Thomas Edward Wright
Encyclopedia
Captain Thomas Edward Wright, soldier and penal administrator, of the 39th Regiment
was the third commandant of the second convict settlement at Norfolk Island
, from August 1827 to 1828.
He is reported, by Aaron Price, a convict
turned Constable and Overseer, to have replaced the chain-gang's heavy irons with light irons, and encouraged the breaking of land for agriculture.
In October 1827, while walking home from a farm unarmed, Wright was assaulted with a club by an absconded convict, Patrick Clynch, but was able to fend off the blow. Clynch made several more attacks in the following days on overseers and guards, and was eventually shot dead. Although the matter was investigated at the time, it flared up more than a year later, when Wright was accused of ordering Clynch to be shot although he knew he was already in custody. He was tried for murder but the prosecution case (led by W. C. Wentworth
) collapsed as it had been, according to Governor Darling
, “supported by the most palpable perjury on the part of one witness”.
The affair led to Wright's recall, and his actions and those of Governor Darling were vilified by local newspaper editor E. S. Hall.
39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot
The 39th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1719 and amalgamated into The Dorsetshire Regiment in 1881.The regiment was raised by Colonel Richard Coote in Ireland in August 1702...
was the third commandant of the second convict settlement at 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...
, from August 1827 to 1828.
He is reported, by Aaron Price, a convict
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...
turned Constable and Overseer, to have replaced the chain-gang's heavy irons with light irons, and encouraged the breaking of land for agriculture.
In October 1827, while walking home from a farm unarmed, Wright was assaulted with a club by an absconded convict, Patrick Clynch, but was able to fend off the blow. Clynch made several more attacks in the following days on overseers and guards, and was eventually shot dead. Although the matter was investigated at the time, it flared up more than a year later, when Wright was accused of ordering Clynch to be shot although he knew he was already in custody. He was tried for murder but the prosecution case (led by W. C. Wentworth
William Wentworth
William Charles Wentworth was an Australian poet, explorer, journalist and politician, and one of the leading figures of early colonial New South Wales...
) collapsed as it had been, according to Governor Darling
Ralph Darling
General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH was a British colonial Governor and Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831.-Early career:...
, “supported by the most palpable perjury on the part of one witness”.
The affair led to Wright's recall, and his actions and those of Governor Darling were vilified by local newspaper editor E. S. Hall.