Inverary in 1841

The 1841 Census lists 17 establishments in Bungonia, a small town about 20km south-east of Goulburn in the district of Inverary. After early explorers followed rivers and creeks inland, free settlers were granted leases here from 1822. In 1831, the site for Bungonia was excised from one of those leases, surveyed and divided up into allotments.

The Census gives the name of the head of each household. Other members of the household are not named, but their details appear in household totals for age groups, sex, marital status, civil condition (whether born in the colony, arrived free, other free persons, ticket of leave holders, or convicts in government employment or private assignment), religion and occupational group. The Mulwaree Heritage Study fills in some of the details.

Bungonia's 17 householders include the Revd. George Wood, police officer Patrick O'Brien, John Sceales (misspelt Scales in the Census), storekeeper John Lynch, ticket-of-leave holder Matthew Bull, and Edward Hughes and his wife who ran the Ship Inn.

The total population is 82, 51 males and 31 females, and predominantly they are young. There are 6 children under two, 13 aged two to under seven, and 5 aged seven to under 14. Of the 16 women, not one is over 45. Five men are aged 45 to 60.

If George Faulkner lives in one of these households, it must be one of the six that include ticket of leave holders. Four of these six also have "mechanics", or tradesmen. These are the households headed by John Armstrong, David Brown (or Browne), the Revd. George Wood and Patrick Kelly. John Armstrong and Patrick Kelly's households can probably be excluded - everyone under their roof was Catholic.

David Brown's household numbered 11 people, 7 males and 4 females, living in an unfinished timber house. Four of the men, including David Brown himself, held tickets of leave. Three were assigned convicts. One female arrived free. The other three females are young girls, one under 2 and two aged 2 to under 7. Eight were Church of England and three were Catholics. The household appears to comprise David Brown and his wife, their three young girls, three men who hold tickets of leave and three assigned convicts. Four of the men were "mechanics".

The Revd. George Wood occupied Bungonia's only stone dwelling. His household comprised 9 people in total, 4 males and 5 females including 2 young girls. Two males and two females were married. Two men and one woman were single. Two men arrived free and two held tickets of leave. One woman arrived free, one held a ticket of leave and one was assigned. Eight gave their religion as Church of England, one was Catholic. Their occupations ranged from top to bottom of the scale, from "landed proprietor" to "servant". So they might have been George Wood and his wife who both arrived free, a free "mechanic" and his ticket of leave wife, two children, two ticket of leave men (a mechanic and a gardener) and an assigned female servant, possibly the only Catholic. Or some other permutation of male and female, married and single, ticket of leave holder, assigned convict and free.

David Brown's establishment seems the more egalitarian place to be.

1841 Census, Abstracts of Householders Returns, State Records NSW, Reels 2222 and 2223
Mulwaree Shire Community Heritage Study 2002-2004, p.125–146