(The following article was written by me for the May edition of The Hobart Magazine.) If you happened to have been walking along Murray Street in early 1817 you may have observed a rough sailor-looking fellow with a profusion of coarse hair sitting outside the gates of the old gaol, working with a pair ofContinue reading “The Knitting Bushranger”
Tag Archives: Hobart
The Indefatigable
Nine members of the Howe gang, including Michael himself, were transported on the Indefatigable in 1811. This ship was the first to make the direct voyage from England to Hobart, arriving in the Derwent on the 9th of October 1812. Also on board were members of the 73rd regiment, which included future Howe gang memberContinue reading “The Indefatigable”
Michael Howe’s Raid on Nonesuch
The following is taken from the memoirs of Alexander Laing, who at the time of Michael Howe’s raid on the residence of T.A. Lascelles was an assigned servant. On the 21st November 1816, a banditti of bushrangers headed by Michael Howe called at Nonesuch, the residence of T.A. Lascelles Esq., in the forenoon of thatContinue reading “Michael Howe’s Raid on Nonesuch”
EARLY TROUBLES OF THE COLONISTS by J. E. Calder (Pt. 1)
TASMANIAN HISTORY. EARLY TROUBLES OF THE COLONISTS Illustrated by a Sketch of the Career of Michael Howe, “The last and worst of the Bushrangers.” Written by J. E. Calder. Transcribed by Aidan Phelan. Introductory View of the State of the Country between 1813 and ’18. — I think that there are but few in theContinue reading “EARLY TROUBLES OF THE COLONISTS by J. E. Calder (Pt. 1)”
The Capture of Hugh Burn and Richard McGwire
On the 1st of June 1815, two members of Michael Howe’s gang, Hugh Burn and Richard McGwire were captured at Kangaroo Point (Bellerive) and brought into Hobart Town. After having been attracted to a hut near Tea Tree Brush by the smoke that rose from its chimney, a party of the 46th Regiment spied HughContinue reading “The Capture of Hugh Burn and Richard McGwire”
A Body for the Gibbet
On the 20th of May 1815, the headless body of James Whitehead was gibbeted on Hunter Island near Hobart Town, after being brought down in a boat from New Norfolk the previous night. In his diary, Reverend Robert Knopwood wrote, “the man that was shot was Whitehead, a very desperate bushranger. He was hung upContinue reading “A Body for the Gibbet”
Gentlemen Bushrangers
While some writers may wish to state otherwise, Michael and his gang were known to act gentlemanly and respectfully around the women and men whose company they found themselves in. As James Calder himself states, “none of these pillaging’s were attended with personal violence of any kind…Howe disliked unnecessary violence, and though he sometimes threatenedContinue reading “Gentlemen Bushrangers”
A Rascally Letter
On the 27th of November 1816, while John Yorke was riding from Port Dalrymple to Hobart Town, he found himself bailed up by Michael Howe and his gang at York Plains. Michael had a letter he wanted given to Lieutenant-Governor Davey, written in gang member Peter Septon’s hand, which in it saw Michael complaining ofContinue reading “A Rascally Letter”
The Capture of Michael Howe in 1817
Being in regular contact with William Drew, Michael had no reason to suspect that he would be the one to betray him. The bushranger had made several visits to the shepherd’s hut, as well as giving him a letter to deliver to Sorell after his escape from gaol. However, loyalty was a foreign word toContinue reading “The Capture of Michael Howe in 1817”
The Surrender of Michael in 1817
Following Governor Sorell’s proclamation, Michael wrote a letter to Sorell, which was delivered into Hobart Town by a constable. The man who had given the letter to the constable was probably William Drew, a man who was known to act as Michael’s go-between. According to Bob Minchin, “the meeting between Captain Nair and himself wasContinue reading “The Surrender of Michael in 1817”
Michael Howe: Governor of the Woods 