A burglary in Windsor - Trove Tuesday

In April 1828, William Ford and Samuel Tibbin carried out a burglary in the Windsor district. Stephen Hunter resided in the Cornwallis area and was awoken after midnight and noticed some men trying to enter his home. Shots were fired. Fortunately Jones, a neighbouring labourer, heard the ruckus and ran to Hunter's place to assist. With a pitch-fork he was able to take William Ford as a  prisoner.

Meanwhile, Windsor's Chief constable Benjamin Hodgin, was given some information which led to him going to a house, inhabited by a Mr Pitthouse, and  taking Samuel Tibbin into custody. 

James King, a prisoner employed in the No. 10 iron gang, provide the court with an account, when the case was tried before Justice Stephen, on the 24 May 1828. Published in the Australian, the report on the 28 May 1828, provides interesting reading.

"I absconded from that gang on Easter Sunday, the 6th of last April, in company with the two prisoners, and went into the bush.  On the day following we met with a man named Maloney, and all three went to Mr. Cox's paddock at Richmond, and concealing ourselves, slept there all day.  From thence we went to Windsor, and returning a little time before day-break, again concealed ourselves, and sleeping the whole of the day, went out at midnight and took a direction towards the farm of Stephen Hunter, the prosecutor. Maloney, the two prisoners at the bar, and myself, went in company. 

Maloney opened the window, and the two prisoners went into the house. We had two muskets between us. Maloney had one, and Ford another. Maloney was the first who entered the house by means of the window, and he opened the door to admit the two prisoners. I remained outside on sentry. A good deal of bustle took place in the house. Maloney came to the door, and I saw him discharge his musket into the house.  Our object in going there was to get all we could.  Immediately upon the discharge of the piece there was a cry of murder set up in the house, and we all ran off.  

Prisoner Ford was stopped and taken a short distance off.  The gun now produced was in the possession of Ford on the occasion spoken of. Maloney gave it to Ford.  The piece that was discharged contained small pieces of stone.  I was apprehended on the present charge."

Eventually the Jury found both of the prisoners guilty. William Ford and Samuel Tibbin were sentenced to death and executed on 11 June 1828.

Hawkesbury in print - Trove Tuesday

210 years ago the first newspaper in Australia was published. The  “Sydney Gazette” is a very important source of historic material on early life in the colony and for the first few decades of the settlement, it was the only printed record documenting the day to day activities. It was originally published weekly by Australia’s first newspaper commenced in 1803 and was established by  George Howe (1769-1821) and the editor stated in its first edition "We open no channel to political discussion or personal animadversion [criticism]; information is our only purpose…" Howe was allowed to use the Government's press & type for the publication but it was accomplished out of his own pocket. Due to the cost of ink and paper, newspapers were often very small. In the early years, the Sydney Gazette averaged about four pages per edition and because of this, articles were kept to a minimum. Despite the limitations on the paper the Hawkesbury features in this historic issue.

The first mention of the Hawkesbury district appears in the first issue 5 March 1803 p. 4 and records the death of a settler, Mr Withers and that of Maria Wood and the fate of her orphaned children.

 The Sydney Gazette 5 March 1803 

The Hawkesbury went onto be recorded in the media many many more times over the years. In fact Trove Australia records at 327,845 mentions of the word in at least 525 newspapers in states and territories all over Australia. Hopefully as more newspapers are digitised and transcribed this number will increase tenfold.

Dr Parmeter & his severe afflictions - Trove Tuesday

For Trove Tuesday, I am looking at one of the Hawkesbury's memorable characters, Dr Thomas Parmeter c.1790-1836. Parmeter was sentenced to transportation, arriving in Sydney in 1816 as a convict. He studied medicine, then trained with a surgeon. He served in the army and then appointed to a nobleman’s household as a surgeon. He married a second time when he believed his wife from his disastrous first marriage was dead, however he was still officially married. He was charged with bigamy in 1815, and sentenced for seven years. 

On arrival, Dr Parmeter was given approval to resume his medical profession and was appointed as the Assistant Surgeon at the Lunatic Asylum 1817-1819 in Castle Hill. 

Between 1818 and 1825 he practised medicine whilst living in Windsor. He claimed this was one of the happiest period in his life. Thomas had a relationship with Jane Meredith, and they had several children. He assisted with problem births, performed complicated operations as well as autopsies. He was associated with the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society which was established to help others. In the early 1820s he suffered several tragedies that affected his livelihood, including my severe Afflictions (for I broke my Leg, lost my right Eye, and got Palsy in my limbs).

Classified Advertising. Sydney Gazette & NSW Advertiser 5 May 1825 p. 1.  

Whilst travelling from Wilberforce to Windsor in 1820, he was thrown from his horse and sustained a broken right thigh. Tragedy struck again when in 1823, Thomas experienced loss of vision and palsy resulting in some paralysis. 

On his departure from the Hawkesbury in 1825, the community presented him with a gift. He was rather pleased that the gift was a horse and not a plate. He advertised his medical services despite his inflictions. 

Dr Parmeter was also a prolific writer and compiled many articles and letters, some of which appeared in the Sydney Gazette. In one article he described a woman living in deplorable conditions at Cornwallis, giving birth. He amazingly penned a history of New South Wales and also wrote poetry including the poignant poem about his daughter Harriet playing on the Green in Windsor. 

