Hotels in Homebush (Sydney), New South Wales

Horse and Jockey Hotel

Information from Dave

"The original pub was named the Half Way House Hotel. The first account of Edward Powell retaining a license was 1809 and indications that the pub was actually operating for 2 yrs before that. Before that Edward was a sailor on the Second Fleet and after returning to England from Australia, decided to return taking up an offer for free settlers/ farmers needed in the colony. He returned to Australia on the ship Bellona with 4 other free settlers. These were the first free settlers granted land in Sydney. They were granted farming land inbetween Sydney and Parramatta. The idea was to establish farms half way between Parramatta and Sydney so their produce could be equally distributed between both towns.

The area was named "Liberty Plains" as they were free settlers. Their crops failed after only several seasons as the water from the creek (Powell's Creek now a canal running into Homebush Bay along side the old Arnotts Buscuit Factory) was brackish, and they had no way of re-fertilising the soil as there were no beasts of burden available in the colony that could give the land a good dose of animal dung. Edward Powell packed up & moved to the Windsor district seeking better farming land and became chief constable of the area. While in this role, he and several others were taken to court for killing two aboriginal boys. Amongst others, Matthew Flinders was at his trial.

Powell was found guilty, stripped of his status as constable, yet was given a conditional pardon on the grounds that he misenterpreted the Govt directive that natives should not be punnished unless proof of a crime. Powel had acted on heresay of locals, not direct proof. He moved back to his original land grant at Homebush and built the Half Way House Hotel hoping to capitalise on the increasing passing horses & wagons down the Parramatta road. This was around 1810. Parramatta road was a dog track in the bush at that stage.

Re Claim on oldest continual license.

Sadly it can't go in the records for the longest continuous licence for the following reasons Edward died in 1814
His wife then took over the licence from 1815 to 1818. (Licence states for sale of "victuals, beer, cyder & spiritous liquor").
When Elizabeth Powell died, the son (Edward Powell Jnr) was granted a licence in 1819. However in 1824 he was fined for not renewing his licence while still trading. He sold the Hotel to his brother in Law, James Underwood.

Shortly after the Hotel was advertised to be rented for a period not less than 7 years, most likely as a private residence & coaching stopover. It appears in this time it may not have operated as a licensed premises, yet the original pub seems to have re-opened again and was trading again under James Kerwin.

Underwood died (I think back in Mother England) around 1844. The pub must have changed hands through his death & this is about the time Kerwin appears.

The Homebush Racecourse was over the road on property of Darcy Wentworth, assistant surgeon on the second fleet and profound stateman in the early colony. His house Home-Bush Estate, gave name to the entire suburb. His son, William Charles Wentworth became a statesman as well and developed the Homebush Racecourse. He was also the Wentworth in "Blaxland Wentworth & Lawson" that first crossed the Blue Mountains.

An aside, huge colonial information firmly documented accounts of bushrangers and aboriginal attacks on the Parramatta Road near and around the the Half Way House Hotel on the Parramatta Road (Which became the Horse & Jockey). Fact: The first bushranger in Australia was shot and killed near here. His name was Black Ceaser. Shot with a bounty on his head and taken to the house of Thomas Rose where he died. Thomas Rose came here on the same ship Bellonia with Edward Powell as one of the first 5 free settlers in Australia. Rose had the land grant adjacent to Powell and they not only spent the long voyage over here together, they were neighbours when this happened. Rose's cottage was perhaps around 800 metres from Powell's hotel.

She may not be the oldest continuous licence yet she has a history that fascinates from the very earliest of times. How many pubs had their first publican as a Second Fleeter tried in court by Matthew Flinders amongst others for murdering 2 aboriginals and being granted a conditional pardon? This court case is one of the earliest in the colony to survive with a full transcript.