LEAD UP TO IRISH FAMINE as depicted in TROVE 26th SEPT. 2017

TROVE 

REVEALS AWARENESS 

OF PROBABLE IRISH FAMINE. 

Scene at Skibbereen during the Great Famine, by Cork artist James Mahony (1810–1879), commissioned by The Illustrated London News, 1847. Courtesy of Wikipedia

"The Great Hunger" as the Irish famine was called, was  heralded many years before it happened. Here in Australia, the press was posting all manner of articles about what could be expected. 

Here is just a small selection of articles that were published...

Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Thursday 5 January 1832, page 2  

National Library of Australia

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2204331

 Excerpts... 

Connaught and Munster were showing some of the first  signs of the forthcoming famine.

Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), Wednesday 1 February 1832, page 2 

National Library of Australia        http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8646286  

Excerpts.. Please click on images to enlarge...



The stories were coming regularly from Ireland...

and just for interest in the same publication...

Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839 - 1843), Thursday 17 November 1842, page 4 

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31737894 



There was an impassioned plea from the Archbishop of Tuam to Sir Robert Peel...he could see no other way to help the people.. can be enlarged..

Morning Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1843 - 1846), Saturday 26 October 1844, page 2

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31743852

 The Irish spirit prevailed... 

Morning Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1843 - 1846), Saturday 11 April 1846, page 1 

National Library of Australia

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31747777

This article is too hard to read... so here is the transcription... 

from the Lord Mayor of Dublin..

THE POTATO PLAGUE.

At a meeting of the Mansion House Committee

on Wednesday, the following resolutions were una-

nimously adopted :-

" 1st. -- That we feel it an imperative duty to dis-

charge our consciences of all responsibility regarding

the undoubtedly approaching calamities, famine and

pestilence throughout Ireland, an approach which is

imminent and almost immediate, and can be obviated

only by the most prompt, universal, and efficacious

measures for procuring food and employment for

the people.

" 2nd -- That we have ascertained beyond the

shadow of doubt that considerably more than one-

third of the entire of the potato crop in Ireland has

been already destroyed by the potato disease, and

that such disease has not by any means ceased its

ravages, but on the contrary, it is daily expanding

more and more, and that no reasonable conjecture

can be formed with respect to the limits of its effects,

short of the destruction of the entire remaining

potato crop.

"3rd -- That our information upon the subject is

positive and precise, and is derived from persons

living in all the counties of Ireland. From persons

also of all political opinions, and from clergymen of

all religious persuasions.

" 4th -- We are thus unfortunately able to proclaim

to all the inhabitants of the British Empire, and in

the presence of an all-seeing Providence, that in

Ireland famine of a most hideous description must

be immediate and pressing, and that pestilence of

the most frightful kind is certain, and not remote,

unless immediately prevented.

" 5th -- That we arraign in the strongest terms

consistent with personal respect to ourselves, the

culpable conduct of the present administration, as

well in refusing to take any efficacious measure for

alleviating the existing calamity with all its ap-

proaching hideous and necessary consequences, as

also for the positive and unequivocal crime of keeping

the ports closed against the importation of foreign

provisions, thus either abdicating their duty to the

people or their sovereign, whose servants they are,

or involving themselves in the enormous guilt of

aggravating starvation and famine by unnaturally

keeping up the price of provisions, and doing this

for the benefit of a selfish class who derive at the

present awful crisis pecuniary advantages to them-

selves by the maintenance of the oppressive corn laws.

" 6th -- That the people of Ireland, in their bitter

hours of misfortune, have the strongest right to

impeach the criminality of the Ministers of the

Crown, inasmuch as it has pleased a merciful Pro-

vidence to favour Ireland In the present season with

a most abundant crop of oats. Yet, whilst the Irish

harbours are closed against the importation of

foreign food, they are left open for the exportation

of Irish oats and grain, an exportation which has

already amounted in the present season to a quantity

Continued on Page 2 

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nearly adequate to feed the entire people of Ireland, 
and to avert the now certain famine, thus inflicting 
upon the Irish people, the abject misery of having 
their own provisions carried away to feed others 
whilst they themselves are left contemptuously to 
starve. 
" 7th -- That the people of Ireland should parti- 
cularly arraign the conduct of the Ministry in 
shrinking from their duty, to open the ports for the 
introduction of provisions by royal proclamation, 
whilst they have had the inhumanity to postpone the 
meeting of Parliament till next year. 
" 8th -- That we behold in this conduct of the 
Ministry the contemptuous disregard of the lives of 
the people of Ireland, and that we therefore do pre- 
pare an address to her Majesty, most humbly pray- 
ing her Majesty to direct her Ministers to adopt, 
without any kind of delay, the most extensive and 
efficacious measures to arrest the progress of famine 
and pestilence in Ireland." 
John L. Arabin, Lord Mayor of Dublin. 

