Australian Royalty: Genealogy of the colony of NSW

She is said to have married a John Roberts, known too as Colin Reculist who was sentenced to death at the Old Bailey Sessions on 13 January, 1796 for passing forged promissory notes (Old Bailey Session Papers. 2 Dec. 1795 - 29 Nov 1796. PO.S. Reel FM4 7161 M.L.). He was executed in July, aged 34. Sarah would have been about 22. Roberts' associate, known as Peter Catapodi or Brown, who apparently forged the notes, took Sarah under his 'protection'. A baby girl was born to Sarah on 11 March 1797: she was later christened Caroline (Burn).

Sarah was born in a small county 80 or so miles from London. At some stage she went to live in London and, met John Roberts. Not long after, John was on trial at the Old Bailey. He received the death sentence and was executed in 1796.

Peter, an associate of John Roberts/Colin Reculist, apparently forged banknotes. When Sarah's husband John/Colin was executed for passing forged promissory notes, he took Sarah under his 'protection', and a baby girl resulted, born 11 Mar 1797.

"BOW STREET.
Peter Catapodi, charged with forging cheques on the Bank of England, and country bank-notes, was brought up, when the plate and several cheques on the Bank found on the prisoner, at his lodgings, were produced, but none of the instruments were complete, inasmuch as they were not signed &c. which evade the charge. Mr. Winter, the solicitor to the Bank, acknowledged that they were extremely well done, and asked the prisoner why he did not apply his abilities to a better purpose? to which the prisoner replied, by asking why the Bank did not employ him? The plate for the country bank-notes, payable on Messrs. Down, Thornton, and Free, which was found upon him, being incomplete, the charge was likewise obliged to be abandoned. The prisoner was then put to the bar for stealing a counterpane from his ready-furnished lodgings. A pawnbroker produced the counterpane, and said he received it in pledge from a woman, in the name of Brown, who cohabited with the prisoner. Mr. Alley attended for the prisoner, and contended, that as it was not proven that the prisoner had been privy to the pledging of the property, the magistrate was not warranted in committing him; but the prosecutor having more evidence to bring forward, he was committed for further examination. The husband of the woman whom the prisoner cohabits with, was executed a short time since for forgery, and Catapodi was concerned with him, as well as several others who have been hung for forgery; but he has always contrived to get off.
Catapodi has had a final examination and is with the woman fully committed for trial."

Sarah pawned or sold John Finch's counterpane for 7 shillings. For this she and Catapodi were tried at the Old Bailey, but because it was she who had hired the lodgings, and presumably because Catapodi was not her husband, Sarah was sentenced to 7 years transportation while her companion was set free. She was transported aboard the ship Britannia III which departed Portsmouth 23 Jan 1798, After 7 months, she and baby Caroline arrived in the colony on 17 Jul 1798.

Old Bailey transcript 6 Dec 1797:
Peter CATAPODI, otherwise PETER BROWN, and SARAH BEST, otherwise BROWN, otherwise CATAPODI, were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 7th of November, a cotton counterpane, value 5s. the property of John Finch, in a lodging-room let by contract by him to the said Sarah .(The case was opened by Mr. Knowlys.)

JOHN FINCH sworn. - I live at No. 8, St. James's-buildings, Rosomon's-street, Clerkenwell : The woman at the bar took the lodging of me, by the name of Brown; she applied to me for that purpose on the 3d and 4th of October; the first time she came, there was a young woman with her, and an infant that she had in her arms; I agreed with her for the lodging, she represented herself to be a married woman; on the 5th of October, the two prisoners came together, and occupied the lodging, and continued till the 15th of November, when they were taken up by the officers of Bow-street; they were to find their own bed linen, I was to furnish the blankets and the quilt; he went by the name of Brown, I did not know he had any other name.

Q.Did he remain in the lodging with her all this time? - A. Yes; I never knew him sleep out of the house, not be out of the house after ten o'clock; I did not miss any thing till the officers of Bow-street gave me information, and then I missed a cotton counterpane off the bed, worth about eleven shillings, or thereabouts.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. It was the woman prisoner that you let the lodging to? - A. Yes.
Q. I believe you know that the man prisoner is not married to her? - A. I thought they were man and wife at that time; but from what I can find since they are not.
Q. The man prisoner did not come in till two days after the agreement with her? - A. She agreed on the 4th, and came in on the 5th.
Q. Was it the quilt that was upon the bed at the time they hired the lodging, that was stolen? - A. No.
Q. After that, what became of the quilt upon the bed? - A. It had got dirty, was put out to be washed, and a clean one put on.
Q. How long was this after the lodging was let? - A. I cannot say positively.
Q. Which was the best quilt; was the quilt you lent last such as you generally let with your lodgings? - A. The first quilt was; and this I put on occasionally, while the other is washed.
Q. The quilt you lent them was too good to let with the lodgings? - A. No it was not, because the other was better than that; when the first gets dirty we put on the other.
Q. Are you a house-keeper? - A. Yes.
Q. Have you seen the quilt since? - A. Not till I saw it at Bow-street.

