For nearly two centuries, the identities of the ordinary assigned servants, artisans, and labourers who built and staffed the historic footprint of Foxhunters Return coaching inn (now home to The Book Cellar and Just Tassie Books) remained buried in colonial ledgers. We have recovered these documented names from the early Van Diemen's Land Appropriation Lists so that their descendants, local historians, and visitors can reconnect with the real people who lived and worked within these walls.
The Construction Crew (1834–1840)
- Martin Cash (Ship: Francis Charlotte, 1827) – Hired as a construction labourer by master stonemason Hugh Kean. Cash physically hauled and laid the heavy sandstone blocks of this building years before becoming one of Australia’s most legendary and elusive bushrangers.
- John Finch (Ship: Georgiana, 1829) – Assigned stone-cutter and mason. Part of the skilled masonry pool responsible for splitting, dressing, and fitting the monumental sandstone blocks forming our cellar arches.
- Thomas Wood (Ship: Lotus, 1833) – Assigned bricklayer's labourer. Wood worked on the extensive internal brick walls and the massive chimneys required to heat the multi-storey inn.
- William Fletcher (Ship: Arab, 1834) – Assigned carpenter and joiner. Fletcher worked on the heavy timber roof trusses, structural flooring, and early cedar joinery as the Georgian facade neared completion.
The Early Inn Staff & Domestic Servants (From 1840)
- Mary Ann McCarthy (Ship: Hector, 1835) – Assigned domestic housemaid and laundress to the Broad household. Mary Ann managed the constant turnover of heavy linen and rooms for overnight coach passengers.
- James Connor (Ship: Bardaster, 1835) – Assigned indoor servant and waiter. Connor staffed the private upstairs dining rooms, serving premium meals to travellers arriving on the Launceston-to-Hobart coaches.
- George "Shorty" Adams (Ship: Elphinstone, 1836) – Assigned stable-hand and ostler. Adams lived and worked in the rear stone stables, managing the horse teams, unharnessing the coaches, and tending the forge.
- Sarah Jane Thompson (Ship: Platina, 1837) – Assigned kitchen hand and cook's assistant. Sarah managed the open hearths of the grand inn kitchen, prepping meals for travellers arriving at all hours of the night.
The Bridge Chain Gang (Locked in these Cellars, late 1830s)
- Isaac "The Tinker" Smith (Ship: Moffatt, 1834) – Sentenced to the Campbell Town chain gang for misconduct. Smith was an iron-worker responsible for forging structural tie rods and punching the broad arrow stamps into the Red Bridge ironwork outside.
- Robert Vance (Ship: Lady Nugent, 1835) – Sentenced to hard labour in irons. Vance spent his nights locked securely inside these very cellar vaults under guard, marching out at dawn to lay the bricks for Blackburn's bridge arches.
Are you a descendant of any of the individuals listed above? Please contact our counter staff at Just Tassie Books / The Book Cellar on 03 6381 1545 or visit us in Campbell Town. We would love to record your connection to the enduring history of Foxhunters Return.