John Davison

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Maureen Withey on 5th September 2025

Captain John Davison of the Marines, age 32. Born in Durham and convicted in Oxford of having forged notes. Admitted to the Retribution hulk 6th January and transferred to the Earl Spencer on 5 April 1813.  Source: Convict Indents. State Archives NSW; Series: NRS 12188; Item: [4/4004]; Microfiche: 634

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Maureen Withey on 5th September 2025

Memorial of John Davison, 1822. To His Excellency, Sir Thomas Brisbane, KCB, Governor. The Memorial of John Davison Respectfully setteth forth, That Memorialist was tried at the Oxford Quarter Sessions 18 Jan 1813 for the minor offence of having in his possession forged Bank of England Notes. That 9 years of such term have expired, upwards of 8 ½ years of which your Memorialist has been in this Colony & that during that period of probation Memorialist has uniformly conducted himself with the strictest integrity, and that labouring under the pressure of numerous difficulties and proivations has never been tempted to deviate from the path of rectitude. That Memorialist served 14 years as an officer in His Majesty’s Marine Forces with credit and distinction has in several engagement with the Enemy & has been publicly recommended for his conduct. Memorialist therefor prays your Excellency to take into consideration his long exemplary good conduct & that your Excellency will be gracious ly pleased to remit him the remainder of the term of his sentence. I beg leave to recommend Memorialist on account of his former Meritorious conduct as an Officer in H.M. Service & for his uniform sober and respectful manner of conducting himself to the favourable consideration to his Excellency the Governor. Signed: Thos. McVitie; J. Jamison; J. Oxley; W. Wemyss; John Piper. This is dated 1822. The date must be before the date of his trial in July 1822. HORRID ATTEMPT AT MURDER! FIFTY POUNDS REWARD WHEREAS, on Saturday Night last, the 15th Instant, between 9 & 10 o'Clock, at the South End of Prince-street, Mr. Robert Howe was most barbarously and cruelly stabbed with an Old Rusty Bayonet, by some Ruffian, with an evident Intent to murder him;-. The above Reward of Fifty Pounds will be paid at the Gazette Office to any Person or Persons who will give such Evidence as shall lead to a Conviction of the Perpetrator of this bloody Deed. Gazette Office. Sydney June 17, 1822 HORRID ATTEMPT AT ASSASSINATION.—Few transactions are recorded in the annals of human guilt that are stamped with so deep and horrid an atrocity, or so destitute of every circumstance that could soften and mitigate the crime, as that which it is now our painful task to relate. On the evening of Saturday last, the 15th instant, a little after 9 o'clock, as Mr. ROBERT HOWE, the Printer and Publisher of this Gazette, was walking from the Mission-house, in Prince-street, he observed a suspicious man crossing the street, opposite the chapel ; but, apprehending nothing serious, he proceeded along the foot-path, and the man continued to walk before him, at the distance of six or seven yards ; till, on coming to an abrupt curvature in the street, the villain suddenly turned back, rushed on Mr. Howe, plunged a bayonet into his breast, and instantly disappeared. The dreadful cry of "Murder!" alarmed the whole neighbourhood—multitudes hurried into the street—but it was too late to overtake the cowardly assassin, who, concealed by the dark mantle of night, but too well eluded pursuit. Mr. Howe ran as far as Mr. Scott's door, where, exhausted by the effort, he fell into the arms of his dismayed friends, and was carried into the house, weltering in his blood, and apparently in the agonies of death. Surgical aid being immediately called in, it was ascertained to be a ragged triangular punctured wound, about two inches from the left breast externally, perforating into the cavity of the thorax. The lung appeared, very fortunately, to have escaped unwounded ; a circumstance perhaps solely attributable to the point of the instrument having been broken off. Had the wound perforated that viscus, there is too much reason to dread, from its proximity to the larger blood-vessels, that its effects would have been instantly fatal. The weapon with which the foul deed was perpetrated was found in the street, at a short distance from Mr. Howe's hat ; and it was truly the most horrid kind of instrument which could be thrust into the human body. It was an old bayonet, fastened to the end of a poll about four feet long; the blade thickly incrusted with rust, about an inch of the point broken off, and the edges hacked like the teeth of a saw. When picked up, it was stained with blood about four inches deep; which shews with what desperate force the stab must have been given, and how narrow was the escape from instant death. But from what motives could this deed of horror have been perpetrated? It is obvious, that the cold blooded assassin sought only his defenceless victim's life ; for no sooner had he given the deadly thrust, than he uttered a shout of exultation, threw down the weapon, and, without the least attempt at robbery, hurried from the spot. His only motive must have been revenge. But Mr. Howe's character was too just and inoffensive to have given any reasonable cause for so diabolic a passion. The infatuated man must have long brooded over some fancied injury, till his passions were wrought into a frenzy, fit for the most ruthless deeds. Though the night was too dark for the ruffian's person to be distinctly recognized, Mr. Howe had an instant suspicion of one of two individuals, both of whom were immediately lodged in custody; but one has been since liberated, being able to prove that he was in his own house at the time the attack was made. The other remains, under suspicion, for farther examination. It is to be earnestly hoped, for the sake both of public justice and of public security, that the perpetrator, whoever he may be, will not escape detection. A reward is offered for such evidence as shall lead to his conviction; but, in a case of such alarming atrocity, to which every one's feelings must be intensely alive, we believe common humanity will create a universal desire to facilitate the ends of justice. Sydney Gazette, 21 June 1822. A man of the name of Davidson, has been fully committed for the late attempt at assassination. It appears, however, from many sources, that the unhappy man is occasionally, if not always deranged ; and to this single circumstance may be justly attributed the perpetration of the dreadful attempt ; as, in a state of perfect sanity, we hate yet the hope, with all that turpitude for which we are unfortunately but too well characterised, that there is not the being amongst us who would thus so sadly stain the annals of colonial history. We hare a deep interest in suggesting, that it certainly would be advisable, as even the remnant of a life is rather valuable, to remove such a character from the Colony durantæ vitæ. In so benign a case, that confidence might be gradually renamed, which is now naturally much weakened. Sydney Gazette, 5 July 1822. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2181367?searchTerm=Robert%20Howe Account of the Trial. As reported in the Sydney Gazette, 4 October 1822. ATTEMPT AT ASSASSINATION. William Davidson, otherwise John Davidson, was next indicted for attempting to murder Mr. Robert Howe, on the evening of the 15th of June last. Extract from the report:  A sensibly written address to the Honorable Members of the Court was recited by His Honor; it went to say, the prisoner had been an active and brave officer in the army in former days; that he had comported himself with every possible decency and good conduct since his arrival in this Colony ; and that the perpetration of such an outrage upon society, as that with which he then stood charged, was as opposite to his nature, as it was abhorrent and disgusting to the dictates of humanity. … John Thomas Campbell, Esquire, Provost Marshal, being called upon as to the character of the prisoner since his knowledge of him, deposed, that, for the last nine years, his quiet, orderly, and apparently meritorious conduct had impressed, him with the most favorable views; and that he should have believed the prisoner to be one of the last persons that could be capable of perpetrating so truly diabolic an act. … His Honor the Judge Advocate proceeded to sum up the evidence; in the performance of which important and involvent task, His Honor remarked upon the nature of the evidence that had been presented to the Court upon this occasion ; that it was wholly circumstantial ; and that not a single fact had been alleged against the prisoner that could possibly criminate him as the perpetrator of the crime with which he was now awaiting the judgment of the Court. lt was a case of that peculiar complexion, which demanded the most jealous attention, and should therefore be narrowly watched. His Honor said, that it was a chain of circumstances that required to be traced link by link, and if but one link should be found wanting, which gave birth to a doubt, that that doubt should most unquestionably be thrown into the scale of mercy, and weigh on the side of the prisoner, however guilty he might be; thus leaving him to the vengeance of Him, who hath wisely pronounced that " vengeance is mine !" ,But, upon the other hand, should there be found a sufficiency of evidence to establish the crime against the prisoner, in that case, His Honor said, it would be unnecessary for him to remark as to what punishment would visit such an offender.-The Court retired, and in about five minutes returned with a verdict of Guilty—Remanded.

