Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
Robert Myerscough was transported on the Hougoumont, departing 10th Oct 1867 and arriving 9th Jan 1868 with 281 passengers.
875 ton ship was built at Moulmein in 1852. http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-in-history-australias-last-convict-ship-docks.htm ---------------------------- Incorrect Image ....This is a four masted steel hulled Barque in the drawing , im surprised Australian Geo didn't do a bit more research on this .......The Hougoumont was a works ship on the Forth Bridge Project in 1885 ....the one potrayed as a drawing in Aust Geo is the later version of this ship.....the photograph i have attached is the correct and original convict vessel. --00-- 1867 "The hired convict ship Hougoumont, which has been taken up by the Government for the conveyance of a numerous party of convicts to Freemantle, Western Australia, left the Nore on October 1, and proceeded down Channel, after receiving on board 150 convicts from the establishments at Chatham and Millbank. The convicts from the Chatham establishment, at St. Mary's, embarked from the dockyard on board the paddle-wheel steamer Adder, Mr. W. J. Blakely, and were in charge of a numerous party of convict guards and wardens, all heavily armed. Among the convicts shipped were a party of fifteen Fenians, who were engaged in the late conspiracy in Ireland, together with the officers and crew convicted of scuttling the ship Severn, and some others who have achieved notoriety from their crimes. The Fenian convicts, like the remainder of the prisoners, were chained together in gangs, but it was observed that they were kept apart from the other convicts in a portion of the vessel by themselves. The steamer Petrel also took down a number of convicts from the establishment at Millbank for shipment on board the Hougoumont, in charge of a strong escort and convict guard. On Tuesday, October 8th, the Hougoumont arrived in Portland roads. Shortly before midday ninety convicts were marched down to the Government pier at Portland under a strong escort of the 12th Light Infantry. The party included twenty-three Fenian convicts, among whom it was said, was Moriarty. The Government steamer employed in the breakwater service was used for conveying the convicts on board the Hougoumont transport ship. The convicts were chained together on embarking, and on board the steamer a strong guard of marines from her Majesty's ship St. George was formed, and saw the convicts safely placed on board the Hougoumont. The Governor of the penal settlement at Freemantle, Captain Young, is on board the Hougoumont, and returns in that ship to his sphere of duty after paying a visit to his native land." Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 19 Dec 1867, p4, English Shipping, available on Trove at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28608271?searchTerm=hougoumont.
HougoumontReferences
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/19, p245 (125) --0-- Edgar, W. (Bill). (2018). “The precarious voyage of her majesty’s convict ship ‘Nile’ to the Swan River colony, late 1857 – and the unexpected aftermath.” The Great Circle, 40(1), 20–43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26783779 --0-- https://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/research/convict-database/ |
| Source Description | This record is one of the entries in the British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database compiled by State Library of Queensland from British Home Office (HO) records which are available on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Pro |
| Original Source | Great Britain. Home Office |
| Compiled By | State Library of Queensland |
| Database Source | British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database |
Claims
No one has claimed Robert Myerscough yet.
Photos
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Convict Notes
NOTE: Year of Birth is taken from official records but day and month are not known. The latter dates have been entered as 01/01 because the site does not allow those fields to be left empty.
