Battle of Vinegar Hill Memorial |
Castlebrook Lawn Cemetery, Rouse Hill |
On the evening of the 4th March 1804, in the first organised uprising and military battle in New South Wales, upwards of 200 convicts, including a number of Irish political prisoners, broke out from the Government Farm and Barracks at Castle Hill in a state of insurrection. Whilst they rioted and robbed the farms of local settlers, Governor King officially proclaimed the districts of Parramatta, Castle Hill, Toongabee, Prospect, Seven Hills, Baulkham Hills, the Hawkesbury and the Nepean to be in a State of Rebellion and Martial Law was declared throughout these districts. The insurgents had initially planned a raid on Parramatta but when they realised the plan had been foiled, a group of them, led by Phillip Cunningham, decided to make a run towards the Hawkesbury in the hope of reaching the river at Windsor. The following day, in the vicinity of where present-day Schofields Road meets the Windsor Road, the Government military troops caught up with the rebel group. Although there is still some debate as to the exact location, Major George JOHNSTON describes how his detachment "came up with the Runaways very near the Last Ponds", which is known today as the Second Ponds Creek. The rebels, who "form'd line on the Second Hill on this side the last half-way Pond", initially refused to surrender and while attempting to negotiate a truce the rebel leaders were taken prisoner. In the confusion that followed a battle erupted and within a short time a number of rebels had been killed and several others wounded. There were no casualties on the Government side. Phillip Cunningham was felled to the ground by the sword of Quartermaster Laycock and later taken to Green Hills (Windsor) where he was hung from the staircase of the public store. Within days of the uprising, a further eight men were executed by hanging at Sydney, Parramatta and Castle Hill. Several others were corporally punished by flogging. In a despatch to Lord Hobart on the 12th March 1804, Governor King indicated the immediate re-establishment of a penal settlement at Coal River (Newcastle), which soon became a place of exile and isolation for many of the men who took part in the Castle Hill Rebellion and Battle of Vinegar Hill. For many years the area where the battle took place was known and referred to as Vinegar Hill, after Vinegar Hill in Enniscorthy, until the name was officially changed to Rouse Hill in the late 1850's. |
|
Designed by I. Polak and V. Sitta. Officially unveiled 5th March 1988 |
Who Fought at Vinegar Hill in 1804 ? |
Extracts from The Battle of Vinegar Hill, by Lynette Ramsey Silver (Watermark Press, 2002) |
THE REBELS (not all of whom were convicts) |
Fifteen un-named men died as a result of the injuries they received during the battle skirmish and nine of the eleven principal ringleaders (below) were executed by hanging within days of the uprising : |
| Phillip CUNNINGHAM - Executed at Windsor, without trial |
| William JOHNSTON - Executed at Castle Hill and hung in chains, outside Parramatta |
| John NEALE - Executed at Castle Hill |
| George HARRINGTON - Executed at Castle Hill |
| Samuel HUMES - Executed at Parramatta and hung in chains |
| Charles HILL - Executed at Parramatta |
| Jonathon PLACE - Executed at Parramatta |
| John BRANNAN - Executed at Sydney |
| Timothy HOGAN - Executed at Sydney |
| John BURKE - Reprieved and detained at the governor's pleasure |
| Bryan McCORMACK - Reprieved and detained at the governor's pleasure |
| Twenty three other rebels, besides the seven listed below, were exiled to Coal River (Newcastle). This group included John CAVENAH, Francis NEESON, and another convict named TIERNEY, as well as four men who assisted the rebels, Robert COOPER, Dennis RYAN, and two emancipists, Bryan SPALDON and Bryan RILEY. RILEY and RYAN were also punished with as many lashes as they could stand without their lives being endangered. |
| John GRIFFIN - Corporally punished by flogging, exiled to Coal River (Newcastle) |
