Early in July 1847 in the County
of Tipperary Ireland, my Greatgrandfather Michael, stole a cow.
Was he registering a protest against the poverty and oppression
he and his family were suffering?—poverty brought on by the
failure of yet another of their meagre potato crops due to Potato
Blight, and oppression from the harsh treatment of the family
by their English landlord from whom his family rent their small
plot of land.
Perhaps there was a much simpler reason. He may have hoped that
this “crime” would have him transported to Van Dieman’s
Land where he would be reunited with his brother John, sent there
two years earlier for attempting to assassinate a wealthy English
landlord—however many other people stole cows with gay abandon
and got off with a couple of months imprisonment.
The newspapers of the day carried many reports of this activity
resulting in light sentences.
Or was this the defiant action of a politically motivated person,
vehemently opposed to the occupation of his country by the British
Crown and its privileged supporters?
Was he in fact a member of “The Young Irelanders” movement?
A group dedicated to the harassment of these foreigners and their
eventual eviction from Ireland.
The severity of his sentence almost certainly indicated that he
was a political thorn in the side of the English, who will use
any excuse to get rid of him. Later writings by senior English
bureaucrats, including Earl Grey, refer to people such as he as
“political prisoners.”
The cow, which belonged to Mr. William Meara, was grazing on the
grounds of “Moona Mona”, one of the town commons near
the Northern Tipperary town of Roscrae and quite handy to the
little settlement of Cullahill, where this young “thief”
lived with his parents.
On Tuesday July 13th. 1847, in the Quarter Sessions Court in Nenagh,
Tipperary, Queen’s Counsel Mr. Sergeant Howley, sentenced
the 19 year old labourer, Michael Morton, to 10 years transportation
for his crime.
One of the local newspapers, “THE NENAGH GUARDIAN” (still
published) reported the Court proceedings. The judge’s statement
when sentencing Michael follows. This is a scanned image of the
“Guardian’s” column of one hundred and forty six
years ago.
Michael was placed aboard the
ship “MEDWAY” on the 10th. of November 1847 to begin
his journey to the place of transportation.
Little did he realise that he was embarking on a unique adventure
that would remain a secret from his family and descendants for
almost 150 years, and rate as one of the most unusual journeys
of a convict to Van Dieman’s Land.
Michael had an older brother John
who had been transported for life to Van Dieman’s Land in
1845, two years before Michael.
John, and accomplice Patrick Brien had attempted to assassinate
a wealthy landlord, Mr. Theophilus Roe.
Roe was on his way to a fair at Templemore when John discharged
a blunderbuss (a crude type of muzzle loading shotgun that could
fire multiple round balls of lead) at him, succeeding only in
putting a “ball” through the victim’s top hat.
Today in Ireland, members of the Morton families tell stories
of the “Great Uncles” who were transported to Australia
long ago, and are very quick to relate the legend which is supposed
to be an additional reason for John being transported for life.
It seems that John was caught singing rebel songs outside the
British garrison stationed nearby, and that one song “The
Peeler and the Goat” (which was particularly contemptuous
and derogatory of the sexual behaviour of the British Constabulary)
stirred the “Poms” up no end. Accordingly it would seem
that they decided to use this defiant behaviour as a further excuse
to get rid of him. “PEELERS” was the name given to police—after
John Peel, an early organiser of the English police force.
We have recently been told by an elderly Irish lady who is a descendant
of Rody Morton (whom we believe to be a half brother to Michael
and John) that Michael was also singing protest songs, and songs
of the plight of Ireland under the tyrannical rule of the British,
as he was standing on the station platform in Nenagh waiting to
be transported to gaol.
The convict record of John shows that his father was Thomas and
that he had brothers Thomas, Michael and Edward and sisters Eliza
and Mary.
John came to Victoria and married Mary Doyle in 1862. His marriage
and death certificates show his mother’s name as Catherine
Madden.
John named his children in the same order as Michael—first
daughter Catherine, second Mary and third Elizabeth, first son
Thomas, second John.
Michael and John do not appear to have made contact even though
they were both living in Victoria at the same time for much of
their lives. If they had it would seem reasonable to think that
some information would have passed down to us today.
The Nenagh “GUARDIAN” of July 21st. and 30th. 1845 reported
the assassination attempt by John and his accomplice Patrick Brien,
and gave graphic details of their capture and trial.
To better understand the reasons
for Michael and John’s lawlessness, we need to appreciate
what conditions were like for people such as he in Ireland at
the time.
Most of the rural land in Ireland belongs to wealthy men, some
of whom live on their properties, administering them personally.
Others are absentee English gentry who probably inherited their
estate, and not wishing to live there, employ agents as Managers.
