| Mary Ann Bryant was the daughter of John
Bryant and Mary Ann Findlay. She was born in 1844 in Goulburn, NSW. After her father died
in 1853, her mother married James Payne. In 1864
Mary Ann and her family move to Wagga Wagga. She is there with her mother, her older
sister, Eliza and Eliza's husband, Henry John Sampson.
On January 29th, 1865 Mary Ann Bryant marries Thomas
Castro in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
In August there are advertisements in local papers
about the missing heir to the Tichborne Baronetcy. The heir, Sir Roger Charles Tichborne
had been a passenger on a ship which had been lost at sea. Though most believed the heir
had been drowned, his mother believed he had been rescued by a passing ship and was living
somewhere incognito. She advertised in newspapers world wide hoping to find him.
In January, 1866 Castro answers one of these
advertisements and claims he is Sir Roger Charles Tichborne and that he has been living in
Australia as Thomas Castro.
Lady Tichborne replies and there is an exchange of
letters.
The correspondence between England and Australia
continues and Lady Tichborne asks the Claimant to come to England.
Mr and Mrs Castro (or Sir and Lady Tichborne) leave
Wagga Wagga and head for Sydney. They stop at Goulburn where they re-marry on July 10th.
This time he uses the name Roger Charles Tichborne. One of
the witnesses was Mary Ann Payne. The day after this marriage their daughter, Teresa, was
baptised. The god-parents were Ambrose and Theresa Bryant, the brother and sister of the
bride.
On September 2nd, 1866 Sir Roger (or Tom Castro) with
his wife leave Sydney on the Rakaia bound for London. They meet Lady Tichborne who says
that he is her long lost son - the rest is history.
Mary Ann is an interesting person. Her grandfather was
Ambrose Bryant, who is on the 1821 Victualling List. Ambrose was the overseer of the stone
masons who constructed Hyde Park Barracks, Saint James Church and the nearby Court House.
Her mother came to Australia from Dublin and married
Ambrose's eldest son, John. But John died in 1853 and Mary Ann married James Payne in
1854.
Mary Ann's brother-in-law was Henry John Sampson who was
mayor of Yass in 1876 and 1879. Henry was the son of William Ealy Sampson who was also on
the 1821 Victualling List, William was in Ambrose's gang of stone masons. |