Earliest known photograph of Victoria, here with her eldest daughter, c. 1845
Courtesy of Wikipedia   


In January, 1846, the Lord Mayors of London and Dublin presented addresses to Queen Victoria... 






The South Australia Register reported this with full details...

South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Wednesday 20 May 1846, page 1 

National Library of Australia

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73843513

Henry Edward Doyle - Illustration from Preface to the First Edition of An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800, by Mary Frances Cusack, Illustrated by Henry Doyle scanned into 001.jpg extracted from Gutenberg project's zip file linked from [1]. First published in 1868.

Public Domain.

Engraving of Emigrants leaving Ireland by Mary Frances Cusack

For further reading, go to     http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper or simply Google 'pre Irish Famine' or 'Irish Famine'.

TROVE TUESDAY 11TH JULY, 2017 - TICKETS OF LEAVE - CONVICTS- ISSUE 2

TICKETS OF LEAVE, Certificates Of Freedom - Issue 2

Courtesy of Wikipedia

From Issue 1, we know that Certificates of Freedom and Tickets of Leave were very similar.

TICKETS OF LEAVE... from the National Library of Australia

Ticket of leave

A ticket of leave allowed convicts to work for themselves provided that they remained in a specified area, reported regularly to local authorities and attended divine worship every Sunday, if possible. They could not leave the colony.

CERTIFICATE OF FREEDOM... from the National Library of Australia

Certificate of freedom

A certificate of freedom was issued at the completion of a convict's sentence, as proof he/she was a free person. They were free to travel anywhere, and could return to the United Kingdom (if they could afford it!).

Tickets of Leave also varied.. above is a Ticket of Leave Passport, dated thirteenth of February, 1846.

These are different versions, courtesy of AMW, 

Australian Memory of the World | Imagine a world without memories

 They show signs of being carried for some time. Convicts had to carry their paperwork with them always. If you are researching a convict, then you can search the Indexes at the State Archives, New South Wales. Tickets of Leave, 1810-75

You can then request a copy via the link provided there. That will partially fill out an email for you. The cost varies according to how much information is available. However, do a search first, as you may find a copy elsewhere...do respect copyright.

In 1843, a fee was introduced.. when changing from one district to another or for a replacement. You can see why the old and sometimes tattered papers were held on to. This would have been a great impost on the average person. Perhaps the lucky ones who had found work in different districts may have been able to have this fee paid for them by their new employer, no doubt it still would have to have been paid back over time.

Tue 17 Jan 1843 - New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900) Page 91 - TICKETS OF LEAVE AND CERTIFICATES OF FREEDOM.
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Sydney, 12th January, 1843.
TICKETS OF LEAVE
AND
CERTIFICATES OF FREEDOM.
HIS Excellency the Governor directs it to be notified, that a Fee of Two shillings and six
pence will henceforth be charged at the Office of the Principal Superintendent of Convicts, whenever the holder of a Ticket of Leave is allowed, for his own convenience, to have his Ticket changed from one District to another.

His Excellency also directs it to be notified, that parties who may require to have their original Certificates of Freedom renewed, in consequence of being mutilated or otherwise defaced, will be required to pay the same Fee of Two shillings and six-pence at

the Office of the Principal Superintendent of Convicts. By His Excellency's Command,
E. DEAS THOMSON. 

Courtesy of AMW

Some more lists.. there are quite a number available... you can search TROVE by date or name, most are listed as Certificates of Freedom, some by Tickets of Leave.. and both can be found in newspapers and/or Government Gazettes.

 Click to enlarge..

Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839 - 1843), Thursday 11 November 1841, page 4 (4) 

Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Wednesday 19 October 1842, page 4 

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Friday 24 February 1843, page 3 

National Library of Australia

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12415666 

An interesting item..

CERTIFICATE OF FREEDOM

To the editors of the Sydney Morning Herald.

GENTLEMEN - A paragraph headed "Certificates of Freedom" appearing in this morning's Herald, claims from me some notice, particularly, as such a report would be, by many, likely to be credited. 

