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Hobbs Millions

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954) Monday 13 August 1928 p 11 Article

Certain of the Australian claimants to the "Hobbs' Millions"- a fortune that is said to have been left by John Hobbs, a Spitalfields silk-weaver to his brother, Robert Hobbs, who was transported In 1791-approached some of the New Zealand claimants with a proposal that the documents and claims which are now being prepared, should be pooled and the for- tune, if obtained, should be fairly divided. Certain of the New Zealanders have in- formed the Australian claimants, of whom there are nearly 500, that they will not co- operate with the Australians, as they con- tend they are descendants of John Hobbs, the silkweaver himself, and not of his brotherFix th

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954) Friday 31 July 1931 p 7 "HOBBS MILLIONS."

Claimants Take First Legal Step.

SIDNEY, 'lhursdav -Vhnost a ccutuij ago Roheit llobbs, tanner, died at Pitt Town (NSAV) Io daj the question of his will was before the piobate judge, Mi aliibticc Hai vex, in the fast legal step to waul deteimmation ot a claim in Eng! ind to the "llobbs millions" The foitune to which claim has been laid is saul io amount to £S,000,000

Mr Justice ITarvej xvas asked to decide an application foi letters ot administration, with the will nunexed, of the will of Robert Hobbs The will xxas dated Fcbruaiv 6, 1S39, and xvas said to haxe been executed bj Hobbs bj his mark Hobbs died on Febiuaiv 23, 1S39 Against Hobbs's mark xvete the wold«. 'Witnessed bj' Peter Cooke" and "witnessed by William

Guxatt "

llxidtnte was given that Guyatt, a shoe makoi, and Cooke, a trax oiling school- master, existed in 1830, and pi oof of their signatuics w is established Mr Justice Han ej said tint the signatures of the w it ncsses had been ptoved, and as thev detlarcd on the document that the mark was tint of Hobbs-, tile w ill had been ditlj executed, and should be admitted loi piobate He

made an orclei as asked

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954) Monday 30 April 1928 p 12 Article HOBBS MILLIONS.

SEARCH FOR A FORTUNE.

A further meeting of 160 claimants to the supposed fortune popularly known as the Hobbs Millions was held at Parramatta on Saturday, when it was decided to prosecute the search for the fortune, now, said to ex- ceed £4,500 000, to which amount, it is stated, the money, left by John Hobbs, a wealthy silk weaver, of Spitalfields, near London, who died in 1814, has accumulated.

The claimants are descendants of the seven children of Robert Hobbs, a brother of John Hobbs, who was transported in 1791, and who settled at Pitt Town, on the Hawkesbury, after serving portion of his sentence.

Great numbers of papers and documents bearing on the claim were handed over to the committee representing each of the seven branches of the family for investigation, and a document, which, it was claimed, was a copy of the will made by John Hobbs before his death in 1814, was produced.

This document, which is drawn up in cor- rect legal form, contains the following pas- sages: "I direct that, after my funeral ex- penses are paid, which I direct may be con- ducted at a decent walking pace in a plain, decent manner, and also my just debts are fully discharged and paid, my leasehold, stock-in-trade, and utensils of every descrip- tion are put up to the public auction by the direction of my executors, and the money invested in 3 per cent, consols for the sup- port of my . . . wife and Lydia Dolfee, spinster, now living with me at Winchmore

Hall, in Middlesex."

A sum of money for immediate expenses was subscribed, and the matter was left with the committee representing each branch of the family to prosecute the search for the for-

tune.

A further meeting is to be held shortly.

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954) Monday 21 May 1928 p 9 HOBBS MILLIONS.

NEW ZEALANDERS WANT A

SHARE.

New Zealand descendants of Robert Hobbs are desirous of uniting with the New South Wales descendants in order to press the search and claim for the fortune that is sup- posed to exist in England, known as the "Hobbs millions."

The New Zealand descendants have informed those in the Hawkesbury district that there is no myth about the millions, but that the difficulty has been that the various searches have been made along the wrong lines. Doubt is thrown on the marriage which is stated to have taken place between Robert Hobbs and Bridget Heslin, from whom the claimants descended, and the New Zealanders offer to co-operate with the Australian claimants in forwarding the claim.

HOBBS MILLIONS.

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954) Monday 16 April 1928 p 12 DESCENDANTS TO PRESS

CLAIMS.

