Lawrence Kavenagh's criminal history
Year1828
1831 1833 1834 1842 1842 1842 1842 1842 1843 1846 |
PlaceDublin
Hyde Park Barracks Sydney Sydney Norfolk Island Norfolk Island Hyde Park Barracks Hyde Park Barracks Hyde Park Barracks Hyde Park Barracks Port Arthur Hobart Supreme Court Norfolk Island |
CrimeRobbery of house
(Escape) Bushranging Robbery under arms Insolence Attempted Escape (Escaped again and made his was back to Sydney) (Captured) Removing leg irons and attempt escape (Escape) Theft of guns Attempted murder (Escape) Bushranging - Which included the robbery of - homesteads, inns, mail coaches and travellers. They were conducted with Martin Cash and George Jones under the name of 'Cash & Co.'. Mostly done without violence, earning them the name of the 'Gentlemen Bushrangers'. Mutiny - 'Cooking pot riot' (see below) |
PunishmentLife imprisonment
Transportation Hyde Park Barrracks 14 Years Transportation Norfolk Island 40 lashes 150 lashes 36 lashes Life imprisonment Transportation Port Arthur.Transported to Tasmania aboard the 'Marian Watson'. Also listed as being aboard this trip was William Westwood (aka-Jackey Jackey) whom Kavanagh reunited with later back at Norfolk Island. Sentenced to death Commuted to life imprisonment Transportation Norfolk Island Executed by hanging |
Trial at Hobart
The man in the dock pictured in this painting is thought to be Lawrence Kavanagh. ['Portrait of a man in the dock'], Charles Henry Theodore Costantini, date unknown, watercolour, Tasmanian Times, 6 September 1843. Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office
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The Courier (Hobart, Tas. : 1840 - 1859) Fri 8 Sep 1843 Page 3
GENERAL GAOL DELIVERY. TRIAL OF LAWRENCE KAVENAGH Lawrence Kavenagh was then placed at the bar, and pleaded Not Guilty to an information in which he was charged with the robbery of Mrs, Cox’s coachman, at Epping Forest. He is found Guilty. Want of spare prevents as giving the trial in full, but it will appear in our next. On being called upon by His Honor if he had anything to offer to the jury, he spoke as follows: - I have but little, your Honor, to say; but what I do say shall be the truth. I fled from Port Arthur, where men as treated worse than dogs, wand where it is almost impossible to lice; I might mention one circumstance; I was compelled to attend a place of worship which was not of my own religion, under the lash, sad, not content with that, the superintendent took away my prayer-book’ all men are out of the same mind, nor can be of the same faith’ I would say, where is the conscious Protestant that would not rebel against such hardship? I flew from Port Arthur at the hazard of my life, and while I was in the bush I got wounded and fell into the hands of Government’ and since I have been in custody I have been treated very kindly; I never thought that such would be their treatment’ if it has always been so I should not have run away. Still, after I had been used so harshly at Port Arthur, I never then was excited enough to commit any barbarous act, nor violence to the female sex; and if one of us was so unfortunate as to be stained by blood, thanks be to God it was not premeditated. [here the prisoner paused a minute] It never kept me from blood, where I might has shed it, the thought of standing at this bar, while but for a wound I would have never stood; I have not lost the feelings of a man; it was through the feelings in my own breast’ I would have pleaded Guilty, but I was indicted for violence, and I never used violence; if I met any armed man, I did the best I could, I stood my ground’ but to use violence against unarmed persons was never in me’ I never was guilty of so cowardly an act. |
The 'Cooking Pot Riot'The riot was caused by the removal of the convicts billys and kettles, made by prisoner ‘mechanics’ and used by the convicts to cook their meals. The reaction of the prisoners on finding the pots confiscated was instantaneous. A group of prisoners stormed the barracks store to retrieve their cooking gear and in the ensuing chaos, three soldiers and Stephen Smith were killed. The mutiny lasted only twenty minutes until order was restored by soldiers with levelled muskets and fixed bayonets.
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Condemned mans letter
A section of the letter written from the condemned cells of William Westwood (Jackey Jackey) to the former chaplain of Port Arthur.
"H.M. Jail,
Norfolk Island,
Condemned Cells,
October 8th 1846.
Sir, I now bid the world adieu, and all it contains.
The Dying Declaration of WILLIAM WESTWOOD alias Jackey Jackey
I, William Westwood, wish to die in the communion of Christ's Holy Church, seeking mercy of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour - Amen.
I wish to say, as a dying man, that I believe four men now going to suffer are innocent of the crime laid to their charge, viz.: Lawrence Kavanagh, Henry Whiting, William Pickthorne and William Scrimshaw. I declare that I never spoke to Kavanagh on the morning of the riots; and these other three men had no part in the killing of John Morris as far as I know of. I have never spoke a disrespectful word of any man since my confinement. I die in charity with all men, and now I ask your prayers for my soul !
WILLIAM WESTWOOD, aged twenty-six years."
"H.M. Jail,
Norfolk Island,
Condemned Cells,
October 8th 1846.
Sir, I now bid the world adieu, and all it contains.
The Dying Declaration of WILLIAM WESTWOOD alias Jackey Jackey
I, William Westwood, wish to die in the communion of Christ's Holy Church, seeking mercy of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour - Amen.
I wish to say, as a dying man, that I believe four men now going to suffer are innocent of the crime laid to their charge, viz.: Lawrence Kavanagh, Henry Whiting, William Pickthorne and William Scrimshaw. I declare that I never spoke to Kavanagh on the morning of the riots; and these other three men had no part in the killing of John Morris as far as I know of. I have never spoke a disrespectful word of any man since my confinement. I die in charity with all men, and now I ask your prayers for my soul !
WILLIAM WESTWOOD, aged twenty-six years."
Execution
The Courier (Hobart, Tas. : 1840 - 1859), Wed 28 Oct 1846, pg 3
NORFOLK ISLAND |
In all there were 14 executions on Norfolk Island
After execution their bodies were placed in a mound outside the consecrated cemetery. This mound can still be seen today. |
Final resting place of Lawrence Kavenagh
Murderer's Mound is in the centre of the pic on the left side of the cemetery fence and marked by the little signboard at the gateway.