On the 7th of June 1815, Richard McGwire was hanged on Hunter Island for his involvement in the shootout with Dennis McCarty at New Norfolk and the subsequent deaths of Charles Carlisle and James O’Burne. In the days leading to the execution, Reverend Robert Knopwood paid three visits to the condemned man and recorded theContinue reading “The Execution of Richard McGwire”
Tag Archives: New Norfolk
Richard Collyer
Richard Collyer was a member of Michael Howe’s gang who was born in Kent, England, in 1786. In July 1799 at the age of only 13, he was sentenced to death at the Maidstone Assizes for the crime of committing an “unnatural act” with 45-year-old Thomas Bowles. However, this sentence was later commuted to life,Continue reading “Richard Collyer”
The Gunfight with Denis McCarty
On the 24th of April 1815, the gunfight between Michael Howe and Irishman Denis McCarty took place on the banks of the Derwent River at “The Falls”, halfway between New Norfolk and Stoney Hut Plains (Gretna). Believing that there were “two or three parties of soldiers out”, Michael knew that gathering weapons was essential forContinue reading “The Gunfight with Denis McCarty”
Michael Howe: Governor of the Woods 