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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
that the bushrangers "having secured the assigned servants, proceeded to
rifle the house, and carry away a large quantity of valuable property in
plate and goods. They were armed - Atkinson and Holmes with pistols, and
another two men with muskets. When remonstrated with by Mr.
Chapman, they were exceedingly quiet and civil, and gave up many things
desired by Mrs. Chapman. They stated they expected to find £700 in the
house."
In other correspondence it was reported that there
were up to ten bushrangers who carried out the robbery. 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'.
The Monitor
reported that
the gang was increasing in number as more and more assigned servants
joined their ranks, their depredations
becoming more extensive and serious as they gained confidence.
Just ten years previously William Atkinson had been a sixteen year old
lad playing top in the street. 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.
(Proceedings of the Old Bailey)
He
arrived in Australia on the convict ship
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. 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.
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'.
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.
Isaac Holmes arrived on
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.
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. 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.
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
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 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 an 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.
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