Landlords rent out much of their land to the local farming people,
taking a substantial percentage of any crop as part payment of
rent. Poorer people unable to afford to rent a plot may get some
work with the small farmers, work as servants of the rich—or
starve!
The mainstay of the economy and staple diet of the common people
is the potato, which, since 1846, has been rotting in the ground
due to the Blight. People are unable to pay their rents or obtain
food. Additionally they are all expected to pay “Tithes”
(One tenth of any proceeds from their land) to the Anglican Church—known
as the Church of Ireland—the Church of the upper classes.
Labouring class people are almost all Catholic, but are still
required to pay these tithes, famine or no famine! People are
being evicted from their homes and dying in thousands from starvation.
Typhoid fever is rampant, claiming many more lives.
Many realise that their only hope of survival is to flee the country
by any means possible. During the famine years 1846 to 1851, about
one million people died in Ireland and two and a half million
left the country as emigrants or convicts.
Could it be that Michael’s “crime” was his desperate
attempt to avoid death from starvation or disease by deliberately
getting himself arrested, with the almost certain consequential
sentence of transportation? Or was it an act of political protest?
Answers to questions such as these would enhance the somewhat
sketchy image that we have of the man so far.
Groups of Irish men, mainly
from the labouring class, banded together to plan campaigns of
action against the injustices of the system which treated them
so unfairly.
Their aim was to make their grievances known, and to reclaim “Ireland
for the Irish.” They planned and carried out almost constant
harassment of the property of the wealthy landlords. These actions
became known as “ The Agrarian Outrages” and included:-
Burning buildings, hayricks and crops.
Stealing livestock — sometimes for food — sometimes
for revenge. Cows were often taken to provide the milk in which
the potatoes were cooked whenever possible.
Killing or maiming livestock, leaving it to be found by the owner.
Predictably the privileged class quickly had laws passed to outlaw
belonging (or being suspected of belonging) to any protest group.
At the time of Michael’s arrest the most active protest group,
“The Young Irelanders,” was causing great havoc. The
severity of his sentence almost certainly indicates that the Magistrate
believed him to be a member of that group.
Many interesting tales of how
Michael came to Australia have been handed down through various
branches of his descendants, all of which are fantasy. No ships
carrying either assisted or non-assisted immigrants to Australia
listed a Morton from Tipperary, or anywhere else in Ireland. The
vast majority of Mortons came from England or Scotland.
Only two other Michael Mortons have been found in all of the record
checking carried out—one an Englishman who arrived with his
wife Sophia and infant son John in the 1850s—the other a
convict transported to Van Dieman’s Land in 1822, six years
before my ancestor was born.
During 1988, the Irish Government presented Australia with a Bicentennial
gift—a computer data base containing records of all Irish
people transported to Australia between 1837 and the early 1850’s
when the transportation system ended.
These records contain
the following information:
Records of the original gaol lists and transportation records
revealed more details:
I am indebted
to Lyn Mc Innes for her discovery of this information in Latrobe
library. Lyn maintains that she leapt up and shouted “Eureka”
when Michael’s name appeared on the monitor screen.
The next step in verifying that this man was our ancestor was
to discover where the ship went—a task made difficult by
the fact that there were seven “MEDWAYS”, six of which
had come to Australia at various times. None of these ships however
had brought a Michael Morton here.
“Bound for Australia”, a book by David Hawkings, along
with some British Home Office records on microfilm at the Victorian
State Library, led to the discovery of the particular “MEDWAY”
into which Michael had been herded in November 1847.
Following his sentencing, it
is most likely that Michael was transferred from Nenagh to the
convict prison on Spike Island in Cork harbour to await embarkation.
Commissioned as a convict ship in October 1847, the “MEDWAY”
took her human cargo aboard a short time later, probably at Cork
harbour.
She set sail for Bermuda on November 10th. 1847, having ridden
out a severe storm two days before. Several other ships had broken
their moorings and collided, causing much damage. “MEDWAY”
appears to have survived the storm unscathed.
After a journey of some three months, the “MEDWAY” berthed
at the wharves at Ireland island in Bermuda. As she was to be
converted to a floating prison "Hulk", her prisoners
were immediately moved to other accommodation. Records show Michael
was transferred on Feb. 9th. 1848 to the “THAMES”, a
twenty five year old hulk, destined to sink at its moorings there
in June 1863. He was returned to the “MEDWAY” about
nine months later, presumably when the conversion was complete.
Most hulks used as long term gaols were made by stripping the
ships superstructure and replacing it with a two or three level
dormitory style building with kitchen, mess hall, ablution block
and chapel.
Convicts had been working in the dockyards and quarries of Bermuda
since 1824, and from 1846 onwards much labour had been used to
extensively alter and add to the fortifications of the islands.
The English were afraid that the Americans planned to attack Bermuda
to capture convicts to add to their slave numbers.
