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Station manager for Henry Dangar
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Appointed Chief Constable
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Appointed Bailiff by Court of Petty Sessions
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Appointed Inspector of Distilleries
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Chief Constable at McDonald River appointed Inspector of Slaughter Houses in Wollombi and McDonald River
Source:
Returns of the Colony - Colonial Secretary (Blue Books)
Place:
Wollombi and MacDonald River
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George Allen taking over Hobbs' position of Bailiff of the Small debts court. Hobbs moving to Windsor
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Overseer for Henry Dangar. In 1837 while searching for a cattle station, found and occupied the Myall Creek Station........DANGAR v. DAISEY.-On Thursday last this case came on for hearing, in Nisi Prius sittings of the Supreme Court, Sydney, before Mr. Justice Therry and a special jury of four. Mr. Foster and Mr. Fisher appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Darvall and Mr. Dowling for the defendant. The action was one of trespass brought to re- cover damages for trespasses committed to the plaintiffs station, known as the Myall Creek station, in the Gwydir district. The defendant had pleaded to the declaration not guilty, and that the station in question was not the plaintiffs. The case submitted for the plaintiff was briefly this. In 1837 his then overseer, Hobbs, searching for a cattle station, found and occupied the Myall Creek station, and from that day to this time the plaintiff had continuously occupied the station ; the eastern boundary of the station was a prominent range, and the portion of the station near this range, called the Gum-tree Flats, the locality from whence some of the tributaries of the Myall Creek took their rise, was the most valuable part of the station ; and the plaintiff maintained that his cattle had fed on this part, as well as on the rest of the station, from the time he first occupied ; when he first went there were few people in that neighbourhood, but two years after Mr. Borthwick formed a station, called Auburn Vale, on the other side of this range, and although it was possible that Mr. Borthwicks cattle might have occasionally strayed over to Gum-tree Flats, yet the plaintiff continued in undisturbed possession and occupation till 1846 ; in that year Mr. Borthwick placed a flock of sheep there, but the plaintiff having remonstrated, they were removed; in August, 1848, the defendant, who had married Mr. Borthwicks daughter, came and occupied Gum-tree Flats, with his family ; he built a house there, made cultivation paddocks, and took in cattle to graze over the land, on terms ; he thus remained on the Flats fifteen months, when he left.
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The Liverpool Plains Massacre - (Myall Creek Massacre) - The trial took place in the Supreme Court on Thursday 29th November, before is Honor Judge Burton and the following civil jury: - Mr. John Sewell, Foreman; Mr. William Knight of Castlereagh Street; Mr. Francis King, soap boiler, King Street; Mr. John Little, publican, King Street; Mr. Richard Leworthy, tailor, George Street; Mr. Henry Linden; Mr. Benjamin Lees, Parramatta; Mr. E. Hyland, Redwood; Mr. W. Johnson; Mr. Alexander Long, publican, York Street; Mr. John Leary, publican, York Street, and Mr. William Jones, Pitt Town. The prisoners arraigned at the bar were Charles Kilmaister, James Oates, Edward Foley, John Johnson, John Russell, William Hawkins and James Parry. The indictment contained twenty counts, the first five charging the prisoners with the murder of an aboriginal child; the next five with the murder of a male aboriginal child; the next five with the murder of a female aboriginal child, and the last five with the murder of an aboriginal boy named Charlie. The case for the prosecution was conducted by the Attorney General, assisted by Mr. Therry. The defence was conducted by Messrs A Beckett, Foster and Windeyer, who had been specially retained for that purpose by the Hunter River Black Association. Witnesses included Thomas Foster, superintendent on the estate of Dr. Newton at the Big River about 150 miles beyond Invermein; William Hobbs, superintendent on Henry Dangar s estate at the Big River; Edward Denny Day, Police Magistrate; George Anderson, an assigned servant of Henry Dangar; John Bates, assigned servant to Mr. Dight of Richmond and employed on Dight s station at the Big River; Mr. Kinnear Robertson, Colonial Surgeon; Robert Sexton, assigned servant to Dr. Newton; Charles Reid, a ticket of leave holder employed by Henry Dangar; Andrew Burrows, an assigned servant to Henry Dangar. At a quarter past one the Jury retired, and at two o clock returned to Court with a verdict, finding the prisoners guilty on the first five counts of the indictment and acquitting them on the last five
Date:
17 November 1838 p.2
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Evidence of William Hobbs in the case of the Myall Creek Massacre. I am superintendent for Mr Henry Dangar; I have been with him about two years, at Big River, and, I recollect the beginning of the month of June last, I left my station on the 7th of June, on a Thursday, to visit another station about 60 miles down the river ; I left Kilmaister and Anderson in charge of the Mile Creek station when I went ; there were about forty or fifty blacks men, women and children, at the station when I left; there were ten or twelve children, and as many women, and the rest were men ; the blacks had been ten or twelve days at my hut, and they behaved themselves quietly ; if they had not, they would not have been allowed to remain there ; I returned to the station on the 15th of June, I cannot say what day of the week it was ; there was a black named Davey at the station when I left, I found him there when I returned ; In consequence of information I received I sent for Kilmaister up to my house, and asked him what had become of the blacks ; he said he did not know ; I told him I had heard they were murdered, and he knew all about it ; he said he knew nothing about it, and had no hand in it; I told him I heard he was down at Dr Newton s and Mr Dight s stations with the men who came to the station, and I asked him what he did then; he said he was looking after his cattle ; I then spoke to the Black Davey but not in presence of Kilmaister; I asked Davey to go with me to where the blacks were, about half a mile from my station ; I was directed to the place by the tracks of blacks feet and horses hoofs ; there had been rain and the tracks were plain ; the tracks I saw were more like shoes of blacks than white ; there were children s foot marks ; there were more than one or five ; I could not tell