John Easy

343

Maureen Withey on 26th August 2022

https://stors.tas.gov.au/SC195-1-30-2650 Inquest into the death of John Easy.

343

Maureen Withey on 26th August 2022

Possible death??? To the Editor of the Colonial Times. SUSPICIOUS AFFAIR. Sir- An inquest was held here on Friday last, on the body of an old and respectable settler, named John Easy, a resident in this parish of 34 years. About three months ago he married a woman of very bad character. He was upwards of 60 years of age. She left her home on Monday last and returned on Thursday. She states that immediately on her arrival home he committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. Major Schaw was the coroner. It was well known to the police that the resident settlers in the neighbourhood had a strong suspicion of Mrs. Easy being the murderer of her husband. She said before she left the public house at Clarence Plains, on the morning of Thursday, that she would settle b---y old Jack as soon as she got home. She has been known to run after him with a knife, and swear she would kill him. Dr. Coverdale, whose experience and abilities are well known as a surgeon, made a post mortem examination of the body, and it was his decided opinion that deceased had been murdered. There were three or four cuts on his throat, in fact the head was nearly severed from the body. Strange to say in the face of all this, the jury brought in a verdict of suicide. I think, indeed, I am sure, Major Schaw was in too much of a hurry over this inquest. he should have been a little more particular in summoning the jurymen, he should have selected the most intelligent men in the neighbourhood, instead of which be impanelled a jury of the first he could lay hands on and another strange thing is, that the police have not made the slightest stir in the matter that I have heard of. I am afraid the next thing we shall have amongst us will be Lynch-law, if the police are as remiss in their duties as they have been over this murdering affair. You may hear from me again on this subject. Yours. etc. H. M. Muddy Plains, Jan. 19. 1852. The Colonial Times, 23 Jan 1852. ---------------------------------------------------- Marriage Clarence District 1851. https://stors.tas.gov.au/RGD37-1-10p44j2k Marriage on 24 Nov 1851, at St Matthews Church, Clarence Plains, of John Easy, age 66, Farmer, and Caroline Williams, age 36, Housekeeper. John Easy was a widower, and Caroline Williams was a widow. Marriage ceremony carried out by W.W. F. Murray, Chaplain, registered 24 Nov 1851. John Easy signed X, his mark, Caroline signed her name. The witnesses were: Thomas Carter and Hannah Martin. ------------------------------------------------------ Deaths, 1852, Clarence Plains. https://stors.tas.gov.au/RGD35-1-21p15j2k Died 15 January 1852, John Easy, male, age 67, Farmer. Cause of death: Cut his throat in a fit of insanity. Informant: John Revis, Constable, stationed at Rokeby. Registered 17 Jan 1852.

