John Knatchbull
Encyclopedia
John Knatchbull was a naval captain and convict found guilty of murder in 1844. He was one of the earliest to raise in a British court the plea of moral insanity (unsuccessfully).
, Kent
, England
, probably the son of Sir Edward Knatchbull
8th Baronet of Mersham Hatch.
He attended Winchester College
and volunteered for the navy in 1804 serving until 1818 and rising to the rank of a captain. He served in the Ardent
, Revenge
, Zealand, Sybille
, Téméraire
, Leonidas, Cumberland
, Ocean
and Ajax
. In November 1810 he passed his lieutenant's examination, served in Sheerwater until August 1812 when he was invalided home, and then in Benbow and Queen. In December 1813 he was commissioned to command Doterell, but missed the ship and was reappointed in September 1814. After the Battle of Waterloo
in June 1815, the navy was reduced and Knatchbull retired on full pay until March 1818, when his pay was stopped by the Admiralty because of a debt he had incurred in the Azores.
to New South Wales on the Asia.
In New South Wales he was assigned to Bathurst
. He was given a ticket of leave in 1829 after apprehending eight runaways. His ticket was altered to Liverpool when he became an overseer on the Parramatta Road. On 31 December 1831 he was charged with forging
Judge Dowling
's signature to a cheque
on the Bank of Australia; he was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1832. This sentence was commuted to transportation for seven years to Norfolk Island
.
While on Norfolk Island, he took part in two mutinies
. En route to Norfolk Island in 1832 Knatchbull conspired with other convicts on board ship to poison the crews' and guards' food with arsenic. The mutineers were informed on and the arsenic was found, but it was seen as too much trouble to return the prisoners to the mainland for trial and they became known among their fellow convicts as "Tea-Sweeteners". In the second mutiny of 1834 planned against the governor of the convict settlement and his deputy, Knatchbull escaped punishment by informing on his fellow mutineers.
While Knatchbull was on Norfolk Island, Thomas Atkins, an Independent clergyman who was sent to Norfolk Island as a Chaplain in November 1836 on the recommendation of the London Missionary Society, said of Knatchbull
Knatchbull returned to Sydney in 1839 to serve out the remainder of his original sentence (the 14 years for stealing with force and arms).
Knatchbull's defence was conducted by Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
. Lowe argued on Knatchbull's behalf that insanity of the will could exist apart from insanity of the intellect. He argued that Knatchbull had yielded to an irresistible impulse and could not be held responsible for his crime. This was a novel defence for the time. The court, however, found Knatchbull guilty. The Lowes subsequently adopted the murdered woman's two young children, Bobby and Polly Jamieson. Knatchbull's brother provided money for the children's education.
Knatchbull appealed unsuccessfully on the grounds that the judge had not directed that his body be dissected and anatomized, as required by law. His hanging
on 13 February 1844 occurred in Taylor Square and was witnessed by 10,000.
Biography
Knatchbull was born in MershamMersham
Mersham is a small village and civil parish, three miles east of Willesborough and the town of Ashford in the county of Kent.-History:Historically Mersham has been a farming community with close ties to the local market town of Ashford. The small village dates back to Saxon times and is mentioned...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, probably the son of Sir Edward Knatchbull
Sir Edward Knatchbull, 8th Baronet
Sir Edward Knatchbull, 8th Baronet was a British politician and baronet.-Background:He was the only surviving son of Sir Edward Knatchbull, 7th Baronet and his wife Grace Legge, second daughter of William Legge. In 1789, he succeeded his father as baronet. Knatchbull was educated at Tunbridge and...
8th Baronet of Mersham Hatch.
He attended Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and volunteered for the navy in 1804 serving until 1818 and rising to the rank of a captain. He served in the Ardent
HMS Ardent (1796)
HMS Ardent was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 9 April 1796 at Northfleet. She had been designed and laid down for the Honourable East India Company, but was purchased by the Navy after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War.In 1801, Ardent took part in the...
, Revenge
HMS Revenge (1805)
HMS Revenge was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 13 April 1805. She was designed by Sir John Henslow as one of the large class 74s, and was the only ship built to her draught...
, Zealand, Sybille
French frigate Sibylle (1792)
The Sibylle was an 38-gun Hébé class frigate of the French Navy. She was launched in 1791 at the dockyards in Toulon and placed in service in 1792...
, Téméraire
HMS Temeraire (1798)
HMS Temeraire was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1798, she served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, mostly on blockades or convoy escort duties...
, Leonidas, Cumberland
HMS Cumberland (1807)
HMS Cumberland was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 August 1807 at Northfleet.She was converted to serve as a prison ship in 1830. She was renamed Fortitude in 1833....
, Ocean
HMS Ocean (1805)
HMS Ocean was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched from Woolwich Dockyard on 24 October 1805. She was the only ship built to her draught, and designed by Sir John Henslow....
and Ajax
HMS Ajax (1809)
HMS Ajax was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 2 May 1809 at Blackwall Yard.She was converted to a blockship with screw propulsion for coastal defence in 1846....