how many horses there were ; the horses tracks were on each side of the native tracks ; the tracks were going in a westerly direction and took me to where I found a number of bodies.. I told Kilmaister it was a very cruel thing for him to sanction the murder of these people, as he appeared to be on such friendly terms when I left ; I also said that it was through him that the blacks were allowed to come to the station ; Kilmaister was a confidential servant, and I always depended upon him ; I told him I considered it my duty to report it to Government ; he said he hoped I would not not that he had anything to do with it, but as he had been a long time with Mr Dangar, it might cause him to be removed and returned to Government; he appeared to be greatly alarmed about it ; I told him I should report it to Mr Dangar, and I wrote a letter for that purpose ; when I had written the letter I ordered all the men to come and hear what I had written, Kilmaister, Anderson, and my servant, Burrows ; I read the letter, and Kilmaister appeared to be very uneasy about it, and I thought he would take the bush ; he said, I hope, Sir, you won t report, for Jesus Christ sake, dont report it; he said that while I was away the blacks that were murdered had been rushing and spearing the cattle ; he did not tell me this at first ; I had to leave the station, and on my return I told Kilmaister that as he had stated the blacks had speared the cattle, and there were some on the run, he must go and show me where they were ; I was out two or three days and could not find any, and I then thought he had been deceiving me, and I told him I should report the circumstance ; the blacks I left at the station were brought to the station at the instance of Kilmaister himself; they were quiet and inoffensive people as far as I saw ; I had conversations afterwards with Kilmaister ; I observed on the cruelty of the act, and observed that they had not even the decency to bury the remains; he said that if I liked, he would go and bury them, but I told him as he had stated he had nothing to do with, the murder, he had better not, as there was sure to be an enquiry about it, and it might be said that he went to bury the bodies out of the way ; he always denied it to me, and I always thought he was innocent until I heard the depositions taken; not a day elapsed but he was dancing and singing with them when he came home from work ; Kilmaister told me the men took the blacks away from the station ; Kilmaister said he would not go with the men, and that Davy would prove it ; Davy was present when he said this ; he had my permission to carry a brace of pistols : I always carried them myself for safety ; I was at Mr Eatons station on the 20th ; I saw Parry there, and in consequence of information I had received. I said Jemmy, this is a bad job, and I am very sorry you are one of the number ; he said it is, Sir, but I hope there will be nothing more about it; I think it was in July when Mr Day came to the stations ; he came there to investigate the murder; I forwarded my communication to Mr Day : I have not settled with Mr Dangar yet, but I believe I shall leave his employ in consequence of this business ; I was at the station when Mr Day went there I was at Myall Creek the greater part of the time I was with, Mr Danger, except when I went to the other stations after cattle ; Kilmaister always denied having any thing to do with the murder ; I never went out without being armed ; the place is be- yond the boundary of the Colony ; the arms were at the station for the protection of the men ; I would not go out there myself without fire arms to protect myself against the blacks ; I should think that no man would be safe, away back on the cattle runs, without arms ; I question if there is a better servant in New South Wales than Kilmaister, and a quiet peaceable disposition ; from his general quiet and peaceable character, I should not think him to be a man likely to be concerned in the murder.
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At the close of the trial on Thursday night, His Honor Mr. Burton with reference to reflections cast on the character of Mr. William Hobbs, a witness said that he left the Court without a stain upon his character, which was raised instead of being lowered by the just part he had taken in the case
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Death - April 8 - at his residence, Wollongong, in the 60th year of his age, Mr. William Hobbs, late of Windsor, and formerly of the Australian Agricultural Companys service
Place:
Launceston to Sydney
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William Hobbs, a passenger on the Martha Captain Saunderson from Launceston to Sydney
Source:
Illawarra Mercury
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Death of Mr. William Hobbs. We regret to have to record the decease of Mr. William Hobbs, who, for the past five years and a half, occupied the position of Governor of the Gaol in this town. For a considerable time past Mr. Hobbs was in a failing state of health, (we believe from an affection of the heart and liver), and about six months ago he obtained a month s leave of absence, and visited some other parts of the colony, but experienced little benefit from the change. Latterly it became painfully evident that he was gradually sinking, and on Sunday, the 2nd instant, his illness assumed an alarming aspect, and Dr. Morton then pronounced that all hopes of his recovery were at an end. He lingered, however, under much pain, until Friday night last, when a violent attack of his disease again came on, and death put an end to his suffering about half-past two o clock on Saturday morning. The deceased occupied the position of Chief Constable in the Northern districts for many years, and for two or three years prior to his appointment to Wollongong, he was Governor of the Gaol at Windsor. Mr. Hobbs was very much and deservedly respected by all who knew him. In a sentence, he was a most efficient and assiduous officer, an affectionate husband and father, and an unobtrusive and esteemed member of society. He leaves behind him a widow and a. large and respectable family (several of whom are comparatively young), to deplore their loss. The remains of the deceased were interred in the Church of England Burial-ground last Sabbath, having first been taken into the Church. The Rev. Dean Ewing conducted the service, and a large number of the inhabitants paid their last respects to the departed by following his remains to their final resting-place.
First Name:
William v. Henry
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This was an action laid by Mr. Hobbs late overseer to Henry Dangar, against that gentleman, to recover for work and labour done and performed as his superintendent. Damages were laid at 200 pounds. The defendant (Dangar) had paid 30 into court already.......Damages awarded to the plaintiff (Hobbs)