  The facts of the case are simply these: Calwell with is wife, called at this office on the 27th ultimo, to claim her certificate of freedom, which was a day previous to her being free. With a view to prevent their being delayed I entertained the application, and desired the woman to call the following afternoon to receive it; she did call, accompanied by her husband, and upon the latter hearing of their being desired to wait a little, became so loud in his vociferations, threatening me with the ire of the Press, the Governor, and the Corporation Council assembled, as was a Citizen, and paid taxes; I was therefore compelled to have him removed from the office; from which language, I think you will infer he was labouring under the influence of the jolly god.

      Such, gentleman, is the true version of this story; and with Caldwell's assertion and the fifteen shillings, he is a wilful liar and a slanderer, and I dare him now to to the proof of it.

       I beg, gentleman, you will insert this letter in your next publication.

            I am, Gentlemen, 

                     Your most obedient servant
                                        PHILIP SNAPE
Principal Superintendent of Convict's Office,  
                  February 23, 1843                

Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), Tuesday 28 January 1845, page 2 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8756043

I found this interesting in that it lists the date that Certicates of Freedom would be granted, also the ship that the convicts listed, were transported on.

Colonial Secretary’s Office, Jan.27, 1845

 The periods for which the undermentioned per-

sons were transported expiring at the date placed 

after their respective names, Certificates of their 

Freedom may be obtained then, or at any subse-

quent time, upon application at the Office of the 

Comptroller-Generalof Convicts, Hobart Town,

or at that of a Police Magistrate in the interior:

Asia — Hugh Grant, 16th February, 1845

Coromandel —-William Carter, 28th February;

John Looney, 28th ditto; John Murphy, 15th 

ditto; Edward Williams, 28th ditto

Claudine—Joseph Whitehouse, 2nd February

Gilmore—George Brinsley, 25th February;

Thomas Miller, 26th ditto; Richard Mackerith, 

17th ditto; Robert Yee, 26th ditto

Guilford —William Parker, 26th February; James

Edward Heath, 15th ditto; William Wilson, 28th

ditto

Maria—Joseph Thomas, 12th February

Neptune—William Tilley, 14th February

Pyramus—Henry Butcher, 26th February;

James Bain, 5th ditto; George Howard, 26th 

ditto; Alexander McKay, 12th ditto; John

Spears, 12th ditto

Prince Regent—Ralph Peel, 27th February

Roslyn Castle—Francis McCann, 22nd February

Royal Sovereign—James Harris, 27th February

Recovery—Alexander Payne, 28th February 

Runnymede—James Pigeon, 26th February

Susan—John Basson, 27th February;

John Davis, 27th ditto

Strathfieldsay—William Mark, 17th February; John 

Davis, 27th ditto

William Glen Anderson—Charles Haynes, 17th

February.

                       WOMEN

Mary—Charlotte Smith, 17th February

Nautilus—Grace Davie, 19th February; Agnes

Macintosh, 26th ditto

Plating—Violet Alexander, 27th February

By His Excellency’s Command

                               J.E. Bicheno

                             

There are many websites that concern Tickets of Leave, Certificates of Freedom.. including most State Archives, National Library of Australia and State Libraries, also Wikipedia.

 Issue 3 of this series will concentrate on Conditional Pardons and Conditional Release.

NLA a_chain_gang_1609421.jpg

TROVE TUESDAY 6TH JUNE, 2017... GEORGE HOWE.. OF FIRST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER FAME

 A recent post about the publication of the first Australian newspaper attracted a lot of comments and communication.  Many were interested in the newspaper itself, but even more were interested in George Howe, the man responsible for the printing of  the "Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser".

 It seems there are quite a number of my readers who are descended from, or connected to, George Howe. I have been sent quite a lot of information on him and have also researched more about this quite interesting man. Who would have thought a former convict would have attracted so much attention.

TROVE had quite a bit more re him, as in this article from

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 11 April 1935, page 10 

Please click on images to enlarge...

When George Howe died, this letter to the Editor appeared in the

Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), Monday 23 May 1932, page 12 ... written by W. A. THOMAS  of Fullerton..

nla.news-article46860522.3 

 It gives a short summary of his life..

I felt that there was so much more to George Howe, and two of my readers, Ruth Miller and Janeen Beck, have kindly contributed some of their information, to which I have added my own research. Both ladies are connected to George. I thank them for their contributions and quote a few of their items in this post.


From Ruth Miller....