He eventually took up land in the Hunter Valley in 1826. Jane left Thomas in the mid-1820s for Walter Rotton, and later married him. Thomas continued his writing pursuits and perusing the digitised newspapers on Trove shows numerous articles. He also supplemented his income with a few patients to keep him solvent.

Dr Parmeter died at Cockfighters Creek on the 14 July 1836, he was only forty-eight years old. His obituary recorded in the Sydney Gazette he was, a kind-hearted being, who was never more happy than when he was doing a kind and good act.

A Fatal Excursion ~ Trove Tuesday

Right from the very beginning convicts tried to escape from the Colony. They believed by heading off into the bush, they could walk to China. These ventures were mostly doomed as the escapees lacked the skills to survive in bush and were ill-prepared. The following melancholy tale was brought to mind after listening to a talk last week about the various escape attempts made by the inhabitants, unaware of their environment or their locality on a map. Early newspapers provide informative accounts of some of these attempts and although it might seem astounding to us in the 21st century, in the late 1790s and early 1800s, little was known about the geography of this continent, particularly the interior, and China could have been just a short stroll through the bush.

The following remarkable account of this 'Fatal Excursion' was published in the Sydney Gazette 26 June 1803 with details provided by John Place, apparently the only survivor. Place, "who now lies in a very weak state in Parramatta Hospital" tells "of an attempt made by him and three of his fellow prisoners, to escape from this Colony." The article continues:

"John PLACE declares that he, John COX, William KNIGHT and John PHILLIPS, all late of the Glatton (prisoners), formed a resolution on the road from Castle Hill to Hawkesbury, to attempt their escape. They formed this determination in consequence of having heard people say [moral below] on board the Glatton, and while at work at Castle Hill, that they could get to China, by which means they would obtain their liberty again; being all married men (excepting one) they were very anxious to return to their families. On the 7th May (three days after their arrival at Hawkesbury) they left Cornwallis-place, resolved  to pass the Mountains, and took with them only their week's rations, which they received on Saturday and consumed on the Wednesday following. After travelling for 17 days, in hopes of passing the Mountains, and despairing of accomplishing the object on which they set out, they resolved (if possible) to return. After they had eaten their provisions they found nothing to subsist on but wild-currants and sweet-tea leaves, and had been oppressed with hunger for 12 days. Before they set off to return, John Phillips left them to gather some berries, and they saw him no more; they heard him call several times, but could render him no assistance they being so reduced by hunger, and conclude he perished. Being asked in what direction they went, Place says, that they travelled the whole of the seventeen days with the sun on their right shoulder, and found great difficulty in ascending some of the Mountains, and also attempted to return by the direction of the sun. After travelling for upwards of Twenty-days, all (except Phillips) reached within five miles of Richmond-Hill, when William Knight, unable to proceed any further, lay down, where Place says he must have died. On the same day, Place and Cox made the river above Richmond Hill, and in attempting to cross the Fall the current carried them down. One was carried to one side of the river, and the other to the opposite side, with difficulty pulling themselves ashore by the branches of the trees. Cox had only his shirt and shoes on, Place saw him lain along the bank, where, being very weak, and the night extremely cold, he supposes he died. Place also lay down, despairing of life, and was found on the day following by a man, who with some of the natives was in quest of kangaroos : he was then too weak to walk alone, but was led by the natives to the nearest hut, where he remained all night; in the morning he was taken to Hawkesbury, and thence sent to the Hospital at Parramatta. 

None can read the above account without pitying the ignorance, and commiserating the sufferings of these deluded prisoners; and it is fervently to be hoped that the inconceivable hardships they have endured from hunger and cold, with the almost constant prospect of death before their eyes, will deter all other prisoners from either advising any of their companions, or from making a similar attempt themselves. It is well known, that those are not the only unfortunate men who have perished in this wild attempt, many others have never returned to relate the hardships they underwent, and must therefore have perished under every accumulation of misery by their rashness and folly. 

Place who appears to be the only survivor, resigned himself to despair and death, and was when found, within a few hours of eternity. He seems to have been preserved by a particular providence, to give the above awful admonition to all others who now do or shall in future, entertain any idea of regaining their liberty by a similar act, in which nothing but inevitable death must be the final event."

In December 1803 John Place was mentioned once more in the Sydney Gazette and again a few months later.  He absconded, along with two others (Edward Hill and Dick the Waggoner) trying to escape from the colony. They left the Hawkesbury hoping to cross the Mountains, but after about a month away returned Hill gave himself up at the Hawkesbury whilst Place went to Sydney. At the time of the article appearing in the newspaper, Dick was still at large. The journalist, as well as the officials, were dumbfounded that he had tried to escape a second time, they wrote: "From this circumstance it would be reasonable to conclude, that no man in existence had the hardihood to make a second experiment of this nature - a consideration, which together with undebilitated appearance of the prisoner, seemed strongly to sanction a supposition that the major part of his relation had been fabricated, and that he had concealed himself in a remote employ. The Bench, after serious consideration sentenced him to receive 500 Lashes."  

Convict arrow from the monument at Wisemans Ferry. Taken M. Nichols