The Tale of Murder and Escape – Longbottom’s Depositions, 1825. 1825, November Sir I have the honour to inform you, that four Crown Prisoners (as per margin) arrived in the morning who state themselves to be deserters from the settlement at Moreton Bay. They assert that they have been five weeks on the journey whichContinue reading “The Convict Runaways – Part 5.”
Category Archives: Convicts
The Convict Runaways – Part 4.
Four men escaped from Moreton Bay in October 1825 – did they really commit murder, and leave five drowned comrades? Runaway 4 – John Welsh – Forbidden from Society. John Welsh was born in the historic port and garrison city of Waterford around 1799. Unsurprisingly, he became a sailor. How he got to Nottingham, andContinue reading “The Convict Runaways – Part 4.”
The Convict Runaways – Part 3.
Four men escaped from Moreton Bay in October 1825 – did they really commit murder, and leave five drowned comrades? Runaway 3 – William Smith There were 501 convicts transported to Australia with the first name William and the surname Smith. One of these William Smiths was an 18-year-old bootmaker who had been convicted ofContinue reading “The Convict Runaways – Part 3.”
The Convict Runaways – Part 2.
Four men escaped from Moreton Bay in October 1825 – did they really commit murder, and leave five drowned comrades? Runaway 2 – Thomas Mills – “I Never Liked a Redcoat” Robbing the Vicar of Stepney St Dunstan’s Anglican Church, Stepney, known as the “Mother Church of the East End,” had been a place ofContinue reading “The Convict Runaways – Part 2.”
The Convict Runaways – Part 1
Four men escaped from Moreton Bay in October 1825 – did they really commit murder, and leave five drowned comrades? Runaway 1 – John Longbottom. (Updated from the Post – A Notorious Rogue and Vagabond.) At York in January 1817 a young sailor was sentenced to seven years’ transportation to New South Wales. Even forContinue reading “The Convict Runaways – Part 1”
Convict Snapshots – William Mattingly.
Berkshire and London. William Mattingly (sometimes spelled Mattingley) was born on 11 September 1875 in Uffington, to James and Ann Mattingly. He lived most of his time in the parish of Uffington, and nearby parishes of Baulking and Kingstone Lisle. (Since 1974, this part of Berkshire was absorbed into Oxfordshire, an idea that would probablyContinue reading “Convict Snapshots – William Mattingly.”
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 Hazards of Life in Old Brisbane
It’s quite comforting to look back on old Brisbane and find that many of the hazards of life these days also troubled our forebears. The river still has its surprises for the unwary. Pet ownership attracts all manner of official scrutiny, not to mention revenue-raising. Traffic is still appalling and drunks still populate our watchhouses.Continue reading “The Hazards of Life in Old Brisbane”
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”
A Desperate Breakout Attempt
Brisbane, 1853 In 1853, the Brisbane gaol was located at the old Convict Female Factory in Queen Street (where the Post Office is today). Those in charge of the settlement decided that perhaps it was not ideal to have the lady prisoners in such proximity to the gentleman prisoners, lest improprieties should arise, and theContinue reading “A Desperate Breakout Attempt”
Moreton Bay and More 