William Blue (c. 1767 – 7 May 1834) was an Australian convict who, after completing his sentence, became a boatman providing one of the first services to take people across

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

. He was also made a water bailiff and watched boat traffic on

Port Jackson Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...

from a special tower. Although Billy Blue's place and date of birth are uncertain, convict records suggest he was born in Jamaica, New York, around 1740 or 1767. Other people reading his records believe him to have been from

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, West Indies. In 1817, Governor Macquarie granted Billy Blue at what is now Blues Point, which was named after him.

Early life

Physically imposing, he was described as a "strapping Jamaican Negro 'a very

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

in proportion' with a bright eye and a jocular wit". Blue said he had served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in America and Europe before arriving in Australia, and that he had served during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. On 4 October 1796, Blue was convicted, at

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

, in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, of stealing raw sugar and sentenced to seven years' transportation. After serving over four years in a factory, he was transported to

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...

, Australia, in the

convict ship A convict ship was any ship engaged on a voyage to carry convicted felons under sentence of penal transportation from their place of conviction to their place of exile. Description A convict ship, as used to convey convicts to the British colo ...

. Blue arrived in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in 1801 and served out the remaining two years of his sentence. In 1804, records show him living in The Rocks, then a

slum A slum is a highly populated Urban area, urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are p ...

. There he met Elizabeth Williams, a 30-year-old convict from

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, England, who had arrived in June 1804. On 27 April 1805, they were married at the old St. Philip's Anglican church in Sydney, where five of their six children were later christened.

Career

Blue later became a boatman, ferrying passengers across

. In 1807, Blue was the only person licensed to ply a ferry across the harbour. He was also made a water bailiff and watched boat traffic on

from a special tower. Governor Macquarie named him "The Old Commodore" and he ran his ferry dressed in a blue naval officers coat and top hat. His ferry service grew to a fleet of 11 vessels, and in 1817, Governor Macquarie granted Billy Blue at what is now Blues Point. It was said that Blue's law infringements were frequent, but due to his colourful personality, they were looked upon with a "benevolent air" by the authorities. He died in 1834 at his North Sydney home.

Legacy

Billy Blue's name has been preserved in place names such as Blues Point on

, Blue Street and Blues Point Road in North Sydney, as well as commercial names like the Billy Blue College of Design and Blues Point Tower. His nickname 'The Old Commodore' is used in the name of the Commodore Hotel in Blues Point Road.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blue, Billy Australian people of African-American descent Year of birth unknown Convicts transported to Australia 1834 deaths

Early life

Career

Legacy

See also

References

External links