Timeline 1835 - 1863
This Timeline documents all the information discovered for bushranger Frederick Ward up to and including his escape from Cockatoo Island, with associated source-references. Many of the referenced newspapers are now accessible online (see Online Newspapers).
Copyright Carol Baxter 2011
1835 Fred Ward was born to Michael and Sophia Ward around the time they moved from Wilberforce to Windsor, NSW[1] For further information about Fred’s parents and family background, see Michael and Sophia Ward and their family
1847 early Fred was employed as a ‘generally useful hand’ by the new owners of Aberbaldie station near Walcha and escorted the party, including the new resident manager Mr Wilson and Frederick Milford, from Morpeth to Aberbaldie (NB. Milford’s memoir provided no date for this journey however it mentioned that the party included Wilson, his wife and twelve-month-old son; newspapers reports and church records reveal that Thomas George Wilson and his wife Ellen had a son born in Sydney on 25 Jan 1846 and a daughter born at Aberbaldie on 10 May 1847 indicating that the journey must have taken place early in 1847). Fred remained at Aberbaldie for some time – perhaps as long as a year, the duration of most station-hands’ contracts – before leaving their employ during a journey with Frederick Milford to Barraba to purchase cattle[2]
1840/50s Newspaper reports indicate that Fred worked as a stockman/horsebreaker at ‘Mr Cheeseborough’s Tareela’ station, near Barraba NB. As Fred left Aberbaldie’s employ during a trip to the Barraba district, it is possible that he was taken on by the Tareela owners at that time; whether then or later, it appears that Cheesborough was not his employer as newspaper references suggest that Cheesborough didn’t acquire the station until the 1860s[3]
1850s Fred employed as a stockman and horsebreaker at Charles Reynolds’ Tocal station[4]
1855 Nov-Dec Fred Ward and Augustus Frederick Anderson were driving a herd of fat cattle down for Mr George Bowman when, at Murrurundi, their herd became mixed with another belonging to William Loder; soon afterwards Anderson sold two bullocks however Anderson’s receipts listed different brands and accordingly both Anderson and Ward were taken into custody on charges of cattle stealing; 3 Dec: Muswellbrook bench ordered that Anderson being committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions and allowed his release to bail, however as Fred stated that he was merely employed by Anderson as a drover and as he was not present at the sale, the court discharged him; Anderson did not appear at the March Quarter Sessions and the newspaper reported that the bondsmen had offered a reward for his apprehension, and that Anderson had been shot and killed by police in the Warialda district while attempting to escape[5]
1856 Feb 1 John Garbutt and others stole 75 head of cattle from Baradean, Liverpool Plains, the property of James Walker Esq. of Wallerawang; 17/18 Feb: Garbutt (using the name George Flemming) and his servant went to William Eaton’s public house at Murrurundi where he sold the cattle to Eaton’s brother-in-law, cattle dealer Francis Bowden Bennett of Richmond (having claimed that he purchased them from William Roberts); 3 Mar: Bennett tried to sell the cattle but the purchaser, Benjamin Richards, recognised the brand; 15 Mar: Walker identified the cattle as stolen but ‘Flemming’ was not identified until Bennett’s note-of-hand was discovered on Garbutt after his arrest at Parramatta on 2 May[6]
1856 Feb/Mar Fred Ward offered his services to Charles Reynolds at Tocal and assisted them to muster cattle for a fortnight[7]
1856 Mar 26+ 24 Mar: John Garbutt (using the name William Neil) called on auctioneer Alexander Dodds at Maitland and asked him to sell some 30 of his horses to be brought down from the Barwon; 26 Mar: Dodds advertised that on 1 Apr he would auction 28 of William Neil’s horses; 1 Apr: horses sold at East Maitland to A.J. Doyle, James Dodds, William Brettell, Thomas Nicholls, Isaac Gorrick Jnr (and perhaps others) with some later reporting that they saw James Garbutt at the sale, that he showed a personal knowledge of the horses; 7 Apr: William Wilson of Ulamanbra, Castlereagh River, advertised that 30 horses had been stolen from his property and had been seen near Cassilis on the road to Maitland; John Garbutt later mentioned that his brother James Garbutt was with him when he had this mob, but that he had told his brother that they were his own horses; 30 May: James Garbutt indicted for being involved in this theft (see below)[8]
1856 Apr 2 + 2 Apr: John Garbutt (calling himself George Den of New England) called on auctioneer William George at Paterson asking him to sell horses by auction; 8 Apr: 13 horses were stolen from John Radridge’s and neighbouring farms near the junction of Cockfighter’s Creek and the Hunter River (not far from where John grew up at Crowder’s); 10 Apr: William George advertised the sale of 10 dray horses and 20 saddle mares and geldings in the Maitland Mercury, the horses being brought into the yard the same day; 12 Apr: the horses were all sold without reserve at Mr Long’s Plough Inn, Paterson, and the sale realised £73; 13 Apr: instructions re the proceeds were given by James Russell who said that Mr Den was in Maitland selling cattle, and Mr Den later returned and collected the proceeds; 20 Jun: auctioneer William George went to Cockatoo Island and identified John Garbutt as Mr Den; 21 Jul: William George signed a statement reporting that Garbutt was Den; 5 Aug: William George complained in an advertisement about the attacks on his character regarding the sale of Den’s horses and his efforts to determined Den’s identity; 22 Nov: Russell apprehended at West Maitland; 25 Nov: Russell brought before Paterson Bench and committed to stand trial; 10 Feb 1857: Russell tried at the Maitland Quarter Sessions, with John Garbutt acting as a defence witness, but convicted and sentenced to 3 years hard labour at Parramatta gaol[9]
1856 Apr mid John and James Garbutt reportedly brought a mob of horses stolen from William Zuill’s Bellevue and from Charles Reynolds’ Tocal, both on the Paterson River, to the Lamb’s Valley farm leased by Fred’s brother William Ward and his partner Michael Blake; the horses were herded there for some 10 days by William Ward’s boy servant Walter McLeod and a black boy belonging to Joshua Ward, according to statements made by Blake and McLeod, who added that Fred Ward was already at Lamb’s Valley prior to their arrival and left with the Garbutts and the horses around 20 Apr en route for Windsor (a four days journey according to Zuill); 22 Apr: Constable Richard Keating of the Wollombi police saw Fred Ward, another man (later identified as John Garbutt) and a black boy* driving a mob of 30 or so horses towards Wiseman’s Ferry; innkeeper Thomas Sleath of Traveller’s Rest inn at Bishops Bridge also saw them, as did Edward Walmsley the licencee of Wiseman’s Ferry who helped swim the horses across the river, 24 Apr: Constable William Granger saw the men and mob at Pitt Town and advised them where to find a paddock; at these encounters Fred claimed to know nothing about the horses, referring enquiries to his master ‘Mr Ross’ (aka John Garbutt). NB. A number of discrepancies are obvious in the surviving testimonies. Fred Ward’s indictment listed the theft as occurring on 21 April, as Zuill reported having last seen one of the mares on 20 April, however Blake and McLeod’s testimonies indicate that the horses were at Lamb’s Valley for around ten days. As Zuill could easily have been mistaken regarding the last known sighting, and as McLeod, who was employed at Lamb’s Valley for a few weeks only, had no motivation to lie and later correctly identified the horses, it is likely that his claims are correct. That being the case, the horses were probably stolen shortly after ‘George Den’s’ horses were auctioned at Paterson on 12 April.
