Thomas Braidwood Wilson
Thomas Braidwood Wilson
Sea voyages
Wilson studied at
The times were very dangerous and many of the sea voyages were eventful. In 1829 he travelled on the return journey of the Governor Ready to Australia when it was shipwrecked in the Torres Strait. Wilson and some of the crew rowed 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) to Timor.[1]
Aboard the ship, John, Wilson returned in 1831 to Hobart Town with a hive of bees, that had survived the trip to Australia, and many European plants. The bees were considered to be the first European bees brought to Tasmania. Wilson was presented with an engraved snuffbox with the inscription praising him for, "introducing to (the colony) some of the most valuable plants and animals, but especially the honeybee, which are now in a manner become indigenous to it."[2]
The following table details the nine voyages Wilson made as a surgeon-superintendent on convict ships.
Ship | Dep. Date | Dep. Location | Arr. Date | Arr. Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond | 27/11/1821 | Sheerness, England | 30/04/1822 | Van Diemen's Land |
Prince Regent | 13/02/1824 | Cork, Ireland | 15/07/1824 | New South Wales |
Mangles | 23/10/1825 | Cork, Ireland | 18/02/1826 | New South Wales |
Governor Ready | 03/04/1827 | Portsmouth, England | 31/07/1827 | Van Diemen's Land |
Governor Ready | 21/09/1828 | Cork, Ireland | 16/01/1829 | New South Wales |
John | 14/10/1830 | Spithead, England | 28/01/1831 | Van Diemen's Land |
England | 04/04/1832 | Spithead, England | 18/07/1832 | Van Diemen's Land |
Moffatt | 29/01/1834 | Plymouth, England | 09/05/1834 | Van Diemen's Land |
Strathfieldsay | 18/02/1836 | Portsmouth, England | 15/06/1836 | New South Wales[3] |
Exploration
Wilson sailed in the ship,
In 1833 Wilson was granted a fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society.
Journal and travel writing
Wilson wrote of his travel experiences and published them in 1835.[7] The title page of the book describes the contents as:
...an account of, the wreck of the ship "Governor Ready" in Torres Straits; a Description of the British Settlements on the Coasts of New Holland, more particularlyKing George's Sound; also, the Manners and Customs of the Aboriginal Tribes:with an Appendix, containing Remarks on Transportation, The Treatment of Convicts During the Voyage, and Advice to Persons Intending to Emigrate to the Australian Colonies.
- – by T. B. Wilson, M.D. Surgeon, R.N.
- Member of the Royal Geographical Society
In the preface Wilson states that his aim was to inform those interested in "Australian affairs" and provide amusement to the general public.[7]: viii He states further that the information in the appendix was based on his supervision of, "nearly two thousand prisoners, without having met with any difficulty, or disturbance, worth mentioning.[7]: ix
Pastoral life
Wilson married Jane Thomson of Durham, England, in 1826 at St Oswalds in Durham. In 1836 he emigrated with his wife, daughter Mary Braidwood Wilson (b. 1827), and son James Braidwood Wilson (b. 1833), to Australia.
Wilson's first land grants were in the Oatlands area of Tasmania, however he exchanged these for grants in the Braidwood district before settling there in 1835. Wilson's grants in Braidwood amounted to 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) in recognition of his exploration, to which he added another 1,600 plushectares (4,000 plusacres) of purchased and leased land. The family property was known as "Braidwood Farm" (since changed to "Mona"). When the township was formed it took the name of Braidwood in his honour because Wilson relinquished an area from the western end of his property to be used as the site for the new town.[8][9] He became a pastoralist and was noted for the good management of his land.[1] He also served as a magistrate, and funded the building on the courthouse in Braidwood.[10] He was on many local committees and took an active interest in district affairs.
At Wilson's death his daughter, Mary Braidwood Wilson, was 16. She kept a diary that covered her life after her father's death, and during her marriage to Stewart Marjoribanks Mowle. The diary is now in the National Library of Australia and is seen as a clear and detailed record of early expatriate life in Australia.
Death and grave site
Wilson's third child, Thomas Braidwood, died at the age of five months on 23 September 1837 and Wilson built a vault at the top of a hill just north of the town for his burial. His wife died not long after on 29 January 1838 and was also buried in the vault. The location (35°26′2.31″S 149°48′44.8″E / 35.4339750°S 149.812444°E) boasts a beautiful view over the town of Braidwood and a large pine tree has been grown adjacent to the vault.
During the drought and depression of the early 1840s Wilson was declared bankrupt and on 11 November 1843 it is thought that he probably committed suicide.
References
- ^ a b c "Wilson, Thomas Braidwood (1792–1843)". Biography of Wilson, Thomas Braidwood (1792–1843) by Gwendoline Wilson. Australian Dictionary of Biography online edition. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ "Keith Campbell, Bees by Robyn Williams". Radio National Ocham's Razor. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ Bateson, Charles (1959). The convict ships, 1787-1868. Glasgow, Scotland: Brown, Son & Ferguson.
- ^ "Australia's South West". Australia's South West Inc. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ "Grevillea wilsoni [picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ "Biography Wilson, Thomas Braidwood (1792–1843)". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ OL 18077559W. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Tallaganda Environmental Heritage, Annexure 2 Historical Context". Palerang, New South Wales Government. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ "Braidwood and Villages, Experience the History". Braidwood and Villages. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ "Australian Heritage – Braidwood". Historical Town Directory. Archived from the original on 10 September 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ Mowle, Mary Braidwood (1827–1857). Australian Dictionary of Biography online edition. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
- ^ "The Effect of Heritage Listing". Braidwood Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Braidwood & District Historical Society, March 2013
External links
- Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Entry
- Australian National Botanic Gardens profile including picture
- Wilson, Lance C. (c. 2006). The laird of Braidwood : the life and times of Dr Thomas Braidwood Wilson R.N. : surgeon, explorer, botanist, pastoralist, member of the Royal Geographical Society : includes narrative of a voyage round the world (T.B. Wilson 1835). Levendale, Tas: L. Wilson. ISBN 0-9775505-0-8.commondant of solitude, the journals of capt collet barker, mulvaney and greene