On 12 September 1824, the brig Amity dropped anchor at Redcliffe, with a manifest of convicts and soldiers under the direction of Lt Miller (the first Commandant), John Oxley, Alan Cunningham and Lt Butler. They were twice (or thrice in some cases) convicted felons, and their task was to set up a new penal colonyContinue reading “The Amity drops anchor at Redcliffe- September 12, 1824”
Tag Archives: Moreton Bay Convict Settlement
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”
Henry Cowper, Moreton Bay’s First Doctor.
Henry Cowper was 25 when he came to Brisbane to take up the role of Assistant Colonial Surgeon at Moreton Bay. (Assistant was just part of the title – he was the only medical officer at the settlement.) He arrived at the same time as Captain Patrick Logan became Commandant, to a couple of hutsContinue reading “Henry Cowper, Moreton Bay’s First Doctor.”
Convict Runaways: The life of David Bracewell (Wandi).
In my recent posts on James “Duramboi” Davis, I have referred in passing to David Bracewell (sometimes called Bracefell or Bracefield), known as “Wandi” to the indigenous people of Eumundi. I think now is perhaps a good time to fill in the details. David Bracewell was born in Shadwell, London in 1805 and worked asContinue reading “Convict Runaways: The life of David Bracewell (Wandi).”
Convict Runaways. James “Duramboi” Davis.
This is the first in a series of posts on the life of James Davis or “Duramboi”. The best-known convict absconder from Moreton Bay, he was considered a very bad character in his teens but after 14 years with the indigenous people of the Wide Bay area, went on to be an Interpreter for indigenousContinue reading “Convict Runaways. James “Duramboi” Davis.”
Minor Offences – from the Trial Book of Moreton Bay.
They committed serious crimes and ended up in the Colonies. They reoffended and were sent to Moreton Bay. The prisoners who inhabited the Penal Colony at Moreton Bay between 1824 and 1839 still committed crimes. There were the murderers, who went to Sydney to be tried and almost inevitably found guilty and executed. There wereContinue reading “Minor Offences – from the Trial Book of Moreton Bay.”
The Convict Pirates of Moreton Bay – the seizure of the Caledonia Schooner
A series of coincidences led to eleven Moreton Bay convicts seizing an opportunity to become pirates and sailing the South Pacific in a rum-soaked bloody adventure in 1832. On 26 June 1831, a ship named America ran aground on a reef in the Torres Straits, near far north Queensland. She had been on a voyageContinue reading “The Convict Pirates of Moreton Bay – the seizure of the Caledonia Schooner”
Charles McManus: Let my fate be a warning to you.
Charles McManus (per “James Pattison”) and John Norman (per “Atlas”) were quite alike. They were both about 30, both 5 feet 7 ½ inches tall, both had sallow complexions with brown hair and hazel eyes. Both were sentenced to Moreton Bay for reoffending in the Colony of New South Wales, and both travelled from SydneyContinue reading “Charles McManus: Let my fate be a warning to you.”
The men of the Stapylton Survey
Who were the men who took part in the ill-fated survey party in 1840? Granville William Chetwynd Stapleton was the youngest son of Major-General Granville Anson Chetwynd Stapylton, born in 1800. He married Catherine Bulteel in 1825, and decided to make his career in the (very) New World in 1828, becoming an Assistant Surveyor inContinue reading “The men of the Stapylton Survey”
From the Trial Book of Moreton Bay: Inquests.
The Book of Trials Held at Moreton Bay is an invaluable document, covering the final years of the convict settlement, and recording each action held before the Commandant sitting as Magistrate. Recorded in flowing longhand, every type of crime was dealt with – from the seemingly endless cases of “Refusing to do Work” to CommittalContinue reading “From the Trial Book of Moreton Bay: Inquests.”
Moreton Bay and More 