51 Facts About Thomas Jeffrey

Thomas Jeffrey was a convict bushranger, murderer, and cannibal in the mid-1820s in Van Diemen's Land.

Thomas Jeffrey was captured in January 1826; he was tried in Hobart and convicted of various of his crimes.

Thomas Jeffrey was executed by hanging at Hobart in May 1826.

Thomas Jeffrey was born in about 1791 in Bristol, England, the son of a butcher.

Thomas Jeffrey received seven years of schooling, after which he served aboard the British naval warship Achille.

Thomas Jeffrey then went to London where he enlisted in the Army as a drummer.

In 1814, Thomas Jeffrey returned to Bristol where he began to exhibit sociopathic behaviour, stealing from his father and other relatives before returning to London.

Thomas Jeffrey joined three men armed with pistols and began robbing farmers as they returned from market.

Thomas Jeffrey returned to the East Midlands where he and three accomplices broke into and stole from a house in Nottingham.

At the time of his arrest in 1817, Thomas Jeffrey's occupation was recorded as painter and glazier.

Thomas Jeffrey was convicted in the Nottingham Assizes on 29 July 1817, receiving a sentence of transportation for life.

In consideration of his previous experience at sea, during the voyage Thomas Jeffrey had his irons removed so he could work as a seaman.

Thomas Jeffrey was initially assigned to a settler named Brown on the Hawkesbury River.

Thomas Jeffrey was sent "over the Blue Mountains" but absconded after only three weeks with three other prisoners.

Thomas Jeffrey was transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the brig Hawies, arriving on 1 January 1822 at Port Dalrymple at the mouth of the Tamar River.

Thomas Jeffrey went to the nearby Ship Inn where he found the prisoner, Joseph Smith, and returned him to the watch-house.

Thomas Jeffrey was abusive, appeared to be intoxicated, and refused to obey.

Thomas Jeffrey returned with three constables and ordered them to put Jeffrey in irons.

Thomas Jeffrey was later transferred to the George Town Gaol and sentenced to twelve months in the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station for "threats to stab Chief Constable Lawson".

However, Thomas Jeffrey was never transferred to Macquarie Harbour; instead, he was put to work in a "Public Works" gang at George Town.

Thomas Jeffrey's details were published in the Hobart Town Gazette, alongside a long list of other runaway convicts.

The description given of Thomas Jeffrey was of a 35-year-old, standing.

Thomas Jeffrey then confined Mrs Jessop to the same cell as Mrs Sharman, for the reason of her "using ill language towards him".

On 20 October 1825, Thomas Jeffrey was fined 20 shillings from his salary for having taken "a female prisoner out of the watch house".

Thomas Jeffrey's companions were said to have been amongst those in custody, and "it was agreed amongst them, that they should all take to the woods".

The specific reason for Thomas Jeffrey giving up the position of watch-house keeper is not known, but on the night it occurred, the escape was expected by the police.

Thomas Jeffrey had locked the other prisoners in their cells and, as he and his companions left the watch-house at about midnight to begin their escape, they "saw three men standing waiting".

Thomas Jeffrey had departed with a pistol, though in their hasty departure, he had left behind a knapsack he had packed.

Thomas Jeffrey bailed up two men in the hut and took a musket, gunpowder, some flour, and a knapsack.

Thomas Jeffrey told them to drop their arms, to which they responded by demanding their identities.

When Thomas Jeffrey said who he was, one of the men ran off and Thomas Jeffrey and the remaining man exchanged shots, resulting in the man receiving a thigh wound.

Thomas Jeffrey bailed him up and ordered him to join the other captives.

Thomas Jeffrey took charge of the more compliant group, made up of Franklin the bullock driver, one of Barnard's men, and Tibbs' man and went ahead of the other group.

Thomas Jeffrey's only recorded response to the shooting of Beechy and Tibbs was: "had not the two men been so jolly they would not have been shot at".

Thomas Jeffrey described how Jeffrey and Russell separated from the group, taking the child with them.

However, Thomas Jeffrey had lied; either he or Russell had killed the child by swinging him by his feet and smashing his head against a tree.

The Colonial Times reported that when Thomas Jeffrey returned, Elizabeth Tibbs frantically asked after her child and the bushranger told her "he had dashed its brains out, and that the little innocent had smiled upon him in the bloody act".

Thomas Jeffrey made some tea and offered it to Mrs Tibbs and Samuel Russell.

At daybreak they had some breakfast and Thomas Jeffrey told Walker and Mrs Tibbs they were to be released.

Thomas Jeffrey went with them to the top of a nearby hill and pointed out the direction they were to go.

The remaining group continued to travel north for three hours, after which Thomas Jeffrey permitted Franklin to leave.

Mrs Tibbs reported that the bushranger Thomas Jeffrey was referring to himself as "Captain", and was dressed in a long black overcoat, a red waistcoat, and a kangaroo-skin cap.

At that point, "much exhausted for want of food", Thomas Jeffrey said to the others : "if you like the first man that falls asleep shall be shot, and become food for the other two".

Thomas Jeffrey threw down his arms and was captured.

Thomas Jeffrey was brought into Launceston at about seven o'clock on the evening of his capture.

Thomas Jeffrey gave evidence describing how the child was taken from her arms and killed by Jeffrey and Russell.

Thomas Jeffrey had sent for the Anglican minister William Bedford "and has been crying like a baby".

Thomas Jeffrey was the first to be led out, accompanied by Rev Bedford.

The book included a short chapter on Thomas Jeffrey entitled 'Jeffries, the Monster'.

In Bonwick's version of history, Thomas Jeffrey "was always notorious for his vile blackguardism".

Later on, after "this wild beast was hunted down", the mother of the murdered infant was in the crowd as Thomas Jeffrey was brought into Launceston.