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In
December 1839, Isaac Holmes and William
Atkinson were sentenced to 15 years transportation for the robbery
of Matthew Chapman at Wallarobba near Dungog
the previous August. The Australian reported In other correspondence it was reported that there were up to ten bushrangers who carried out the robbery.(2) This seems likely in light of correspondence to the newspapers at this time. The settlers of the district were becoming greatly alarmed by the 'outrages of a gang of bushrangers'. It was reported in the Monitor that the gang was increasing in number as more and more assigned servants joined their ranks,(12) their depredations becoming more extensive and serious as they gained confidence. In just ten years, William Atkinson had graduated from a sixteen year old lad playing 'at top' in a London Street to a convicted bushranger with a colonial sentence of 15 years transportation to the most dreaded penal settlement in the colony - Norfolk Island. His fall from grace began in London in 1826 when he was named by a thirteen year old lad Joseph Sandland as the one who had robbed him a few months previously. Although the charge was denied William had no witnesses or petitions to support him . His story of innocence was not believed and his conviction carried a sentence of transportation for life.(3) (Proceedings of the Old Bailey) He arrived on the Guildford in 1827. On arrival in the colony, he was sent with other boys to Carter's Barracks. By 1831 he was assigned to the Newcastle district where he was punished with six days solitary confinement for an unknown offence in July. On release from the Newcastle gaol, he was assigned to the Newcastle hospital as a wardsman. In October of that year he was again punished with six days solitary, this time for neglecting his work. On release from the gaol he was once more assigned to the hospital. By December 1835 he was assigned to William Cromarty as part of the boats crew at Newcastle.(4) Captain
Cromarty had taken over the duties of pilot at Newcastle from
William Eckford. The pilots and their crew at Newcastle were brave men.
They were often called on in the worst of weather to guide vessels
into the harbour and were required to perform rescues as well. Their
tiny boats were sometimes scathingly referred to as 'cockleshells'. The
only life William Atkinson had known was on the streets of London so it is little
wonder that he was unhappy employed as a boat crewman in this tiny
seaport. It is to be wondered if he could even swim. Nevertheless it
seems he performed his duties bravely at times. One captain was so
impressed with his hard work in towing a vessel through heavy seas that
he provided William with a quantity of rum as a reward - which
unfortunately for William, led to a charge of drunkenness and subsequent
punishment. (5)
William's master, William Cromarty was injured while piloting a vessel into port and retired to his farm at Port Stephens. (where he was tragically drowned with his young son in 1838) and John Patton took over the duties of pilot for a time. William was charged with drunkenness and insolence towards the pilot around this time, however the charge was dropped when the prosecutor failed to appear. William absconded from the pilots department late in February 1837 and after being apprehended in April 1837, he was removed from his perilous duties. He received 25 lashes as punishment for absconding and was 'returned to government service'. (7)After this he was sent to work for John McCrohon, a former Quartermaster with the King's Own Regiment who was employed as chief constable at Paterson. William absconded again in December 1837 however his freedom was brief and he was apprehended early in March. He was described at this time as 5'1" with fair ruddy complexion, fair hair and brown eyes. - WAHS on upper, anchor & other letters on lower left arm. JF on lower ® arm. (8)Isaac Holmes arrived o n the Grenada in 1819. He had also grown up on the streets of London where he had already begun a life of crime when he was 17, having been convicted of stealing money. He was fined just one shilling for this robbery in August 1817 however wasn't so fortunate the second time he was arrested. For his crime of stealing one pair of pantaloons valued at 30 shillings, in November 1818 he received a sentence of transportation for 7 years(9)Isaac Holmes had some minor brushes with the authorities in Australia. In 1826 he teamed up with Anthony Diamond to rob John Stronach, a Bailiff and baker of Wallis Plains. They were convicted of stealing linen belonging to Stronach and sentenced to 1 month hard labour in the House of Correction.(10) Perhaps Isaac reformed for a while. He had gained his freedom (by servitude) and found employment as a fencer for William Carter at Piercefield by 1828.(11) As a fencer he must have moved around following work. Perhaps this is how he came to be in the Dungog area.William Atkinson was apprehended in the Muswellbrook area in 1839. He escaped from the lock-up there with several other men - Francis McCarthy, John Main, Robert Sheldon and notorious bushranger Thomas Farrow in April 1839 and in August of that year they committed the robbery of Matthew Chapman at Dungog which saw William Atkinson and Isaac Holmes sentenced to 15 years transportation to Norfolk Island. They arrived at Norfolk Island just a few months prior to Alexander Maconochie taking over Superintendence of the Colony. Maconochie was a naval officer, geographer, and penal reformer. He believed punishment for crime should not be vindictive but designed to strengthen a prisoner's desire and capacity to observe social constraints. Criminal punishments of imprisonment should consist of task and not time sentences; instead of being sentenced to a fixed period of imprisonment, an offender should be sentenced to be imprisoned until he had performed an ascertainable period of labour, which should be measured by the number of 'marks of commendation' he earned, the scale of marks being devised to encourage habits of industry and frugality. A sentence should be served in progressive stages, one of which involved membership of a working party where each was held responsible for the conduct of the others. Cruel punishments and degrading conditions should not be imposed and convicts should not be deprived of self-respect (13)Select here to read the Report on Convict Discipline and Management by Alexander Maconochie (Laid before Parliament in 1838) - Superintendent at Norfolk Island 1840 - 1844 Maconnochie was derided for his ideas and when convict pirates attempted to seize the government vessel Governor Phillip in 1842, the Sydney Herald took the opportunity to voice their opinion, reporting that Norfolk Island was in a very disorganised state owing to the insane treatment of convicts there (14)Having had previous experience at Newcastle, William Atkinson was assigned to the boats crew at Norfolk Island. The treatment he received under Maconnochie's rule, would have been more humane than at any other time at Norfolk Island. Nevertheless, when the opportunity arose to escape he didn't hesitate. Following the chaos of the attempted mutiny, William was one of twelve men who seized a canvas boat and made for Philip Island six kilometres away. Although it was reported that they had been captured, some at least made it to the Island, where five of them seized a whale boat and made their escape. One way or another, William Atkinson had finally escaped from penal servitude. Year after year he appeared in the Lists of absconding convicts. 'All Constables and others are commanded to to use their utmost exertion in apprehending and lodging said convicts in safe custody.' Any person harbouring them would be prosecuted. No further information has been found as to his fate.
(1)Aust. 21 December 1839 (2)DUNGOG LETTERS - COPIES OF LETTERS SENT 1839/42 AONSW Reel No. 2679 (3) Proceedings of the Old Bailey(4) Newcastle Bench Books 1st December 1835 (5) Newcastle Bench Books 1 December 1835 (6) Newcastle Bench Books 14 December 1836 (7) Newcastle Bench Books 12 April 1837 (8) Government Gazette 7 March 1838 (9)Proceedings of the Old Bailey (10) The Australian 23 August 1826 (11) 1828 Census (12) Monitor August 31 1838 (13) Australian Dictionary of Biography Online (14) Sydney Herald 15 July 1842
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© Free Settler or Felon
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