Thomas Valentine Blomfield (----1857 )

Back to ...... 48th Foot .The Northamptonshire Regiment

Children :

1 . Thomas Edwin Bloomfield (b 1821....d.1903)                                                            

2 . Richard Henry Bloomfield (b 1823 ......d)                                                           

3 . John Roe Bloomfield (b 1824 .....d.)

4 . Christiana Eliza Passmore Blomfield (1826-1904)

5 . Louisa Matilda Blomfield (1828-1858                                                           

6 . Barrington Wingfield Bloomfield (b 1830.....d.1835)                                                             

7 . Arthur Bloomfield (b 1831.....d. 1887)                                                             

8 . Henry Wilson Bloomfield (b 1833.....d)                                                             

9 . Edwin Cordeaux Bloomfield (b. 1835......d.1913 )                                                            

10 . Euston Bloomfield (b 1837 .........d) unmarried                                                             

11 . Frank Allman Bloomfield (b 1840 .......d.) unmarried                                                             

12 . Alfred Bloomfield (b 1842......d.1901)  

Descendants :

Area Settled :

'Dagwood' Greenhill's, now Morpeth ,New South Wales.

History & Achievements :

Lieutenant Thomas Valentine Bloomfield arrived in Australia as part of the North Hamptonshire Regiment

(48th Regiment of Foot) contingent, in 1817 on board one of three ships. The" Barque..Matilda ", The HM.

ship " Lloyd's " or "Dick" . All three arrived carrying the 48th Regiment in 1817.

Lieutenant Thomas Valentine Bloomfield began his military career as a commissioned Ensign on July 8th

1809 at the age of 16 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 17 th of June 1811. Following the battle for Badajoz, Bloomfield wrote his father a letter revealing that the officers wished to be part of the fortress's pillage. He stated the following " I have missed the opportunity to buy myself a horse, the men are selling fine horses for 6,10, 20, pounds each, which were worth 100 and more. I have though purchased a cavalry mare already saddled".

Lieutenant Bloomfield sold his commission out in January 1824 for the sum of 700 pounds, this along with

back pay of 68 pounds,12 shillings and sixpence gave him the capital to begin life as a settler, settling on his 2000 acre grant at

'Dagwood' Greenhill's, now Morpeth New South Wales. Bloomfield was appointed Coroner for the area which gave him a salary of 50 pounds per year and rations for three years .Over a period of time he gained further leases in the Hunter district and at Monaro. To gain land grants in the colony was a very difficult thing for officers to gain. The reason being that the governor of the time Macquarie believed that it would be "ruinous to the service " and of no benefit to the officer's themselves.

Lieutenant Thomas Valentine Bloomfield served as a Justice of the Peace in some of the areas in which he

lived . Eventually passing away on his father-in-law's ( Richard Brooks ) property at Liverpool "Denman Court" aged sixty four. For his military life he was awarded the General Service Medal . The medal has 8 bars attached , naming the battles in which he fought with distinction . The Service Medal represent the following battles : : Busaco 27/9/1810 :Albuera (16/5/1811) : Ciudad-Rodrigo 19/1/1812 , Badajoz May 1812 : Salamanca 22/6/1812 :Vittoria 21/6/1812 ; Orthes 27/2/1814 : Toulouse 10/4/1814 :

In a letter sent by Lieutenant Thomas Valentine Bloomfield to his brother Edwin Bloomfield ,Captain of the

10th Regiment North Lincolnshire Regiment, in Suffolk, he stated the following description of some the problems incurred.

" The population of Van Dieman's Land is now increasing very fast, as well in prisoners and settlers. A great portion of persons landing are there direct from England. We have only two companies, a very inadequate force. A Regiment of six hundred would not be at all to much. Our men have very hard work. They are almost continually in the bush after runaway prisoners ( turned Bushrangers.), who are a great terror to the peaceable settlers, as they frequently strip them of all they have, and sometimes, if any resistance, murder is the consequence. we have had some men wounded by these fellows. Two parties of soldiers were sent out some time since, one from Hobart Town the other from Port Dalrymple, both disguised. They met in the interior, and taking each other for bushrangers commenced a sharp skirmish. They fired away all their ammunition and were going to charge each other, when they found out their mistake. One corporal was killed and several men were wounded. So much for this kind of warfare, where a man may get his head broke and no honour or thanks for it."

 

The soldier killed on 16th of March was Corpral John Dean.

 

 

E- mail address
bmchapman@iprimus.com.au

© Copyright B & M Chapman (QLD) Australia

Last revised: June 15, 2007.