343

Maureen Withey on 26th August 2022

The Ely and Littleport riots of 1816, also known as the Ely riots or Littleport riots, occurred between 22 and 24 May 1816 in Littleport, Cambridgeshire. The riots were caused by high unemployment and rising grain costs, similar to the general unrest which spread throughout England following the Napoleonic Wars. The Littleport riot broke out when a group of residents met at The Globe Inn. Fuelled by alcohol, they left the inn and began intimidating wealthier Littleport residents, demanding money and destroying property. The riot spread to Ely where Magistrates attempted to calm the protests by ordering poor relief and fixing a minimum wage; The following day, encouraged by Lord Liverpool’s government, a militia of the citizens of Ely rounded up the rioters. In the ensuing altercation at The George and Dragon in Littleport, a trooper was injured, one rioter was killed, and at least one went on the run. The government appointed a Special Commission, consisting of Justice Abbott and Justice Burrough. The rioters were tried in the assizes at Ely during the week commencing 17 June 1816. 23 men and one woman were condemned, of which five were subsequently hanged. Source: Wikipedia. ————————————————————————— RIOTS AT LITTLEPORT AND ELY. On Wednesday the inst. a most desperate body of fen-men assembled at Littleport, in the Isle Ely, where they attacked the same night the house the Rev. Mr. Vachel, magistrate, who for some time stood at his door armed with pistol threatening to shoot any one who should attempt to enter, when three men rushed upon, and disarmed him.— He immediately ran up stairs to relieve his wife and two daughters who, with very slight covering, made their escape with him, running nearly all the way towards Ely where they arrived safe after midnight.—The rioters then broke all the windows, and nearly demolished every thing in the house, burning all Mr. Vachel’s valuable papers and writings, and stamping his plate under their feet; after which they extorted considerable sums of money from the inhabitants, and broke into two shops helping themselves, without any one daring to oppose them.—The publicans’ cellars were their next object, where, after having drank what they liked, they got waggon and team of horses, and proceeded for Ely, taking with them every gun and other deadly weapon they could find.—On their arrival at that city they Mere joined by some its refractory inhabitants before eight o’clock on Thursday morning, when they demanded contributions from the houses and shops the brewers, bakers, butchers, grocers, and millers, which were unavoidably assented to, and a dreadful scene of drunkenness and riotous conduct ensued.—They then proceeded to the house Mr. Rickwood, miller, here they began to break his windows, &c. but his wife consenting go with a party them to the Bank, for the purpose of giving them £50; on obtaining that sum they left his house without committing any further depredations—but on their return broke the windows and doors of the house of a person who sold flour, together with great part of the furniture.— T he mischief was chiefly committed by the Littleport rioters, who, after separating themselves from those of Ely, extorted money from several persons of city, which they spent drink and departed homeward, to complete their lawless depredations; having first obtained the release of two of their confederates who had been imprisoned by the Ely Magistrates. Happily there was no further disturbance in that place, after the departure of the Littleport banditti. It is with great pleasure we are now enabled to announce to our readers that the riots at Littleport and Ely, which were likely to be creative of much more serious consequences than any have had the unpleasant task giving an account of, are at length terminated, by the very spirited and active exertions of Sir Henry Bale Dudley, Bart one his Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the Isle of Ely, aided by a very respectable number of the gentlemen and inhabitants of Ely, and the Royston Troop of Volunteer Cavalry, together with a small detachment of the 1st Royal Dragoons, consisting of 18, who had in the first instance been sent for from Bury.—These proceeded a body on Friday afternoon to Littleport and a very severe struggle ensued between them and the rioters, who had secreted themselves in different houses, and were armed with guns, with which they fired many shots at the military and civil power, and severely wounded one of the soldiers, but not dangerously.—-The military then received orders fire, and the man who had wounded the soldier was instantly shot dead, and another fell, who has lost the lower part of his face, and part of his tongue, is since dead. When this took place the rioters were completely disconcerted, and fled every direction, but by the perseverance and activity of the military and civil power no less than 73 of the rioters were taken prisoners and are now lodged in Ely gaol.—Many more were also taken, who appearing to have been forced join the mob, have been liberated.