(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: Tasmania
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”
The Real Michael Howe
For over two hundred years, the story of bushranger Michael Howe has been greatly distorted, with the facts buried beneath murky layers of falsehood and political disinformation. Since colonisation, Australia has been home to many bushrangers and convict bolters, with most experiencing a twisting of their story by newspapers and writers of the time; indeed,Continue reading “The Real Michael Howe”
Michael Howe and the Tallow Chandler’s Shop
In 1816, Michael Howe and his gang rounded up a number of horned cattle belonging to Stynes and Troy and took them to Murderer’s Plains, near Oatlands. The farmers had once been loyal to the gang and had shared in their plunder, but their loyalty had since wavered. Requiring more items to exchange for provisionsContinue reading “Michael Howe and the Tallow Chandler’s Shop”
The Execution of Richard McGwire
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”
The Currency of Kangaroo Hide
As money was scarce in Van Diemen’s Land during Michael Howe’s outlawry, the gang would often use the hide of the Eastern Grey (Forester) Kangaroo as currency, which they exchanged for ammunition and provisions. One such example of this comes from early 1815, when Richard Collyer informed George Nelson, a servant to Mr. Gunning, thatContinue reading “The Currency of Kangaroo Hide”
Michael Howe at the Ovens
On the night of the 18th of August 1814, three men of the 73rd regiment, Corporal Fentrill, his son Private Fentrill and Private Merry were travelling from Port Dalrymple to Hobart Town when they decided to set up camp in a cave near Jericho, known as the “Ovens”. Under their charge were three crown prisonersContinue reading “Michael Howe at the Ovens”
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”
Reflections
Moving through the dense scrub that flanks the upper Shannon River, the narrowed eyes of Michael Howe spy the man he is looking for, standing with his back towards the flickering amber of a fire. Halting, the bushranger whistles sharply, causing the man to spin in his direction, his claw-like fingers grasped around a musket.Continue reading “Reflections”
Michael Howe: Governor of the Woods 