Charles Robert Wood, Convict "Barwell" 1798

Arrived colony "Barwell" 18 5 1798 Crime: With force and arms on the King's Highway, feloniouslly and violenty, assulted and robbed Jane, The wife of John Goodman, of one wicker basket value of one shilling, 2 hempen halters value of sixpence and one curry combe value sixpence" Tried April 1796 at Worcester - 7 years

account of the voyage The 'Barwell' Incident On the 20th August 1798 a Vice Admiralty Court was convened in Sydney to hear the testimony of witnesses to an incident which allegedly occurred on the convict ship "Barwell". It was reported that a number of men on the ship had planned to mutiny and seize the ship during it's voyage to the colony. One could imagine that this was not an unusual occurrence on convict ships - that is if the plotters were convicts. Stories of the harshness and degradation of life on transport ships are now well documented. I am sure that many convicts spent their lonely hours below decks planning daring escapes. In the case of the 'Barwell' however, it was not convicts who were planning murder and mayhem, but some of the officers of the Corps themselves. The offenders brought before the court were George Bond, John Murray, William Hallam, Gregory Belloe, James Owens and John Navils. All pleaded not guilty to the charges laid against them, and were eventually acquitted. However, the transcript of their trial allows us to come to some understanding of the horrors of transportation - for both the criminals and their gaolers. It was alleged that George Bond colluded with other officers, and some convicts, to seize the ship at sea by removing planks from the bulkhead between the hospital and the convict quarters, thereby allowing the convicts access to the deck. Bond's plan, however, seems to have been hastily drawn. Not knowing whom he could trust, Bond allegedly spent much time in convincing, threatening and cajoling his fellow officers and convicts into carrying out his plan. This ultimately led to his undoing, as word soon reached Captain Cameron that mutiny was afoot. Cameron reacted to the news by placing the alleged offenders under arrest and confining them for the remainder of the voyage. During the trial, Hallam voiced a list of grievances about life on the ship, these grievances being the reason behind the planned mutiny. He complained about the lack of provisions for the soldiers, the harshness of their duties, the fact that meat was not served every day, and the harsh punishments meted out to the soldiers. These factors led to a state of such discontent that the soldiers could apparently see no other option but to mutiny. The trial itself was something of a farcical affair. Governor Hunter firstly found it difficult to gather a jury. The summons he issued was at first ignored by a number of men called to stand for jury duty. It was only after he ordered a special Commission, attesting to his powers as Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief, to be read in public that his orders were followed, and the absent jurors presented themselves. During the trial itself, accusations flew of bribes being accepted to favour either the alleged offenders or the Government case against them. For every witness who attested to the fact that the soldiers had planned to mutiny, there were others who did not. It is no wonder that the men were eventually acquitted of their crimes, for there seemed to be no conclusive evidence to convict them. Bibliography Historical Records of Australia Series I, Vol II Historical Records of New South Wales, Volume 3, Hunter 1796-1799