Descendants of Robert Hobbs who was transported to Sydney In 1791 have decided to make another attempt to claim the huge fortune said to exceed £4, 500, 000 which it is stated John Hobbs a wealthy silk weaver of Spitalfields, London left to the legitimate heirs of his brother Robert.

A meeting of more than one hundred des- cendants was held at Windsor on Saturday Mr. H. T. Greentree of Auburn presiding.

It was stated that Robert Hobbs had been transported for a minor theft and that shortly after his arrival in Australia he was given a grant of 60 acres of land at Pitt Town, near Windsor. His wife Bridget Heslin and three or four children followed him out to this State and subsequently more children were born until there were nine. Seven of these married and their descendants now total be-

tween 700 and 1000. In 1814 John Hobbs died,

leaving an annuity to his brother, Robert, and upon his death he directed that the estate should be divided among his legitimate

heirs.

Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900-1954) Friday 31 July 1931 Edition: DAILY p 8 "HOBBS' MILLIONS" A N.S.W. REFERENCE SYDNEY. Thursday. - Almost a century ago Robert Hobbs, a farmer, died at Pitt Town, N.S.W., To-day the question of his will was before the probate -judge, MIr. Justice Harvey, in the first legal step to Wards the determination of a claim in England to the "Hobbs millions." Mir. Justice Harvey was asked to iecide an application for letters of administration with the will annexed of the will of Robert Hobbs. The will ,vas dated February 6, 1839, and was said to have been executed by Hobbs by his mark. Hobbs died on Feb ruary 23, 1839. " Against "Hobbs" were the words "witnessed by Peter Cooke" nnd "witnessed by William Guyatt." Evidence was given that Guyatt, a shoemaker, and Cooke, a travelling schoolmaster, existed in 1839, and Proof of their signatures was estab lished by the production of the regis ter of the Church of England at Wind sor, N.S.W., containing' the signature of Cooke and the register of the Pitt Town Church of England containing the signature of Guyatt entered on his marriage day. AMr. Justice Harvey was asked to Hlecide whether the mark on the will was that of Hobbs. The signatures of the witnesses had been proved, and as they declared on the document that the mark was that of Hobbs, Mr. Justice 1HIarvey declared that the will had been duly executed and should be admitted for probate. He made an order for letters of administration as asked.

JOHN HOBBS'S MILLIONS

NORTH COAST CLAIMANTS

Lismore, Saturday.

if «Jack Bose, a butterbox maker, of Byron Bay} can successfully trace bis mother's)antecedents there will be more- than, a dozen North Coast claimants to the . millions of John Hobbs, textile weaver, of Spitalfields, Eneland. . Bose is the leading light in a new phrase of the fortune hunt. He is armed with papers and documents concerning the family history. _ His nephews in Kyogle are optimistic as to»

the result.

Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888-1954) Monday 27 April 1925 THE HOBBS MILLIONS

SOME SUCCESSFUL CLAIMS

MADE FOR AUSTRALLVNS

Svdnev. Monday.

Mr. William McKenzie, of Strath- field, who recently returned from Eng-

land where ho attempted to prove the ' claims of a numher of Hawkesbury citizens to the Hobbs millions, reports thai he -was, successful in establishing the claims of about 250 persons, mostly in the Hawkesbury district, who will get about £4000 each from the Hobbs estate, from which about £2,000,000 will be distributed.

Tlie Hobbs family were silk weavers in England. When "Robert Hobbs died in 1839 be bequeathed the income to his children who never- claimed it. TIIP estate then reverted tn tho Crown which agreed to unload it to success- ful claimants.

The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926-1954) Friday 31 July 1931 p 3

HOBBS MILLIONS

Step In Big Claim

JUDGE GRANTS APPLICA

TION

SYDNEY, Thursday.

Mr Justice Harvey, in the Pro- bate Court, to-day, granted an ap- plication for letters of administration of the will of Robert Hobbs, who died

in 1839

The case in question is one which has become termed "the Hobbs Mil-

lions "

Hobbs' will was recently found on a musty shelf in the office of an old established legal firm in the city

Many of Hobbs' descendants, who live in the Windsor district are in-

terested in the application, which was the first step in the lodging of a claim for large sums of money said to be connected with the estate of John Hobbs, brother of Robert Hobbs.

Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888-1954) Saturday 15 August 1931 p 8 "HOBBS MILLIONS" PAPERS;- !

STOLEN FROM PARRAMATTA

llEPOBT TO THß POLICE


 * Sydney, Friday.

