John Molloy
Encyclopedia
Captain John Molloy was an early settler in Western Australia
. He was one of the original settlers of Augusta
.
, and in his lifetime it was generally thought that he was an illegitimate son of the Duke. The evidence for this is circumstantial and difficult to interpret; Hardwick (2000) suggests that if such a relationship did exist, then it would most likely have been as a result of the Duke's affair in 1787 with Susanna Hussey, Countess of Tyrconnel. Molloy would have been fostered out to avoid embarrassment. (Coincidentally, another reputed bastard child of the Duke of York, Molloy's contemporary Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873), the Collector of Customs for New South Wales
from 1834 to 1859, also settled in Australia.)
John Molloy was raised in London
by the Molloys, an Irish
family who owned a property in County Kildare
. He was educated at Harrow
and (by one account) Oxford
, before entering the Royal Navy
as a midshipman
. He fought at Trafalgar
in 1805, then transferred to the army
in 1807 as a Second Lieutenant
in the 95th Rifles. He fought in the Peninsular War
of 1808–10 and was promoted First Lieutenant
in 1809. Then, during a two year break in military engagements, he attended Great Marlow
. From 1812 to 1814, he fought in the Napoleonic Wars
under Wellington
, taking part in eight battles. In 1815 he fought at Waterloo
where he was badly wounded and received the Waterloo Medal
. After recovering his health, he returned to active duty, being posted to Glasgow
in 1819–20, then Ireland until 1825. In 1824 he was promoted to Captain
.
, and began to consider emigrating to Western Australia. The Molloys eventually sailed for Western Australia on board the Warrior in October 1829. On arriving at the Swan River Colony
in March 1830, Molloy was advised by Governor
Stirling
that the best land in the area had already been granted
. Stirling suggested instead that the Molloys join with some other newly arrived settlers in forming a subcolony in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin
. Late in April, a group of prospective settlers including the Molloys and Bussells
accompanied Stirling and his official party to the proposed site of the subcolony. After a four-day exploring expedition up the Blackwood River
, Stirling confirmed his decision to establish a settlement at the location. The settlers' possessions were unloaded, and Molloy was appointed Government Resident and Resident magistrate
for the settlement, to be called Augusta
.
Initial relationships with the Aborigines of the area (the Bibbulmun and Wardandi peoples) were friendly, but the relationship soured over the years, as the settlers further encroached on the natives' traditional lands and the natives increasingly stole from the settlers. By the mid-1830s, natives and settlers had become hostile to one another. In 1837 nine natives were shot in response to the killing of a settler's calf. Molloy, who valued protection of the settlers' property over protection of the natives' lives, took no action in this case. On the other hand, when a settler named George Layman was murdered by a native named Gaywal in February 1841, Molloy led a punitive party against him. Gaywal was ultimately shot dead while trying to escape. In March 1842, Charles Bussell shot a seven-year-old Aboriginal girl in the stomach while interrogating her about the location of some fugitives. Molloy reported the shooting as an accident. After charging Bussell and finding him guilty, Molloy is said to have fined him just one shilling.
and Lieutenant-Colonel, but sold the commission the same day. He resigned as Government Resident in March 1851 on grounds of old age. From 1860 on, he gradually turned over management of his property to Richard Gale
. He died on 6 October 1867, and was buried alongside his wife.
John Molloy's eldest daughter Sabina married Matthew Blagden Hale
, who became the first Anglican Bishop of Perth. Another daughter Flora married William Locke Brockman
.
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...
. He was one of the original settlers of Augusta
Augusta, Western Australia
Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...
.
Early life
Little is known about John Molloy's birth and early life, and published accounts vary greatly in their details. His year of birth has been variously claimed as 1760, 1780, 1786 and 1789, with the last of these now considered most reliable. As an adult, Molloy bore a striking resemblance to Prince Frederick Augustus, Duke of YorkPrince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
, and in his lifetime it was generally thought that he was an illegitimate son of the Duke. The evidence for this is circumstantial and difficult to interpret; Hardwick (2000) suggests that if such a relationship did exist, then it would most likely have been as a result of the Duke's affair in 1787 with Susanna Hussey, Countess of Tyrconnel. Molloy would have been fostered out to avoid embarrassment. (Coincidentally, another reputed bastard child of the Duke of York, Molloy's contemporary Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873), the Collector of Customs for 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...
from 1834 to 1859, also settled in Australia.)
John Molloy was raised 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...
by the Molloys, an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
family who owned a property in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. He was educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and (by one account) Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, before entering the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
. He fought at Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in 1805, then transferred to the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
in 1807 as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the 95th Rifles. He fought in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
of 1808–10 and was promoted First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in 1809. Then, during a two year break in military engagements, he attended Great Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
. From 1812 to 1814, he fought in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
under Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, taking part in eight battles. In 1815 he fought at 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...
where he was badly wounded and received the Waterloo Medal
Waterloo Medal
The Waterloo Medal was awarded to any soldier of the British Army who took part in one or more of the following battles: Battle of Ligny , Battle of Quatre Bras , and the Battle of Waterloo ....
