Many thanks to dj72green for the information on Jacob Whitfield. Jacob did reside at Market Place. The Assessment Books for 1845 and 1852 cetertainly seem to relate to the same Jacob as do the Sydney Gazette articles with his involvement with theft. The outcome of a court case subsequent to 8 October 1839 may give some clue as to what may have happend to him if found guilty but as he appeared in the 1841 Census living in Market Lane now Wentworth Avenue. As Jacob had been given permission to marry Elizabeth Smith on 11/4/1840, it was unlikely that he would have had a conviction hanging over him. The James Whitfield that died n 25/12/1856 at Eastern Creek Windsor, is not the Jacob Whitfield that I am trying to trace. Many thanks again for this additional data. There are many long living Whitfields with many going into the 90s and at least two past 100 so Jacob if his birth year of 1774 is correct, I would not have expected him to go much past the 1860s considering the average length of a life in those days. More research required!! William Whitfield was Jacob's son.
Regards
Bob Starling
Whitfield Family Historian