The British Home Office required the Supervisor of each hulk to
make a quarterly report on each prisoner, and it was during his
stay on the “THAMES” that Michael Morton became Michael
Moreton—a misspelling that remained in his records until
his arrival in Australia. These quarterly “hulk returns”
provided the information that allowed the next stage of Michael’s
journey to be discovered.
Earl Grey of the British Colonial Office keenly supported the
idea of allowing well behaved prisoners to be selected for resettlement
in the colonies as “Exiles”—an Exile being a prisoner
accepting the option of serving his or her sentence as a free
person in a colony. He also maintained that many convicts, particularly
the Irish, were not criminals, and should be seen for what they
really were, political activists.
Grey had an ideal opportunity to put these ideas to the test when,
in May 1848, it was decided to dispatch 600 convicts to the Cape
of Good Hope. They were to build a breakwater in Table Bay. In
August of that year, Grey proposed that these convicts be exiled
to the Cape, and immediately directed that 300 political offenders
in Bermuda should be sent there.
In a letter to the Administrator of the penal colony at Bermuda,
Grey refused to accede to a request that these prisoners be sent
to the Cape at no charge to themselves. He ordered that each should
pay ten pounds for his passage to the Cape. Presumably this fee
was deducted out of any money the prisoners earned whilst working
for their jailers!
The hulk return from the “MEDWAY” for the quarter to
June 1849, shows Michael transferred to the “NEPTUNE .”
The actual notation against Michael's name on the hulk return
reads:-
“NEPTUNE” was a 35
year old sailing ship of some 644 tons built in Calcutta in 1814,
and the fourth convict transport ship to carry that name, the
first being the infamous vessel which was part of the Second Fleet
of 1790. An unusually large ship for those days of 809 tons, she
gained her notoriety by having 161 of her cargo of 500 convicts
die on the journey.
Michael’s “NEPTUNE” was always referred to as a
“ship” which meant that it was a “full rigged”
or “square rigged” vessel with three masts. She had
been used only once before as a convict transport—this being
in 1838 when she brought 350 male prisoners to Hobart.
“NEPTUNE” sailed from Bermuda on the 24th. of April
1849. For this journey she was under the command of Captain Henderson.
The surgeon entrusted with the formidable task of keeping “passengers”
and crew alive and as healthy as possible died before they reached
the Cape. He was replaced by Surgeon Superintendent Thomas Gibson
on their arrival.
Being put on a Ticket of Leave meant that on their arrival at
the Cape they would be handed the “Ticket”, which would
allow them to work for themselves in any spare time they had outside
their required convict labours.
The people of the Cape colony were violently opposed to these
arrangements, and in June 1849, well before the arrival of the
“NEPTUNE,” had formed an Anti Convict Association to
lobby the Colonial Office against the move.
After making a brief stop at Pernambuco on the east coast of Brazil
on July 18th. to replenish water and supplies, the “NEPTUNE”
dropped anchor in Simon’s Bay at the Cape on September 19th.
1849.
By this time opposition to the landing of these men had reached
hysterical proportions in the Cape colony and they could not disembark.
The colony refused provisions, medical supplies and water to the
“NEPTUNE,” all of which had to be obtained from Mauritius.
Grey came under increasing pressure to abandon his plans and eventually
bowed to the wishes of his opponents, both in England and the
colonies. On February 13th. 1850, some five months after arriving
at the Cape, he ordered Captain Henderson to take the ageing “NEPTUNE”
on her second voyage to Van Dieman’s Land.
In the flurry of activity preceding the departure, people from
the mainland were deployed in helping with the stowing of materials
and provisions on the “NEPTUNE.” She sailed with 282
convicts (18 had died since leaving Bermuda), 43 troopers as guards,
and 6 paying passengers. The number of crew is unknown.
"We
sail this day: the wind full against us, blowing straight up the
bay: no matter - the commodore has sent the war steamer "GEYSER"
to tow us out. We have got the hawser fixed, and are slowly moving
out of Simon’s Bay, and down the broad expanse of False Bay.
The mountains are fading behind us. Another continent has arisen
from the sea before me, now Africa vanishes too. Shall I ever
set foot upon dry land more?"
An entry (Dated 19th. February) in the diary of John Mitchel,
one of the prisoners on board the “NEPTUNE”, and a well
known political activist for the freedom of Ireland. Much of Mitchel’s
diary writings are included in the book “The Gardens of Hell”
edited by Peter O ’ Shaughnessy.
It is possible that “NEPTUNE” did not clear the Cape
until the 21st., as this is the departure date shown in the shipping
movements columns of the “Hobart Town Gazette” and “Argus”
newspapers of the day. The unfavourable winds mentioned by Mitchel
may have delayed the departure.
No doubt Michael and the other sea weary people on board shared
Mitchel’s sentiments as they braced themselves for the next
stage of their journey.
