Ambrose Ridout

342

Maureen Withey on 6th April 2021

Dorchester, Robert Gillard, for sheep-stealing, and Ambrose Ridout for burglary, were capitally convicted. Hampshire Chronicle, 11 Aug 1800. ---------------------------------------------------- Hulk records. HO-9-8-3 p 7. Received 17 from Dorchester 10 Nov 1802. Ambrose Ridout, age 47, Ca. Res, Tried Dorchester 1 July 1800, Life, sent on board the Calcutta 9 Apr 1803. ------------------------------------------------------ Colonial Secretary Index. RIDEOUT, Ambrose n.d. In index to land grants in Van Diemen's Land (Fiche 3262; 4/438 p.77) ----------------------------------------------------- Tasmanian Records. Register of Convicts CON22 page 257. Ambrose Ridout, ship Calcutta, convicted Dorsetshire G.D. 31 July 1800, Life. -------------------------------------------------- Ambrose Rideout appears to have prospered in VDL, and was granted land and became a settler. Ambrose Rideout is mentioned in a case dated 1821, as his dwelling house had been entered into and robbed by three bushrnagers. Court of Criminal Jurisdiction, Tuesday. John Higgins, Michael Riley and John Hill, were indicted for forcibly entering the dwelling-house of Mr. Wm. Kimberly, at Bagdad, and stealing sundry articles, therein; on a second count for, in like manner, robbing the house of, and putting in fear, John Clark, at the Tea-tree Brush; and, on a third count, with a like offence in the dwelling-house of Ambrose Rideout, at Herdsmen's Cove. These houses had been entered on the same day. ….. Hobart Town Gazette, 3 Feb 1821. --------------------------------------------------- The story of this attack by bushrangers was retold over a hundred years later… … The Humane Bushranger. Their next exploit was at the home of Ambrose Rideout, at Herdman's Cove, a day later. Marching boldly up to the house they demanded admittance, pounding on the barred door with their musket butts. Rideout, having had word of their presence in the neighbourhood, had summoned his five assigned servants to the house, armed them, and instructed them to fight. But when the outlaws appeared, he found that but one of his men, Thomas Scales, had any stomach for the encounter. The remainder fled through the back; what was worse, they took their pistols and much ammunition with them. Finding their entry barred, the outlaws retired from the verandah to hold council of war, and while they were discussing their plans, Rideout fired through the window, wounding Riley slightly in the thigh. The attackers immediately separated, two covering the front door and two taking up positions in the rear. For the next half hour beseigers and beseiged exchanged shots without effect. Atkinson, the most enterprising of the bushrangers, at length resolved to creep up to the side of the house to essay a shot through the window. His move was not detected, and reaching the casement, he worked at the catch with his knife until he had opened the shutter. Then, peering cautiously in, he saw Rideout busy re-loading his musket near the front door. Taking careful aim the outlaw fired. There was a cry of agony and the squatter fell with a bullet in his back. Seales. the convict servant, believing his master dead, called out that he was prepared to surrender. The firing ceased outside and he was commanded to open the front door. As the outlaws strode into the house Atkinson raised his pistol, thrust it in Seale's face and pulled the trigger. The weapon misfired. "With a curse he threw it aside and raised his musket. Higgins intervened swiftly, knocking up the barrel as it exploded, thus saving the servant's life by a hair's breadth. "Enough blood has been spilled today," he said to Atkinson. "You're a dirty coward to fire at an unarmed man." Atkinson turned on his comrade with a snarling oath, but Higgins met his gaze squarely. Slowly he raised his pistol. "None of that," he said, in a cold, menacing voice, "or I'll drop you." Cursing viciously, Atkinson turned away and began to search the side board. Higgins still retained in his heart some vestige of humanity. Perceiving that Rideout was breathing, he directed Seales to assist him to the open air. On the verandah the bushranger examined the wound and proceeded to bind it up. "It's not very serious," he assured Seales. "It took him too high to be dangerous. Give him a swig of rum and he'll come round." When Rideout did recover consciousness an hour later ho found that the outlaws had stripped his house completely. What they had not been able to carry away they had piled in to a heap in the yard and burned. The destruction had been most complete. Because Rideout was a personage of some importance, officialdom in Hobart Town bestirred itself suddenly about capturing the outlaws. Seales had taken his wounded master down by boat to the principal settlement for the attention of Dr. Mountgarret, and after having had the bullet removed, the squatter had visited Colonel Sorrell, the Governor, to make personal complaint of the outrage. The following morning a party of the 48th Regt. was despatched on the trail of the bushrangers, under charge of Sergt. Hugh do Butts. They picked up tidings of the fugitives the same evening. For two days the soldiers and their quarry played hide and seek amid the jumble of ranges on the northern banks of the Derwent. There were several running fights when the parties made contact, but although a great deal of powder and shot was expended no damage was done on either side. On the third day the outlaws gave their pursuers the slip. They had been driven back to the vicinity of the Big Lagoon, near Jericho, and there in a sheltered gully, they made an encampment. Secure in the belief that they had evaded the searchers, the bushrangers took no precautions to hide their whereabouts keeping a blazing fire going both day and night. …. Smith’s Weekly, 15 Jan 1927. -------------------------------------------------- Deputy Surveyor General's Office, Hobart Town, March 27, 1823. GRANTS to the under-mentioned Persons have been a length of Time laying for Delivery at this Office;—It is hereby notified, if they are not applied for and taken up within one Month from this Date, the said Grants will consequently be considered as relinquished, and returned to Head Quarters:— Ambrose Rideout … 30 acres. Hobart Town Gazette, 29 Mar 1823. -------------------------------------------------- Caution. ALL persons (particularly John Jones) are cautioned against trespassing in any manner by cutting timber, grazing stock or otherwise, on that grant of land originally belonging to Ambrose Rideout, consisting of 30 acres of land situated at Brighton, fronting the Jordan river. Any person found trespassing after this notice: will be prosecuted with the utmost rigour of the law. JOHN CLARK. Oct. 20,1830. Hobart Town Courier, 6 Nov 1830.