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Elizabeth (Callaghan) Willoughby (abt. 1803 - 1852)

Elizabeth (Eliza) "Sarah" Willoughby formerly Callaghan aka Batman, Thompson
Born about in Ennis, County Clare, Irelandmap
Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Wife of — married 28 Mar 1828 in Launceston, Van Diemen's Land, Australiamap
Wife of — married 10 Feb 1841 in Port Philip District, Colony of New South Wales, Australiamap
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , , , , , and
Died at about age 49 in Ashby, Colony of Victoriamap
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Profile last modified | Created 22 Apr 2014
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Biography

Eliza (Callaghan) Willoughby was a convict after the Third Fleet transported to Van Diemen's Land
Notables Project
Eliza (Callaghan) Willoughby is Notable.

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Eliza CALLAGHAN (aka Eliza THOMPSON) was born about 1803 in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.

On the 10th June 1820, Elizabeth (age 17) walked into the Lord Hood public-house, in Wych-street, Limehouse and purchased liquor worth 10 pence. She handed over a forged £1 note and took the change. According to evidence at her trial, she was there with John NEWNHAM or NEWMAN (age 22) and John MADDEN (age 20). After they left the note was discovered to be fake and the hotel keeper marked the note "Mrs. Murphy" because the woman that handed it to him was Irish.

On the following Saturday, 17th June 1820, the group re-appeared with another forged note, and again attempted to pass it. They were held by the hotel keeper and his brother-in-law until the police arrived.

Elizabeth and John NEWMAN pleaded guilty. Elizabeth's partner, John MADDEN, pleaded not guilty - no evidence was found on him, and he did not personally participate in the crimes.

All three were convicted on the 13th September 1820 at the Middlesex Gaol. All three were sentenced to death.

Elizabeth's sentence was commuted to 14 years transportation, as was NEWMAN's. Elizabeth's partner was hanged at the debtor's door, Newgate, in front of a large crowd on the 5th December 1820.

Evening Mail - Wednesday 06 December 1820, page 4
Execution
Yesterday morning six unfortunate individuals, capitally convicted in the September Sessions, suffered the awful sentence of the law in the Old Bailey, viz. Joseph Ellinger and George Edwards, for highway robbery; Thomas Webb, for sacrilege; Thomas Fuller Harnett, for forging a bill of exchange; and John Madden and Sarah Price, for uttering forged Bank of England notes.
...
It is impossible the public can know the reasons which influence his Majesty's Council in the bestowing or withholding mercy; but, judging from the facts, which every one may be acquainted with, it should seem that the refusal of the unfortunate youth Madden (he was only 20 years old) to plead guilty to the minor offence has cost him his life.
John Madden was apprehended in company with John Newnham, aged 22, and Elizabeth Callaghan, a girl of 19, on two occasions when a forged 1l. note was tendered in payment, viz.—one by Callaghan and another by Newnham. There was no charge of uttering against Madden, nor was he previously known as an utterer; no forged notes were found upon him, but he was suspected to have swallowed one. This, with the fact of his being with the parties, and cohabiting with the girl Callaghan, formed the evidence from which the guilty knowledge on his part was inferred.
Newnham and Callaghan pleaded guilty to the minor offence; but Madden, relying on the want of evidence against him, obstinately refused to do the like, and in consequence, the offence having been committed conjointly, they were all three indicted and convicted of the capital offence. The age of the girl, and the belief that she acted under the influence of the men, procured mercy for her. Newnham, at the trial, reminded the Court of his plea of guilty to the minor offence, and was told by Judge Best that he should not be put in a worse situation by the then conviction: his name was nevertheless included in the warrant for execution, which came down on Thursday; Mr. Brown, the Keeper of Newgate, recollecting the circumstance, humanely represented the case to Judge Best, who, thus reminded, made the necessary representations to Lord Sidmouth, and in consequence a reprieve for Newnham arrived on Saturday evening.
Every endeavour was made to obtain the like mercy for Madden: it was represented this was his first offence of any kind; that he had been a good industrious lad; that the master for whom he had worked would again employ him; that his father, who bore an excellent character, having been 15 years in the employ of one master, would do all in his power to reclaim the lad from bad company and practices into which he had fallen.[1]

Elizabeth arrived in Van Diemens Land on the Providence in 1821. She was assigned to serve John Petchy, Gaoler of Hobart Town.

On the 27th March 1822, she was found to be drunk and disorderly and sentenced to be confined in HM Gaol for one week and to wear an Iron Collar for that period. She was also to sit in the stocks twice for two hours each time.