*It is unclear if ‘black boy’ was used as a derogatory term for an Aboriginal man or if this was actually an Aboriginal boy so the phrase ‘black boy’ has been retained for the narrative[10]
1856 Apr-Aug John Garbutt alias William Ross. circa 20 Apr: John Garbutt, calling himself William Ross, approached Sydney auctioneer Charles Martyn to sell 40 heavy draught mares at Windsor; 21-28 Apr: Messrs Martyn and Schroder advertised that these ‘very superior heavy draught mares’ would be sold on 30 Apr at Windsor; 25 Apr: John Garbutt as William Ross (nephew of Mr Robert Scott Ross, candidate for Cumberland borough) asked Windsor auctioneer George Seymour to auction 37 horses at Windsor on 30 Apr (NB. date of 25 April taken from Seymour’s May 1856 deposition which, for reasons of proximity, is more reliable than the ‘24 April’ mentioned in his Aug 1856 testimony); 30 Apr: Seymour’s sale raised £215.5s; 1 May: Martyn & Shroder advertised that Ross’ Windsor sale of draught mares was postponed to 3 May as the horses had not arrived; 2 May: Garbutt returned to Windsor and collected the net proceeds of £201.7s then headed back toward Sydney; that same morning Constable Granger of Windsor received word that Ross’ horses were stolen and he set off with purchasers Joseph Windred and John Wood to apprehend Garbutt, eventually arresting him in a train at Parramatta; 3 May: Garbutt brought back to Windsor and during the journey told Constable Granger that he had bought the horses from a man named Anderson; 6 May: brought before Windsor’s Police Court and remanded: 10 May: committed by Windsor Bench for trial at Sydney’s Supreme Court on horse stealing charges; 16 May: makes a voluntary confession to Chief Constable Hobbs regarding the thefts of Walker’s cattle and of Reynolds’ and Zuill’s horses, implicating Fred Ward in the actual theft of the horses; 20 May: brought before the Windsor Bench on charges regarding the theft of James Walker’s cattle in Feb 1856 but as Walker did not appear, Garbutt could not be committed for trial, so he was sent to Darlinghurst Gaol; 2 Jun: brought to trial at Sydney’s Supreme Court and pleaded guilty; 3 Jun: sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years hard labour on the roads; 7 Jun: forwarded to Cockatoo Island; 10 Aug: John Garbutt re-admitted to Maitland Gaol from Cockatoo Island by writ of habeas corpus as a witness for Fred Ward[11]
1856 May Frederick Ward. 8 May: apprehended in Maitland district; 9 May: appeared before East Maitland Bench charged with horse stealing, along with Alexander and William Anderson, and admitted to Maitland Gaol on remand (the Andersons were bailed on 10 May, there being little evidence against them); 20 May: appeared before Maitland Bench charged with horse-stealing and committed for trial at Maitland Quarter Sessions, being lodged in Maitland Gaol at that time as his bail application was refused[12]
1856 May-Aug James Garbutt. 30 May: appeared before Bench charged with being concerned in the theft of 30 horses from Ulamanora, Castlereagh River (those sold at East Maitland on 1 Apr 1856), and admitted to Maitland Gaol (from Newcastle Bench said Maitland Gaol records) on remand; 3 Jun: appeared before Maitland Bench on suspicion; 10 Jun: appeared again before Maitland bench with witnesses claiming that he had been seen at the sale on 1 Apr while the prosecution asked for his remand on the grounds that ‘Joseph Garbutt alias Ross alias Neil’, who had pleaded guilty to cattle stealing in Sydney, was his brother; 17 Jun: appeared again before Maitland Bench but was discharged; 7 Aug: readmitted to Maitland Gaol from Maitland Bench having been committed for trial at the ensuing Quarter Sessions on horse stealing charges relating to the Zuill/Reynolds thefts[13]
1856 Jul 22 + William Ward. 22 Jul: apprehended at Muswellbrook on warrant from Maitland bench charged with aiding and assisting in stealing horses from William Zuill of Bellevue; 28 Jul: charged before West Maitland bench and allowed bail; 4 Aug: brought before the bench on remand and again bailed; William later claimed that he was apprehended at the same time as James Garbutt and kept in custody for a fortnight then discharged[14]
1856 Aug 13 Fred Ward and James Garbutt tried at Maitland Quarter Sessions on two charges relating to the theft of horses from William Zuill of Bellevue and Charles Reynolds of Tocal, one charge of stealing and one of receiving stolen horses; Garbutt found guilty of stealing and Ward of receiving and both sentenced to 10 years hard labour on the roads; 22 Aug: both forwarded from Maitland Gaol to Darlinghurst Gaol where received on 23 Aug and forwarded on 27 Aug to Cockatoo Island (NB. Transportation Register entries documenting their servitude on Cockatoo Island have not survived)[15]
1856 Aug + Cockatoo Island[16]
1856 Aug 26+ Auctioneer William George, one of John Garbutt’s victims under his George Den persona (see 2 Apr 1856 above), applied to the authorities claiming property taken from prisoners John and James Garbutt[17]
1857 Jan 13 John Gough, wife and daughter visited J Garbutt and Fred Ward (NB. Almost certainly Fred’s sister Amelia, her husband James Gough and daughter)[18]
1857 Feb 5 Feb: Mr Quaife visited Cockatoo Island to serve a writ of Habeas Corpus for removal of John Garbutt; 7 Feb: Garbutt taken from Cockatoo Island in rough weather and sent to Maitland; 10 Feb: Garbutt a witness at Maitland Quarter Session trial of James Russell for horse stealing in conjunction with Garbutt[19]
1857 Apr + John Garbutt disclosed to Anglican clergyman, Rev. P.P. Agnew, that he had met explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in the interior where he was being held captive by a tribe of blacks and whites; 14 Apr: Agnew revealed the disclosure in a letter to the SMH’s editor; soon afterwards Garbutt stated that his brother James Garbutt and uncle Frederick Ward had also been present at the settlement, that he could find the tribe if allowed to leave Cockatoo Island under charge of a Government party, and that if successful, all three were to receive free pardons; 1 May: the three men undergo a long examination by the Governor-General and others, during which John admits that his brother and uncle had not visited the inland settlement; 8 May: the three men face a Board of Inquiry including Hovenden Hely who had led the 1852 expedition in search of Leichhardt, and John eventually refuses to answer any further questions; Sep: the report of the Board of Inquiry was tabled in Parliament, the Leichhardt Association was formed, and the Government agreed to fund another expedition in search of Leichhardt; Mar 1858: explorer Augustus Charles Gregory left Juandah, Queensland, and reached Adelaide four months later having found no trace of Leichhardt[20]
NB. Report in Maitland Mercury in 1864 re Captain Thunderbolt, that one of the horse stealing gang operating in Lamb’s Valley was the notorious Garbutt who “while undergoing a heavy sentence for his crimes professed to have some mysterious knowledge of the existence of Leichhardt in the interior, but whose story was, after one or more interviews between him and the authorities, discredited[21]
1857 Oct 20 Fred found guilty of neglect of duty as a Wardsman, being asleep at his post – 3 days cells; added three days to his sentence[22]
1857 late Cockatoo Island prisoner John Dawes petitions government (letter received 1 Dec 1857) for a mitigation of his sentence saying that fellow prisoner John Garbutt had told him that he had been associating with bushrangers and that they had shown him where they kept their stash of money, that Garbutt had told him where it was because he had known Garbutt when he worked for Mr Crowther, and that he (Dawes) would be willing to show the authorities where this was (in return for a sentence mitigation) which would be a good way of testing the veracity of Garbutt’s assertions generally without having to mount the expense of a search party for Leichhardt to test his claims[23]
1858 Mar 6 Michael Wells & wife (Fred’s sister Esther) visited the Garbutt brothers and Fred Ward[24]
1858 Apr 17 Petitions for mitigation of sentence submitted for Frederick Ward and James Garbutt[25]
1859 Mar 18 James Wall visited Ward and the Brothers Garbutt[26]
NB. Could this have been an error for Michael James Wells, Fred’s brother-in-law?
1859 Jun 25 Mrs Read visited the Garbutts[27]
NB. Identity unknown
1859 Nov 17 “Caledonian French War” schooner entered dry dock; John Garbutt and another attending the engine pumping out the dock until 9pm, and again during the breakfast hour the following morning; also until 1am on morning of 23 Dec[28]
1860 Feb 19 Fred Ward, John and James Garbutt and another inmate assisted free overseer Mr Horford after he was violently assaulted by John Williams and Richard Stone in the Barrack yard; among witnesses at ensuing hearing on 29 Feb[29]
1860 Apr 19 Mrs Read and daughter visited Garbutt brothers and Fred Ward[30]
NB. Identity unknown
1860 May 30 Joseph Ward (no doubt Fred’s brother Joshua) and James Gough (Fred’s brother-in-law) visited Fred Ward and the Garbutt brothers[31]
1860 mid Inspector Lane, in charge of the police stationed on Cockatoo Island mentioned early in 1861 that Garbutt, a sub-overseer, was stationed at the gate to open and shut it for the prisoners until he left the island[32]
1860 Jun 13 Request by Convict Department for indulgences for Frederick Ward and the Garbutt brothers, having recommended Fred Ward and James Garbutt for a ticket-of-leave for Mudgee on 8 June, while reporting that John Garbutt was not eligible[33]
1860 Jul 18 Another request by Convict Department for indulgences for John Garbutt, having recommended him for a ticket-of-leave for Yass on 15 Jul[34]
1860 Jul 21 Two men missing at evening muster; soon afterwards discovered in prison drain having descended through seats; John Garbutt, who was sent down to search, discovered them and drove them up before him[35]
1860 Jul 27 12 prisoners were discharged from Cockatoo Island to receive tickets-of-leave; 26 Jul: Police Gazette lists Fred Ward and James Garbeth as having received tickets-of-leave; 31 Jul: Tickets-of-Leave for Fred Ward and James Garbutt officially issued for the Mudgee district[36]
1860 Aug 25 10 prisoners were discharged from Cockatoo Island to receive tickets-of-leave; 30 Jul: Police Gazette lists John Garbutt as having received a ticket-of-leave for Mudgee district[37]
1860 Aug + Martin Brennan in his Police History (p.330) stated that Fred entered Mrs Garbutt’s employ at Mudgee as a horse-breaker. Some researchers have accordingly claimed that this woman was Fred’s sister, Sarah Ann Ward/Garbutt/ Shepherd/ Edwards (and even that Sarah was Fred’s “mother”), even though Sarah had been the common-law wife of Edward Sackville Edwards for nearly two decades by that time and was living with him in the Warialda district. Primary-source records reveal that there was no Mrs Garbutt at Mudgee until Fred’s nephew, John Charles Garbutt, married Widow Elizabeth Blackman nee Aldridge on 27 Dec 1860, and that all references to a ‘Mrs Garbutt’ thereafter were to a woman with the given name Elizabeth. Clearly ‘Mrs Garbutt’ was not Fred’s sister but his nephew John Garbutt’s wife (see Who was Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal?)
