Cobbora has often been referred to as 'Martin Town' because of the number of people there bearing the Martin name. When Mrs (Mary) Robert Cooper Martin died on the 7th September 1913, aged 84 years, she left 41 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren to mourn the loss of one courageous pioneer in the Cobborah district. She was a native of Richmond and moved to Cobbora in about 1849 when she was 20 years of age.
The Rouse brothers, John, Richard and Edwin were probably grazing stock in the Cobbora district in the early 1820s. They had taken up Guntawang Run on the Cudgegong near Gulgong and the Mundooran run on the Castlereagh near Mendooran. The first person interested in acquiring land at Cobbora was Robert Martin who chose 1,280 acres at Cobrow (Cobbora) on the southern side of the Talbragar River. Richard Rouse later procured 640 acres on the western boundary of Martin's selection. The first map that used the name 'Cobborah' was prepared by Assistant Surveyor Lewis in 1832, when he surveyed the Talbragar River from Merutherer (Merotherie) to Cobborah. The word 'Cobborah', on the map, is close to the Talbragar, near where Martin had his homestead and 'Martin's Inn' was later constructed.
Robert MARTIN Snr
Robert Martin Snr (1768-1846) Robert Martin Snr was born in the north of England in 1768. He was a tailor and prior to coming free to the Colony in 1804 on the 'Experiment', lived at 46 York Street, Westminster.
James HOWARD of 10 Brewer Street, London recommended the Martin family. His recommendation indicated that Robert MARTIN had come from the north of England to London some 15 years previously and had been employed by Howard as a Tailor.
He came out with his first wife Mary (nee Cooper, born about 1763), and their children:
- Martha (15 years),
- Robert Jnr (5 years) and
- Caroline (1 year).
- Johanna Henderson Martin, born in 1846.
The ship “The Experiment” arrived in Sydney in 1804, having embarked from England with some 59 free settlers as well as a contingent of convicts. Experiment embarked two male and 136 female convicts. Six female convicts died on the voyage. The Martin family numbered among the free settlers. Robert MARTIN Snr, his wife, the former Mary COOPER and a son Robert Jnr were among the arrivals. On the original list were two daughters, Caroline aged 15 years and Martha aged 4 months. No trace of these daughters has been found after their arrival in Australia. Existing records seem to suggest that Caroline left the ship before it left England and that Martha died on the voyage.
On arrival, the Martins were granted approximately 100 acres at Musgrave Place in the Hawkesbury district. It is registered as land Grant No 1186 of 6 Jul 1804 with rent of three shillings per annum commencing after 5 years.
A note in a paper in 1821 mentioned Martin land adjacent to Richmond Hill. Robert Snr. spent the larger part of his life on this grant at Richmond Hill near the common. However, he acquired a further 50 acres adjoining his original grant. He also bought one acre of land in March Street, on the corner of Lennox Street, at Richmond. From his will it can be deduced that Robert lived at March Street in the last years of his life.
In the early 1820s Robert Martin's interest moved to Cobbora area where he received a grant that was officially proclaimed 30 September 1839.
By 1828 Robert MARTIN owned at least 100 acres of cleared land at Richmond, 9 horses and 200 cattle. In 1929 he was appointed to the Missionary Committee for Windsor and in 1836 appointed to Protestant Committee at Richmond and Windsor.
- Robert Martin, like most free settlers, used convict labour. The name of one is referred to in a notice in The Sydney Morning Herald dated 27th November 1808.
- From The Australian 27 May 1841. Martin's store being opened at his cottage in March Street Richmond.
- Subscriber to the Hibernian Fund 2nd August 1832.
- Robert Snr was appointed to the Protestant Committee, Windsor Richmond Gazette 19th July 1836. He was also a subscriber to Bourke's statue and memorial - 1838.
