born in Chatham, Kent, the son of Henry and Sarah, was baptised in 1768. He arrived at Sydney Cove as a servant to Surgeon White. In 1789, he was appointed storekeeper at Parramatta, an occupation that was to sustain him and cause him much anxiety for the rest of his life. In the small, isolated colony, where food shortages were frequent and all provisioning was directed through the storekeeper, it was a position that could easily be abused in the wrong hands. But Broughton was an honest and reliable administrator, and in 1793 he was rewarded for his services with a grant of thirty acres at Concord. He received an additional 25 acres at the Field of Mars in 1795, and 2.5 acres in the township of Parramatta in 1798.

In 1800 he was promoted to acting deputy commissary at Norfolk Island and a year later was fully appointed. By 1803 he had a grant of 30.5 acres. Suspended that same year by Captain James Wilson pending a court-martial, Broughton was reinstated in 1804 on 50 pound a year. In November 1805 he moved to Sydney as deputy commissary of stores for NSW.

Between 1792 and 1807 Broughton and Elizabeth Heathorn had 5 children. In November 1809, Elizabeth and daughter Betsy sailed for England on the General Boyd. The vessel touched at New Zealand, where only three out of the whole crew and passengers escaped massacre - one of which was Broughton's daughter. They were rescued by the crew of the City of Edinburgh and Betsy, after travelling to Lima and then to Rio de Janeiro, arrived back in Sydney in 1812.

Meanwhile, Broughton was appointed acting commissary in place of Robert Fitz, and later, in March 1810, in place of John Palmer. In 1814, on Macquarie's strong recommendation, he was promoted acting assisting commissary-general on 365 pounds per year.

In December 1810 Broughton married the widowed Elizabeth Simpson, and a further five children were born to him. He was granted 1000 acres at Appin in 1811, on which he built a farm called Lachlan Vale, with 'a large house and fine looking fields'.

Though staunchly supported by Macquarie, Broughton seemed to antagonise a number of people, but from a series of disputes he emerged with honour. He died at Ultimo on 22 July 1821, and in 1822 Macquarie promised his widow that a tomb would be erected over his grave at Liverpool.

Copyright unknown

[ Virtual Australia | The World We Live In | The Things We Do ]
[ The Natural World | The People We Are | Australia Through Time ]
[ Online Australia | Fun for Kids | For Webmasters and School Projects ]