1860 Dec 27 At Cooyal Inn, John Charles Garbutt married Elizabeth Blackman nee Aldridge, the widowed innkeeper of the Cooyal Inn. Elizabeth was born 19 Jun 1818 at Richmond/Castlereagh, had daughter Elizabeth (1838) and married Henry James Blackman on 18 Jan 1840 at Penrith; they were settlers at Cooyal from 1844 onwards (perhaps earlier) and had issue: Henry J. (1841), Mary (1844-1846), William (1846-1847), Thomas Edward (1848-1849) and Mary Jane (1851-1852); Henry James Blackman died 15 Jan 1855 and was buried at Mudgee Memorial Park Cemetery. (NB. Elizabeth was the only Mrs Garbutt living at Cooyal, indeed living in the Mudgee district, although some Thunderbolt writers have inaccurately claimed that this Mrs Garbutt was Sarah Ann Ward, John’s mother. Elizabeth died 21 Apr 1890 at Mudgee and buried at St Peter’s Richmond[38]
1860 late Fred Ward established relationship with Mary Ann Baker (nee Bugg) who fell pregnant early in 1861[39]
1861 Jan-Aug John Garbutt appeared before the Mudgee Courts on numerous instances as follows. 8 Jan: summoned before police court for assault and fined £5 less costs; 8 Mar: brought his wife’s ex-brother-in-law, Thomas Blackman, before the police court for stealing an ox and calf from Cooyal, although Blackman was acquitted at his trial on 5 Apr (testimonies also revealed that the Garbutts and Blackman were on bad terms over property rights with an action pending in Supreme Court); 2 Apr: Garbutt appeared before Mudgee bench charged with sheep stealing but allowed to bail; 5 Apr: indicted at Quarter Sessions for stealing sheep belonging to Nicholas Paget but allowed bail and case carried over to the next sessions; 9 Apr: indicted at police court for damages on working bullocks he impounded but case adjourned, and damages settled out of court; 24 Apr: applies for liquor licence but application not approved; 6 Jun: ticket-of-leave cancelled; 10 Jun: Inspector General of Police ordered that, in the event of an acquittal, he was to be returned to Cockatoo Island to complete his previous sentence; 6 Jul: convicted at Mudgee Quarter Sessions of sheep stealing and sentenced to 5 years labour on roads (but proviso by jury that if two witnesses charged by Garbutt with perjury were found guilty, a petition should be sent to the Crown for a pardon); 29 Jul: admitted to Darlinghurst Gaol; 1 Aug: transferred to Cockatoo Island[40]
1861 Feb Fred was living near Stoney Creek, three or four miles from Cooyal (towards Mudgee), presumably with Mary Ann; at that time a half-caste named Captain Blackman, who was brought up at Cooyal, had a fight with John Garbutt and left, telling George Pearson of Cooyal Creek that he was going to stay with Fred Ward in the neighbourhood of Stoney Creek[41]
1861 May-Aug James Garbutt. 8 May: apprehended for stealing a pair of boots and other goods from his employers, Messrs Dickson & Burrows of Mudgee; 9 May: brought before Mudgee Police Court and committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions; 6 Jun: ticket-of-leave cancelled; 10 Jun: Inspector General of Police ordered that, in the event of an acquittal, the Garbutt brothers were to be returned to Cockatoo Island to complete their previous sentences; 5 Jul: tried at Mudgee Quarter Sessions for stealing a pair of boots on 8 May and acquitted; 6 Jul: re-arrested under warrant by Mudgee Bench for being ‘illegally at large’; 19 Jul: brought before Police Court and an order made to send him to Sydney; 29 Jul: admitted to Darlinghurst Gaol; 3 Aug: transferred to Cockatoo Island[42]
1861 Sep-Nov Fred Ward: Early Sep: presented himself in Mudgee as required, having ridden in on a horse belonging to his employer, Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal; 13 Sep: having failed to present himself at the required Muster, Fred was that day in the Police Magistrate’s court proclaimed to be illegally at large and ordered to be returned to Sydney; 19 Sep: apprehended at Mudgee for stealing a horse belonging to Thomas Best of Meroo and confined in the lock-up for being a prisoner of the Crown at large; 20 Sep: brought before Mudgee Police Court charged with stealing a horse and committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions; 3 Oct: indicted on two charges (stealing a horse, and receiving the same knowing it to be stolen) and found guilty on the ‘receiving’ charge; 9 Oct: sentenced to three years employment on the public works to commence at the expiration of his previous sentence; 2 Nov: admitted to Darlinghurst Gaol; 4 Nov: transferred to Cockatoo Island (NB. The SMH’s trial report said that Fred had been apprehended in Dungog with the stolen horse, whereas Mudgee’s Chief Constable reported at Fred’s committal hearing that he had apprehended Fred the day previously and confined him in the lock-up. If Fred had indeed been apprehended at Dungog, he would have been brought before the Dungog Bench and remanded to Mudgee, with the relevant information documented in the Dungog Bench Books – which have survived, unlike Mudgee’s Bench Books or Gaol Records. As no such references have been found, and as the other surviving reports make no reference to Dungog, it seems likely that the SMH report mixed up the information.)[43]
1861 Oct 26 Birth of Marina Emily Ward at Menkrai (Monkerai) near Dungog to Fredrick Wordsworth Ward, training groom, and Mary Ann Ward (nee Bugg)[44]
1861 perhaps Report in 1866 that Fred knew the Upper Manning district well, having formerly worked for Miss Kelly when he ‘passed by the less pretentious name of Ward’; this was possibly in mid-1861when he took Mary Ann Bugg back to Dungog however, as he had to attend three-monthly musters at Mudgee, it is more likely prior to his 1856 crime[45]
1862 May 6 Fred Ward, a cell constable, was charged with ‘tampering with the prisoners in the cells with the view to assist them in attempting to effect their escape’; case remanded on 8 May; appeared before magistrate on 15 May when case dismissed. Confined in the cells at night for between two and nine nights[46]
1862 Jun 26 James Garbut witness at hearing of Charles Longman and James Cameron charged with aiding and assisting Prisoner Cavenagh to conceal himself on 14 Jun; case dismissed[47]
1863 Jan-Feb Cockatoo Island riots: Fred Ward among group of ‘the most desperate characters and long sentence men’ who rebelled on Cockatoo Island over the rescinding of the remission system. 9 Jan: refused to go out to work (on 12 Jan sentenced to 7 days in cells), and making a disturbance after hours (trial remanded until after first sentence completed); 19 Jan: refused to go out to work after expiration of previous sentences (on 21 Jan sentenced to 28 days in cells); 22 Jan: refused to make up and give over bedding when ordered (on 18 Feb sentenced to 7 days in cells); 27 Jan: out of bed, making a disturbance and refusing to obey Superintendent’s orders (tried 25 Feb – outcome unclear); 15 Feb: refusing to go to work at expiration of sentences (also tried 25 Feb – outcome unclear). NB. While sentenced to the solitary confinement cells, Fred and the majority of the other rioters were actually confined in one of the prison wards; only the ringleaders were confined in the ce[48]
1863 Feb-Sep 20 Feb 1863: Frederick Britten arrived on Cockatoo Island (see Frederick Britten)
1863 Other sentences: claims made regarding Fred’s additional sentences in Jules Joubert’s Shavings and Scrapes from many parts (1890) [ML] are rubbish (see What Punishments did Fred Ward receive on Cockatoo Island?); in fact Joubert does not appear to have had the responsibilities he claimed, according to the Online Newspapers
1863 Sep 11 Fred Ward & Frederick Britten were absent from evening muster on Cockatoo Island, having apparently secreted themselves somewhere on the island; they escaped on the night of 13/14 Sep (NB. The escape was evidently made without any outside help – see How did Fred Ward escape from Cockatoo Island?)[51]
1863 Oct Police Gazette reports that FW has brother William living on the Culgoa River[52]
1863 Oct 12 Reward of £25 offered for information leading to the re-apprehension of Ward & Britten (£50 total) having been requested by Police Dept on 9 Oct[53]
Sources:
[1] See When was Fred Ward born? and Where was Fred Ward born? and Who were Fred Ward’s parents?
[2] Bradley, Beatrice ‘Brief History of the Milford Family and an Account of the diary written up by Dr Frederick Milford’ in Armidale & District Historical Society – Journal and Proceedings No.22 (1979) pp.63-73; also The Diary of Dr Frederick Milford (copy provided by Pat Bradley); Baptism: George J. Wilson [SRNSW Vol 31 No.409; Reel 5009]; Sydney Morning Herald 28 May 1847 p.4
[3] Maitland Mercury 27 Apr 1865 p.4 (from Singleton Times); Sydney Morning Herald 3 May 1865 p.8 (from Tamworth Examiner 29 Apr 1865). Cheesborough at Tareela Maitland Mercury 16 Dec 1862 p.3
[4] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]
[5] Maitland Mercury 8 Dec 1855 p.2, 15 Mar 1856 p.2
[6] Clerk of the Peace – Depositions for Sydney Circuit: 1856 Supreme Court Sittings, Windsor No.22: R. v. William Ross alias John Garbutt [SRNSW 9/6400]
[7] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]
[8] Maitland Mercury 26 Mar 1856 p.3, 1 Apr p.3, 12 Apr p.3, 19 Apr p.1, 26 Apr p.1, 3 Jun p.2, 5 Jun p.2, 12 Jun p.2, 14 Jun p.2, 19 Jun p.2, 21 Jun pp.2 & 3; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 – Testimony of John Garbutt [SRNSW 2/2484]
[9] Maitland Mercury 10 Apr 1856 p.4, 5 Aug p.3, 27 Nov p.2, 12 Feb 1857 p.2; Northern Times 11 Feb 1857 p.3
[10] Maitland Mercury 13 May 1856 pp.2 & 5, 15 May p.2, 22 May p.2, 14 Aug p.2, 16 Aug p.3; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]; Sydney Morning Herald 13 May 1856 p.5; Hobart Mercury 27 May 1856 p.2. Re: Keating – Maitland Mercury 5 Feb 1857 p.2, 12 Feb p.2; Sleath – Maitland Mercury 13 Feb 1856 p.3, 17 Apr p.2; Walmsley – Maitland Mercury 24 Feb 1849 p.2
[11] Sydney Morning Herald 21-25 Apr 1856 p.6, 26 & 28 Apr p.8, 30 Apr p.6, 1 & 2 May p.7, 3 May p.6, 13 May p.5, 5 Jun 1856 p.2; Maitland Mercury 15 May 1856 p.2, 14 Aug p.2; Clerk of the Peace – Depositions for Sydney Circuit: 1856 Supreme Court Sittings, Windsor Nos.17-19 & 22: R. v. William Ross alias John Garbutt [SRNSW 9/6400]; Calender of persons tried on criminal charges in Sydney: John Garbutt, 1856 [SRNSW 4/6449 p.280 No.16; Reel 685]; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: John Garbutt, 1856 [SRNSW 5/1893 Year 1856 No.1176]; Hobart Mercury 27 May 1856 p.2; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]; CSIL: Re John Garbutt [SRNSW 4/3480 Item 62/5213 No.62/5213]; Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: John Garbut, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 No.271; Reel 757] & Maitland Gaol - Description Book [SRNSW 2/2017 Year 1856 No.271; Reel 759]. Re: Robert Scott Ross in Maitland Mercury 18 Feb 1856 p.3; re Charles Reynolds & Messrs Martyn & Schroder in Sydney Morning Herald 22 Mar 1856 p.6
[12] Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: Frederick Ward, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 No.175; Reel 757] & Maitland Gaol - Description Book [SRNSW 2/2017 Year 1856 No.175; Reel 759]; Maitland Mercury 13 May 1856 p.2, 22 May p.2; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]
[13] Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: James Garbut, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 Nos.192 & 265; Reel 757] & Maitland Gaol - Description Book [SRNSW 2/2017 Year 1856 No.192 & 265; Reel 759]; Maitland Mercury 3 Jun 1856 p.2, 5 Jun p.3, 12 Jun p.2, 19 Jun p.2
[14] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 – Testimony of William Ward [SRNSW 2/2484]; Maitland Mercury 29 Jul 1856 p.2, 5 Aug p.2
[15] Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: Frederick Ward, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 No.175; Reel 757]; also James Garbutt [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 Nos.192 & 265; Reel 757]; MaitlandMercury 14 Aug 1856 p.2; Sydney Morning Herald 1 Aug 1856 p.2; Hobart Mercury27 May 1856 p.2; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 1856 [SRNSW 5/1893 Year 1856 Nos. 1772 & 1773]; Cockatoo Island - Muster Roll: Frederick Ward [SRNSW 4/6508 – 31 Dec 1861 No.237] & James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/6508 – 31 Oct 1862 No.64]; CSIL: Petition, Frederick Ward, 1858 [SRNSW 4/549 No.67/1712]. Re Ratcliffe Pring: ADB - Online Edition [http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050507b.htm], Brisbane Courier 27 Mar 1885 p.5. Re Justice Alfred Cheeke: ADB - Online Edition [http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030363b.htm], Sydney Morning Herald 15 Mar 1876 p.5
[16] ReportfromtheBoardofInquiryintothemanagementofCockatooIsland,1858, New South Wales Legislative Council, 1858 [ML Q365.99441/2]; ‘Minutes of Evidence taken before the Select Committee on the Public Prisons in Sydney and Cumberland’ in Votes&ProceedingsoftheNSWLegislativeAssembly, 1861, Vol.1, pp.1063-1310; ‘Penal Establishments’ in Votes&ProceedingsoftheNSWLegislativeAssembly, 1863-64, Vol.2, pp.919-20; Cockatoo Island – General Regulations and Gaol Orders, 1849-57 [SRNSW 4/6519] & Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment 1856-63 [SRNSW 4/6511-13 & 4/6504-5]; Derrincourt OldConvictDays pp.248-91; Colony's toughest lags holed up here, 24 Sep 2009 [http://www.smh.com.au/national/colonys-toughest-lags-holed-up-here-20090923-g2pn.html]; Earliest convict cells found by archaeologists on Cockatoo Island, 24 Sep 2009
[http://www.australianarchaeologicalassociation.com.au/node/3952]; Convict era punishment cells unearthed, 24 Sep 2009 [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2695537.htm]
[17] CSIL: William George, 29 Aug 1856 [SRNSW ref: 4/3335 No. 56/7249]
[18] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6511 13 Jan 1857]
[19] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6511 5 Feb 1857]; NSW Legislative Council: Report from the Board of Inquiry into the management of Cockatoo Island, 1858: John Garbutt, pp.59 & 64 [ML Q365.99441/2]; Maitland Mercury 12 Feb 1857 p.2
[20] Sydney Morning Herald 14 Apr 1857 p.5, 17 Apr p.5, 20 Apr pp.3 & 8, 21 Apr p.5 (x2), 22 Apr p.5, 25 Apr p.6, 27 Apr p.5 (x2), 28 Apr p.5, 1 May pp.4 & 8, 4 May p.2, 5 May p.5, 11 May pp.5 & 8 plus others including 26 Aug p.4, 3 Sep 1857 p.4, 12 Sep pp. 2, 4 & 5, 15 Sep p.4; Moreton Bay Courier 2 May 1857 p.2; Argus 18 May 1857 p.6 [quoting Sydney Morning Herald]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6511, 1 & 8 May 1857]; Legislative Assembly Tabled Papers: Statement of John Garbutt regarding Ludwig Leichhardt, 1857 [NSWPA LA TP 1857/409]; ‘Sir Augustus Charles Gregory’ in the Australian Dictionary of Biography – Online Edition [http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040333b.htm]; ‘Searches for Leichhardt’ in The Australian Encyclopaedia, Vol. 5, Grolier Society, Sydney, 1963; Australian Explorers: Augustus Charles Gregory
[http://www.ozedweb.com/history/h_oz_e_gregory.htm]
[21] Brisbane Courier 14 Jan 1864 p.2 (from Maitland Mercury)
[22] CSIL: Petition of Frederick Ward, 1858 [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.58/1399]; CSIL: Convict Department to Principal Under-Secretary, 13 Jun 1860 [SRNSW 4/3424 No.60/2462]
[23] CSIL: John Dawes, received 1 Dec 1857 [SRNSW ref: 4/3369 No. 57/4795]
[24] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6512, 6 Mar 1858]
[25] CSIL: Petitions of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 1858 [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.58/1399]
[26] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6513, 18 Mar 1859]
[27] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6513, 25 Jun 1859]
[28] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6513, 17 & 18 Nov & 22 Dec 1859]
[29] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 19 Feb 1860]; Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book [SRNSW 4/6502 – 22 & 29 Feb 1860]
[30] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 19 Apr 1860]
[31] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 30 May 1860]
[32] Votes & Proceedings: Public Prisons in Sydney & Cumberland, 1861, Vol. 1 p.1284
[33] CSIL: Convict Department to Principal Under-Secretary, 13 Jun 1860 [SRNSW 4/3424 No.60/2462]
[34] CSIL: Convict Department to Principal Under-Secretary, 18 Jul 1860 [SRNSW 4/3425 No.60/2911]
[35] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 21 Jul 1860]
[36] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 27 Jul 1860]; Tickets-of-Leave: Frederick Ward [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/28; Reel 893] & James Garbut, 1860 [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/27; Reel 893]; NSWPG 26 Jul 1860 p.2; GG 1860 (27 Jul) p.1423
[37] Ticket-of-Leave: John Charles Garbutt [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/30; Reel 893]; NSWPG 30 Jul 1860 p.2
[38] Marriage Certificate: John Charles Garbutt & Elizabeth Blackman, 1861 [RBDM 1860/2141]; Pioneers Index to Births, Deaths and Marriages; Burials: Henry James Blackman and four children at Mudgee Memorial Park Cemetery (transcriptions of headstones); [http://www.family.joint.net.au/index.php?cid=844&mid=14]; Western Post 8 Dec 1860 [Annette Piper’s transcriptions]; Smee, C.J. & Selkirk Provis, J The 1788-1820 Association’s Pioneer Register, Volume 1 (2nd edition), 1981 (James Blackman) & Volume 3, 1987 (William Aldridge); Mutch Index 1814+ [ML]; Aldridge Family [http://www.users.on.net/~moore/Moore/indiI04737.html]
[39] Birth Certificate: Marina Emily Ward [RBDM 1861/7193]
[40] Western Post 12 Jan 1861, 9 Mar, 10, 17 & 24 Apr, 9 Oct, 2 Nov, 7 & 11 Dec from Annette Piper’s Newspaper Transcripts [http://www.addison.homedns.org/transcriptions/others/othersintro.html], also Western Post 11 May 1861 p.3, 10 Jul pp.2-3, 13 Dec p.3; Brisbane Courier 25 Apr 1861 p.4 (from Western Post 6 Apr 1861 – issue missing); Sydney Morning Herald 15 Apr 1861 p.8, 25 Apr p.4; Ticket of Leave: John Charles Garbutt [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/30; Reel 893]; CSIL: Re John Garbutt [SRNSW 4/3480 Item 62/5213]; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: John Charles Garbutt [SRNSW 5/1895 Year 1861 No.1515; Reel 2337] & [SRNSW 5/1896 Year 1861 Nos.1916 & 2032; Reel 2338]; CSIL: Re James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.65/1712]
[41] CSIL: Petition of Elizabeth Garbutt of Cooyal, Wife of John Garbutt, 1861 [SRNSW ref: CSIL letter number 61/3928]
[42] Western Post 11 May 1861 p.3, 10 Jul pp.2 & 3, 24 Jul p.2; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: James Garbutt, 1861 [SRNSW 5/1895 Year 1861 No.1516; Reel 2337] Ticket of Leave: James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/27; Reel 893]; CSIL: Re James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.65/1712]
[43] Mudgee Liberal 27 Sep 1861 p.2, 11 Oct 1861 p.4; Western Post 18 Sep 1861 p.2, 21 Sep 1861 p.2, 9 Oct 1861; Sydney Morning Herald 9 Oct 1861 p.3; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: Frederick Ward, 1861 [SRNSW 5/1896 Year 1861 No.2103; Reel 2338] & Cockatoo Island - Muster Roll [SRNSW 4/6508 – 28 Feb 1862 No.207a, & 30 Oct 1862 No.198]
[44] Birth Certificate: Marina Emily Ward [RBDM 1861/7193]; Death Certificate: Mary Ann Burrows [RBDM 1905/5831]; Obit: Mary Ann Burrows in Mudgee Guardian 27 Apr 1905 p.13
[45] Manning River News 24 Mar 1866 p.2
[46] Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book [SRNSW 4/6502, 8 & 15 May 1862]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6505, 6 May 1862]
[47] Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book: Re Longman & Cameron [SRNSW 4/6502, 20 & 26 Jun 1862]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment : Re Michael Cavenagh [SRNSW 4/6505, 13 & 14 Jun 1862]
