John Richardson (convict)
Encyclopedia
John Matthew Richardson was an Australian convict who accompanied several exploring expeditions as botanical collector.
, Sussex
, until convicted in March 1816 of larceny
and sentenced to seven years' transportation. Transported to Australia
, he arrived in Sydney
in September 1817, and was probably assigned to work in the government gardens there. By 1821 he had earned a full pardon, and that year he was sent back to England in charge of a collection of plants and seeds. However in March 1822 he was convicted of house-breaking. He was sentenced to death, but this was remitted to transportation for life, and he was once more transported to Australia. Arriving at Hobart
in November 1822, he was assigned work as a gardener, until the New South Wales
colonial botanist Charles Fraser
arranged for him to be transferred to Sydney so that he could oversee the government gardens there.
How Richardson spent the years 1823 to 1826 is not clear. Hall (1984) states that he was a member of John Oxley
's expeditions of 1823 and 1824; but Short (1990) considers this merely a possibility, despite quoting a statement by Thomas Mitchell asserting that he did, and noting that Richardson provided seed from the Port Macquarie region to an English nursery before 1925. It is also possible that Richardson accompanied William Baxter
to King George Sound
in 1824.
In February 1826, Richardson, by then married, was sent to take change of the garden of a new settlement at Port Essington
on Melville Island. In August that year he is recorded as having accompanied the Mermaid on a visit to Timor
to obtain seeds. When the settlement failed in 1829, Richardson returned to Sydney. The following year his wife died, and a year after that his ticket of leave was revoked for bad behaviour. He was assigned to a settler at Cooks River
, and nothing more is known of him until 1836, when he was appointed botanical collector to Thomas Mitchell's third expedition. During Mitchell's expedition Richardson discovered many new plants, of which John Lindley
described 68 as new species. In his private journal, Mitchell never once refers to Richardson by name, but mentions the "collector" four times; and even "collector" is purged from the published version of the journal, Mitchell replacing it with even vaguer language such as "we". Yet, despite giving Richardson no recognition in his journal, Mitchell subsequently recommended Richardson receive a conditional pardon for his "indefatigable" efforts.
Richardson continued to collect botanical collections, providing specimens for the Sydney Botanic Gardens and the Australian Museum
. In later life he moved to Singleton
, remarried, and eventually died at the age of 85.
), both of which were raised from seed collected by Richardson. He is also the collector of the type specimen of Acacia calamifolia.
Biography
Born in England around 1797, he worked as a nurseryman at HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, until convicted in March 1816 of larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
and sentenced to seven years' transportation. Transported to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, he arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney 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 September 1817, and was probably assigned to work in the government gardens there. By 1821 he had earned a full pardon, and that year he was sent back to England in charge of a collection of plants and seeds. However in March 1822 he was convicted of house-breaking. He was sentenced to death, but this was remitted to transportation for life, and he was once more transported to Australia. Arriving at Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
in November 1822, he was assigned work as a gardener, until the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
colonial botanist Charles Fraser
Charles Fraser (botanist)
Charles Fraser or Frazer was Colonial Botanist of New South Wales from 1821 to 1831. He collected and catalogued numerous Australian plant species, and participated in a number of exploring expeditions...
arranged for him to be transferred to Sydney so that he could oversee the government gardens there.
How Richardson spent the years 1823 to 1826 is not clear. Hall (1984) states that he was a member of John Oxley
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
's expeditions of 1823 and 1824; but Short (1990) considers this merely a possibility, despite quoting a statement by Thomas Mitchell asserting that he did, and noting that Richardson provided seed from the Port Macquarie region to an English nursery before 1925. It is also possible that Richardson accompanied William Baxter
William Baxter (botanist)
William Baxter was an English gardener who collected in Australia on behalf of English nurserymen and private individuals. He had developed his horticultural reputation as gardener to the Comtesse de Vandes in Bayswater, London, many of the plants he had nurtured being used for illustrations in...
to King George Sound
King George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
in 1824.
In February 1826, Richardson, by then married, was sent to take change of the garden of a new settlement at Port Essington
Port Essington
Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory...
on Melville Island. In August that year he is recorded as having accompanied the Mermaid on a visit to Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
to obtain seeds. When the settlement failed in 1829, Richardson returned to Sydney. The following year his wife died, and a year after that his ticket of leave was revoked for bad behaviour. He was assigned to a settler at Cooks River
Cooks River
The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore...
, and nothing more is known of him until 1836, when he was appointed botanical collector to Thomas Mitchell's third expedition. During Mitchell's expedition Richardson discovered many new plants, of which John Lindley
John Lindley
John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...
described 68 as new species. In his private journal, Mitchell never once refers to Richardson by name, but mentions the "collector" four times; and even "collector" is purged from the published version of the journal, Mitchell replacing it with even vaguer language such as "we". Yet, despite giving Richardson no recognition in his journal, Mitchell subsequently recommended Richardson receive a conditional pardon for his "indefatigable" efforts.
Richardson continued to collect botanical collections, providing specimens for the Sydney Botanic Gardens and the Australian Museum
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
. In later life he moved to Singleton
Singleton, New South Wales
-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
, remarried, and eventually died at the age of 85.
Legacy
Richardson's name is commemorated in the plant species names Hibiscus richardsonii and Alyxia richardsonii (now A. ruscifoliaAlyxia ruscifolia
Alyxia ruscifolia, commonly known as the Chainfruit or Prickly Alyxia, is a shrub of high rainfall areas in eastern Australia. The natural range of distribution is from Wollongong in New South Wales to the Wet Tropics and further north to New Guinea.It can be seen in a variety of different situations...
), both of which were raised from seed collected by Richardson. He is also the collector of the type specimen of Acacia calamifolia.