EDWARD FUGION sworn. - Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I am one of the officers of Bow-street: I have known the prisoner about a year or two, by the name of Catapodi; in consequence of an information, I went to the Peacock, in Maiden-lane, on Wednesday the 15th of November, to apprehend him; I found the prisoner, and a young man, sitting in a back parlour; I went in, and said to the prisoner, what are you doing of here; he said, nothing; I told him I must search him; in searching him I found nothing; but, upon a paper lying upon the table, there was a check upon the cashiers of the Bank, filling up, for five pounds, it was all filled up but signing; I brought him, and the young man, to the office; I went to search his lodging, at the house of Finch, the last witness, I met the woman at the bar, Mrs. Brown, by the way; I asked her where she lived; and she took me to this lodging at Finch's house; under the bed, I found a plate for drafts upon Down, Thornton, and Free, I found it concealed behind some papers; I searched further, and found some more checks, not filled up, upon Down, Thornton, and Company; I observed there was no quilt upon the bed; I asked Mrs. Brown what had become of it; she said, that Mr. Brown had taken it to be washed;
I told her I must take her into custody, and she must go with me to Bow-street; I acquainted the prosecutor of the quilt being missing, and took her to Bow-street.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. You have known that unfortunate young man a great while? - A. No great while.
Q. You know that he has a wife living? - A. I have heard it.

JOHN TOWNSEND sworn. - Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I have known Catapodi twelve years, I have always known him by that name; I understood he was married, he used to speak of his wife when he was applying to the Solicitor of the Bank, when I had him in custody before.
Q. Is that his wife? - A. No; that is the wife of a poor man that has been executed, Colin Reculist .
Mr. Alley. Q. She is not the prisoner's wife? - A. No.

JOHN STEVENSON sworn-I am servant to Mr. Lowe, the pawnbroker, in Clerkenwell, (produces the counterpane); I received it from the woman prisoner at the bar, on the 7th of November.
Finch. This is my counterpane.
Mr. Alley. Have you any mark upon it? - A. No; there is a mark of a hit of wax of my own trade, I am a shoemaker, a bit of wax that got upon it when it laid upon the bed where I worked; there is the mark of the wax upon it now.

Mr. Knowlys. Q. How many years have you had it? - A. About four years.

Catapodi, NOT GUILTY.
Best, GUILTY .

Transported for seven years.

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron PERRYN.

The year 1799 page 20
No 68 Patrick Burn of the parish of Parramatta and Sarah Best of ditto married in this Church by Banns this twenty second day of September in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine by me Samuel Marsden. Patrick Burns made his x mark and Sarah Best signed the register in the presence of Rosetta Warbertons who made her x mark and James Partridge

After her husband's death, Sarah was made a small grant of 2 rods, 30 poles (about half an acre), close to the Parramatta barracks, by Governor Patterson, in charge of colonial affairs until Macquarie's arrival.

The barracks were close to the present George and Harris Streets near the river. William Byrne in 'Old Times' (May 1903), stated 'My earliest recollection is Howell's Mill which was opposite our cottage'. George Howell's wind and water mill was built were the Gas Works Bridge (Newlands Bridge) now stands (2009).

When the new governor, Lachlan Macquarie arrived in late 1809, he cancelled land grants made by Patterson but renewed leases for a number of them. That held by Sarah was surrendered on 30 April 1810 but was renewed 18 OCt 1811 for 14 years.

William Sykes of the parish of St John Parramatta and Sarah Byrn of ditto were married in this church by banns this ninth day of January in the year one thousand eight hundred and twelve by me Samuel Marsden
Both William and Sarah "Byrn" signed the register
in the presence of John Eyre who signed the register and Rosetta Owen who made her X mark

Sykes, William, 60, absolute pardon, Fortune i, 1806, 14 years, Protestant, settler, Appin
Sykes, Sarah, 56, free by servitude, Britannia, 1798, 14 years, Catholic
Sykes, George, 18, born in the colony
Sykes, Thomas, 16, born in the colony
Sykes, James, 13, born in the colony

When William and Sarah died they were buried at Ryansvale Cemetery. This cemetery fell into disrepair and the family sought and obtained permission to remove their headstone and remains to Spring Valley where there are six generations of Sykes buried.