cove. In October 1809 Moore resigned from the dockyard and by mid-1810 he was residing at the house he had built on the Georges River, Moore Bank. Governor Lachlan Macquarie appointed him

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

of the Georges River district in 1810, a position he filled until he died on Christmas Eve 1840. When Macquarie proclaimed the new town of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

on 7 November 1810, he commissioned Moore to build the town. Moore was supervisor of public works for the next decade. He became a good friend of Macquarie, who appointed Rachel and Thomas Moore the guardians of Lachlan Macquarie jnr, in case anything happened to Lachlan and

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

while they were in NSW. He was the recipient of numerous land grants, including land between Petersham Hill and Cook's River,

Moorebank Moorebank is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Moorebank is located 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Liverpool. Moorebank features a ...

in the

district, Airds and Sutton Forest. His land holdings enabled him to breed cattle and horses, as well as to rent property to tenants, which brought him much wealth. Moore was one of the founding directors of the Bank of New South Wales, now known as Westpac Banking Corporation. Moore died in 1840. In his will he left his substantial fortune to the Church of England, and, in particular, for the establishment of a college for the education of men of "the Protestant persuasion". The college, now known as Moore Theological College was opened on 1 March 1856.

References

* * Settlers of Australia 1762 births 1840 deaths English emigrants to colonial Australia {{Australia-bio-stub