See also Thomas Laycock (physiologist)

Thomas Laycock (physiologist)

Thomas Laycock was an English neurophysiologist who was a native of York.Among medical historians, he is best known for his influence on the young John Hughlings Jackson and the psychiatrist James Crichton-Browne....

Thomas Laycock (1786 – 7 November 1823) was an English soldier, explorer, and later businessman, who served in North America during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, but is most famous for being the first European to travel overland through the interior of Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 (then known as Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...

).

Early life

Thomas Laycock was the son of Thomas (1756–1809) and Hannah Laycock (née Pearson, 1758–1831). Whilst the details of his birth are unknown, it is known that he was baptised in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, and 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...

 as a nine year old with his mother on 21 September 1791 aboard HMS Gorgon

HMS Gorgon

Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Gorgon, after the Gorgon of Greek mythology:*HMS Gorgon was a 44-gun fifth rate launched in 1785...

, as part of the Third Fleet

Third Fleet (Australia)

The Third Fleet consisted of 11 ships which set sail from United Kingdom in February, March and April 1791 bound for the Sydney penal settlement, with over 2000 convicts. The passengers consisted of convicts, military personnel and notable people sent to fill high positions in the colony...

. His father, Thomas, had been a quartermaster

Quartermaster

Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...

 in the New South Wales Corps

New South Wales Corps

The New South Wales Corps was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment to relieve the marines who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia. The regiment, led by Major Francis Grose, consisted of three companies...

, who had also arrived in Sydney aboard HMS Gorgon

HMS Gorgon

Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Gorgon, after the Gorgon of Greek mythology:*HMS Gorgon was a 44-gun fifth rate launched in 1785...

.

He soon entered service with the New South Wales Corps, and had been commissioned as ensign

Ensign (rank)

Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....

 on 30 December 1795. A natural soldier, he rose to lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 by 1802. After service in both 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...

 and 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...

, Laycock was sent to Port Dalrymple, Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...

 to serve under Captain Anthony Fenn Kemp

Anthony Fenn Kemp

Anthony Fenn Kemp was a soldier, merchant and a deputy judge advocate of the colony of New South Wales . He was one of the key participants in the "Rum Rebellion" that removed William Bligh, the appointed governor of the colony, and established an interim military government...

 in 1806.

Van Diemen's Land

Arriving in Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...

 in 1806, Laycock found the northern settlement of Port Dalrymple to be stricken with famine. He was immediately entrusted with a mission to convey dispatches for Lieutenant-Governor David Collins

David Collins

-People:* David Collins , 18th-century cricketer associated with Hampshire* David Collins , played for Wellington and Cambridge University...

 in Hobart Town. No journey into the interior of the island had yet been attempted. Laycock set out on horseback, on February 3, 1807 with four other men from the New South Wales Corps, carrying three weeks provisions each.

They followed the course of the Tamar River south towards the mountains visible in the distance. Climbing into the Central Highlands

Central Highlands (Tasmania)

Central Highlands is a region in Tasmania where geographical and administrative boundaries closely coincide. It is also known as The Lake Country of Tasmania -Geographical region:...

, the party soon discovered the Lakes district there. They found the going tough over the rugged alpine terrain, but once they had hit the flat ridge line, the party was able to observe much kinder terrain in the distance off to the east. Descending the southern slopes of the Central Highlands, the party came upon the Clyde River

Clyde River (Tasmania)

The Clyde River is a river in central Tasmania. The river drains the Clyde River Catchment , an agricultural region of Tasmania. There are two towns in the catchment, Bothwell and Hamilton. There are two water storage dams on the river that make Lake Sorell and Lake Crescent...

, which they named "Fat Doe River", and camped at a location that was later to become the township of Bothwell

Bothwell, Tasmania

Bothwell, Tasmania is a small town with a population at the 2006 census of 376. Situated in central Tasmania on the River Clyde, it is notable for hunting and being a lake district. It is part of the municipality of Central Highlands Council...

. The terrain around this region was much more ameniable to travel, and Laycock noted the location for his return journey.

They had managed to traverse the islands in just over eight days, arriving on 11 February. They arrived in Hobart Town and issued Collins with the dispatches, but were regrettably told, the situation in Hobart Town was no better than at Port Dalrymple, and no supplies could be spared for the northern colony.

