Australia’s First Rebellion. By F.F. Warren White

This article was written by James Tobias Ryan my 3rdGreat Grandfather in his book Reminisces of Australia..

My Grandfather and Grandmother Anthony Rope and Elizabeth Pulley arrived with the first fleet in 1788, their son Robert being the first m ale white child born in the new settlement. He was born in the Soldiers’ Barracks, Wynyard Square, nine months and ten days after the arrival of the first fleet in1788.*

After the birth of their son Robert, they went to live at Toongabbie a few miles west of Parramatta, the first settlement formed after arrival. It was here that Governor Phillip gave grants of land of forty acres each to a few married soldiers, also two assigned servants each and rations for three years; with seeds of various kinds, and implements for farming and building purposes.

 It was there that the first settlement was formed.

It was there that the author’s mother was born, and also two others of the same family. The settlement first grew wheat and maize with success. Gardens sprang up, and fruit of the finest quality and of various kinds was produced in abundance.

The first incident of note related to him by his people was the open rebellion, which broke out during the year 1805, King being at the time the third Governor.

There were about 400 prisoners at Castle Hill, near Windsor most of whom were transports from the Irish Rebellion of 1798. They secretly gave notice of their intention to each other, and the secret was kept until the day agreed on came, when the men assigned to the settlers in the district also joined them (having previously been made aware of what was about to occur). Having mustered 1000 strong, with vows of “Death or Liberty” on their lips, they sallied forth, the whole district being in great alarm.

Colonel Johnston, on the first information, went to Government House, Parramatta, with 50 soldiers, and was joined by Governor King, who proceeded with one half the number on the Windsor Road.

Colonel Johnston, with the other half went to Toongabbie, and there put the few old veterans under arms. Having got information of their whereabouts, he proceeded to Vinegar Hill, and fell in with the enemy armed and formed in battle array. They were armed with all kinds of implements, pikes, old guns without locks (some unloaded), long poles with a piece of a scythe fastened to the end, together with all sorts of weapons of a warlike character they could lay hands on.

Colonel Johnston rode up to them, at the same time calling out to the leaders that liberty should be offered them on surrender, citing at the same time the Governors authority. “No,” they replied, “death or glory.” Colonel Johnston then gave the order to fire by dropping a white flag, the result being utter confusion on the part of the rebels.

During the retreat many were shot dead, others wounded, and the rest, seeing no means of escape, surrendered. Nine of the ringleaders were executed off the Windsor store parapet; one of them tripped the hangman, who had a heavy fall, and it was only by great persuasion he could be induced to return to duty, and then not until the prisoner was better secured. It was during this performance that the culprit kicked off his shoes, at the same time saying that his mother always told him he would die with his shoes on like a trooper's horse, but, said he, “I will make a liar of her.” When the hangman had properly secured him, and was in the act of pushing him off the store parapet, he (the hangman) made use of this expression, “Here you go without control, may the devil receive your soul.” A great many of the rebels were sent to the iron gangs; others were flogged, and other modes of punishment were resorted to often, but too common in those barbarous days. About 60 or 70 of the number could never be accounted for; but ten years later, in Governor Macquarie’s time, a large quantity of human bones were collected on Vinegar Hill, und were duly interred by the Governors direction. So terminated the first rebellion in Australia"

In 1817 the Authors father and mother were married, and went to reside on the Nepean at “Bird’s Eye Corner,” near Penrith, on a farm rented from Mr William Bowman, of Richmond.

It was here, on the 4 th January 1818, that the author was born. The Rope family (the author’s Grandfather and Grandmother) went afterword to reside at “Tumble-down Barn," near Windsor, and from thence to William Faithfull’s Estate, South Creek, between Shanes Park and Dunheven, where the rest of their family were born, and from which they were afterwards married. lt was also about this period that the last trouble with the blacks in the County of Cumberland took place.