[48] Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book: Frederick Ward [SRNSW 4/6502 – 12 & 21 Jan 1863, 18 & 25 Feb 1863]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6505 6 Jan 1863-17 Feb 1863]; Cockatoo Island – Letter Book [SRNSW 4/6518 pp.95-7, ; Reel 606] Sydney Morning Herald 12 Jan 1863 p.4, 13 Jan p.4, 21 Jan p.4, 24 Jan p.5, 29 Jan p.4, 30 Jan p.5, 14 Feb p.4, 19 Feb pp.4 & 5 & 13, 20 Feb p.4, 21 Feb p.5, 27 Feb p.4, 28 Feb p.5 (x2), 9 Mar p.4; Sydney Mail 17 Jan 1863 p.5, 31 Jan p.4, 21 Feb p.4; Argus 13 Jan 1863 p.5, 26 Jan p.6, 29 Jan p.5, 13 Feb p.4, 19 Feb p.5; Hobart Mercury 22 Jan 1863 p.3, 6 Feb p.3, 9 Feb p.3, 23 Feb p.3, 27 Feb p.3; Brisbane Courier 28 Jan 1863 p.3, 29 Jan p.2, 30 Jan p.2, 2 Feb p.3, 21 Feb p.2
[51] Cockatoo Island – Letter Book: Re Ward & Britten [SRNSW 4/6518 p.154 No.152, p.155 Nos.153 & 154, p.157 Nos.157 & 158, p.158 No.159, pp.159-60 No.162, p.160 No.163]; CSIL: Re Ward & Britten, 1863 [SRNSW 4/508 No. 63/5091]; NSW Police Gazette 1863 No. 37 (16 Sep 1863) p.279, No. 40 (7 Oct 1863) p.301, No. 41 (14 Oct 1863) p.307 (repeated pp.314, 328, 388; Sydney Morning Herald 16 Sep 1863 p.5, 23 Sep 1863 p.5; Sydney Mail 19 Sep 1863 p.3; Maitland Mercury 19 Sep 1863 p.5
[52] NSW Police Gazette 1863 No. 40 (7 Oct 1863) p.301
[53] NSW Police Gazette 1863 No. 41 (14 Oct 1863) p.307; CSIL: Police Dept to Principal Under Secretary, 8 Oct 1863 [SRNSW 4/509 No 63/5459]
Copyright Carol Baxter 2011
1835 Fred Ward was born to Michael and Sophia Ward around the time they moved from Wilberforce to Windsor, NSW[1] For further information about Fred’s parents and family background, see Michael and Sophia Ward and their family
1847 early Fred was employed as a ‘generally useful hand’ by the new owners of Aberbaldie station near Walcha and escorted the party, including the new resident manager Mr Wilson and Frederick Milford, from Morpeth to Aberbaldie (NB. Milford’s memoir provided no date for this journey however it mentioned that the party included Wilson, his wife and twelve-month-old son; newspapers reports and church records reveal that Thomas George Wilson and his wife Ellen had a son born in Sydney on 25 Jan 1846 and a daughter born at Aberbaldie on 10 May 1847 indicating that the journey must have taken place early in 1847). Fred remained at Aberbaldie for some time – perhaps as long as a year, the duration of most station-hands’ contracts – before leaving their employ during a journey with Frederick Milford to Barraba to purchase cattle[2]
1840/50s Newspaper reports indicate that Fred worked as a stockman/horsebreaker at ‘Mr Cheeseborough’s Tareela’ station, near Barraba NB. As Fred left Aberbaldie’s employ during a trip to the Barraba district, it is possible that he was taken on by the Tareela owners at that time; whether then or later, it appears that Cheesborough was not his employer as newspaper references suggest that Cheesborough didn’t acquire the station until the 1860s[3]
1850s Fred employed as a stockman and horsebreaker at Charles Reynolds’ Tocal station[4]
1855 Nov-Dec Fred Ward and Augustus Frederick Anderson were driving a herd of fat cattle down for Mr George Bowman when, at Murrurundi, their herd became mixed with another belonging to William Loder; soon afterwards Anderson sold two bullocks however Anderson’s receipts listed different brands and accordingly both Anderson and Ward were taken into custody on charges of cattle stealing; 3 Dec: Muswellbrook bench ordered that Anderson being committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions and allowed his release to bail, however as Fred stated that he was merely employed by Anderson as a drover and as he was not present at the sale, the court discharged him; Anderson did not appear at the March Quarter Sessions and the newspaper reported that the bondsmen had offered a reward for his apprehension, and that Anderson had been shot and killed by police in the Warialda district while attempting to escape[5]
1856 Feb 1 John Garbutt and others stole 75 head of cattle from Baradean, Liverpool Plains, the property of James Walker Esq. of Wallerawang; 17/18 Feb: Garbutt (using the name George Flemming) and his servant went to William Eaton’s public house at Murrurundi where he sold the cattle to Eaton’s brother-in-law, cattle dealer Francis Bowden Bennett of Richmond (having claimed that he purchased them from William Roberts); 3 Mar: Bennett tried to sell the cattle but the purchaser, Benjamin Richards, recognised the brand; 15 Mar: Walker identified the cattle as stolen but ‘Flemming’ was not identified until Bennett’s note-of-hand was discovered on Garbutt after his arrest at Parramatta on 2 May[6]
1856 Feb/Mar Fred Ward offered his services to Charles Reynolds at Tocal and assisted them to muster cattle for a fortnight[7]
1856 Mar 26+ 24 Mar: John Garbutt (using the name William Neil) called on auctioneer Alexander Dodds at Maitland and asked him to sell some 30 of his horses to be brought down from the Barwon; 26 Mar: Dodds advertised that on 1 Apr he would auction 28 of William Neil’s horses; 1 Apr: horses sold at East Maitland to A.J. Doyle, James Dodds, William Brettell, Thomas Nicholls, Isaac Gorrick Jnr (and perhaps others) with some later reporting that they saw James Garbutt at the sale, that he showed a personal knowledge of the horses; 7 Apr: William Wilson of Ulamanbra, Castlereagh River, advertised that 30 horses had been stolen from his property and had been seen near Cassilis on the road to Maitland; John Garbutt later mentioned that his brother James Garbutt was with him when he had this mob, but that he had told his brother that they were his own horses; 30 May: James Garbutt indicted for being involved in this theft (see below)[8]
1856 Apr 2 + 2 Apr: John Garbutt (calling himself George Den of New England) called on auctioneer William George at Paterson asking him to sell horses by auction; 8 Apr: 13 horses were stolen from John Radridge’s and neighbouring farms near the junction of Cockfighter’s Creek and the Hunter River (not far from where John grew up at Crowder’s); 10 Apr: William George advertised the sale of 10 dray horses and 20 saddle mares and geldings in the Maitland Mercury, the horses being brought into the yard the same day; 12 Apr: the horses were all sold without reserve at Mr Long’s Plough Inn, Paterson, and the sale realised £73; 13 Apr: instructions re the proceeds were given by James Russell who said that Mr Den was in Maitland selling cattle, and Mr Den later returned and collected the proceeds; 20 Jun: auctioneer William George went to Cockatoo Island and identified John Garbutt as Mr Den; 21 Jul: William George signed a statement reporting that Garbutt was Den; 5 Aug: William George complained in an advertisement about the attacks on his character regarding the sale of Den’s horses and his efforts to determined Den’s identity; 22 Nov: Russell apprehended at West Maitland; 25 Nov: Russell brought before Paterson Bench and committed to stand trial; 10 Feb 1857: Russell tried at the Maitland Quarter Sessions, with John Garbutt acting as a defence witness, but convicted and sentenced to 3 years hard labour at Parramatta gaol[9]
1856 Apr mid John and James Garbutt reportedly brought a mob of horses stolen from William Zuill’s Bellevue and from Charles Reynolds’ Tocal, both on the Paterson River, to the Lamb’s Valley farm leased by Fred’s brother William Ward and his partner Michael Blake; the horses were herded there for some 10 days by William Ward’s boy servant Walter McLeod and a black boy belonging to Joshua Ward, according to statements made by Blake and McLeod, who added that Fred Ward was already at Lamb’s Valley prior to their arrival and left with the Garbutts and the horses around 20 Apr en route for Windsor (a four days journey according to Zuill); 22 Apr: Constable Richard Keating of the Wollombi police saw Fred Ward, another man (later identified as John Garbutt) and a black boy* driving a mob of 30 or so horses towards Wiseman’s Ferry; innkeeper Thomas Sleath of Traveller’s Rest inn at Bishops Bridge also saw them, as did Edward Walmsley the licencee of Wiseman’s Ferry who helped swim the horses across the river, 24 Apr: Constable William Granger saw the men and mob at Pitt Town and advised them where to find a paddock; at these encounters Fred claimed to know nothing about the horses, referring enquiries to his master ‘Mr Ross’ (aka John Garbutt). NB. A number of discrepancies are obvious in the surviving testimonies. Fred Ward’s indictment listed the theft as occurring on 21 April, as Zuill reported having last seen one of the mares on 20 April, however Blake and McLeod’s testimonies indicate that the horses were at Lamb’s Valley for around ten days. As Zuill could easily have been mistaken regarding the last known sighting, and as McLeod, who was employed at Lamb’s Valley for a few weeks only, had no motivation to lie and later correctly identified the horses, it is likely that his claims are correct. That being the case, the horses were probably stolen shortly after ‘George Den’s’ horses were auctioned at Paterson on 12 April.
*It is unclear if ‘black boy’ was used as a derogatory term for an Aboriginal man or if this was actually an Aboriginal boy so the phrase ‘black boy’ has been retained for the narrative[10]