On 13 Sep 1839 Robert Martin Snr was granted 1280 acres of land at Cobbora in the Mudgee district. There is a suggestion that both Robert Snr and Jnr visited this property from time to time. The present town of Cobbora was originally called Martin’s Town before becoming Cobbora, the name Martin gave his property.
In June 1838 he applied for grazing license in the County of Bligh, which suggests that the Martin family had been to Cobbora before actually gaining a land grant there.
Robert's wife, Mary Martin nee COOPER, died at Richmond on 3 Mar 1841 and presumably was buried there. In 1842, Robert MARTIN Snr. married again, to a Margaret HENDERSON, by whom there was a daughter born on 14 Apr 1846. She was named Johanna Henderson MARTIN. Two months later, on 13 Jun 1846 Martin Snr. died.
From his will, it appears that Martin Snr had added another 50 acres to his original 100 acres land grant made in 1804. By the time of this death this land was being rented to Thomas SIMONS, Thomas EATHER and William MAGIC with James WHITE renting a further 50 acres. The whole of these 150 acres was referred to as Martin’s Farm.
Martin Snr left property to his widow, Margaret HENDERSON, to his son Robert Jnr and made provisions for his grandsons and granddaughters.
ROBERT MARTIN Jnr
Robert Martin Jnr was born 23 October 1797/8 Darsham, Suffolk England and died on 11 September 1872 at Richmond NSW. He was married on 13.Aug 1822 at Richmond to Mary Elizabeth MERRICK. She had been born at Parramatta on 14 Mar 1795, the daughter of Edward MERRICK and Mary RUSSELL. Mary Elizabeth died on 7 Oct 1855 at Richmond and was buried in the Martin family vault.
Briefly, Edward MERRICK was born in England about 1763. He arrived as a convict on the “Surprise” in 1790. He was one of the first blacksmiths in Australia and the first police constable at Richmond where a street is named after him.His wife, Mary RUSSELL was also born in England about the year 1764 and was also to arrive here as a convict on the “Mary Ann” in 1791. The couple were married at St. Phillip’s Sydney on 24 Dec 1791.
Robert Martin Jnr and Mary Elizabeth Merrick had the following children:
- Robert Cooper (1822-1884),
- Caroline (1824-1878),
- Martha (1826-1901),
- John Harden (1829-1881),
- William Martin (1832-1871),
- Henry Martin (1834-1835).
Robert Martin Jnr remarried in 1861/2 at Richmond to Mary Oliver Peny (1812-1873). They had no children. He died on 11th September 1872, aged 75 years and is also buried at St. Peter's, Richmond.
Robert Jnr spent the greater part of his life at Richmond, with visits to his family’s interest at Cobbora. Robert Jnr. and Mary Elizabeth had six surviving children between 1822 and 1834.
On 8 Oct 1858, Robert Jnr. made out a will which recognised the claim of his stepmother Margaret HENDERSON, by now known as Mrs. Stephen FIELD. After her death he left the bulk of his estate to his daughter Caroline (Mrs. William Thomas PRICE). The executors of this will were William Thomas PRICE and Caleb CRISFORD.
However, something happened which caused Robert Jnr, to change his mind. He made out another will some 2 months before his death. In this second will, he left property to his second wife Mary Oliver PERRY, and made provisions for his sons and daughters.
The Cobbora property was still technically in the possession of Margaret HENDERSON (Mrs. Field) and she leased it to Robert Jnr. It appears that this legal position existed even after the death of Robert Jnr who had leased part of his property to some of his sons.
Margaret FIELD did not die until 23 May 1891 at Manly and was buried in St. Peters at Richmond. She left a daughter by her marriage to Stephen FIELD – Johanna Henderson FIELD, who later married Crawford Robert BEDWELL and had a number of children.
By the time of Robert MARTIN Jnr.’s death his land at Cobbora was principally leased by a James RICHARDS with a piece being leased by his son William. Adjacent land was owned by the Rouse family which was to have repercussions in the next generation.
