Catherine Harrington

71

Robin Sharkey on 4th July 2022

_______________________________________ In NSW Catherine Harrington seems to have first been assigned to Mrs Alice Bluett, since Catherine had arrived on 9 June 1836 but before the end of that year she’d been twice brought before the Bench of Magistrates in Sydney by her employer Mrs Alice Bluett / Blewett. The first occasion was 8 November 1836, and the next was on 14 December 1836. Just in October that year, this employer had also taken another convict servant, Ellen Johnson (per Roslin Castle) before the Magistrates. (State Records of NSW, Bench of Magistrates cases 1822 – 1836) Catherine's employer, Alice (or Alley) Bluett/Blewett was also Irish, and a young married woman. Mrs Bluett had been assigned servants since 1831 or ’32. She had arrived free in NSW in April 1829 from Ireland to join her husband, 29 year old convict Thomas Bluett, who’d arrived in January 1829 on “Governor Ready” with a life sentence for horse stealing. Thomas had been assigned to his wife by 1832 and Catherine was one of a series of convict servant girls who worked for them. December 1837 Muster — Catherine Harrington was working for (assigned to) "Alice Burt" [sic], at Sydney. This is probably still Alice Bluett”, her original employer. By 1844 she had been assigned elsewhere and was out at Campbelltown, the area where she got her ticket of leave in 1844. In 1847 she was Recommended for a conditional Pardon. But she only received her pardon in 1853.