1856 Apr-Aug John Garbutt alias William Ross. circa 20 Apr: John Garbutt, calling himself William Ross, approached Sydney auctioneer Charles Martyn to sell 40 heavy draught mares at Windsor; 21-28 Apr: Messrs Martyn and Schroder advertised that these ‘very superior heavy draught mares’ would be sold on 30 Apr at Windsor; 25 Apr: John Garbutt as William Ross (nephew of Mr Robert Scott Ross, candidate for Cumberland borough) asked Windsor auctioneer George Seymour to auction 37 horses at Windsor on 30 Apr (NB. date of 25 April taken from Seymour’s May 1856 deposition which, for reasons of proximity, is more reliable than the ‘24 April’ mentioned in his Aug 1856 testimony); 30 Apr: Seymour’s sale raised £215.5s; 1 May: Martyn & Shroder advertised that Ross’ Windsor sale of draught mares was postponed to 3 May as the horses had not arrived; 2 May: Garbutt returned to Windsor and collected the net proceeds of £201.7s then headed back toward Sydney; that same morning Constable Granger of Windsor received word that Ross’ horses were stolen and he set off with purchasers Joseph Windred and John Wood to apprehend Garbutt, eventually arresting him in a train at Parramatta; 3 May: Garbutt brought back to Windsor and during the journey told Constable Granger that he had bought the horses from a man named Anderson; 6 May: brought before Windsor’s Police Court and remanded: 10 May: committed by Windsor Bench for trial at Sydney’s Supreme Court on horse stealing charges; 16 May: makes a voluntary confession to Chief Constable Hobbs regarding the thefts of Walker’s cattle and of Reynolds’ and Zuill’s horses, implicating Fred Ward in the actual theft of the horses; 20 May: brought before the Windsor Bench on charges regarding the theft of James Walker’s cattle in Feb 1856 but as Walker did not appear, Garbutt could not be committed for trial, so he was sent to Darlinghurst Gaol; 2 Jun: brought to trial at Sydney’s Supreme Court and pleaded guilty; 3 Jun: sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years hard labour on the roads; 7 Jun: forwarded to Cockatoo Island; 10 Aug: John Garbutt re-admitted to Maitland Gaol from Cockatoo Island by writ of habeas corpus as a witness for Fred Ward[11]
1856 May Frederick Ward. 8 May: apprehended in Maitland district; 9 May: appeared before East Maitland Bench charged with horse stealing, along with Alexander and William Anderson, and admitted to Maitland Gaol on remand (the Andersons were bailed on 10 May, there being little evidence against them); 20 May: appeared before Maitland Bench charged with horse-stealing and committed for trial at Maitland Quarter Sessions, being lodged in Maitland Gaol at that time as his bail application was refused[12]
1856 May-Aug James Garbutt. 30 May: appeared before Bench charged with being concerned in the theft of 30 horses from Ulamanora, Castlereagh River (those sold at East Maitland on 1 Apr 1856), and admitted to Maitland Gaol (from Newcastle Bench said Maitland Gaol records) on remand; 3 Jun: appeared before Maitland Bench on suspicion; 10 Jun: appeared again before Maitland bench with witnesses claiming that he had been seen at the sale on 1 Apr while the prosecution asked for his remand on the grounds that ‘Joseph Garbutt alias Ross alias Neil’, who had pleaded guilty to cattle stealing in Sydney, was his brother; 17 Jun: appeared again before Maitland Bench but was discharged; 7 Aug: readmitted to Maitland Gaol from Maitland Bench having been committed for trial at the ensuing Quarter Sessions on horse stealing charges relating to the Zuill/Reynolds thefts[13]
1856 Jul 22 + William Ward. 22 Jul: apprehended at Muswellbrook on warrant from Maitland bench charged with aiding and assisting in stealing horses from William Zuill of Bellevue; 28 Jul: charged before West Maitland bench and allowed bail; 4 Aug: brought before the bench on remand and again bailed; William later claimed that he was apprehended at the same time as James Garbutt and kept in custody for a fortnight then discharged[14]
1856 Aug 13 Fred Ward and James Garbutt tried at Maitland Quarter Sessions on two charges relating to the theft of horses from William Zuill of Bellevue and Charles Reynolds of Tocal, one charge of stealing and one of receiving stolen horses; Garbutt found guilty of stealing and Ward of receiving and both sentenced to 10 years hard labour on the roads; 22 Aug: both forwarded from Maitland Gaol to Darlinghurst Gaol where received on 23 Aug and forwarded on 27 Aug to Cockatoo Island (NB. Transportation Register entries documenting their servitude on Cockatoo Island have not survived)[15]
1856 Aug + Cockatoo Island[16]
1856 Aug 26+ Auctioneer William George, one of John Garbutt’s victims under his George Den persona (see 2 Apr 1856 above), applied to the authorities claiming property taken from prisoners John and James Garbutt[17]
1857 Jan 13 John Gough, wife and daughter visited J Garbutt and Fred Ward (NB. Almost certainly Fred’s sister Amelia, her husband James Gough and daughter)[18]
1857 Feb 5 Feb: Mr Quaife visited Cockatoo Island to serve a writ of Habeas Corpus for removal of John Garbutt; 7 Feb: Garbutt taken from Cockatoo Island in rough weather and sent to Maitland; 10 Feb: Garbutt a witness at Maitland Quarter Session trial of James Russell for horse stealing in conjunction with Garbutt[19]
1857 Apr + John Garbutt disclosed to Anglican clergyman, Rev. P.P. Agnew, that he had met explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in the interior where he was being held captive by a tribe of blacks and whites; 14 Apr: Agnew revealed the disclosure in a letter to the SMH’s editor; soon afterwards Garbutt stated that his brother James Garbutt and uncle Frederick Ward had also been present at the settlement, that he could find the tribe if allowed to leave Cockatoo Island under charge of a Government party, and that if successful, all three were to receive free pardons; 1 May: the three men undergo a long examination by the Governor-General and others, during which John admits that his brother and uncle had not visited the inland settlement; 8 May: the three men face a Board of Inquiry including Hovenden Hely who had led the 1852 expedition in search of Leichhardt, and John eventually refuses to answer any further questions; Sep: the report of the Board of Inquiry was tabled in Parliament, the Leichhardt Association was formed, and the Government agreed to fund another expedition in search of Leichhardt; Mar 1858: explorer Augustus Charles Gregory left Juandah, Queensland, and reached Adelaide four months later having found no trace of Leichhardt[20]
NB. Report in Maitland Mercury in 1864 re Captain Thunderbolt, that one of the horse stealing gang operating in Lamb’s Valley was the notorious Garbutt who “while undergoing a heavy sentence for his crimes professed to have some mysterious knowledge of the existence of Leichhardt in the interior, but whose story was, after one or more interviews between him and the authorities, discredited[21]
1857 Oct 20 Fred found guilty of neglect of duty as a Wardsman, being asleep at his post – 3 days cells; added three days to his sentence[22]
1857 late Cockatoo Island prisoner John Dawes petitions government (letter received 1 Dec 1857) for a mitigation of his sentence saying that fellow prisoner John Garbutt had told him that he had been associating with bushrangers and that they had shown him where they kept their stash of money, that Garbutt had told him where it was because he had known Garbutt when he worked for Mr Crowther, and that he (Dawes) would be willing to show the authorities where this was (in return for a sentence mitigation) which would be a good way of testing the veracity of Garbutt’s assertions generally without having to mount the expense of a search party for Leichhardt to test his claims[23]
1858 Mar 6 Michael Wells & wife (Fred’s sister Esther) visited the Garbutt brothers and Fred Ward[24]
1858 Apr 17 Petitions for mitigation of sentence submitted for Frederick Ward and James Garbutt[25]
1859 Mar 18 James Wall visited Ward and the Brothers Garbutt[26]
NB. Could this have been an error for Michael James Wells, Fred’s brother-in-law?
1859 Jun 25 Mrs Read visited the Garbutts[27]
NB. Identity unknown
1859 Nov 17 “Caledonian French War” schooner entered dry dock; John Garbutt and another attending the engine pumping out the dock until 9pm, and again during the breakfast hour the following morning; also until 1am on morning of 23 Dec[28]
1860 Feb 19 Fred Ward, John and James Garbutt and another inmate assisted free overseer Mr Horford after he was violently assaulted by John Williams and Richard Stone in the Barrack yard; among witnesses at ensuing hearing on 29 Feb[29]
1860 Apr 19 Mrs Read and daughter visited Garbutt brothers and Fred Ward[30]
NB. Identity unknown
1860 May 30 Joseph Ward (no doubt Fred’s brother Joshua) and James Gough (Fred’s brother-in-law) visited Fred Ward and the Garbutt brothers[31]
1860 mid Inspector Lane, in charge of the police stationed on Cockatoo Island mentioned early in 1861 that Garbutt, a sub-overseer, was stationed at the gate to open and shut it for the prisoners until he left the island[32]
1860 Jun 13 Request by Convict Department for indulgences for Frederick Ward and the Garbutt brothers, having recommended Fred Ward and James Garbutt for a ticket-of-leave for Mudgee on 8 June, while reporting that John Garbutt was not eligible[33]
1860 Jul 18 Another request by Convict Department for indulgences for John Garbutt, having recommended him for a ticket-of-leave for Yass on 15 Jul[34]
1860 Jul 21 Two men missing at evening muster; soon afterwards discovered in prison drain having descended through seats; John Garbutt, who was sent down to search, discovered them and drove them up before him[35]
1860 Jul 27 12 prisoners were discharged from Cockatoo Island to receive tickets-of-leave; 26 Jul: Police Gazette lists Fred Ward and James Garbeth as having received tickets-of-leave; 31 Jul: Tickets-of-Leave for Fred Ward and James Garbutt officially issued for the Mudgee district[36]
1860 Aug 25 10 prisoners were discharged from Cockatoo Island to receive tickets-of-leave; 30 Jul: Police Gazette lists John Garbutt as having received a ticket-of-leave for Mudgee district[37]
1860 Aug + Martin Brennan in his Police History (p.330) stated that Fred entered Mrs Garbutt’s employ at Mudgee as a horse-breaker. Some researchers have accordingly claimed that this woman was Fred’s sister, Sarah Ann Ward/Garbutt/ Shepherd/ Edwards (and even that Sarah was Fred’s “mother”), even though Sarah had been the common-law wife of Edward Sackville Edwards for nearly two decades by that time and was living with him in the Warialda district. Primary-source records reveal that there was no Mrs Garbutt at Mudgee until Fred’s nephew, John Charles Garbutt, married Widow Elizabeth Blackman nee Aldridge on 27 Dec 1860, and that all references to a ‘Mrs Garbutt’ thereafter were to a woman with the given name Elizabeth. Clearly ‘Mrs Garbutt’ was not Fred’s sister but his nephew John Garbutt’s wife (see Who was Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal?)