| Neil SMITH - Corporally punished by flogging, exiled to Coal River (Newcastle) |
| Bryan BURNE - Corporally punished by flogging, exiled to Coal River (Newcastle) |
| Connor DWYER - Corporally punished by flogging, exiled to Coal River (Newcastle) |
| David MORRISON - Corporally punished by flogging, exiled to Coal River (Newcastle) |
| Cornelius LYONS - Corporally punished by flogging, exiled to Coal River (Newcastle) |
| Owen McDERMOT - Corporally punished by flogging, exiled to Coal River (Newcastle) |
Thirty-four prisoners were placed in irons until they could be 'disposed' of. It is not known whether some, or all of them, were sent to the Coal River (As this list is handwritten, some of the names are difficult to decipher) * THOMPSON, and another person whose name appears to be TEAKUS were to be sent to trial |
THE GOVERNMENT SIDE |
| One trooper, 29 soldiers and over fifty members of the Active Defence. The Parramatta Loyalists were also embodied to defend the town. |
New South Wales Corps |
Active Defence |
| Then follows a secondary list, containing the names of the following citizens James BEAN ; Patrick BURNE ; Robert COOPER ; James EVANS ; Seth WATKINS Also citizens DABBS, INNES, and PARKER and several others whose names are indecipherable Father James DIXON was also present but did not take part in the fighting. |
The Parramatta Loyalists Captain John SAVAGE ; Sergeant Major G.W. EVANS ; Sergeant James LARRA ; Sergeant Rowland HASSELL ; Corporal Jonothan STEVENSON ; Corporal Charles WRIGHT ; Drummer ADAMS ; Drummer SAUNDERS |
The Sydney Loyalists Captain Thomas ROWLEY ; Sergeant James BLOODSWORTH ; Sergeant John GOWAN ; Corporal John GRIFFITHS ; Corporal Thomas MASSEY ; Corporal William WALL Privates : Gilbert BAKER ; David BATTY ; Daniel CHAMBERS ; William CHAPMAN ; Francis COX ; Andrew CUNNINGHAM ; Jonathan DOWLING ; William EVANS ; Joseph FLOOD ; Michael GEARY ; Edward GOODE ; Samuel HOCKLEY ; Lewis JONES ; Joseph LEWIS ; George MATHEWS ; Frederick MEREDITH ; William MILLER ; Jonathan MITCHELL ; Jonothan MORRISON ; William O'NEAL ; Felix OWEN ; William PEACHY ; Joseph PROSSER ; Thomas RABY ; Thomas RANDALL ; William ROBERTS ; Samuel SKINNER ; James SOMERVILLE ; Jonothan SPARROW ; Samuel THORLEY ; James UNDERWOOD |
Bicentenary of the Battle of Vinegar Hill, March 2004 |
To commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Vinegar Hill, the combined local councils of Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Liverpool and Parramatta organised a number of events to recognise the contribution that those involved in the Battle of Vinegar Hill made to justice, freedom and the right to self determination in Australia. On the 4th March, 2004, the Castle Hill Heritage Park was officially opened on the site of the former Government Farm and convict barracks. At the end of the week long commemoration activities, a re-enactment of the battle of Vinegar Hill took place at Rouse Hill Regional Park, near the site of the original battle. A plaque was unveiled at the site of the Battle of Vinegar Memorial officially recognising nine men who, in the fight for liberty, paid the ultimate price of death by hanging |
|
The nine rebels executed were : |
|
   |
Vinegar Hill Historical Site |
The State Minister for Lands has announced that a locality of land at present-day Rouse Hill is to be re-named as the Vinegar Hill Historical Site. Over the past few years the Rouse Hill area has undergone some massive changes, with an explosion in housing development and a major upgrade of Windsor Road. The naming of the Vinegar Hill Historical Site, which covers seven square kilometres of land bounded by Guntawong, Withers, Mungerie, Merriville and Cudgegong Roads, formally recognises the 'historical significance' of this location and came about after a proposal was submitted to the Geographical Names Board by both Baulkham Hills and Blacktown Shire Councils. In keeping with tradition, the announcement was made at the site of the Battle of Vinegar Hill Memorial in March 2005.
|