Located on the Old Main Road at Austins Ferry is the oldest Congregational Church in Australia .  Built in 1833 by Hobart merchant, Henry Hopkins, the church has a fireplace and was still partially furnished in the 1980’s  Unfortunately, the church was broken into and some items stolen which were later found in South Australia .  

The burial register for Hestercome Chapel was destroyed so we will never know the names of the convicts who died working on the Bridgewater Causeway which in itself was a remarkable achievement.  It is 1.3 km long and was built by a workforce of 200 convicts.  These convicts shifted 2 million tons of soil, stones and clay.  It is said that the punishment for not doing a full day’s work was solitary confinement in a cell which was only 2 metres high and 50 cm square.  

The mass grave for the convicts that died at this time is located in the back right hand corner of the cemetery.  

The Chapel was recently sold but access to the grave yard was a requirement of the sale.  

Names still associated with the area are Barrow, Batchler, Butterworth, Forsyth, Lodge Rayner and Bilton

 

A	D	H	M	S
Anderson George Hill	Dickenson Charlotte	Hayes Louisa Henrietta	Meaburn Percy Thomas Henry	Stanfield Corrie S
Anderson Hilda Ethelene		Henriksen Rosa	Miller Janet	Stanfield Nellie Gertrude
Askey James 2		Huntley Emma	Miller William	Stanfield Rebecca
Askey James	E		Mitchell Margaret	Stanfield Thomas William
	Eyles John	J	Mitchell Walter Sleigh	Stanfield William Nicholas
B	Eyles Mary	Jolly Fredric V S 2	Morgan Susan
Barrow Graeme Lyndon		Jolly Frederic V S	Morgan Thomas 2	T
Barrow Herbert Edward	F	Jolly Mary	Morgan Thomas	Triffett Edward Albert
Barrow Jean	Forsyth Isabel A	Jolly George		Triffett Elizabeth
Barrow Ruth May	Forsyth James 2	Jolly Harold Leslie	O
Barrow Tom	Forsyth James	Jolly Mary	O'May Madge Stevens	W
Batchler Emma	Forsyth John 2		Osmond Hugh Maxwell Arthur	West David Atholston
Beedham Flora Isabella	Forsyth John	L	Osmond May Marrion	West Ellen Amelia
Beedham George	Forsyth Margaret 2	Leary Joseph William		West Hilda Henrietta
Bilton Amelia Anne	Forsyth Margaret	Leary Leslie Raymond		West James Robert
Bilton Elizabeth		Leary Myra Lillian		West William 2
Bilton Henry	G	Leary Rebecca Jane	P	West William
Blackmore John	Garity Charles	Littlechild Alfred John	Parker Richard	Wilkinson John
Butterworth Martha Ann	Garity Sarah	Lodge Margaret Glen		Wilson Frederick Langough
	Geiss Anthony		R	Wilson Jane
	Geiss Mary			Wilson William
C			Rayner Archibald Thomas	Wilson Margaret
Clark Andrew Inglis	Guy Elizabeth		Rayner Hester Josephine
Clark Grace	Guy Helen Eliza		Rickett Selina Rebekiah	Y
Claydon Thomas	Guy Samuel		Reed Rosetta	Young Thomas
Crouch Annie M			Rickett Ann 2
Crouch Sarah Anne			Rickett Ann
			Rickett Mary
			Rickett Thomas
			Ricketts Ann
			Raspin Emma Matilda
			Reed Rosetta Mabel