1860 Dec 27 At Cooyal Inn, John Charles Garbutt married Elizabeth Blackman nee Aldridge, the widowed innkeeper of the Cooyal Inn. Elizabeth was born 19 Jun 1818 at Richmond/Castlereagh, had daughter Elizabeth (1838) and married Henry James Blackman on 18 Jan 1840 at Penrith; they were settlers at Cooyal from 1844 onwards (perhaps earlier) and had issue: Henry J. (1841), Mary (1844-1846), William (1846-1847), Thomas Edward (1848-1849) and Mary Jane (1851-1852); Henry James Blackman died 15 Jan 1855 and was buried at Mudgee Memorial Park Cemetery. (NB. Elizabeth was the only Mrs Garbutt living at Cooyal, indeed living in the Mudgee district, although some Thunderbolt writers have inaccurately claimed that this Mrs Garbutt was Sarah Ann Ward, John’s mother. Elizabeth died 21 Apr 1890 at Mudgee and buried at St Peter’s Richmond[38]
1860 late Fred Ward established relationship with Mary Ann Baker (nee Bugg) who fell pregnant early in 1861[39]
1861 Jan-Aug John Garbutt appeared before the Mudgee Courts on numerous instances as follows. 8 Jan: summoned before police court for assault and fined £5 less costs; 8 Mar: brought his wife’s ex-brother-in-law, Thomas Blackman, before the police court for stealing an ox and calf from Cooyal, although Blackman was acquitted at his trial on 5 Apr (testimonies also revealed that the Garbutts and Blackman were on bad terms over property rights with an action pending in Supreme Court); 2 Apr: Garbutt appeared before Mudgee bench charged with sheep stealing but allowed to bail; 5 Apr: indicted at Quarter Sessions for stealing sheep belonging to Nicholas Paget but allowed bail and case carried over to the next sessions; 9 Apr: indicted at police court for damages on working bullocks he impounded but case adjourned, and damages settled out of court; 24 Apr: applies for liquor licence but application not approved; 6 Jun: ticket-of-leave cancelled; 10 Jun: Inspector General of Police ordered that, in the event of an acquittal, he was to be returned to Cockatoo Island to complete his previous sentence; 6 Jul: convicted at Mudgee Quarter Sessions of sheep stealing and sentenced to 5 years labour on roads (but proviso by jury that if two witnesses charged by Garbutt with perjury were found guilty, a petition should be sent to the Crown for a pardon); 29 Jul: admitted to Darlinghurst Gaol; 1 Aug: transferred to Cockatoo Island[40]
1861 Feb Fred was living near Stoney Creek, three or four miles from Cooyal (towards Mudgee), presumably with Mary Ann; at that time a half-caste named Captain Blackman, who was brought up at Cooyal, had a fight with John Garbutt and left, telling George Pearson of Cooyal Creek that he was going to stay with Fred Ward in the neighbourhood of Stoney Creek[41]
1861 May-Aug James Garbutt. 8 May: apprehended for stealing a pair of boots and other goods from his employers, Messrs Dickson & Burrows of Mudgee; 9 May: brought before Mudgee Police Court and committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions; 6 Jun: ticket-of-leave cancelled; 10 Jun: Inspector General of Police ordered that, in the event of an acquittal, the Garbutt brothers were to be returned to Cockatoo Island to complete their previous sentences; 5 Jul: tried at Mudgee Quarter Sessions for stealing a pair of boots on 8 May and acquitted; 6 Jul: re-arrested under warrant by Mudgee Bench for being ‘illegally at large’; 19 Jul: brought before Police Court and an order made to send him to Sydney; 29 Jul: admitted to Darlinghurst Gaol; 3 Aug: transferred to Cockatoo Island[42]
1861 Sep-Nov Fred Ward: Early Sep: presented himself in Mudgee as required, having ridden in on a horse belonging to his employer, Mrs Garbutt of Cooyal; 13 Sep: having failed to present himself at the required Muster, Fred was that day in the Police Magistrate’s court proclaimed to be illegally at large and ordered to be returned to Sydney; 19 Sep: apprehended at Mudgee for stealing a horse belonging to Thomas Best of Meroo and confined in the lock-up for being a prisoner of the Crown at large; 20 Sep: brought before Mudgee Police Court charged with stealing a horse and committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions; 3 Oct: indicted on two charges (stealing a horse, and receiving the same knowing it to be stolen) and found guilty on the ‘receiving’ charge; 9 Oct: sentenced to three years employment on the public works to commence at the expiration of his previous sentence; 2 Nov: admitted to Darlinghurst Gaol; 4 Nov: transferred to Cockatoo Island (NB. The SMH’s trial report said that Fred had been apprehended in Dungog with the stolen horse, whereas Mudgee’s Chief Constable reported at Fred’s committal hearing that he had apprehended Fred the day previously and confined him in the lock-up. If Fred had indeed been apprehended at Dungog, he would have been brought before the Dungog Bench and remanded to Mudgee, with the relevant information documented in the Dungog Bench Books – which have survived, unlike Mudgee’s Bench Books or Gaol Records. As no such references have been found, and as the other surviving reports make no reference to Dungog, it seems likely that the SMH report mixed up the information.)[43]
1861 Oct 26 Birth of Marina Emily Ward at Menkrai (Monkerai) near Dungog to Fredrick Wordsworth Ward, training groom, and Mary Ann Ward (nee Bugg)[44]
1861 perhaps Report in 1866 that Fred knew the Upper Manning district well, having formerly worked for Miss Kelly when he ‘passed by the less pretentious name of Ward’; this was possibly in mid-1861when he took Mary Ann Bugg back to Dungog however, as he had to attend three-monthly musters at Mudgee, it is more likely prior to his 1856 crime[45]
1862 May 6 Fred Ward, a cell constable, was charged with ‘tampering with the prisoners in the cells with the view to assist them in attempting to effect their escape’; case remanded on 8 May; appeared before magistrate on 15 May when case dismissed. Confined in the cells at night for between two and nine nights[46]
1862 Jun 26 James Garbut witness at hearing of Charles Longman and James Cameron charged with aiding and assisting Prisoner Cavenagh to conceal himself on 14 Jun; case dismissed[47]
1863 Jan-Feb Cockatoo Island riots: Fred Ward among group of ‘the most desperate characters and long sentence men’ who rebelled on Cockatoo Island over the rescinding of the remission system. 9 Jan: refused to go out to work (on 12 Jan sentenced to 7 days in cells), and making a disturbance after hours (trial remanded until after first sentence completed); 19 Jan: refused to go out to work after expiration of previous sentences (on 21 Jan sentenced to 28 days in cells); 22 Jan: refused to make up and give over bedding when ordered (on 18 Feb sentenced to 7 days in cells); 27 Jan: out of bed, making a disturbance and refusing to obey Superintendent’s orders (tried 25 Feb – outcome unclear); 15 Feb: refusing to go to work at expiration of sentences (also tried 25 Feb – outcome unclear). NB. While sentenced to the solitary confinement cells, Fred and the majority of the other rioters were actually confined in one of the prison wards; only the ringleaders were confined in the ce[48]
1863 Feb-Sep 20 Feb 1863: Frederick Britten arrived on Cockatoo Island (see Frederick Britten)
1863 Other sentences: claims made regarding Fred’s additional sentences in Jules Joubert’s Shavings and Scrapes from many parts (1890) [ML] are rubbish (see What Punishments did Fred Ward receive on Cockatoo Island?); in fact Joubert does not appear to have had the responsibilities he claimed, according to the Online Newspapers
1863 Sep 11 Fred Ward & Frederick Britten were absent from evening muster on Cockatoo Island, having apparently secreted themselves somewhere on the island; they escaped on the night of 13/14 Sep (NB. The escape was evidently made without any outside help – see How did Fred Ward escape from Cockatoo Island?)[51]
1863 Oct Police Gazette reports that FW has brother William living on the Culgoa River[52]
1863 Oct 12 Reward of £25 offered for information leading to the re-apprehension of Ward & Britten (£50 total) having been requested by Police Dept on 9 Oct[53]
Sources:
[1] See When was Fred Ward born? and Where was Fred Ward born? and Who were Fred Ward’s parents?
[2] Bradley, Beatrice ‘Brief History of the Milford Family and an Account of the diary written up by Dr Frederick Milford’ in Armidale & District Historical Society – Journal and Proceedings No.22 (1979) pp.63-73; also The Diary of Dr Frederick Milford (copy provided by Pat Bradley); Baptism: George J. Wilson [SRNSW Vol 31 No.409; Reel 5009]; Sydney Morning Herald 28 May 1847 p.4
[3] Maitland Mercury 27 Apr 1865 p.4 (from Singleton Times); Sydney Morning Herald 3 May 1865 p.8 (from Tamworth Examiner 29 Apr 1865). Cheesborough at Tareela Maitland Mercury 16 Dec 1862 p.3
[4] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]
[5] Maitland Mercury 8 Dec 1855 p.2, 15 Mar 1856 p.2
[6] Clerk of the Peace – Depositions for Sydney Circuit: 1856 Supreme Court Sittings, Windsor No.22: R. v. William Ross alias John Garbutt [SRNSW 9/6400]
[7] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]
[8] Maitland Mercury 26 Mar 1856 p.3, 1 Apr p.3, 12 Apr p.3, 19 Apr p.1, 26 Apr p.1, 3 Jun p.2, 5 Jun p.2, 12 Jun p.2, 14 Jun p.2, 19 Jun p.2, 21 Jun pp.2 & 3; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 – Testimony of John Garbutt [SRNSW 2/2484]
[9] Maitland Mercury 10 Apr 1856 p.4, 5 Aug p.3, 27 Nov p.2, 12 Feb 1857 p.2; Northern Times 11 Feb 1857 p.3
[10] Maitland Mercury 13 May 1856 pp.2 & 5, 15 May p.2, 22 May p.2, 14 Aug p.2, 16 Aug p.3; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]; Sydney Morning Herald 13 May 1856 p.5; Hobart Mercury 27 May 1856 p.2. Re: Keating – Maitland Mercury 5 Feb 1857 p.2, 12 Feb p.2; Sleath – Maitland Mercury 13 Feb 1856 p.3, 17 Apr p.2; Walmsley – Maitland Mercury 24 Feb 1849 p.2
[11] Sydney Morning Herald 21-25 Apr 1856 p.6, 26 & 28 Apr p.8, 30 Apr p.6, 1 & 2 May p.7, 3 May p.6, 13 May p.5, 5 Jun 1856 p.2; Maitland Mercury 15 May 1856 p.2, 14 Aug p.2; Clerk of the Peace – Depositions for Sydney Circuit: 1856 Supreme Court Sittings, Windsor Nos.17-19 & 22: R. v. William Ross alias John Garbutt [SRNSW 9/6400]; Calender of persons tried on criminal charges in Sydney: John Garbutt, 1856 [SRNSW 4/6449 p.280 No.16; Reel 685]; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: John Garbutt, 1856 [SRNSW 5/1893 Year 1856 No.1176]; Hobart Mercury 27 May 1856 p.2; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]; CSIL: Re John Garbutt [SRNSW 4/3480 Item 62/5213 No.62/5213]; Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: John Garbut, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 No.271; Reel 757] & Maitland Gaol - Description Book [SRNSW 2/2017 Year 1856 No.271; Reel 759]. Re: Robert Scott Ross in Maitland Mercury 18 Feb 1856 p.3; re Charles Reynolds & Messrs Martyn & Schroder in Sydney Morning Herald 22 Mar 1856 p.6
