Everything about Castle Hill Convict Rebellion totally explained
The
Castle Hill Rebellion of
4 March,
1804, also called the
Irish Rebellion, was a large scale rebellion by
Irish convicts against
British colonial authority in
Australia.
Martial law was declared in the Colony of
New South Wales for over a week, during which time many dozens, possibly 120 people, were killed in
paddocks 40 km (25 mi) west of Sydney, in the area later known as
Rouse Hill and
Kellyville.
The rising
Many convicts in the
Castle Hill area had been involved in the
Irish Rebellion of 1798 and subsequently transported to the Colony of New South Wales from late 1799. Phillip Cunningham, a veteran of the 1798 rebellion, and William Johnston, another Irish convict at Castle Hill, planned the uprising in which 500 convicts at Castle Hill planned to meet with nearly 1,000 convicts from the
Hawkesbury River area, rally at
Constitution Hill, and march on
Parramatta and then
Sydney (Port Jackson) itself.
On the evening of March 4th, 1804, a hut at Castle Hill was set afire as the signal for the rebellion to begin. With Cunningham leading, 200 rebels broke into the Government Farm's buildings, taking firearms, ammunition, and other weapons. The constables were overpowered and the rebels then went from farm to farm on their way to Constitution Hill at Parramatta, seizing more weapons and supplies.
When news of the uprising spread there was some panic with particularly hated officials such as
Samuel Marsden fleeing the area by boat. In Sydney Major George Johnston rounded up a
New South Wales Corps contingent of twenty-nine soldiers and forcibly marched them through the night to Parramatta while the Governor declared martial law. Fifty armed members of the Parramatta
Loyal Association Corps were also raised under the auspices of
posse comitatus, and the combined force set out on a night march to attack the rebels.
Meanwhile, the rebels at Constitution Hill were having difficulties co-ordinating their force as many men were still missing and the anticipated reinforcements from the other convict farms hadn't appeared. When news reached Cunningham of the Major Johnston's movements, he decided to withdraw to the Hawkesbury Road to meet up with rebels there.
The second battle of Vinegar Hill
Johnston's forces pursued the rebels until the soldiers were only a few miles away from the rebels. Johnston then sent an Irish
Catholic priest known to the convicts, Father Dixon, to the rebels in an effort to have him convince the rebels to surrender but also to slow down the rebels and close the gap between his forces and the rebels.
When Father Dixon failed to persuade the rebels (now numbering approximately 230) to surrender, Major Johnston and a trooper also rode ahead to parley with the rebels. Cunningham and Johnston came forward to meet them but during the parley the footsoldiers caught up and the two rebel leaders were quickly taken prisoner, Cunningham being struck by the sword of the
Quartermaster. Major Johnston then ordered his men to open fire on the rebels and an unequal musketry duel began in which the military proved far superior to the untrained rebels. After fifteen minutes the rebels began to break and flee. During the short battle fifteen rebels had fallen but after the battle several prisoners were killed by the soldiers and militia, Major Johnston preventing more killings by threatening his troops with his pistol.
Aftermath
Following the end of the rebellion:
