Ralph Entwistle (c. 1804–2 November 1830) was an English labourer who was

transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she ...

to the British penal colony of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

as a

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convicts ...

in 1827. As a member of the Ribbon Gang, his escape sparked the Bathurst Rebellion of 1830. He, along with nine of his gang members, were captured by police and executed in 1830.

Biography

Entwistle was born in 1803 (possibly 1805) in

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

, a small mill town near Manchester. He was initially an apprentice bricklayer, but in 1826, he and an accomplice stole clothing after breaking into a house. His partner was freed due to lack of evidence but Entwistle was sentenced to transportation for life in 1827. Initially detained in a private prison

hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

on the Thames, he was boarded onto the convict ship ''John'', departing around 18 July 1827 along with 187 other convicts, arriving in Sydney on 25 November. In Australia, he was officially known as "Convict 27-2626" and was assigned to ''Stowford'', John Lipscombe's remote farm near the then frontier area of Bathurst. By 1829, he was under the impression that he had earned, or was eligible for, a

ticket of leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in United Kingdom, Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. ...

, unusual for "lifers" who were not normally eligible until at least 12–14 years of exceptional service. In November that year, Lipscombe asked Entwistle to do one last task - to accompany another convict and to take a bullock dray loaded with wool bales through the mountains to Sydney, 225 kilometres (140 miles) away, for sale and return with supplies and provisions from the takings. At the end of the first day, and after joining another similar convict group, the four men decided to cool off in the

Macquarie River The Macquarie River or Wambuul is part of the Macquarie–Barwon River (New South Wales), Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia. The river rises in the central highl ...

. While bathing nude, a convoy accompanying the governor, Lt. Gen. Sir

Ralph Darling General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH (1772 – 2 April 1858) was a British Army officer who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831. His period of governorship was unpopular, with Darling being broadly regarded as a tyrant. He introd ...

, arrived but did not notice the men who were now in hiding. A third party from Bathurst, led by Police Magistrate Thomas Evernden, travelling to greet the governor did discover them and he later sent constables to arrest and imprison them. Although having apparently not broken any law, Evernden sentenced each man to 50 lashes with a

cat-o-nine tails The cat o' nine tails, commonly shortened to the cat, is a type of multi-tailed whip or flail. It originated as an implement for physical punishment, particularly in the Royal Navy and British Army, and as a judicial punishment in Britain and ...

in public. Evernden then cancelled his promised ticket of leave (possibly out of fear of the governor learning and questioning him about it) and Entwistle was compelled to continue his trip to Sydney and return to farm labour. Disillusioned by the authorities and by the lack of intercession by Lipscombe in his arrest and treatment, he became a

bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...

after escaping with four others from the farm on 23 September 1830. Heading east, they stole firearms, horses, and supplies from numerous farms while also recruiting or coercing scores of other convicts to join them. The gang, led by Michael Kearney, had grown to more than 50 members by the time they arrived at the Evernden farm, seeking revenge and triggering the Bathurst rebellion. Near the

Abercrombie River Abercrombie River, a perennial river that is part of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. Course The river rises to the east of the village of Mount Werong and generally flows westward tow ...

, the uprising failed, and Entwistle and others were found guilty of the murder of Evernden's farm overseer. Under the Bushranger Act, he and nine others were promptly hanged on 2 November in Bathurst - the largest mass hanging in NSW history - on the site of what is now known as Ribbon Gang Lane.

Media

A book was released in 2020 on the gang called ''Bone and Beauty: The Ribbon Gang’s Rebellion'' by author Jeanette M. Thompson. The book explains some of the reasoning for Entwistle's rebellion to more than just an unfair punishment, but also to the

Ribbonism Ribbonism, whose supporters were usually called Ribbonmen, was a 19th-century popular movement of poor Catholics in Ireland. The movement was also known as Ribandism. The Ribbonmen were active against landlords and their agents, and opposed "Ora ...

movement of the time.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Entwistle, Ralph 1830 deaths Bushrangers British emigrants to the Colony of New South Wales People executed by Australia by hanging Convicts transported to Australia 1800s births