[12] Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: Frederick Ward, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 No.175; Reel 757] & Maitland Gaol - Description Book [SRNSW 2/2017 Year 1856 No.175; Reel 759]; Maitland Mercury 13 May 1856 p.2, 22 May p.2; Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW 2/2484]
[13] Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: James Garbut, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 Nos.192 & 265; Reel 757] & Maitland Gaol - Description Book [SRNSW 2/2017 Year 1856 No.192 & 265; Reel 759]; Maitland Mercury 3 Jun 1856 p.2, 5 Jun p.3, 12 Jun p.2, 19 Jun p.2
[14] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 – Testimony of William Ward [SRNSW 2/2484]; Maitland Mercury 29 Jul 1856 p.2, 5 Aug p.2
[15] Maitland Gaol - Entrance Book: Frederick Ward, 1856 [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 No.175; Reel 757]; also James Garbutt [SRNSW 2/2009 Year 1856 Nos.192 & 265; Reel 757]; MaitlandMercury 14 Aug 1856 p.2; Sydney Morning Herald 1 Aug 1856 p.2; Hobart Mercury27 May 1856 p.2; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 1856 [SRNSW 5/1893 Year 1856 Nos. 1772 & 1773]; Cockatoo Island - Muster Roll: Frederick Ward [SRNSW 4/6508 – 31 Dec 1861 No.237] & James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/6508 – 31 Oct 1862 No.64]; CSIL: Petition, Frederick Ward, 1858 [SRNSW 4/549 No.67/1712]. Re Ratcliffe Pring: ADB - Online Edition [http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050507b.htm], Brisbane Courier 27 Mar 1885 p.5. Re Justice Alfred Cheeke: ADB - Online Edition [http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030363b.htm], Sydney Morning Herald 15 Mar 1876 p.5
[16] ReportfromtheBoardofInquiryintothemanagementofCockatooIsland,1858, New South Wales Legislative Council, 1858 [ML Q365.99441/2]; ‘Minutes of Evidence taken before the Select Committee on the Public Prisons in Sydney and Cumberland’ in Votes&ProceedingsoftheNSWLegislativeAssembly, 1861, Vol.1, pp.1063-1310; ‘Penal Establishments’ in Votes&ProceedingsoftheNSWLegislativeAssembly, 1863-64, Vol.2, pp.919-20; Cockatoo Island – General Regulations and Gaol Orders, 1849-57 [SRNSW 4/6519] & Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment 1856-63 [SRNSW 4/6511-13 & 4/6504-5]; Derrincourt OldConvictDays pp.248-91; Colony's toughest lags holed up here, 24 Sep 2009 [http://www.smh.com.au/national/colonys-toughest-lags-holed-up-here-20090923-g2pn.html]; Earliest convict cells found by archaeologists on Cockatoo Island, 24 Sep 2009
[http://www.australianarchaeologicalassociation.com.au/node/3952]; Convict era punishment cells unearthed, 24 Sep 2009 [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/24/2695537.htm]
[17] CSIL: William George, 29 Aug 1856 [SRNSW ref: 4/3335 No. 56/7249]
[18] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6511 13 Jan 1857]
[19] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6511 5 Feb 1857]; NSW Legislative Council: Report from the Board of Inquiry into the management of Cockatoo Island, 1858: John Garbutt, pp.59 & 64 [ML Q365.99441/2]; Maitland Mercury 12 Feb 1857 p.2
[20] Sydney Morning Herald 14 Apr 1857 p.5, 17 Apr p.5, 20 Apr pp.3 & 8, 21 Apr p.5 (x2), 22 Apr p.5, 25 Apr p.6, 27 Apr p.5 (x2), 28 Apr p.5, 1 May pp.4 & 8, 4 May p.2, 5 May p.5, 11 May pp.5 & 8 plus others including 26 Aug p.4, 3 Sep 1857 p.4, 12 Sep pp. 2, 4 & 5, 15 Sep p.4; Moreton Bay Courier 2 May 1857 p.2; Argus 18 May 1857 p.6 [quoting Sydney Morning Herald]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6511, 1 & 8 May 1857]; Legislative Assembly Tabled Papers: Statement of John Garbutt regarding Ludwig Leichhardt, 1857 [NSWPA LA TP 1857/409]; ‘Sir Augustus Charles Gregory’ in the Australian Dictionary of Biography – Online Edition [http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040333b.htm]; ‘Searches for Leichhardt’ in The Australian Encyclopaedia, Vol. 5, Grolier Society, Sydney, 1963; Australian Explorers: Augustus Charles Gregory
[http://www.ozedweb.com/history/h_oz_e_gregory.htm]
[21] Brisbane Courier 14 Jan 1864 p.2 (from Maitland Mercury)
[22] CSIL: Petition of Frederick Ward, 1858 [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.58/1399]; CSIL: Convict Department to Principal Under-Secretary, 13 Jun 1860 [SRNSW 4/3424 No.60/2462]
[23] CSIL: John Dawes, received 1 Dec 1857 [SRNSW ref: 4/3369 No. 57/4795]
[24] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6512, 6 Mar 1858]
[25] CSIL: Petitions of Frederick Ward & James Garbutt, 1858 [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.58/1399]
[26] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6513, 18 Mar 1859]
[27] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6513, 25 Jun 1859]
[28] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6513, 17 & 18 Nov & 22 Dec 1859]
[29] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 19 Feb 1860]; Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book [SRNSW 4/6502 – 22 & 29 Feb 1860]
[30] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 19 Apr 1860]
[31] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 30 May 1860]
[32] Votes & Proceedings: Public Prisons in Sydney & Cumberland, 1861, Vol. 1 p.1284
[33] CSIL: Convict Department to Principal Under-Secretary, 13 Jun 1860 [SRNSW 4/3424 No.60/2462]
[34] CSIL: Convict Department to Principal Under-Secretary, 18 Jul 1860 [SRNSW 4/3425 No.60/2911]
[35] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 21 Jul 1860]
[36] Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6504, 27 Jul 1860]; Tickets-of-Leave: Frederick Ward [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/28; Reel 893] & James Garbut, 1860 [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/27; Reel 893]; NSWPG 26 Jul 1860 p.2; GG 1860 (27 Jul) p.1423
[37] Ticket-of-Leave: John Charles Garbutt [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/30; Reel 893]; NSWPG 30 Jul 1860 p.2
[38] Marriage Certificate: John Charles Garbutt & Elizabeth Blackman, 1861 [RBDM 1860/2141]; Pioneers Index to Births, Deaths and Marriages; Burials: Henry James Blackman and four children at Mudgee Memorial Park Cemetery (transcriptions of headstones); [http://www.family.joint.net.au/index.php?cid=844&mid=14]; Western Post 8 Dec 1860 [Annette Piper’s transcriptions]; Smee, C.J. & Selkirk Provis, J The 1788-1820 Association’s Pioneer Register, Volume 1 (2nd edition), 1981 (James Blackman) & Volume 3, 1987 (William Aldridge); Mutch Index 1814+ [ML]; Aldridge Family [http://www.users.on.net/~moore/Moore/indiI04737.html]
[39] Birth Certificate: Marina Emily Ward [RBDM 1861/7193]
[40] Western Post 12 Jan 1861, 9 Mar, 10, 17 & 24 Apr, 9 Oct, 2 Nov, 7 & 11 Dec from Annette Piper’s Newspaper Transcripts [http://www.addison.homedns.org/transcriptions/others/othersintro.html], also Western Post 11 May 1861 p.3, 10 Jul pp.2-3, 13 Dec p.3; Brisbane Courier 25 Apr 1861 p.4 (from Western Post 6 Apr 1861 – issue missing); Sydney Morning Herald 15 Apr 1861 p.8, 25 Apr p.4; Ticket of Leave: John Charles Garbutt [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/30; Reel 893]; CSIL: Re John Garbutt [SRNSW 4/3480 Item 62/5213]; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: John Charles Garbutt [SRNSW 5/1895 Year 1861 No.1515; Reel 2337] & [SRNSW 5/1896 Year 1861 Nos.1916 & 2032; Reel 2338]; CSIL: Re James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.65/1712]
[41] CSIL: Petition of Elizabeth Garbutt of Cooyal, Wife of John Garbutt, 1861 [SRNSW ref: CSIL letter number 61/3928]
[42] Western Post 11 May 1861 p.3, 10 Jul pp.2 & 3, 24 Jul p.2; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: James Garbutt, 1861 [SRNSW 5/1895 Year 1861 No.1516; Reel 2337] Ticket of Leave: James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/4233 No.60/27; Reel 893]; CSIL: Re James Garbutt [SRNSW 4/549 Item 65/1712 No.65/1712]
[43] Mudgee Liberal 27 Sep 1861 p.2, 11 Oct 1861 p.4; Western Post 18 Sep 1861 p.2, 21 Sep 1861 p.2, 9 Oct 1861; Sydney Morning Herald 9 Oct 1861 p.3; Darlinghurst Gaol - Entrance Register: Frederick Ward, 1861 [SRNSW 5/1896 Year 1861 No.2103; Reel 2338] & Cockatoo Island - Muster Roll [SRNSW 4/6508 – 28 Feb 1862 No.207a, & 30 Oct 1862 No.198]
[44] Birth Certificate: Marina Emily Ward [RBDM 1861/7193]; Death Certificate: Mary Ann Burrows [RBDM 1905/5831]; Obit: Mary Ann Burrows in Mudgee Guardian 27 Apr 1905 p.13
[45] Manning River News 24 Mar 1866 p.2
[46] Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book [SRNSW 4/6502, 8 & 15 May 1862]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6505, 6 May 1862]
[47] Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book: Re Longman & Cameron [SRNSW 4/6502, 20 & 26 Jun 1862]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment : Re Michael Cavenagh [SRNSW 4/6505, 13 & 14 Jun 1862]
[48] Cockatoo Island - Punishment Book: Frederick Ward [SRNSW 4/6502 – 12 & 21 Jan 1863, 18 & 25 Feb 1863]; Cockatoo Island - Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW 4/6505 6 Jan 1863-17 Feb 1863]; Cockatoo Island – Letter Book [SRNSW 4/6518 pp.95-7, ; Reel 606] Sydney Morning Herald 12 Jan 1863 p.4, 13 Jan p.4, 21 Jan p.4, 24 Jan p.5, 29 Jan p.4, 30 Jan p.5, 14 Feb p.4, 19 Feb pp.4 & 5 & 13, 20 Feb p.4, 21 Feb p.5, 27 Feb p.4, 28 Feb p.5 (x2), 9 Mar p.4; Sydney Mail 17 Jan 1863 p.5, 31 Jan p.4, 21 Feb p.4; Argus 13 Jan 1863 p.5, 26 Jan p.6, 29 Jan p.5, 13 Feb p.4, 19 Feb p.5; Hobart Mercury 22 Jan 1863 p.3, 6 Feb p.3, 9 Feb p.3, 23 Feb p.3, 27 Feb p.3; Brisbane Courier 28 Jan 1863 p.3, 29 Jan p.2, 30 Jan p.2, 2 Feb p.3, 21 Feb p.2
[51] Cockatoo Island – Letter Book: Re Ward & Britten [SRNSW 4/6518 p.154 No.152, p.155 Nos.153 & 154, p.157 Nos.157 & 158, p.158 No.159, pp.159-60 No.162, p.160 No.163]; CSIL: Re Ward & Britten, 1863 [SRNSW 4/508 No. 63/5091]; NSW Police Gazette 1863 No. 37 (16 Sep 1863) p.279, No. 40 (7 Oct 1863) p.301, No. 41 (14 Oct 1863) p.307 (repeated pp.314, 328, 388; Sydney Morning Herald 16 Sep 1863 p.5, 23 Sep 1863 p.5; Sydney Mail 19 Sep 1863 p.3; Maitland Mercury 19 Sep 1863 p.5
[52] NSW Police Gazette 1863 No. 40 (7 Oct 1863) p.301
[53] NSW Police Gazette 1863 No. 41 (14 Oct 1863) p.307; CSIL: Police Dept to Principal Under Secretary, 8 Oct 1863 [SRNSW 4/509 No 63/5459]