Thomas Burdekin

Thomas Burdekin (22 November 1801 - 18 August 1844), ironmonger, was one of Australia's early merchants, industrialists, politicians and financiers. He was the father of Sydney Burdekin and Marshall Burdekin.

He resided opposite Parliament House on Macquarie Street, Sydney and came to hold influence in the new colony's politics and society. He grew very wealthy acquiring land through money-lending.

Early life Thomas was born in Sheffield, England on 28 December 1801 to Joseph and Elizabeth Burdekin. He arrived in Sydney on 7 July 1828 aboard the Australia to establish a branch of his father's ironmongers, Burdekin and Hawley, Ironmongers and General Merchants, in George Street, Sydney.

He employed a young Henry Parkes in late 1839 or early 1840, shortly after Parkes's arrival in the colony.

In 1831, he was elected to the Council of the Australian College, a short-lived college established by John Dunmore Lang. He is listed on a passenger ship as a merchant returning from a trip to Launceston, Tasmania in that year. Their five children were Lloyd (1834-1860), Bossley (1835-1882), Marshall (1837-1886), Sydney (1839-1899) and Mary Ann (1842-1845).

Money lending and property

Burdekin began his land acquisition in 1830 with the purchase of a William Street lot from John Brown. By 1842, he owned property in Macquarie, College and York streets In 1841, he was granted 10 perches of land by the Colonial Secretary. In 1843, he was again in the Supreme Court taking action against another group.

Singleton case

In 1842, Burdekin foreclosed on Benjamin Singleton for £2,100 gaining control of most of the land in the township of Singleton, New South Wales. The case dragged on for many years and was managed by Burdekin's widow, Mary Ann and her brother, John Bossley after Burdekin's death. This kind of aggressive moneylending and foreclosure made him deeply unpopular among borrowers and landowners. thumb

Burdekin House In 1841, Thomas commissioned James Hume to design and build Burdekin House on Macquarie Street, considered the finest home in Sydney at the time. The mansion cost £17,000 and for many years was known as "Burdekin's Folly". and which became the source of National Trust focus for future building preservation. St Stephen's Presbyterian Church now stands on that site.

Ludwig Leichhardt In 1844, Burdekin agreed to support German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt’s explorations into outback Queensland. After Thomas's death in 1844, his wife Mary Ann continued to contribute towards the costs of Leichhardt's explorations, leading to his discovery of the major river he named the Burdekin River in honour of Thomas and Mary. This in turn led to a whole area in Queensland known as Burdekin Shire.

Death Thomas Burdekin died on 18 August 1844, aged 42. He was buried at the old Church of England Cemetery at Rookwood. He left a large amount of real estate in Sydney and other parts of the colony to his family.

Wife Mary Ann Bossley became the matriarch of the Burdekin family, and managed much of the business affairs with her brother, John Bossley (1820-1872). She left an inheritance of £366,493 when she died. The suburb of Bossley Park in Sydney is named after her brother, John.

In Popular Culture Patrick White's novel Voss is based on the expeditions of German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. In the novel, Johann Ulrich Voss is sponsored by wealthy Sydney merchant and draper, Edmund Bonner, a character based on Burdekin. White depicts Bonner as a successful but somewhat coarse, materialistic colonial businessman.