"My 3g grandfather George Williams, an actual free settler in 1814, worked for George Howe as a compositor on the Sydney Gazette, and then Cryer for the Supreme Court. He was very involved with the Bent family, lawyers Ellis and Jeffrey Bent, and seems to have fallen into disfavour with Governor Macquarie for his involvement in signing a petition (the Vale-Bent petition, signed “PhiloFree”) objecting to Macquarie’s punishment of free settlers without a trial, drawn up by William Moore an arrival on the same ship as George, and one of the first non-convict lawyers. He had also refused to publish an advertisement about a reward for information on the signatories. His participation in these political acts led to his land grant being initially refused. Macquarie had him sacked from the Sydney Gazette and he obtained the job of Cryer for the Supreme court through the connections he had made with lawyers and barristers he had met on the Broxbornebury voyage to New South Wales."

 Firstly, a few links to follow... 

Cape Banks Family History Society

https://capebanks.org.au/research/esmp/pioneer/howe-george/

Australian Royalty

http://australianroyalty.net.au/individual.php?pid=I70946&ged=purnellmccord.ged

 This site has a lot of information on his family and various relationships.. always check yourself.

TROVE

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46860522

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28017881

Obituaries Australia

http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/howe-george-1600

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Howe_%28printer%29

Early Australian Adventures

https://www.earlyaustralianadventures.com.au/index.php?page=port-jackson-the-newspaper

Old George Street

http://www.oldgeorgestreet.com/Buildings-and-Landmarks-of-george-street.html

Some Notable Australian Journalists
s00855804_1970_1971_9_2_22.pdf

State Library NSW
http://www2.sl.nsw.gov.au/archive/discover_collections/history_nation/justice/establish/supreme/gazette.html

George Howe (1769 - 1821) was a son of a Government Printer, who was born in St Kitts, West Indies.  Howe went to England in 1790 and worked as a printer for The Times as well as other papers.  In 1799 Howe was convicted at the Warwick assizes for shoplifting and sentenced to life and transportation.  On arrival in New South Wales in 1800 he was quickly appointed as Government Printer and published the paper, then known as The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser that had started in 1803. 

Source : Extract from draft of the Williams family book by Annie and Wal Lotocki

Wikipedia tells us that ...George Howe..

was the son of Thomas Howe, a government printer on Basseterre, Saint Christopher Island (now better known as Saint Kitts) in the West Indies.^[1] When he was 21, he went to London and worked as a printer for The Times. In March 1799, he was charged with shoplifting and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to transportation for life to New South Wales.^[1] Howe arrived at Sydney on 22 November 1800.^[2]

Editor of the Sydney Gazette[edit]

A small printing press had been brought to Australia by Governor Arthur Phillip, and a convict named George Hughes used it to print a considerable number of orders, rules and regulations.^[2] Soon after he arrived George Howe became the government printer, and in 1802 printed New South Wales General Standing Orders consisting of 146 pages, the first book to be printed in Australia. In May 1803 Governor King, in a dispatch to Lord Hobart, mentioned the establishment of the Sydney Gazette as a weekly publication—its first number had appeared on 5 March and asked that a new font of type should be sent to Sydney. The paper was carried on at the risk of Howe, who, though he had been fully emancipated in 1806,^[1] did not receive a salary as government printer until 1811 when he was granted only £60 a year. In the meantime Howe conducted the Gazette under difficulties, often running out of paper and suffering much from patrons who fell behind in their subscriptions. In 1810 a lighting strike almost destroyed Howes's printing office.^[1] Howe tried various expedients to keep his household going, at one time keeping a school and at another becoming a professional debt collector. Another of these expedients was becoming a professional mobile food stand for the public, he did this for 3 years.

In addition to the Gazette Howe began the publication of the New South Wales Pocket Almanac in 1806, which became a regular yearly publication from 1808 to 1821. He also began trading in sandalwood, and in 1813 found himself liable for over £90 of duty on two consignments. He appears to have become more prosperous, as in 1817 he was one of the original subscribers when the Bank of New South Wales was founded. Howe died on 11 May 1821 and left an estate of £400. He was married twice, and his second wife survived him with children of both marriages. He seems to have been a man of indomitable spirit and, considering his difficulties, was a good printer and editor. The memorial placed in the printing office by his son stated that "his charity knew no bounds".

