Humphrey Lynch

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Maureen Withey on 16th May 2019

Friday was committed to Fisherton gaol, by the Rev Mr. Roll, of Bromham, Humphry Lynch, late marine in the 70th regiment, charged with assaulting and attempting to rob Henry Hutchins, of Bishops Cannings, on the highway. Salisbury Journal, 29 Nov 1784

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D Wong on 10th May 2014

Humphrey Lynch was tried on two counts. The first charge was on the oath of Henry Hutchings for assaulting him on the highway and demanding his money at the Chapelry of St. James, Bishop's Canning. The second was for unlawfully, maliciously and feloniously assaulting Henry Hutchings with a stick with a felonious intent to steal his monies and goods against the statute. Lynch was sentenced to be hanged, but was reprieved and transported for seven years. Ann Stokes was tried at Warwick in March 1788 and transported on the Lady Juliana in 1790. They were both sent to Norfolk Island — Humphrey on the Sirius in 1790 and Ann on the Surprise, also in 1790. No record has been found of their marriage or the births/baptisms of any children. When Humphrey and his wife left Norfolk Island for Van Diemen's Land there were no children listed as being with them, they were recorded as having had 15 acres of land on the island. A land grant of 30 acres at Clarence Plains was issued to them by Governor Macquarie in 1813. Ann Lynch died on 26 February 1816 at the age of 67 and was buried at St. David's, Hobart. Humphrey Lynch was found hanged at New Town on 29 December 1816 by another Norfolk Island settler, Dennis Geary {City of Edinburgh, 1808). Humphrey's death and burial are not recorded in the official records. Hobart Town Gazette 4/1/1817: On Saturday morning last as a man of the name of Dennis Geary a settler, near New-town, was going through the woods on his way to Hobartown, he discovered a quantity of sheep without a shepherd; on examination of which, he found they belonged to an old man that lodged in his house of the name of Humphrey Lynch, and who had the same morning gone out as usual with his sheep to graze. Geary after a length of time in search of Lynch, went to his neighbour (James Williams) to relate the circumstance, who accompanied him the whole of that day in quest of the absconded shepherd, but returned home unsuccessful except finding Lynch's dog. The sagacity of the animal having excited the attention of Williams, he humanely started off the following morning (Sunday) at 4 o'clock in hopes of discovering Lynch, when after a search of two hours he perceived the unhappy man suspended by his neck with two silk handkerchiefs to a limb of a tree, not 20 yards from the spot the dog was found the previous evening. On this unfortunate discovery, Williams immediately went to Geary, and dispatched him to town with disaster of Lynch; he then returned back to watch the corpse till it was removed, where he had not been many minutes before one of the handkerchiefs to which he was suspended rent asunder and the body fell to the ground - the body was conveyed to the Jolly Sailor, in Liverpool Street, for a Coroner's inquest; and on Wednesday afternoon the inquest was held, when the jury, after a short deliberation returned a verdict -- suicide. We understand he had previously bequeathed his sheep, &c. to a daughter living at Kangaroo point. His wife Ann who died just one year earlier leaving him all alone was probably the reason. Also found a birth date of 1749 for Humphrey.