DEATH: 1895, 26 May: “MYERSCOUGH.—At Fremantle, on 26th May, 1895, of bronchitis, ROBERT MYERSCOUGH, of Fremantle. Aged 63” (The West Australian, 28 May, 1895, p4 at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4544219). --0-- Myerscough, Robert: male, aged 60, died at Fremantle; died 1895; reg. no. 763; reg. year 1895 (WA Registry of BDM at https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-justice) --0-- FUNERAL: 1896, 27 May: “FUNERAL NOTICES. The friends of the late ROBERT MYERSCOUGH are respectfully invited to follow his remains to the place of interment, the Fremantle Cemetery. The funeral leaves the Fremantle Hospital, Point-street, at 5p.m. THIS DAY.” (The West Australian, 27 May, 1895, p4 at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4541118) --000--
BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS: 1894, 9 July: From the WA Government Gazette, p7: “THE BANKRUPTCY ACT. 1892.- Receiving Order : Re Robert Myerscough, stationer, Fremantle: 2nd inst., on debtor's petition...” -- 1894, 16 October: From the Daily News, p3: “MEETING AT FREMANTLE. Yesterday afternoon, a meeting of the creditors in R. Myerscough's estate was held at the Federal Hotel, when it was unanimously decided to wind up the estate. Mr. R. M. Walker was appointed trustee.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/76467604) --00--
1893, 22 October: Returned to WA on the “SS Austral” (WA Police Gazette, No.49, 1893, p197 at https://slwa.wa.gov.au/pdf/battye/police_gazettes/PG189312.pdf). --0--
TO MELBOURNE: 1893, 24 September: Sailed from WA on the “SS Cloncurry” for Melbourne. Remarks: Medium build, age 62, height 5ft. 5½in. tall, brown hair turning grey, grey eyes, long visage, swarthy complexion, dark bushy whiskers turning grey, deaf, a bookseller.” (WA Police Gazette, No.40, 1893, 1893, p161 at https://slwa.wa.gov.au/pdf/battye/police_gazettes/PG189310.pdf) --0--
SUBDIVIDING & SELLING “SEVEN OAKS” 1892, 1 July: From the West Australian, p2: “Preliminary notice--The Sevenoaks Estate on the Canning River, about seven miles from Perth, on the Bunbury Railway, 340 magnificent lots of from 15 acres to 5 acres each, now being surveyed and pegged. A. Gra Rosser has been favoured with instructions from R. Myerscough, Esq., to sell by public auction at a future date, the above well-known beautiful estate in subdivisions. Full particulars will appear later.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3037269) --0--
FIRE AT “SEVEN OAKS”: 1891, 30 January: From the Inquirer & Commercial News, p5: “DISASTROUS FIRE AT THE CANNING. From the Canning we learn that a fire of considerable proportions occurred on Tuesday last, on the property recently purchased [for more than £2000] by Mr. Myerscough, of Fremantle, and known as ‘Seven Oaks’. From particulars to hand we gather that of late several fires have broken out in the locality — the first of which having occurred last week, when the flames were got under by the aid of Mr. F. J. Liddelow's men, from Maddington. On Monday, however, the fire again broke out near the Canning Post office, but by the exertions of the residents it was subdued, without doing much damage. About midnight, however, or early on Tuesday morning, Mr. Liddelow's employees again noticed flames emanating from one of the paddocks at Seven Oaks, and after going over in that direction, they observed the dwelling house and orchard were on fire, upon each of which the flames had such a tremendous hold as to make it almost impossible for the efforts of the men to be of any avail. Fortunately they were able to once more overpower the flames, which they put out, and after making all secure returned to their houses, having undergone a terrible night's work. On Tuesday, about midday, the neighbourhood was disturbed with an other alarm of fire from the same direction, and upon this occasion Mr. Liddelow's men were joined by Mr. Joseph Harris, but in spite of their efforts the flames, aided by a strong breeze that was blowing at the time, managed to again get a firm hold of the dwelling and orchard, both of which burnt with the rapidity of matchwood, as did also the barn and a quantity of other property.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/67197279) --0--
THE “TRUTH”: 1890, 5 April: From the WA Bulletin, p13: “It is said that in addition to the new ‘Syndicate’ paper to be started in Fremantle, Bob Myerscough is going to start a daily sheet of his own, which he intends to call by the appropriate name of ‘Truth’. It will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him Bob.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227417592) --0--
A BRANCH IN PERTH: 1888, 18 December: From the Daily News, p3: “From an announcement which appears in another place, it will be seen that Mr. R. Myerscough (of Fremantle) has commenced business in Perth. Mr. Myerscough's new establishment is in Howick-street, directly opposite the Town Hall, where he has opened a fancy goods' repository, a stationer's shop and a circulating library...” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/76211695) --0--
THE BULLETIN’S SWIPE: 1888, 22 September: From the WA Bulletin, p6: “Our old friend Bob Myerscough has been conversing in England with Lord Knutsford, and gave that eminent Statesman his views on Responsible Government. We wonder whether he also gave His Lordship his views of the responsible Governor who deprived him of his stamp license, without rhyme or reason, and gave it to another individual who had not even opened business in Fremantle. We hope to see Bob looking bobbish, and trust that he will continue to bob up serenely despite Governors Secretaries of State, or any other man.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227589326) --0--