Ralph Hush

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Vanessa Hampshire on 1st January 2023

Edit:The Neptune arrived in Australia in 1820, not 1920.

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Kevin OReilly on 20th February 2022

In 1836, son Joseph Hush also takes up a property named “Old Cookanulla” near his parents. We will never know the circumstances but in 1838 he fathered a child to Christiana Brown, the daughter of Jane Cameron. Christiana had a failed marriage at the time to James Fitzgerald. The child was registered as Joseph Hush and would be cared for by Jane Cameron, his grandmother. (refer notes Jane Cameron.) The Maitland Mercury - Goulburn Herald, Oct. 15. 1859 HOUSE BURNT.-The residence of Mr. Ralph Hush, senior, one of the oldest settlers in the district, was burnt down last Sunday. It appears that the fire originated in the kitchen, shortly after dinner, and as there was no one at the place except Mr. and Mrs. Hush, the latter of whom is an invalid, the flames made rapid progress. Mr. Hush had barely time to bring his wife out, and to remove the bed and two or three drawers from a chest in the room, when the whole house was in flames. The building being a slabbed one fed the flames eagerly, and in the course of half an hour Mr. Hush saw nothing in the place of his house but a mass of smouldering ruins. The loss will be a serious one to an old man of some seventy odd years, and is one which excites the compassion of all the neighbours, among whom Mr. Hush is greatly respected - Braidwood Despatch Oct. 15. 1860 would prove a fateful year for the Hush family, especially that of Ralph jnr.. In that year he would lose his wife Lucy, his father and his own home to fire. Sydney Empire 28 Jan 1860 notice - Hush - On Thursday, the 19th January at her residence, Spring Grove, Lucy, the beloved wife of Mr Ralph Hush jnr., aged 42, leaving her disconsolate husband and eight sons, with a large circle of friends, to mourn their sad bereavement. Her death certificate tells that she died of “gangrene.” Ralph Hush snr., died on his property Jun 2 1860, cause of death was “exposure and cold exhaustion,” the circumstances can only be guessed at. He had lost his home to fire the previous October and we do not know the conditions or where he and his wife were living. His wife Margaret died Feb 20 1862 of natural causes. They are both buried in the family graveyard on the Eastfield property at Mongarlowe. They were considered pioneer settlers of the area and well respected. A notice in the Sydney Morning Herald 20 June 1860 records- On the 2nd June, at Cookanulla, near Braidwood, Mr Ralph Hush sen., aged 79 years, being a resident of the colony upwards of 40 years, leaving a large circle of friends to mourn their loss.” Shortly after losing his father and his wife, another fire disaster befell Ralph Hush jnr., the Braidwood Observer 27 Aug 1860 reports - Mr Ralph Hush, a resident of this district for a long period, had occasion to leave his house at Spring Grove for the purpose of mowing grain in a paddock about six miles distant, his eldest son being also away on some other operation of husbandry, the youngest branches of the family were left at home. They, however, it seems left the locality for play, and upon the return of the family, the house, which was a slab one with a stone chimney was totally destroyed by fire. It is supposed that the chimney must have caught fire and ignited the building. Mr Hush, by this sudden destruction of his household, lost everything he possessed except a few sovereigns, all of which, with the exception of one which was slightly blistered, withstood the action of the flames. A quantity of bank notes, and all the furniture and effects were burnt in the conflagration. Now, for the sake of an annual payment of about 10 percent upon the estimated value of the property, under the Insurance system, the serious loss sustained by Mr Hush would have been completely covered.

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David Seal on 18th January 2015

