Rosewood History. Qld

Henry Best – Shoemaker

© Jane Schy 2025

Henry Best, aged 20, arrived in Sydney, New South Wales on the convict ship Parmelia on 16th November 1832. He was tried in Kent on 5th April 1832 for Highway Robbery and sentenced to 7 years.

Henry was assigned to John Wigton at Nelson’s Plains. He was granted his Ticket of Leave in 1836 and worked in the Hunter and neighbouring regions making split rail fences. He came to Queensland about 1851and set up in business as a shoemaker in East Street, Ipswich.

According to Henry,  he married Ann Hart or Palmer in Ipswich about 1844. (No record found) They had four children – Henry, Amelia (married John Williams Nicol), Elizabeth (married James McGowan) and Annie (1859-1860). Henry and Ann parted ways and Ann and the children went to live at North Ipswich. Ann predeceased Henry.

Henry was in and out of trouble, and at times, he used the alias Edward Strong.

He moved to Rosewood Gate and worked as a shoemaker 1872-1879. Henry also farmed and grew cotton.

In 1877 William Boughen, William Arndt, and Robert Beavis, were charged with wilful and malicious damage to Henry’s property (smashing 20 panes of glass, breaking in a door and damaging the end of his slab house). Other men were there but Henry did not recognise them, so could not name them. Bridget Loveday (wife of Walter) said she was at his house and didn’t see any of those named there, although stones were thrown and windows were broken. She said Henry was very drunk and had been ‘in the horrors of drink’ for three weeks. The case was dismissed.

Henry was convicted of larceny in the Ipswich Court in February 1879 and sentenced to 12 months hard labour at St Helena, after which he went to live at Toowong.

He died on 23rd June 1887 from severe diarrhoea at Dunwich Benevolent Asylum, and is buried in the cemetery there.