Henry Wildman
Encyclopedia
Henry Wildman was a convict
transported
to Western Australia
in 1862, whose apparently false claims to have found gold
in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
prompted an exploring expedition to the area.
Henry Wildman was born in 1838. Nothing is known of his early life, except that he was a literate
protestant labourer. According to convict records, he was found guilty of burglary
and sentenced to 18 years' penal servitude on 18 March 1862, although some contemporary newspapers state that he was sentenced to 15 years in 1861. Wildman arrived in Western Australia
on the Lord Dalhousie on 28 December 1863.
Two days after his arrival, the Inquirer published Wildman's claim to have found gold in the Kimberley region. Wildman claimed that in 1856 he had been first mate on a Dutch
ship, the Maria Augusta, sailing from Rotterdam
to Java, when it was forced to stop in Camden Harbour for rudder
repairs. He then allegedly explored up a river, where he found gold nuggets to the value of £416, which he later sold at Liverpool
.
Wildman offered to lead a party to the area, in return for a remission of his sentence. In response to this, an exploring expedition to the area was launched, under the leadership of Frederick Panter
. This expedition sailed from Fremantle
on 2 March 1864. On arrival at Camden Harbour, Wildman became sullen and hostile, refusing to give any further information about the location of the gold. In his journal of the expedition, Panter mentions Wildman having an epileptic fit
, and reports having him put in irons for insolent conduct. Wildman later tried to escape, but was unsuccessful. No gold was found, but the expedition found good land that was later settled.
Little else is known of Wildman's life. He is known to have completed his sentence, and is thought to have then left Western Australia, but neither the date nor his destination are known.
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
transported
Penal 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 Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in 1862, whose apparently false claims to have found gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
Kimberley region of Western Australia
The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
prompted an exploring expedition to the area.
Henry Wildman was born in 1838. Nothing is known of his early life, except that he was a literate
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
protestant labourer. According to convict records, he was found guilty of burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
and sentenced to 18 years' penal servitude on 18 March 1862, although some contemporary newspapers state that he was sentenced to 15 years in 1861. Wildman arrived in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
on the Lord Dalhousie on 28 December 1863.
Two days after his arrival, the Inquirer published Wildman's claim to have found gold in the Kimberley region. Wildman claimed that in 1856 he had been first mate on a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
ship, the Maria Augusta, sailing from Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
to Java, when it was forced to stop in Camden Harbour for rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
repairs. He then allegedly explored up a river, where he found gold nuggets to the value of £416, which he later sold at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Wildman offered to lead a party to the area, in return for a remission of his sentence. In response to this, an exploring expedition to the area was launched, under the leadership of Frederick Panter
Frederick Panter
Frederick Kennedy Panter was a police officer, pastoralist and explorer in colonial Western Australia. While exploring in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 1864, he was murdered by Australian Aborigines....
. This expedition sailed from Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
on 2 March 1864. On arrival at Camden Harbour, Wildman became sullen and hostile, refusing to give any further information about the location of the gold. In his journal of the expedition, Panter mentions Wildman having an epileptic fit
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, and reports having him put in irons for insolent conduct. Wildman later tried to escape, but was unsuccessful. No gold was found, but the expedition found good land that was later settled.
Little else is known of Wildman's life. He is known to have completed his sentence, and is thought to have then left Western Australia, but neither the date nor his destination are known.