October 17, 1830 – the Death of Captain Logan. In another age, when news travelled very slowly, a newspaper editor in Sydney was vigorously libeling a man he looked forward to meeting in Court shortly. It was October 1830, and Edward Smith Hall of the Monitor was busily publishing articles on the cruelty of CaptainContinue reading “On this day – October 17.”
Category Archives: Captain Patrick Logan
Theft, Transportation, Repeated Absconding and Mutiny.
Or, how John Stewart occupied himself between the ages of 18 and 25. The bare facts of John Stewart’s convict career in Australia can be summed up fairly easily – he was transported in 1823, absconded from a few settlements, and received a Certificate of Freedom in 1829. What he actually got up to isContinue reading “Theft, Transportation, Repeated Absconding and Mutiny.”
Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?
This rhetorical question asked by King Henry II was taken literally by some of his more brutish knights, who proceeded to Canterbury to take the life of Archbishop Thomas à Becket. Moreton Bay Commandant Patrick Logan must have mused on that statement in 1829, when the Church of England decided to extend its chaplaincy toContinue reading “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
The Soldier Convicts of Moreton Bay
The military detachments who served at Moreton Bay had some interesting prisoners to manage. As well as the twice-convicted felons, there were men who might have served alongside them at one time, had it not been for war or arduous remote postings. Veterans of the Napoleonic Wars Among the soldier convicts at Moreton Bay inContinue reading “The Soldier Convicts of Moreton Bay”
The British Military Presence in Brisbane
The Commandants, Soldiers, and their Families. In 1824, Moreton Bay was designated by the British Government as a place of secondary punishment. It was not quite as isolated as the Norfolk Island Penal Colony, but seemed that way, because there were no roads open from Sydney. It may as well have been a remote island.Continue reading “The British Military Presence in Brisbane”
The Archaeology of Old Brisbane Town
This is the first of an occasional series of posts highlighting Old Brisbane discoveries and observations made during excavations. The Commandant’s Cottage In 1986, construction workers at a site between George and William Streets discovered some of the sub-structure of the Moreton Bay Commandant’s Cottage. Although the building itself was long gone, the footprint wasContinue reading “The Archaeology of Old Brisbane Town”
Habeas Corpus and a Sudden Visitation of God
Convict Snapshot: George Baxter George Baxter had led a law-abiding and successful sort of life until he got a job with rules he didn’t fully understand. He was a veteran of the 95th Regiment, and part of the Royal Veterans’ Company formed to populate New South Wales with useful, non-criminal settlers once their service wasContinue reading “Habeas Corpus and a Sudden Visitation of God”
Great Logan’s Ghost!
In the early 20th century, the ghost of Captain Patrick Logan, late – very late – Commandant of the Moreton Bay, began to appear in newspapers. Logan himself had died on October 17, 1830, murdered by indigenous people in the Somerset region of Queensland (official version), or by escaped convicts seizing an opportunity to getContinue reading “Great Logan’s Ghost!”
Captain Logan and Mr Hall
In 1830, a Sydney newspaper named The Monitor published a series of articles alleging that the Commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was a bloodthirsty tyrant, and possibly a murderer. That Commandant, Captain Patrick Logan of the 57th Regiment, had prepared to sue Hall for libel, when his own murder intervened. What led toContinue reading “Captain Logan and Mr Hall”
Jack Bushman’s Tale Part 2 – Moreton Bay
ANOTHER TASTE OF THE CAT-O-NINE TAILS – LIFE IN MISERY – DEATH IN PREFERENCE. As soon as I had been ” told off” properly, I was put into the “chain gang.” I was ironed very heavily; the weight I should fancy of my Moreton Bay ornaments being about 16 lbs. I was sent to workContinue reading “Jack Bushman’s Tale Part 2 – Moreton Bay”
Moreton Bay and More 