Statement of Magistrate Thomas Nicholls
In April 1866, in the aftermath of Mary Ann Bugg's conviction at Stroud, NSW, for vagrancy (see Timeline), her case was brought before Parliament amid concerns about the injustice of convicting a bush-dwelling Aboriginal woman on charges of vagrancy. The convicting magistrate, Thomas Nicholls, was asked to provide more detailed information about her case. This has proved fortuitous for Thunderbolt historians because Nicholls was a previous employee of the Australian Agricultural Company and had known the Bugg family for 30 years, so could provide information about Mary Ann from personal knowledge. As such, Nicholls' letter serves as a contemporary biography written by one who knew her.
Obviously Nicholls had no personal knowledge about her life in the decade she lived away from the Stroud district (c1850 to 1861). Rather, it is the information he provided about her life in the years prior to 1850 and after 1861 that is crucial in determining the truth about Mary Ann Bugg.
Nicholls' letter is reproduced in full below.
Source:
CSIL: Thomas Nicholls to Attorney General, 11 April 1866 [SRNSW ref: 4/573 No. 66/1844]
Obviously Nicholls had no personal knowledge about her life in the decade she lived away from the Stroud district (c1850 to 1861). Rather, it is the information he provided about her life in the years prior to 1850 and after 1861 that is crucial in determining the truth about Mary Ann Bugg.
Nicholls' letter is reproduced in full below.
Source:
CSIL: Thomas Nicholls to Attorney General, 11 April 1866 [SRNSW ref: 4/573 No. 66/1844]