— Amongst those taken and now under confinement are several persons of some property, and apparent respectability in life. At least 50 guns, 9 or 10 large fowling pieces such are used by gunners for the destruction of wild fowl, each carrying at least 1 or 5 pipes of powder and many of shot, were taken from the rioters, and plate and other articles to the value of about 3 or £400. have been recovered. Cambridge Chronicle, 31 May 1816. ————————————————————————— Special Assizes at Ely. On Saturday, at nine o’clock, the Court reassembled, when judgment of death was passed on 24 prisoners capitally convicted:—Aaron Chevill, Richard Jessop, Joseph Easy, Thomas South. and Mark Penton, for burglary in the dwelling-house of Josiah Dewey, Thomas South, Wm. Dann, and Robert Crabb for stealing in the dwelling-house of Robert Speechley Littieport; James Newell and Isaac Harloy, for stealing from the person of Rev. J. Vachell, of Littleport; John Dennis, John Jefferson, and Richard Rutter, for stealing from the person of Robert Edwards, of Ely; William Beamiss, the younger, for stealing from the person of Robert Evans, Ely; Aaron Layton, John Dennis, Richard Jessop, William Atkin, Sarah Hobbs, John Pricke, John Cooper, and John Jefferson for Stealing from the person of William Cooper, of Ely; John Dennis, Aaron Layton, William Atkin, and James Cammel, for stealing from the person George Stevens, of Ely; William Beamiss, the older, and Aaron Chevill, for stealing from the person of Henry Tansley; John Easy, John Walker, Robert Butcher, and George Crow, for stealing in the dwelling-house Rebecca and Henry Martin, of Littleport; William Beamiss, the elder, and William Beamiss, the younger, for stealing from person of Robert Cheeseright of Littleport. Mr. Justice Abbot then addressed them the following effects— Prisoners at the Bar, —You stand here twenty-four persons in number, a melancholy example to all who are here present, and to all your country, of the sad effects of indulging in those brutal and violent passions, by which you all have been actuated, in the commission of crimes of which you have been convicted. You seem to have thought, that by your own strength, and your threats, you should not only be able to oppress and intimidate your peaceable neighbours, but even to resist the strong arm the law itself. How vain that thought, your present situation shews. It was suggested abroad, that you had been induced to perpetrate these violent outrages, by hard necessity and after attending closely and strictly to the whole tenor of the evidence, which has occupied the attention of the Court for several days, there has not appeared the condition, circumstances, or behaviour of any one you, any reason to suppose that you were instigated by distress. By what motive, under what mistaken advice or disposition, you began to act the way yon did, is best and perhaps only known to God and your own consciences. The preservation, not only of the good order and peace society, the preservation life itself, imperiously calls upon the Court to declare, that many of you must expect to undergo the full sentence of the law. It some consolation to the Court to able to say, that in attending to and distinguishing the cases each particular individual, have found in many of them circumstances which will warrant in giving to many of you a hope that your lives will be saved. Norfolk Chronicle, 29 June 1816. ————————————————————————— Special Assizes at Ely. The Court then rose, and the Special Commission concluded. Of the 24 prisoners capitally convicted, 5 were left for execution, viz. — Thos. South, jun. for stealing in the dwelling-houses of J. Dewey and R. Speedily; John Dennis, for stealing from the persons of Wm. Cooper, R. Edwards, and G. Stevens ; Isaac Harley, jun. for stealing from the person of the Rev. John Vachell; Win. Beamiss, sen. for stealing from the persons of H. Tansley and K. Cheesewright ; and George Crow, for stealing in the dwelling-house of Rebecca Waddelow and Henry Martin.— They are to suffer at Littleport on Friday next, the 28th inst. 19 Reprieved ; sentences mitigated as follow : 5 to be transported for life, viz. — Joseph Easy, for stealing in the dwelling-house of J. Dewey ; A. Chevell for the same offence, and also stealing from the person of Henry Tansley; Richard Jessop, for stealing in the dwelling- house of J. Dewey, and also from the person of W. Cooper; John Jefferson, for stealing from the persons of Wm. Cooper and Robt. Edwards ; and James Newell, for stealing from the person of the Rev. John Vachell. 1 to be transported for 14 years, viz. — Richard Rutter, for stealing from the person of R. Edwards. 3 to be transported for 7 years, viz. — Mark Benton, for stealing in the dwelling-house of J. Dewey; John Easy and John Walker, for stealing from the dwelling house of Rebecca Waddelow and H. Martin. 10 to be imprisoned 12 months in Ely Gaol, Bury and Norwich Post, 26 June 1816. --------------------------------------------------- https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON13-1-1$init=CON13-1-1P67 List of 63 male prisoners who arrived per Sir William Bensley on the 10th March 1817, and who were forwarded to Hobart Town. Aaron Chevell, tried at Ely S.S. of O.V. J and G.D. 17 June 1816, Life. Joseph Easy, tried at Ely S.S. of O.V. J and G.D. 17 June 1816, Life. John Easy, tried at Ely S.S. of O.V. J and G.D. 17 June 1816, 7 years. John Jefferson, tried at Ely S.S. of O.V. J and G.D. 17 June 1816, Life. Richard Jessop, tried at Ely S.S. of O.V. J and G.D. 17 June 1816, Life. Richard Ruttor, tried at Ely S.S. of O.V. J and G.D. 17 June 1816, 14 years. ----------------------------------------------------- https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-9$init=CON31-1-9P204 6. Jno. Easy. The record is blank. Tasmanian Description Record. https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON23-1-1$init=CON23-1-1-P121 No 6. John Easy. 5 ft 9. D. bro hair, hazle eyes, age 29, Labourer. Tried at Ely, 1816. 7 years. To NSW per Sir Wm. Bensley, 1817. To VDL per Eliz. Henrietta, 1818. Native place, Ely.