Patrick Hegan

Level 72

Robin Sharkey on 13th July 2015

Patrick Hegan was 28 yrs at arrival in Hobart in 1842 aboard the "Prince Regent" with transportation for 7 years. His crime was ABDUCTION. He was originally given "Death recorded" which means the death sentence will not be carried out, and was specifically to be transported instead. Transportation sentence: 7 years. He abducted a girl named Sarah Anne Weir, who was living with her brother William.There was obviously an organised and concerted plan by the Hegan family for Anne’s abduction. She was invited to the parents’ house for the evening, probably the mother and sisters present knew what was to happen, and then a group of men, probably relatives, had been organised to carry her off the car on her way home and to a waiting cart to the home of another Hegan - Luke. The Hegan family lived near Ball's Mill, and in Louth this was a place about 7km from the centre of Dundalk. Patrick Hegan was reported in "Colonial Times" of 4 April 1848 as having been granted a certificate of freedom, along with many others whose periods of sentence of transportation were then up. He does not appear again in Tasmanian records, unless his name has been wrongly recorded as one of the many patrick "Hogan"s. Full report of Pat Hegan's trial was in an Irish newspaper - see Nenagh Guardian transcript below: The Nenagh Guardian 6 march 1841 page 5 ASSIZES INTELLIGENCE LOUTH -ABDUCTION "PATRICK HEGAN was indicted for carrying away Sarah Anne WEIR, with intent to marry her. SARAH ANNE WEIR examined by Sir Charles Staples:- “Deposed that her father was abroad, she lived with her grandfather and after his death stayed with her brother William Weir; she is entitled to £130. She remembers going in October last [1840] on a visit to a brother-in-law of hers in Ball’s Mill. She knows a person of the name of Hegan living near Ball’s Mill; while with her brother-in-law she got an invitation from Michael Hegan to go to them. Michael Hegan is the father of the prisoner; she was asked to go and spend the evening there. At first she said to her sister that she would not go, afterwards she went, her sister pressed her to go, the day of the month was 5th November, it was just daylight when she was going. She went on Hegan’s car with her sister and brother inlay; the prisoner was there, ask the father, the mother, and two daughters. They had dinner and punch afterwards, and tea after that; they left the house about eleven or twelve o’clock; they went on the same car, a son-in-law Hegan’s drove them; the prisoner got on the car as they were driving off. “They did not go far until the car was stopped by a party of men with sticks in their hands; she saw only two who pulled [her] witness off the car; they pulled her along the road two or three yards; Pat Hegan came up and they lifted her in their arms until they came to a cart [that] they put her in; [prisoner] Hegan got up behind and put a big coat over her and held his arms around her; the cart was driven on very fast. They bid her to hold her tongue and not to cry; was taken out of the house of Luke Hegan three miles from where she dined, the name of the place is Castletown, there they brought her in and bid her sit at the fire; she missed a brooch belonging to her mother; Hegan said he’d go and look for it; he went and came back and said he could not find it - witness was sitting crying, the prisoner brought her down to the room, there was no one else in it; there was only one woman, Luke Hegan’s wife, in the house - the room was dark. “Court [question[ Was it against your will you were brought there? WITNESS- Did not know where they were bringing her; she cried for help, someone brought her a light into the house; two men came into the room and sat on the bed where witness was; she was crying; they began to sing and told her to listen to their songs; she never consented to marry the prisoner; would not marry him = she next saw the prisoner when he was going into the gaol. The jury returned a verdict of guilty. The learned judge addressed the prisoner on the enormity o his offence and directed that sentence of death should be recorded against him, which would be commuted to transportation for such a period as seemed fit to the executive.”