On the 25th June 1822 she was found to have absconded from her Master's premises on the previous evening and remained absent all night. She was sentenced to the stocks for three hours that day.

On the 22nd January 1823 she was again found to have been absent from her Master's premises for a day and night. She was sentenced to bread and water for one week and to sit in the stocks for 2 hours each day.

Eliza was reassigned to P. A. Mulgrave (Superintendent of Police in Launceston) after Petchy left for England in mid 1824.

Again Eliza absconded in 1825 - newspaper notices appeared regularly between February and October of that year:

Elizabeth Callaghan, 41, 5 ft. 2½ in. brown hair, brown eyes, 19 years of age, a servant, tried at London Sept. 1820, sentence 14 years, arrived per Providence 1821, native place county of Clare, absconded from the service of P. A. Mulgrave, Esq.—£2 Reward.[2][3]

The first child to John BATMAN, Maria, was born during this time on the 5th September 1825.[4]. Her birth was not registered until 1830.

...

Eliza BATMAN married William WILLOUGHBY in 1841 in Victoria.[5]

A "Sarah" Willoughby was murdered in a barroom brawl in Geelong in 1852. Her death registration states her age as 35.[6][7] She is laid to rest in the Geelong Cemetery.

Research notes

In 1824 she absconded and found refuge on John BATMANs property at Ben Lomond, east of Launceston, Tasmania. They had three daughters before marrying in 1828,[8] then another four daughters and one son.

How do we get to the death in Geelong? The following contemporaneous reporting on motions in the Legislative Council give "Sarah's" name as "Eliza".

Dr THOMSON gave notice that on Wednesday, 14th July, he would move—
That an Address be presented to His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, praying that Excellency will cause to be laid on the table of this House copies of all the depositions taken before the Coroner of Geelong, respecting the murder of Eliza Willoughby.[9]
MURDER OF ELIZA WILLOUGHBY.
Dr Thomson moved for Copies of the Depositions taken before the Coroner of Geelong respecting the murder of Eliza Willoughby.
Mr Strachan seconded the motion.
The Solicitor-General was exceedingly glad that this motion had been brought forward, and that the depositions would now be placed on the table. He should be glad that every member of the house should read the depositions attentively, and then say whether the law officers of the Crown had not exercised a sound and just discretion in refusing to put the parties upon their trial.[10]

Sources

  1. ↑ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001316/18201206/025/0004
  2. ↑ POLICE OFFICE, HOBART TOWN, February 23d, 1825. (1825, February 25). Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser (Tas. : 1821 - 1825), p. 1 (Supplement to the Hobart Town Gazette). Retrieved September 30, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1090562
  3. ↑ RUNAWAY NOTICE. (1825, October 8). The Hobart Town Gazette (Tas. : 1825 - 1833), p. 1 (Supplement to the Hobart Town Gazette.). Retrieved September 30, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8790250
  4. ↑ https://stors.tas.gov.au/NI/1081241
  5. ↑ Vic Marriage Registration Year: 1841, Registration Number: 4328/1841
  6. ↑ Vic Death Registration Year: 1852, Registration Number: 24387/1852
  7. ↑ Births deaths and marriages Victoria "Births Deaths And Marriages Victoria". 2019. https://my.rio.bdm.vic.gov.au Accessed November 12 2019. Sarah's death search
  8. ↑ Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office Marriages RGD36/1/1 no 1170 Launceston 29 Mar 1828 Batman, John = Thompson Or Cal, Eliza Or Elizabeth. https://stors.tas.gov.au/RGD36-1-1$init=RGD36-1-1p209j2k
  9. ↑ LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (1852, July 8). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 4. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4786235
  10. ↑ LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (1852, July 16). Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer (Vic. : 1851 - 1856), p. 2 (DAILY and MORNING). Retrieved September 30, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91927078

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Rejected matches › Elizabeth Toms (1802-)

Featured National Park champion connections: Eliza is 17 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 17 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 20 degrees from George Catlin, 18 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 25 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 16 degrees from George Grinnell, 24 degrees from Anton Kröller, 20 degrees from Stephen Mather, 18 degrees from Kara McKean, 21 degrees from John Muir, 14 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 27 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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Categories: Ireland, Needs Birth Record | Providence, Arrived 7 Jan 1822 | Famous Australian Convicts | Geelong, Victoria | Murder Victims | Convicts After the Third Fleet | Victoria, Pioneers | Notables