History with Brian James: Henry James Castles | P2

In July 1817 he was charged with sheep stealing and sentenced to imprisonment for life.

His occupation at the time was given as Shepherd.

Henry was transported to NSW aboard the "Tottenham", leaving from Spithead on 27 th March 1818, with 200 male convicts of which 190 were delivered.

Henry was assigned to James Hassall at Bathurst and became his deputy overseer.

Hassall also had property at Boorowa.

Windradyne ,was the leader of the Wiradjuri tribe in the Bathurst district and was a particularly intelligent person.

The first of the attacks by Windradyne and his men on the white settlers were in 1822 to the west of Bathurst.

They continued raiding camps and spearing stock, causing the abandonment of the Swallow Creek Government Station in 1823.

The Wiradjuri attacks continued killing seven stockmen in a series of attacks in May, and a vigilante raid by civilians killed three more tribesman.

Swallow Creek was re-occupied in March 1824 when 60 warriors were driven off.

Whilst at Bathurst in 1824 John Johnson, William Clarke, John Nicholson, Henry Castles and John Crear became involved in warfare with the black natives which became known as the "Battle for Bathurst".

In this particular case the prisoners were charged with manslaughter whilst they were acting under orders from their employer, and under Martial law instigated by Governor Brisbane .

The Attorney General informed the Court, that he would present an information against the five prisoners charged with an assault on an aboriginal black woman, which terminated in death. The prisoners were accordingly indicted for manslaughter.

His Honour the Chief Justice was pleased to observe, that the case was quite a different one from that of murder, as it requires that malice aforethought was involved.

After a short consultation, the jury resumed their seats, and, through the Foreman, returned a verdict of not guilty.

Brisbane's Proclamation gave Bathurst Commandant James Thomas Morisset almost unlimited powers to suppress the Wiradjuri and he obtained another detachment of the second Somersetshire bringing his force to seventy-five soldiers.

Windradyne and 260 of his people journeyed to Parramatta where they met Governor Brisbane at midday on December 28, 1824.

After a year of war the Bathurst district was in the hands of the invaders.

Windradyne kept to the terms of his surrender and tried to ease his people into the new order.

He died on 21 st March 1829 when a knee wound received in a tribal dispute turned gangrenous.

Henry James Castles received a ticket of leave in 1828 and a conditional pardon in 1830.

He made his way to Boorowa in NSW and squatted on a property named "Geegulalong" and purchased two blocks of 960 acres each freehold.

He also obtained a lease on 5000 acres surrounding which had been granted to Edward Cantwell on Gunnary Creek in 1837, which eventually became" Suffolk Vale".

The home Henry built in 1841 still stands on the property.

In 1835 Henry James married Ann Murray and had four children, Lydia, Ellen, Lucy and Henry John.

Henry John married Margaret Coffey in 1863, age 18, and they had 18 children, of whom 9 pre-deceased their father. Henry John had been left the freehold of the properties.

Henry Snr died in 1852 and was buried at Galong, his wife, Ann, married Thomas Wilding, who had been employed by Henry Snr as a gardener.

Ann died in 1860 and was buried at Galong beside Henry Snr.

Margaret Castles (Coffey) died in 1929 and was buried at Boorowa.

Foot Note: Michael Murray married Henry James Castles' daughter. Michael was a transported convict who had with the help of Father Therry arranged for his family to be brought to the Colony.

The Murray family made their way to Boorowa where Michael was employed by Henry Castles Snr on Geegullalong and married his daughter.

Michael's only claim to fame was that he was an informant and harbourer of the notorious Scottie and Whitton Gang.