 You can read about his son, Robert, who followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather re printing...here

References[edit]

1. ^ Jump up to:
   ^{a b c d e f} J. V. Byrnes, 'Howe, George (1769–1821)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, MUP, 1966, pp 557–559. Retrieved 8 August 2009
2. ^ Jump up to:
   ^{a b} Serle, Percival (1949). "Howe, George". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
3. Jump up
   ^ Goff, Victoria (1998). "Convicts and Clerics: Their Roles in the Infancy of the Press in Sydney, 1803–1840". Media History. 4: 105. doi:10.1080/13688809809357939. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
4. Jump up
   ^ More Pig Bites Baby! Stories from Australia's First Newspaper, ed. Michael Connor, Duffy and Snellgrove, 2004, ISGN 1-876631-91-0, introduction page X

From Janeen Beck...

"George married Sarah, the widow of Edward Wills, One of her five existing children, Horatio Spencer Wills, became editor of the Gazette and published the first paper edited by a native-born Australian, The Currency Lad, which first appeared in August 1832... "  

George was asscoiated with many of the colony's well known names, including Governors Bligh and Macquarie.

 More from the draft of the Williams family book by Annie and Wal Lotocki:

“In 1810 Governor Macquarie re-opened the Colony’s newspaper The Sydney Gazette, which was shut down by Governor Bligh in 1808. The newspaper was a heavily censored government paper and the editor’s title was Government Printer."

To get an idea of the times, I've included a further extract from the Williams family book...

“In 1810 Governor Macquarie re-opened the Colony’s newspaper The Sydney Gazette, which was shut down by Governor Bligh in 1808. The newspaper was a heavily censored government paper and the editor’s title was Government Printer.  This paper was run by George Howe (1769-1821) son of a Government Printer, who was born in St Kitts, West Indies.  Howe went to England in 1790 and worked as a printer for The Times as well as other papers.  In 1799 Howe was convicted at the Warwick assizes for shoplifting and sentenced to life and transportation.  On arrival in New South Wales in 1800 he was quickly appointed as Government Printer and published the paper, then known as The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser that had started in 1803.

          

“George Williams, his wife Mary and son Vincent arrived in Australia on the Broxbornebury in 1814.  Later he [Williams] reports he came with three sons.  On the ship he befriended a solicitor Jeffrey Hart Bent (1781-1852), Ellis’ older brother, who was born in Surrey England, and educated at Cambridge University. Jeffrey Bent was an arrogant man with great pomposity, who refused to leave the ship until he received a formal salute.  He was appointed as Judge of the first Supreme Court in New South Wales. He did not serve on the bench until a new Courthouse was constructed and he required the services of two attorneys to assist him.  He appointed George Williams as a Supreme Court Crier. Jeffrey Bent was committed to the exclusion of convict solicitors from attending the Courts and in one instance closed the court so that the convicts could not defeat him.  

         

“After his arrival in the Colony in 1814, Howe as the compositor for the newspaper hired George privately. Also on the same ship as George was a solicitor named William Moore, being one of the first non-convict lawyers, who also had the same idea as Jeffrey Bent, in that emancipist solicitors within the role of the Colony’s legal system should be restricted.  When Jeffrey Bent was given all the Colony’s civil action cases this further soured the relationship between Ellis Bent and Macquarie, and Macquarie terminated Ellis’ commission as Judge Advocate, but before Ellis received the formal letter from Britain, Ellis died (10 November 1815). 

          

“In 1816 Governor Macquarie was concerned about people trespassing at night on the Common and he ordered two constables to bring in anyone who ventured thereon.  Three people were caught that night, a convict, and two free settlers. Macquarie decided to set an example of them and ordered them to 25 lashes each. Wentworth (1790-1882) as Administrator and Judge for the Colony of New South Wales was upset that Macquarie was overriding the State’s jurisdiction, however since they were friends allowed the lashings to be enforced. Jeffrey Bent, like his brother was also passionate about segregating emancipist lawyers from the “British” lawyers and opposed the flogging of free settlers. William Moore took up a petition to send a memorial to England in relation to the punishment of free settlers without a trial (“Vale-Bent petition”) signed “PhiloFree”.  George Williams was thought to have signed the petition.  George was said to have refused to place an advertisement in the paper for “information wanted, reward etc.” on the signatories.  Campbell was reported as the architect of a letter that was compiled by George for the Sydney Gazette.  When Macquarie heard of this, and the implication that Campbell was involved he was angry and accused Moore of forging the signatures of the petitioners. Macquarie took his vengeance on those he could under his control and George as one of the purported signatories, was dismissed from his position at the Sydney Gazette. Likewise, Wentworth then also withheld several land grants from others who had signed the petition. "

From the State Library NSW Archive... first gazette...use your Zoom to read... they aren't very clear..

The first edition was printed on a wooden press. The page below was from a later edition..