32 Facts About Lawrence Kavenagh

Lawrence Kavenagh was born circa 1810 in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Lawrence Kavenagh's birth-place was likely either Newbridge or nearby Rathdrum.

Lawrence Kavenagh was transported to New South Wales aboard the Fergusson with 40 other convicts, arriving in Sydney on 26 March 1829.

When he arrived in the colony of New South Wales in 1829 Lawrence Kavenagh was assigned to work for Edward Reiley at Raby, in the Campbelltown area southwest of Sydney.

In February 1832 Lawrence Kavenagh received forty lashes for insolence and disorderly conduct.

From September 1832 he was assigned to road gangs, but soon afterwards Lawrence Kavenagh was reported to have absconded from the No 20 Road Gang.

At Norfolk Island in May 1833 Lawrence Kavenagh spent fourteen days in irons for "refusing to assist in getting up the Boats".

Lawrence Kavenagh spent nine years at the Norfolk Island penal settlement on this first occasion.

The precise date that Lawrence Kavenagh departed from Norfolk Island is not known.

An alternative explanation is that Lawrence Kavenagh was transferred as a prisoner from Norfolk Island to the Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney.

On 19 January 1842, Lawrence Kavenagh received 36 lashes for "cutting his Irons".

When Captain Hunter showed no sign of stopping Lawrence Kavenagh fired two shots at him, both missing their target.

Lawrence Kavenagh told Captain Innes that during his period of freedom "he had prowled about" the Hyde Park Barracks Watch-house, armed and disguised with glasses and wearing a white hat, hoping to "have a shot at" the Deputy Superintendent, Timothy Lane.

Towards the end of 1842, while in a work gang carting stone from the Port Arthur quarry, Lawrence Kavenagh met two other convicts, George Jones and Martin Cash.

Lawrence Kavenagh took the lead, directing the others to where he had previously stashed a quarter of a loaf and some flour.

Lawrence Kavenagh told the other two "that he had a very narrow escape from drowning when crossing at the Neck, at one time giving himself up for lost, observing that it was nothing short of a miracle that he had reached the land".

Jones covered the captives with a double-barrelled gun while Lawrence Kavenagh searched for food and other supplies and Cash stood outside on watch.

On 5 July 1843 the colonial Government proclaimed that the reward for "the capture of either of the armed runaway Convicts, Martin Cash, George Jones and Lawrence Kavenagh" was increased to one hundred acres of land or one hundred sovereigns.

Lawrence Kavenagh was faint but could walk and the bushrangers decided to return in the direction of Bothwell, with Cash planning to enter the township after dark and abduct the doctor in order to treat his injured comrade.

One of the men from the hut went up to Clarke's house with the message that Lawrence Kavenagh "had come to give himself up".

Lawrence Kavenagh was described as having a very emaciated appearance and "evidently suffering acute pain from his wound".

Lawrence Kavenagh pleaded not guilty and requested that he be allowed to have counsel represent him; the judge refused the request, saying "I can see no necessity that the prisoner should have that indulgence".

The evidence was largely concerned with establishing that Lawrence Kavenagh was one of the three men who held up and robbed the coach, as well as examining each person's recollection of the events.

Mrs Cox testified: "I did not see the prisoner take anything from Hewitt; I firmly believe Lawrence Kavenagh was one of those who said, 'you need not be frightened'".

Lawrence Kavenagh claimed that he would have pleaded guilty, except that he had been indicted for violence, which he rejected, adding: "if I met any armed man, I did the best I could, I stood my ground; but to use violence against unarmed persons was never in me; I never was guilty of so cowardly an act".

Eardley-Wilmot granted a reprieve soon afterwards to Lawrence Kavenagh, who was then moved from the Gaol to the Penitentiary.

In late April 1844 one hundred "desperate offenders", including Lawrence Kavenagh, were put on board the government barque, Lady Franklin, for conveyance to Norfolk Island, which departed for the island on 30 April.

In December 1844 it was reported that Lawrence Kavenagh "was behaving well" on Norfolk Island.

Lawrence Kavenagh had been appointed overseer "to a number of sick persons" on the island, "and hitherto his conduct had been most exemplary".

Cash claimed that Lawrence Kavenagh "appeared to assume a tone of superiority over me, as on one occasion he observed while in conversation that I was very well while in the bush under arms, but that at Norfolk Island I knew nothing".

Martin Cash, who had witnessed the events, later wrote that even though "his old friend" was one of those who earlier broke into the store to retrieve the cooking pots, Lawrence Kavenagh took no part in the subsequent murderous events as he was "down at a creek at the rear of the lumber yard at the time of the occurrence".

Cash claimed that Lawrence Kavenagh was falsely accused by a prisoner known as 'Dog Kelly' who had a grudge against him for a perceived insult.