Spicer’s Diary is the name given to the Book of Monthly Returns of Prisoners Maintained at Moreton Bay. Peter Spicer was Superintendent of Convicts from 23 August 1826 – 8 May 1839. The diary records the number of prisoners assigned to every form of work in the Colony, from clerical workers to bullock drivers. ThereContinue reading “Murder at Moreton Bay – The Awful Entries in Spicer’s Diary.”
Category Archives: Moreton Bay
Convict Runaways – John Sterry Baker
John Sterry Baker. John Sterry Baker was one of the earliest Convict runaways in Queensland and he was the first to live among the Indigenous people for a significant number of years (14 in all). His story is not as well known as those of James Davis (Duramboi), David Bracewell (Wandi) and Sheik Brown, becauseContinue reading “Convict Runaways – John Sterry Baker”
Convict Runaways – Sheik Browne
Sheik Browne One of the more fascinating Convict runaways of Moreton Bay was a man named Sheik Browne (or Brown or “Black Jack”). Very little is known of his life before and after his spectacular series of escapes from custody, recorded so painstakingly in Prisoner Registers, Official Correspondence and Court files. In his records, SheikContinue reading “Convict Runaways – Sheik Browne”