Immediately after clearing
False Bay “NEPTUNE” steered due south to latitude 46°,
where she could run before the strong westerly wind (The Roaring
Forties), and ride the Antarctic Drift current. She often covered
200 miles (320 km) in a day.
“NEPTUNE” reached the mountainous southern coast of
Van Dieman’s Land in early April. The waters were placid
as they rounded the many promontories, wooded to the waters edge.
After one night becalmed, the ship made way to the head of the
D’Entrecasteaux Channel, taking on a pilot there to guide
them to anchor in the Derwent river, a quarter of a mile from
the quays and Custom house of Hobart Town.
Officials and police were soon aboard, checking the roll and informing
the men that they would be landing as free men. Thomas Gibson
had kept everybody on board alive to this point, but sadly he
died just ten days later at Newtown.
All except John Mitchel received conditional pardons, which meant
that they gained total freedom on the condition that they did
not return to England until their sentence had been served. Mitchel
was given restricted freedom with a “Ticket of Leave”
requiring him to report regularly to the police.
Michael and his fellow passengers received their conditional pardons
on Tuesday April 5th. 1850.
Almost three years after his trial—HE WAS FREE!
Michael stayed in Tasmania
for about two and a half years, another period in his life which
he does not appear to have revealed to his family, who believed
that he had lived only in Victoria. This segment of his life was
not recorded in any official records or documents until he embarked
from Launceston on November 8th. 1852 on the “YARRA YARRA,”
bound for Melbourne. Goldrushes had begun in many parts of Victoria,
and people were flocking to them from all over the world.
We do not know whether Michael made contact with his brother John
during this time in Tasmania—indeed what happened to John
remained a mystery for some time until records of his marriage,
birth of his children and his death in Victoria were found in
1993.
Michael apparently never knew that John had moved to Victoria—although
rumours of the existence of a mystery brother did exist amongst
some older family members.
By early 1854 Michael had made his way to the rich gold producing
region of Central Victoria known nowadays as “The Golden
Triangle” an area bounded roughly by Bendigo, Wedderburn
and Maryborough. In March at Maryborough, he married Elizabeth
Hawkins, a Scottish lady from Roxburghshire. No record of the
marriage has been found to date, and it is only from information
given by Michael and Elizabeth when registering the birth of some
of their children that this marriage detail was discovered.
Michael and Elizabeth were in the County of Gladstone (probably
at Waanyarra) when their first child Catherine was born, c. 1855.
About this time Michael began to establish himself in business
in the area, erecting a substantial stone building as a combined
dwelling and store, much of which still stands today on the road
called Morton’s Lane at Waanyarra.
Morton’s store soon became one of the main sources of provisions
for the many gold miners in the area, and it seems that Michael
quickly realised that there was money to be made by adding the
sale and serving of stimulating alcoholic beverages to his business.
Unfortunately he neglected toobtain the necessary licence for
this part of his business, and eventually fell foul of the law.
In April 1865, Constable Patrick Fahey carried out a Court Order
issued by the Tarnagulla Court of Petty Sessions, confiscating
a quantity of liquor in Michael's possession. On February 2nd.
1866 he was granted a licence, and by 1872 the establishment was
known as “MORTON’S WELCOME INN.”
The “WELCOME INN” and Catherine Morton both feature
in the recorded details of the inquest into the death of Swiss
miner Stephen Pozzi on September 17th. 1872. The body had been
brought to the inn late that day. At the inquest the following
day Catherine gave evidence that she had served the deceased with
a number of beers, not long before his death.
Buying and selling gold became another branch of the business.
Michael's gold measures are today looked after by one of his great-grandsons.
Undoubtedly Michael overcame many disadvantages to become a respected
citizen in the Waanyarra community. He was unable to write in
1863, the year in which the inquest into the accidental death
of his second daughter Elizabeth was held. Michael signed his
testimony with a cross. He was able to sign his name by November
1865, when he was one of the jury at the inquest into the death
of Alexandrina Draper at Grassy Flat.
The only public office he held apparently was that of Trustee
of the Roman Catholic section of the Waanyarra cemetery, to which
he was elected in 1871. I suspect he would be profoundly disappointed
to know that few of his descendants now follow the Roman Catholic
faith.
Sadly very little verifiable information can be found to build
an accurate image of this somewhat mysterious man. That he possessed
great resilience, determination and resourcefulness is beyond
question.
Regrettably he did not pass on details of his adventurous early
years to his family, but then how was he to know how prestigious
having a "Convict" in the family was to be today?
Michael died of asthma and senility on February 16th. 1905, aged
77. Elizabeth died of stomach cancer on May 24th. 1909.
Both are buried in the family grave at the Waanyarra Historic
cemetery in Central Victoria.