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Maureen Withey on 5th September 2025

At our City Sessions, holden, adjournment, on Monday last, ... John Davison, for having in his possession several forged and counterfeit Bank of England notes, was convicted  and sentenced to be transported for fourteen years; … Oxford University and City Herald, 23 Jan 1813. On Thursday David Evans, and Callaghan M’Qarty, who were sentenced to be transported for seven years, and John Davison, for fourteen years, were removed from our city gaol to the hulks at Portsmouth. Oxford University and City Herald, 30 Jan 1813. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Colonial Secretary Index. DAVISON, John or William. Per "Earl Spencer", 1813 1813 Nov 6 Received ticket of leave. To be struck off the victualling list (Reel 6002; 4/3491 p.592) 1822 Petitions for mitigation of sentence (Fiche 3216; 4/1865 pp.8-9c) 1822 Jul 17 Committed for trial before the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction (Reel 6054; 4/1758 pp.114-114b) 1822 Aug 3 Re deposition taken in connection with his alleged stabbing of Robert Howe (Reel 6009; 4/3506 p.127) 1822 Sep 23-Oct 21 Sentenced to death; commuted to transportation to Port Macquarie. In reports of prisoners tried at Court of Criminal Jurisdiction (Reel 6023; X820 p.67) 1822 Sep 30 Brought to trial and found guilty of stabbing Robert Howe (Reel 6052; 4/1753 p.183) 1822 Nov 5 Tried in Sydney. Sentence commuted to transportation to Port Macquarie (Reel 6070; 4/1265 p.9) 1822 Nov 18 Seeking delay of his departure to Port Macquarie (Reel 6069; 4/1817 p.4) 1822 Nov 19 On lists of prisoners transported to Port Macquarie per "Lady Nelson" (Reel 6019; 4/3864 pp.17, 376-7) 1823 Jan 15 John Wylde submitting report of proceedings of trial of for transmission to England (Reel 6057; 4/1766 p.14) 1824 Sep 27 Re mitigation of death sentence (Reel 6019; 4/3864 p.181)