I Alleging that -documents "referring to <

claims for tho Hobbs and Hose'millions were stolen this week from the store- room at hor homo ut itosebllUtreet, Parramatta, Mrs- Harripfc Moor© luis cabled to Somerset fionse, London, re-

porting tho theft to the British pto-1 bate officials. -,

She has also roportod the theft to¡ the local police. |

The missing documents, it i" said, include old letters, genealogical' trees,

record* of land grants and copies of j wills. Some timo last year Airs. Moore's home wfts burgled and several

documents and old jewellery stolen, j

The Bose fortune is said to exceed £23,000.1X10, «n,l tho Hobbs fortune £fc!.O(jn,O00. Thc original Ito's« and llohli.i WP fe eárly.settlers in New South Wales. About 60 descendants in tis-j tralia are claiming the fortunes, . '

The Register News-Pictorial (Adelaide, SA : 1929-1931) Wednesday 4 February 1931 p 2 ROMANTIC CLUE Ttf HOBBS &IUJ0NS

Century-Old Signatures May Help Claim fortune&Tat stake

gYDNEY, Tuesday.— Two signatures found in a century-old marriage register in St. Matthew's Church, Windsor, may, .help .to prove, the will of. Robert Hobbs. made.' 02

years' ago; The signatures were found to be identical with those on the will on which 600 descen dants of Hobbs are depending to claim £6,000,000. v t, j ( r «.^ ? . , , ,,. ,, , .. Only two months* ago' the 'will was' found in old records in a city solicitor's office, Tt is expected, that probate will be granted within a fortnight. Hobbs, who came -to Australia in 1701; as- a convict and received;a grant of 60 'acres of land at Pitt Town, in the Windsor, district, died there in 1834. He left that'i-r6pertyi other property in Middlesex, and a large sura, which, in 1839, was invested in 3 per cent; British consols to his nine children and their descendants.) -Those descendants' estimate that the money so invested haw totals £6,606,000; They are confident they; will' be able. to claim successfully at least £2,000,000.

Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1885-1954) Monday 3 August 1931 p 5 HOBBS' MILLIONS. ''' OLD WILL FOUND. Claim to £6,000,000. SYDNEY, July SI. The solicitors who are acting on behalf of the descendants of the late Roberts Hobbs, of Pitt Town, Sydney, to-day declared that they have a copy ot a wiU, which, It U claimed, will make it possible for those descend ants to secure the £6.000.000 Robbs es tate In Chancery In England. A partner In the firm stated to-day that a document, said to be the will of Hobbs, of Pitt Town, came into the possession of the firm In the course of their ordinary business. The will had been handed to one of the part ners with a number of other docu ments, to enable him to assist In making inquiries In England concern Ing the disposal of the assets of John Hobbs, under whose will, Robert Hobbs, of Pitt Town, was said to benefit The will Itself is dated Pitt Town, in the colony of New South Wales. 1839,- and sets out that Robert Hobbs, was born In July, 1764, at Bishop's Gate London. He bequeathed In it a leasehold estate contiguous to the Magdalene Institution London, to his children, together with £3500 at 3 per cent Consols. The will states that the leasehold property was left to the testator by his brother, John Hobbs, formerly a master weaver of Spltal Aeld. who Is claimed to be the des cendant of the Hobbs, who left the huge fortune. 'WILD GOOSE CHASE.' LONDON, August 1. 'I have not heard anything of it,' said Mr. Seaward, of Messrs. Burton, Yeates and Hart, solicitors, who are reported from Sydney to be handling a claim to a London leasehold by beneficiaries of Robert Hobbs. of Pitt Town. New South Wales, under a will dated 1839. Mr. Seaward says that possibly In BtrucllonB ere on the way. There was a similar inquiry six years ago, when a Sydney firm sent over a clerk and two claimants to Investigate the claims of an East End estate. The Investigations showed It was a 'wild goose chase,' and they returned to Australia. Many such claims have been Investi gated In London and mostly proved groundless. The most recent was an American claim to an Inheritance of 'a water mill stream and some fields near Charing .Cross.'

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954) Thursday 16 April 1936 p 7 BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS "HOBB'S MILLIONS "

Re Trederlck Willis Greentree The estate wa" sequestrated on Novembei 21, 1935 As- sets were given as nil and liabilities £148/18/9, due foi lent Bankrupt a labouiei, îesldlng at Seven Hills informed the Official Recelvei (Mr Nette) that he was one of the heirs to an estate in England known at "Hobb's Mll lionr," and had contributed small sums from time to time for the purpose of having the estate investigated

The examination was concluded