. In November 1810 he passed his lieutenant's examination, served in Sheerwater until August 1812 when he was invalided home, and then in Benbow and Queen. In December 1813 he was commissioned to command Doterell, but missed the ship and was reappointed in September 1814. After the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in June 1815, the navy was reduced and Knatchbull retired on full pay until March 1818, when his pay was stopped by the Admiralty because of a debt he had incurred in the Azores.
Transportation
In August 1824 he was found guilty of stealing with force and arms at the Surrey Assizes under the name of John Fitch. Knatchbull was given a 14 year sentence and transportedPenal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
to New South Wales on the Asia.
In New South Wales he was assigned to Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
. He was given a ticket of leave in 1829 after apprehending eight runaways. His ticket was altered to Liverpool when he became an overseer on the Parramatta Road. On 31 December 1831 he was charged with forging
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
Judge Dowling
James Dowling
Sir James Dowling was an English-born Australian jurist in New South Wales, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales 1837 – 1844....
's signature to a cheque
Cheque
A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
on the Bank of Australia; he was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1832. This sentence was commuted to transportation for seven years to Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
.
While on Norfolk Island, he took part in two mutinies
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
. En route to Norfolk Island in 1832 Knatchbull conspired with other convicts on board ship to poison the crews' and guards' food with arsenic. The mutineers were informed on and the arsenic was found, but it was seen as too much trouble to return the prisoners to the mainland for trial and they became known among their fellow convicts as "Tea-Sweeteners". In the second mutiny of 1834 planned against the governor of the convict settlement and his deputy, Knatchbull escaped punishment by informing on his fellow mutineers.
While Knatchbull was on Norfolk Island, Thomas Atkins, an Independent clergyman who was sent to Norfolk Island as a Chaplain in November 1836 on the recommendation of the London Missionary Society, said of Knatchbull
from his personal appearance and conversation, as all traces of a gentleman had long disappeared, he exhibited no evidence that he had been in a higher social position; indeed he appeared to be in his natural place.
Knatchbull returned to Sydney in 1839 to serve out the remainder of his original sentence (the 14 years for stealing with force and arms).
Murder of Ellen Jamieson and death
In January 1844 he murdered shopkeeper Ellen Jamieson with a tomahawk while stealing money for his upcoming marriage. He was tried on 24 January and found guilty of murder and sentenced to be hanged.During the early part of 1844, two murders of a very horrible character were committed in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. In one case, a Norfolk IslandNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
expiree, who held a ticket of leave, had gone into the shop of a poor widow, named Ellen Jamieson, and asked for some trifling article. While Mrs. Jamieson was serving him, the ruffian raised a tomahawk, which he held in his hand, and clove the unfortunate woman's head in a savage manner. She lingered for a few days, and died, leaving two orphan children. The murderer, whose name was John Knatchbull, was proved to have been a wretch of the most abominable description; and though an attempt was made to set up a plea of insanity, a barrister being employed by the agent for the suppression of capital punishment, so foul a villain could not be saved from the gallows. It is gratifying to add, that Sir Edward Knatchbull, the brother of the criminal, has sent out a handsome donation for the orphans of Mrs. Jamieson.
Knatchbull's defence was conducted by Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke PC , British and Australian statesman, was a pivotal but often forgotten figure who shaped British politics in the latter half of the 19th century. He held office under William Ewart Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1868 and 1873 and as Home...
. Lowe argued on Knatchbull's behalf that insanity of the will could exist apart from insanity of the intellect. He argued that Knatchbull had yielded to an irresistible impulse and could not be held responsible for his crime. This was a novel defence for the time. The court, however, found Knatchbull guilty. The Lowes subsequently adopted the murdered woman's two young children, Bobby and Polly Jamieson. Knatchbull's brother provided money for the children's education.
Knatchbull appealed unsuccessfully on the grounds that the judge had not directed that his body be dissected and anatomized, as required by law. His hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on 13 February 1844 occurred in Taylor Square and was witnessed by 10,000.
John Knatchbull sentenced to hang for the murder of Ellen Jamieson: The execution to be held outside the gates of the three-year-old [Darlinghurst] gaolDarlinghurst GaolDarlinghurst Gaol was an Australian prison located in Darlinghurst, New South Wales. The site is bordered by Victoria, Burton and Forbes streets, with entrances on Forbes and Burton Streets.-History:...
, was scheduled for 9a.m. At the crack of dawn scores of people, children included, were swarming across the racecourse (Hyde ParkHyde Park, SydneyHyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Port Jackson . It is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the...
) towards Darlinghurst Hill. The Australian newspaper judged the throng to be 10,000 strong. The paper was disdainful of the ghoulish mob yet, at the same time, congratulated them on their good behavior. Captain John Knatchbull aged 56 years, was led out into Forbes Street, at the gaol gates on the Darlinghurst Ridge. Wearing genteel black broadcloth, Captain Knatchbull then "ascended the fatal scaffold without trepidation or fear, and was launched into another world with a noble and fervent prayer trembling on his lips". The bell of St Phillip's tolled thrice and John Knatchbull was dead.