RALPH HUSH; Ralph Hush was a convict sent from Northumberland, England to Australia in 1820. He was also one of the first convicts ever to receive a pardon from a life sentence after less than 5 years. EARLY LIFE: Born to parents Ralph & Sarah Hush on a Londonderry farm in 1783, Ralph was the youngest of 5 children. Around the age of 5 he and his family returned to Crookham, Northumberland to live. The family owned and worked on a farm a mile from Crookham called Crookham Eastfield. He eventually secured a job as a humble farmer. TRIAL: NEWCASTLE COURT: Saturday 21 August 1819 Newcastle Assizes held at Guildhall, Newcastle at 16th August 1819. Judge Sir John Bailey. Case heard Tuesday 17th August 1819. RALPH HUSH , alias HUSHS: Shepherd to ANTHONY COMPTON, esq of CARHAM aged 35, was charged with stealing from PRESTON NORTHUMBERLAND either on the 26th May or day preceeding, 20 ewes & 20 lambs, property of Mr Goerge ARCHBOLD. Mr Sergeant Cross, in an elequent address to the jury, related all particulars of this most extraordinary case, he said he would not leave doubt in the minds of the jury. Mr LOSH called GEORGE SCOTT, Archbold's shepherd for 10 years, recollects his masters flock about end of May, it was 6 score * 12 or 13. All were seen alright on the evening of 25th May. The following morning he missed 20 ewes & 20 lambs. He examined the fences for gaps etc and found none. Reported to Mr Archbold. After five days, 11 animals found at DOWNHAM, with Mr Forester. One with Mr Tulips and 8 at Newick, a farm belonging to EARL GREY. Shepherds & Farmers gave evidence as to the various ways in which & how they came into the possesion of the sheep. The prisoner offered no defence. and called only one charactor witness. The judge asked him if he lost any sheep? He said 2 which he later saw on Mr COMPTONS land, but he did not suspect the prisoner. His Lordship summed up at length, the jury had only a short consultation, and returned a GUILTY verdict. Several other indictments re stealing of sheep from Mr COMPTON and others were not gone into. It will be recollected that the prisoner had, in the course of his service, made free with his masters sheep and when Mr Compton's sheep were to be advertised for sale, he then made free with neighbouring flocks to make up the defiencies and the stolen sheep actually sold by public auction at Mr Compton's sale, as part of his choice breed Raplh Huish and another man Ralph MOOK had been sentenced to Death for sheep stealing. This sentence was comuted to transportation for life to the colony of New South Wales. TRANSPORTATION: Ralph was imprisoned for stealing sheep, tried and convicted on 17 August 1819 in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland, where he was sentenced to life transportation to Australia. From the time of his trial until the sailing of his convict ship, Ralph lived on a hulk. Ralph's ship, "The Neptune 1" disembarked from Downs, England on 23rd March 1820 with a long journey ahead of them. The ship's master was William McKissock and the surgeon was Jas Mitchell. The Neptune 1 arrived into Sydney Harbour on 17 July 1920 with 156 convicts on board after 114 days of cramped and demeaning hell. LIFE IN AUSTRALIA: Ralph Hush was immediately taken to work at a farm and muster at Wingacarribee, NSW. The owner and founder of this farm and all it's properties was the famous explorer, John Oxley. Ralph Hush was taken under the wing of Oxley and worked for 4 solid years on the muster. Life must have been hard on the farms, working everyday in the hot highlands sun after so many years in the cold of England. Until, finally, some good news. FAMILY: On 25th April 1808 in Norham, Northumberland, England. Ralph Hush married 24 year old Margaret Robinson, his life long and faithful wife. The marriage was to last 52 years, until the death of Ralph Hush in 1860. With Margaret, Ralph had 4 children in Etal, Northumberland; Ralph Hush Jr ( 1808-1876), Phillis Hush ( 1809-1876), Joseph Hush ( 1911-1850), Sarah Hush (1818-1847?) In 1823 Margaret wrote to the Governor of New South Wales asking to be reunited and to join her husband in Australia as a free settler. Margaret was part of the early resettlement of convict families who's passage to the colonies was paid for by the British Government. (See pages in the "Two Voyages " attached to this file) Below is a transcript of the letter to the Governor sent in 1823. "To his Excellency General Darling Goveneror in Chief of the Colony of New South Wales and it's Dependency's Humble Petitioner arrived in the Colony in May 1824,. Free with four children, to join her husband, Ralph Hush, a prisoner for life by Neptune in 1820. That your Excellency's Humble Petitioner's husband is now and has been since his arrival in July 1820, the assigned Government servant of John Oxley Esq; who has treated him and Petitioner exceedingly well. That your Excellency's Humble Petitioner has lately perceived thro' the medium of the Public Prints that your Excellency is disposed to serve every deserving married man, is therefore emboldened to hope that your Excellency will be humanely pleased to allow of Petitioners husband being transfered to her, with the view of his being the more enabled to render Petitioner and her four children that support which they ought to expect. That Mr Oxley is desirous to since his arrival now six years and is willing to transfer him to Petitioner as hereunder certified should it meet your Excellency' wishes. Petitioner therefore most earnestly and most respectfully prays that your Excellency will be humanely pleased to acquiesce to Petitioner's request for which mark of your Excellency benignity Petitioner and family will be ever gratefully pray. Signed Margaret Hush. Margaret emigrated to Australia in 1823 on the ship "Brothers" arriving in Sydney NSW on the 7th may 1824 with her four children. Whilst Ralph was still under the control of the penal system. Margaret found a place to live and bring up her children. Evidence shows that the family reacted well to the relocation. Ralph Hush was pardoned from his life sentence soon after his family joined him and became one of the first convicts to ever escape a life sentence after a term of only 4 years. LIFE IN BRAIDWOOD; In 1831 Ralph Hush was granted land at Mongarlowe, Braidwood, NSW and moved his family there by 1839. He helped to establish a long and colourful history of Hush's there. For the rest of his life, Ralph was a humble farmer on various properties around the general Mongarlowe area, on farms such as " Eastfield, Marlowe, Charetyong and St Omer" His son, Ralph Hush Jnr, eventually bought several of these farms and owned many inns, in and around the towns of Braidwood and Berrima. For a while in later life, Ralph Hush Jr, was a magistrate in Picton, New South Wales. Ralph Hush died on the property of Durran Durra, Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia on the 2nd June 1860 at the age of 77. He was buried on Eastfield, and remains there to this day.