The petition was written in an elegant hand, with exquisite flourishes in the lines addressing it to His Excellency, Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling, Governor in Chief of New South Wales. A few, but not too many, flourishes adorned the body of the petition. Enough to be respectful and formal, not enough to be overly ornate. TheContinue reading “The Humble Petition of John Norman.”
Category Archives: Colonial Secretary Correspondence
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 Amity Convicts: James Turner.
Prisoner No. 36. Bristol and Shadwell. James Turner was destined for a life on the water – he was born in the harbour town of Bristol around 1799. At the age of nineteen, he stood nearly five feet six inches, had light brown hair and blue eyes. He had tattoos on his right arm –Continue reading “The Amity Convicts: James Turner.”
Prisoner No. 1 at Moreton Bay. Thomas Billington.
The Amity Convicts. A parade, a crowd and a picked pocket. On 4 July 1818, a distinguished lawyer and reformer named Sir Samuel Romilly was being conveyed about the City of Westminster in triumph, having been returned first in the poll. It was an uncommonly fine day, and Sir Samuel rose frequently to bow andContinue reading “Prisoner No. 1 at Moreton Bay. Thomas Billington.”
Convict Snapshot – Morgan Edwards.
Contemporary views of Monmouth, Wikimedia Commons. Morgan Edwards was a native of Monmouth, who had been born around 1800. On 10 August 1822, at the age of 22, he was convicted at the Monmouth Assizes of Sheep Stealing and was ordered to be transported for life. After a spell in the prison hulks, he wasContinue reading “Convict Snapshot – Morgan Edwards.”
The Convicts from Mauritius
In April 1840, the Colonial Secretary, by command of the Governor, did himself the honour to acquaint the Commandant at Moreton Bay that the schooner John had been engaged by the Commissariat to bring 15 prisoners to work for that department in Brisbane. The men had been transported earlier that year – 13 in theContinue reading “The Convicts from Mauritius”
The Further Hazards of Old Brisbane
More threats to public safety and happiness from the early days of European settlement in Brisbane. Termagants The Victoria Hall seemed to be the only part of Brisbane that welcomed termagants, and that was for theatrical purposes only. The idea that women might get drunk and/or fight was simply too much for the Courier. InContinue reading “The Further Hazards of Old Brisbane”
The Health of the Colony – the Convict Era
The Convict Hospital When the Moreton Bay penal colony closed for business in 1842 and became a town, the official records dispersed, mainly to Sydney. Many were lost, some fetched up in unusual places, but a remarkable number of documents survived the ensuing 200 years. The records of the Moreton Bay Hospital have largely survivedContinue reading “The Health of the Colony – the Convict Era”
Please, Governor, may we also have a Gaol?
For a place with a lot of prisoners about, and a population fond of indulging in ardent spirits, Moreton Bay was sorely lacking in a place to house criminals. There was a small lock-up in the Police Station, which occupied a part of the former Convict Barracks. It was only suitable for very short stays,Continue reading “Please, Governor, may we also have a Gaol?”
Moreton Bay and More 