71

Robin Sharkey on 4th July 2022

______________________________ Catherine Harrington, aged about 40 (convict indents), was indicted for the murder of her illegitimate child, a baby girl named Mary Power, by burying her alive in the graveyard at Killflyn, County Kerry, on Easter Tuesday, 21 April 1835. She could only speak Irish; this was apparent from comments made to her by the Judge when passing sentence, about him not understanding her language, and not understanding his. AT her trial at Tralee in County Kerry, she was originally sentenced to death and her execution set for the Monday following her trial, ie on 27 July 1835. Obviously, she was reprieved and sentenced, instead to transportation for life. Her crime was viewed with horror by her local community – from evidence of others and the Judge’s comments: “Certainly, a more extraordinary or horrifying exposure of unnatural atrocious cruelty has never yet come before a court of justice.” DETAILS of HER CRIME: Kerry Evening Post (Ireland), Saturday 25 July 1835, p.2. Tralee assizes: (the following is mostly summarised, some is taken verbatim from newspaper report) GEORGE BENSON was aged about 13 years and sworn to give evidence. He was regarded as a very intelligent boy who satisfactory answered the judge’s questions on the nature of an oath. On Easter Tuesday he and his father, John Benson, were working late in the evening clearing out weeds in a garden owned by his father. The garden adjoined the graveyard and was separated from it only by a low wall. The boy, George Benson, saw Catherine Harrington, the prisoner, firstly on the road leading to the church of Kilflynn. She then came into the churchyard and spoke to his father over the wall. She requested the loan of a spade in order to dig a hole to bury an infant. So the spade was laid on the wall for the prisoner’s use but after it remained there a few minutes George's father said to him “Perhaps the poor woman is not able to dig the grave; go and dig it for her”. The boy climbed over the wall into the churchyard and saw the child about 20 yards from him wrapped in a bundle of rags lying close to the wall. He dug the grave in depth not more than the length of the metal part of the spade. When the grave was ready the woman took up the child from the side of the wall and while she was bringing it towards the grave hole he heard a “week cry” which the child repeated as she was bringing it along. The witness then said with fear and astonishment “Are you going to bury the child alive!”. The prisoner replied “Oh it is a weak child and won't be long alive”. She then laid the child in the grave and while doing so it again uttered a feeble cry, and she then commenced filling up the whole with earth and stones. On seeing this, the witness fled in terror and dismay to look for his father who he found about half an hour after on the road where the prisoner had been coming along, and told him the horrible tale. The father said “it is too late to save the child’s life now” and it was left in the grave until the following day when it was disinterred at the coroner's inquest. The boy saw the child taken out of the hole on the following day. His father, JOHN BENSON, gave similar evidence. As well, two witnesses gave evidence that they saw the prisoner with the baby on the road leading to the Church of Killflynn, late on the evening of Easter Tuesday — Robert Sommers and his sister Mary Maloney (she heard the child cry). THOMAS POWER, the father of the murdered child, was next examined. "He appeared to be a savage as uncivilised as a cannibal of New Zealand." His evidence was that: The prisoner lived with him as a servant maid. They had another illegitimate child aged three years old. The prisoner had brought the infant to his house on Easter Monday and said “Here is your child”. (He claimed) it was then dead. She said “I must wash it and put a clean shirt on it”. She did so and then carried it away to bury it.” Here, the newspaper report notes that the child was alive at 12:00 o'clock the following day in the house of Judith Stack. The newspaper reported about the baby's father that “This fellow swore that he was so poor that he could not support himself, his mother, or his illegitimate children and that he was obliged to live on the charity of some friends. He came to the table half drunk and no one believed a word he swore. It was, indeed, the general impression that as he evidently perjured himself he was also capable of instigating the murder of the unfortunate infant.” JUDITH STACK, "a decent farmer's wife" gave evidence that when she returned from Mass on Easter Monday the 20th of April Catherine Harrington, the prisoner, who she knew, was in her house with a child in her arms, a newborn female infant. The prisoner said the baby was born the previous Friday. Mrs Stack took compassion on her and kept her in her house for that day and night and saw her frequently suckle the child. The prisoner left after breakfast about 12:00 o'clock on Easter Tuesday and the child was then alive. The child was disinterred on 22 April. Magistrate THOMAS PONSONBY had sent the police to pursue the prisoner, and also went himself. Ponsonby saw the prisoner running along a ditch and pursued and arrested her, and she attempted to escape. He saw the child’s body disinterred and its body opened by the medico at the inquest. MAURICE CONNOR, the medico, attended the inquest at Kilflynn on the 22nd of April. He had seen the child disinterred and opened her body and found no external marks of violence nor internal appearance of disease. He did say that a child of that age might have been buried alive and on a post mortem examination exhibit more of those appearances (ie off suffocation). The jury retired, and shortly after, brought in a verdict of guilty. "The wretched prisoner had no loss in not being able to fee an agent or lawyer as the humane and learned judge sifted the evidence on every point that could fairly be brought to bear in her favour. In his charge to the jury he warned not to let the enormity of the crime with which she was charged create any prejudice in their minds, but rather that it should raise their doubt that any human being could be guilty of so atrocious and act. "In passing sentence on the unfortunate creature his lordship was much affected, so much so that his voice was often interrupted by the intenseness of his feelings. In a strain of the most glowing Christian eloquence he recommended repentance, mercy of her Redeemer and on the atonement made by his most precious blood. He regretted that she could not well understand his language nor could he convey his advice in the language she understood. She was ordered for execution on Monday next and her remains to be interred within the precincts of the county gaol."

116

Tony Beale on 20th September 2020

From Co Cork Ireland single roman catholic who has 1 female child could not read or write. Convicted of Killing her child 4'9" ruddy and freckled dark brown hair and hazel eyes New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia Convict Musters, New South Wales General muster 1837 Assigned to Alice Best Sydney New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900) View title info Tue 20 Feb 1844 [Issue No.20] Page 324 Government Gazette Notices THE undermentioned Female Prisoners of the Crown have obtained Tickets of Leave since the last day of publication: COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND. CAMPBELLTOWN. Goodfellow Catherine, Whitby ; Harrington Catherine, Thomas Harrison New South Wales, Australia, Convict Registers of Conditional and Absolute Pardons, (Reel 796) Name: Catherine Harrington Age: 57 Birth Year: 1796 Origin Place: Cork County Conviction Date:23 Jul 1835 Arrival year: 1836 Pardon Date: 30 Sep 1853 Vessel Name: Thomas Harrison Record Type: Conditional Pardon Number: 53/184