Exhausted from the southward journey, Laycock's party rested in Hobart Town for four days, before commencing their return journey. Following a more easterly route on their northward journey, the party found the going much easier, riding up through the Midlands that was to become the major pastures and farmland of the colony in the following decade. The route that they followed quickly became the 'Hobart Road', the main route between Port Dalrymple (soon after renamed Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

 and Hobart Town. With minor variations, the route is also closely followed by the modern Midland Highway which is the major north-south artery of Tasmania, and forms part of the national highway number 1

National Highway (Australia)

thumb|right|150px|The National Highway Shield in NSW, QLD, WA, NT & TAS.The National Highway is a system of roads connecting all the States and Territories of Australia, and is the major network of highways connecting Australia's largest and most important cities.The National Highway was...

.

Despite the famine, Laycock was rewarded for important his discovery by being given a cow, which of course was highly valuable given the short supply of food. He returned to Sydney in January 1808.

Rum Rebellion

Upon his return to Sydney, Laycock discovered that the Rum Rebellion

Rum Rebellion

The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in Australia's history. The Governor of New South Wales, William Bligh, was deposed by the New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston, working closely with John Macarthur, on 26 January 1808, 20...

 was in full-swing, and the New South Wales Corps

New South Wales Corps

The New South Wales Corps was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment to relieve the marines who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia. The regiment, led by Major Francis Grose, consisted of three companies...

, under the leadership of Major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

 George Johnston

George Johnston (New South Wales)

Lieutenant-Colonel George Johnston was briefly Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, Australia after leading the rebellion later known as the Rum Rebellion....

, and former soldier turned pastoralist John Macarthur

John Macarthur (wool pioneer)

John Macarthur was a British army officer, entrepreneur, politician, architect and pioneer of settlement in Australia. Macarthur is recognised as the pioneer of the wool industry that was to boom in Australia in the early 19th century and become a trademark of the nation...

 had enacted a military coup and had arrested Governor William Bligh

William Bligh

Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...

. Laycock was appointed to the criminal court that tried Macarthur for his involvement in the plot, and in so doing, he became the only physical casualty of the bloodless rebellion, when he was sent to search Government House for evidence, and fell through a manhole. As a reward for his duties and his discoveries in Van Diemen's Land, Laycock was granted 500 acres (2 km²) of land in the Cabramatta region of southwestern 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...

, but like all officers involved in the Rum Rebellion, he had this land confiscated upon the appointment of the next Governor, Lachlan Macquarie

Lachlan Macquarie

Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...

.

Following Macquarie's arrival, the newly married Laycock departed from New South Wales with wife Isabella (née Bunker) aboard HMS Dromedary on 18 March 1810, sailing for England.

War of 1812

The New South Wales Corps

New South Wales Corps

The New South Wales Corps was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment to relieve the marines who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia. The regiment, led by Major Francis Grose, consisted of three companies...

 were disbanded in disgrace following their part in the rebellion, and most of the men transferred into a newly formed 102nd Regiment of foot, and were recalled to England. Laycock also returned to England for the first time since he was a boy, but rejoined with the 98th Regiment of foot

98th Regiment of Foot (disambiguation)

Six regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 98th Regiment of Foot:*98th Regiment of Foot, raised in 1761*98th Regiment of Foot, raised in 1780 and disbanded in 1787...

. By September 1811 he had been promoted to captain

Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)

Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...

.

The following year, war with the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 broke out in North America, and the 98th foot were dispatched to fight there. For the majority of the war, Laycock's regiment were stationed in Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

 and New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

, although companies did also garrison parts of the Atlantic coast from 1814 to 1818. Little is known about Laycock's experiences in the war, but he returned to England, selling off his commission upon his return.

Later life and death

Thomas Laycock and wife Isabella sailed immediately for Sydney aboard HMS Fame

HMS Fame

Nine ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Fame, whilst another was planned:*HMS Fame was a 20-gun Irish Royalist ship. She was captured by the Parliamentarians in 1649 and was blown up in 1658....

with their two children, leaving on 8 March 1817, but Isabella took ill during the journey, and died in May 1817. With two young children to look after, Laycock quickly remarried his second wife, Margaret (née Connell) at St. Philips on 8 July 1817, with whom he had a further two children.

Using the money he had saved from his service and sale of commission, he set up a general store and hotel, and quickly became one of the biggest suppliers of meat to the commissariat store. By 1819 he had become involved in local affairs, and was one of the leading citizens is a public call for the right to trial by jury

Trial by Jury

Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...

.

Years of life in the military took their toll upon Thomas Laycock, and at the age of 37 he died at home on his estate on 7 November 1823.