Henry Kable

Henry Kable (1763–16 March 1846), born in Laxfield, Suffolk, England, was an Englishman transported to Australia in the First Fleet and became a prominent business man.

Conviction and transport to Australia

On 18 March 1783, Kable was convicted of burglary at Thetford, Norfolk, England and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to transportation for fourteen years to the United States, however, the American War of Independence made transportation to America impossible and Henry was returned to the Norwich Castle jail.

At Norwich Castle gaol, Henry met and began a relationship with Susannah Holmes, who gave birth in prison to a son Henry. Holmes had been sentenced to death on 22 March 1784 after being found guilty of theft. Her sentence was also commuted and she was sentenced to transportation to the United States colonies for a term of 14 years.

When Susannah was chosen to be transported to Botany Bay on the First Fleet, the ship's captain refused to accept the child on board as the order was only for Susannah. Moved by their plight several people became involved, ensuring Henry and the baby were included in the First Fleet, and money and goods were raised for them.

Mrs. Jackson, a well-known actress from Covent Garden, organised a public subscription which yielded a substantial sum to buy Henry and Susannah a parcel of goods on their arrival in the new colony. Lady Cadigan wife of Lord Cadigan, rewarded the turnkey after the event for his kindness in the Kable case. Henry and Susannah were transported on the ship the Friendship, sailing in the First Fleet to New South Wales. In the first civil suit heard in New South Wales, Henry Kable brought a claim against the Duncan Sinclair, the captain of the transport ship, for delivery of the parcel or its equivalent value.

Under the law of attaint, a death sentence in England also rendered convicts ‘civilly dead’. Even when granted mercy, convicts did not regain their rights to property or to sue. Had the Kables been in England, they would have had no legal recourse. However, the doctrine of reception permitted colonial judges to disregard and amend English law if required by local circumstance. As such, the judge-advocate permitted the action to proceed and ruled favour or the Kables, ordering the captain to pay £15 in compensation.

Life in Australia

On 10 February 1788, Henry and Susannah Kable married in Sydney in a group wedding (the first European wedding ceremony in the new colony).

Soon after his arrival, Governor Phillip appointed Kable an overseer. The oddity of being the plaintiff in the first civil suit won by a convict may have brought Kable to the governor's notice, however, Kable later claimed to have had influential letters of recommendation. Kable was one of 70 signatories to a petition to Governor Hunter from creditors who were anxious to prevent debtors from frustrating their demands by legal delays. The ship made five whaling voyages for Kable and his partners between 1805 and 1811.

Like Lord and other early Sydney entrepreneurs, Kable always had a substantial landholding as a kind of 'sheet anchor'. He had been granted farms at Petersham Hill in 1794 and 1795, and in the latter year bought out four near-by grantees within a week of their grants being signed. In 1807 he owned at least four farms of about 170 acres (69 ha); in 1809 in addition he held five farms at the Hawkesbury and 300 acres (121 ha) at the Cowpastures, with a variety of real estate in Sydney itself including his comfortable house and extensive stores. He also had 40 horned cattle, 9 horses and 40 pigs. His business reputation seems to have been dubious, for he was regarded with distrust by Governor King and with active hostility by Governor Bligh who thought him and his partners fraudulent and had them imprisoned for a month and fined each £100 for sending him a letter couched in improper terms. It is certain that Kable played no part in public life comparable with Simeon Lord's multifarious activities. His commercial career in Sydney seems to have ended soon after Lord & Co. broke up, for as early as February 1810 he announced that his son Henry Junior had taken over the entire management of his Sydney affairs. In 1811 Kable moved to Windsor where he operated a store and brewery, the latter in association with a partner, Richard Woodbury and his Sydney warehouse was let to Michael Hayes.

In 1984, Zillah Kable Thomas and Lola Wilkinson, descendants of Henry and Susannah, unveiled a plaque commemorating Henry's land grant on the site of the former Regent Hotel (and the current Four Seasons Hotel) and the opening of the Kable's restaurant.

In 1988, a family reunion saw 500 of Kable's descendants meet to celebrate Henry and Susannah's 200th Wedding Anniversary and the Bicentenary of Australia on the site of the first gaol in Sydney and the one that Henry controlled as the first chief constable in the colony. The event was recognised as an official Bicentennial event by the Australian Bicentennial Authority.

In 2018 another family reunion was celebrated.

Celebrity veterinarian Katrina Warren is a descendant of Henry and Susannah Kable through their son John.