By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc.

IN 1872 Samuel Marks was a farmer at Littleham on the Liverpool road in St Marys. The name was probably named after the nearby town near Exmouth in England where there is a Samual Marks buried in the Littleham church. By 1893 the Littleham Estate was described as on the Cumberland County Sub-division plan comprising of a splendid orchard vineyard with agricultural blocks. (see picture) At a St Marys Municipal Council meeting in July 1914 Alderman Morris was informed that the repairs to the bridge on Liverpool Road in the St Marys township would need attention and Alderman Luke called attention also to the necessity of re-graveling certain culverts on the road and both these repairs were marked to be attended to. Later at another Council meeting in October that year, a letter came from Mr J Baker who owned land on the Liverpool road and was applying to build a weatherboard cottage on his land which was granted by the Council. Moving forward to February 1936 the Government Gazette had a notification for the closing of unnecessary roads and approval of the sale of the lands comprised of a road purchase application that included Liverpool road off Mamre road. Lieutenant-Governor of the State of NSW at that time, the Honourable Sir Philip Whistler Street, on the advice of the Executive Council, notified that in pursuance of the provisions of the Public Roads Act of 1902 these roads including the Liverpool road was closed. Parts of the reserved road in the parish of Melville, County of Cumberland, Land District of Penrith and Municipality of St Marys, in and along the northern boundary and in and along the northern boundary west of a line forming the northern prolongation, and of the western side of the reserved road and along the eastern boundary. The March St Marys Council Meeting was notified by the Lands Department of the closure of part of the reserved road near Liverpool Road that was granted to Sarah Georgina Katie Allen and Elizabeth Somerville Finlay as joint tenants. By 1936 the Thompson family (not Andrew Thompson’s family) were living at “Littleham” on the Liverpool road at St Marys when the death of Charles Wilson Thompson aged 72 years appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald for the funeral to leave from his mother’s, Sarah Thompson’s residence of “Littleham” for the St Mary Magdalene cemetery at St Marys. Sarah’s husband William died in May 1895 at the age of 52. In June 1939 Sarah Thompson died aged 94 at ‘’Littleham” predeceasing her husband by 44 years and is buried with William in the cemetery. In November 1943 a special meeting of St Marys Council was held when the Mayor Alderman J B Thompson along with Alderman W C Gibson, P E Thompson, A J Adams and R Hope were present. The clerk reported on the financial position regarding the proposed extension of electricity to the Australian Blue Metal Quarries on Liverpool Road at St Marys and an agreement was drawn up embodying the terms of supply to the quarries for submission to the Australian Blue Metal Company that was carried. In September 1958 “Littleham” was up for sale. This well-known property comprising 1,089 acres was amongst the oldest cultivation land in the State. Originally timbered by Grey Box, Gum and Apple almost all cleared, watered by Kemps Creek and Ropes Creek and dams. Adequately fenced and subdivided into 12 main paddocks. About half had been cultivated with small paddocks sown with oats. Large and substantial brick homestead with electric and telephone connected and a second weatherboard cottage of 5 rooms. An outstanding machinery and hay shed along with two garages. Because of its position being 7 miles from St Marys “Littleham” was suitable for intense cultivation or subdivision and having a good long road frontage. Picture Courtesy of State Library of NSW.

Sources – 1872 Greville’s Post Office Directory (St Marys),  State Library of NSW, Sydney Morning Herald  Thu 4 Dec 1913-Funerals, Tuesday 31 March 1936, Nepean Times, Saturday 11 April 1936, 29 June 1939, 4th November 1943, 21 August 1958, Ancestry, Find a grave online, Name Index To Memorials of Exmouth (1872) Reprint by William John W Webb & Prepared by Keith Searle