. After recovering his health, he returned to active duty, being posted to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1819–20, then Ireland until 1825. In 1824 he was promoted to Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
.
Emigration to Western Australia
On 6 August 1829, Molloy married Georgiana KennedyGeorgiana Molloy
Georgiana Molloy was an early settler in Western Australia, who is remembered as one of the first botanical collectors in the colony....
, and began to consider emigrating to Western Australia. The Molloys eventually sailed for Western Australia on board the Warrior in October 1829. On arriving at the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
in March 1830, Molloy was advised by Governor
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
Stirling
James Stirling (Australian governor)
Admiral Sir James Stirling RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia...
that the best land in the area had already been granted
Land grants in the Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony, established in June 1829, was the only British colony in Australia established on the basis of land grants to settlers. Under the conditions stipulated by the Colonial Office, settlers would be granted land in proportion to the value of assets and labour that they brought to...
. Stirling suggested instead that the Molloys join with some other newly arrived settlers in forming a subcolony in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin
Cape Leeuwin
Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...
. Late in April, a group of prospective settlers including the Molloys and Bussells
Bussell family
The Bussell family were a family of early settlers in colonial Western Australia. Four members of the Bussell family emigrated from England to Western Australia in 1831, with more members following in the next few years...
accompanied Stirling and his official party to the proposed site of the subcolony. After a four-day exploring expedition up the Blackwood River
Blackwood River
The Blackwood River is a major river and catchment in the South West of Western Australia.The river begins at the junction of Arthur River and Balgarup River near Quelarup and travels in a south westerly direction through the town of Bridgetown then through Nannup until it discharges into the...
, Stirling confirmed his decision to establish a settlement at the location. The settlers' possessions were unloaded, and Molloy was appointed Government Resident and Resident magistrate
Resident Magistrate
A resident magistrate is a title for magistrates used in certain parts of the world, that were, or are, governed by the British. Sometimes abbreviated as RM, it refers to suitably qualified personnel - notably well versed in the law - brought into an area from outside as the local magistrate,...
for the settlement, to be called Augusta
Augusta, Western Australia
Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...
.
Settlement at Augusta
For the first few years of the settlement, Molloy's main tasks, other than establishment of his own farm, were the allocation of land, and laying out of the townsite. When Molloy named the streets and coastal features of Augusta in 1832, it is notable that he chose the names and titles of the Duke of York, who had died five years previously: Osnaburg Street, York Street, Albany Terrace, Duke's Head and Point Frederick.Initial relationships with the Aborigines of the area (the Bibbulmun and Wardandi peoples) were friendly, but the relationship soured over the years, as the settlers further encroached on the natives' traditional lands and the natives increasingly stole from the settlers. By the mid-1830s, natives and settlers had become hostile to one another. In 1837 nine natives were shot in response to the killing of a settler's calf. Molloy, who valued protection of the settlers' property over protection of the natives' lives, took no action in this case. On the other hand, when a settler named George Layman was murdered by a native named Gaywal in February 1841, Molloy led a punitive party against him. Gaywal was ultimately shot dead while trying to escape. In March 1842, Charles Bussell shot a seven-year-old Aboriginal girl in the stomach while interrogating her about the location of some fugitives. Molloy reported the shooting as an accident. After charging Bussell and finding him guilty, Molloy is said to have fined him just one shilling.
Later life
Molloy's wife died in 1843, but Molloy decided to stay on at the settlement. In 1850, he visited England, returning to Western Australia in 1852. In 1859 he transferred to the 9th Foot and was promoted MajorMajor
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. ...
and Lieutenant-Colonel, but sold the commission the same day. He resigned as Government Resident in March 1851 on grounds of old age. From 1860 on, he gradually turned over management of his property to Richard Gale
Richard Gale (Australian politician)
Richard Gale was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1874 to 1878.He was born the 12th child of John Gale, farmer of Dorset, England . He was baptised at Beaminster on 18 December, 1834 and in later life he said that he was born at Westhay Farm...
. He died on 6 October 1867, and was buried alongside his wife.
John Molloy's eldest daughter Sabina married Matthew Blagden Hale
Matthew Blagden Hale
Matthew Blagden Hale was the first Bishop of Perth and then the Bishop of Brisbane.Born in Alderley, Gloucestershire, England, Matthew Hale was the son of Robert and Lady Theodosia . His maternal grandfather was The Earl of Mayo, Lord Archbishop of Tuam...
, who became the first Anglican Bishop of Perth. Another daughter Flora married William Locke Brockman
William Locke Brockman
William Locke Brockman was an early settler in Western Australia, who became a leading pastoralist and stock breeder, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council....
.