Francis MacNamara Timeline

Robert Russell c 1837: Phoenix Hulk moored at entrance Billy Blue's Bay [Lavender Bay]
Courtesy National Library of Australia

• 1811 Francis MacNamara born in Cashel Tipperary ( or Wicklow, or Cork) in the first half of the year.
• 14 January 1832 sentenced to 7 years transportation
• 18 January 1832 MacNamara's use of poetry in court reported in the Kilkenny Journal
• 10 May 1832, age 21, sailed from Cork on the prison ship Eliza II, trade described as Miner. Among his fellow prisoners for the journey were 43 Whiteboys
• 18 June 12 Lashes - 'Poet on the Eliza' Bob Reece
• 8 September 1832 arrived in Sydney, assigned as servant to John Jones of Sydney
• 3 January 1833 sentenced to 6 months gaol served in an ironed-gang on Goat Island in Sydney Harbour
• 17 June 1833 Macnamara Francis, Eliza, from Ditto 'Runaways Apprehended' (Sydney Gazette p. 1.)
• 27 May 1833 returned to Hyde Park Barracks
• June 1833 absconded and recaptured and sentenced to flogging, on 24 June received 50 lashes
• 1 July 1833 sentenced to a month on the treadmill for disobedience
• Absconded again recaptured and on 24 August 1833 was sentenced to 12 month in irons
• 3 September 1833 sent to Phoenix Hulk on Sydney Harbour to serve his sentence
• 1 February 1834 flogged with 25 lashes for having a stolen shirt
• 3 March 1834 75 lashes for insubordinate conduct
• 25 August returned to Hyde Park Barracks
• 26 January 1835 3 days in the cells (solitary confinement) for being absent from duty
• 18 February 1835 25 lashes for disobeying orders
• 9 March 1835 100 lashes for obscene language
• 16 April 1835 12 months in irons
• 16 May 1835 36 lashes for insolence
• 8 June 1835 50 lashes for threatening language
• 8 August 1835 75 lashes for destroying a government cart
• 14 December 1835 50 lashes for refusing to work
• 16 March 1836 sent to Phoenix Hulk
• 25 March 1836 25 lashes for neglect of work
• 15 August 1836 10 days in the cells for being found drunk
• March 1837 2 months on treadmill for absconding
• 25 March 1837 refused to mount treadmill 50 lashes
• May 1837 returns to Phoenix Hulk
• 31 December 1837 presence on Phoenix recorded in muster for the census
• 1838 assigned to Australian Agricultural Company as shepherd on the Peel River and then Stroud till October 1839
• 23 October 1839 Trimingham manuscript written containing 4 poems: A Convict's Tour To Hell, A Petition from the Chain Gang at Newcastle, A Petition in Behalf of the Flocks and For the Company Underground
• 1 November 1839 Newcastle Gaol - sentenced 12 months in an Ironed Gang
• 9 November 1839 Forwarded to Sydney
• 5 December 1839 Discharged from Wooloomooloo Stockade sent to Parramatta Gaol
• 7 December 1839 Disposed of to Stockade Parramatta
• 4 January 1840 50 lashes for mutinous conduct
• 8 February 1840 A Dialogue Between Two Hibernians in Botany Bay published in the Sydney Gazette under the name Francis MacNamara
• 30 May 1842 captured by sergeant Michael Doyle at the foot of Razorback: Francis McNamara, per Elisa; John Jones, per Lady Macnaughton; Edward Allen, per Asia; William Thomson, per do; William Eastwood, per Patriot. Capture of Bushrangers reported in Sydney Gazette 2 June
• 6 June 1842 Admitted to Sydney Gaol
• 8 July 1842 tried at Assizes of Sydney for being at large with fire arms on his person and sentenced to be transported to Van Diemen's Land for Life
• 11 July 1842 three month stay on Cockatoo Island awaiting transportation to Van Diemen's Land
• 14 October 1842 departs Sydney with 24 other prisoners for Van Diemen's Land
• 29 Oct 1842 arrival in Hobart per Waterlily
• 25 December 1842 meets bushranger Martin Cash in Port Arthur, entertains prisoners with his verse beginning with his introductory "crow"
• 25 Sept 1843 seven days solitary confinement for disobeying orders
• January 1847 receives ticket-of-leave
• September 1847 receives conditional pardon
• 1 January 1848 name appears in Launceston Census?
• 21 July 1849 gains Certificate of Freedom
• 8 September 1853 reported in the Sydney Morning Herald as working with a party of gold miners at Tambaroora, Hill End NSW
• 1 March 1861 calligraphic work on Calf Family Record near Mudgee NSW
• 29 August 1861 death in Mudgee NSW
• 18 June 1862 Article with local stories about Frank the Poet at Meroo in the Bathurst Free Press
• 7 October 1865 Article about Frank the Poet extemporising verse in 1835 in Sydney Police Court in the Bunyip
• 24 December 1881 attribution of "Travellers Welcome"song to Frank the Poet in the South Australian Weekly Chronicle
• Frank the Poet mentioned by Owen Suffolk in his autobiography Days of Crime and Years of Suffering serialised in the Australasian newspaper (1867) reprinted by the Gippsland Times (1898)
• 1885 First publication of 'A Convict's Tour to Hell', in a booklet titled 'The Song of Ninian Melville' a poem by Henry Kendall
• 27 December 1900 A Convict's Tour to Hell: published in the Cumberland Times 
• 1 January 1892 Victoria Museum - Frank the Poet exhibit, an example of his penmanship
• 28 January 1893 Convict's Tour to Hell: cited by Telemachus in the Oakleigh Leader 
• 7 September 1900 in the Western Champion (Parkes, NSW) 
• 12 December 1900 "Martin Cash" play includes Frank the poet as a character. 
• 22 August 1903 attribution of 'The Poor Exile from the Shamrock Shore' in the Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal 

The Ballad of Martin Cash

Martin Cash as drawn by Bock

Come all you sons of Erin's Isle
That love to hear your tuneful notes,
Remember William Wallace and
Montrose of sweet Dundee–
The great Napoleon played his part,
But by treachery was undone
Nelson, for England's glory bled
And nobly fought by sea–
And Wellington, old Erin's son,
Who Waterloo so bravely won,
When leading on his veteran troops,
Bold faced his daring foes–
But Martin Cash of matchless fame,
The bravest man that owns that name,
Is a valiant son of Erin,
Where the sprig of shamrock grows.

By treachery as it was said,
This hero to a gaol was led,
'Twas Bedford who, in Campbell Town,
Had got him seven years.
Which sent him to the settlement
In misery and discontent,
But soon he made his foes repent,
As you shall quickly hear,
He left Port Arthur's cursed soil,
Saying "No longer will I toil",
And soon he reached the Derwent's side
In spite of all his foes.
He made the settlers crouch in dread
Where'er that he showed his head;
This valiant son of Erin,
Where the sprig of shamrock grows.

It was once when near the old Woolpack
His enemies they did attack;
The number being three to one,
They thought their prize secure.
But Martin to his piece did cling,
And three of them did quickly wing,
Saying, "Down, you cowardly dogs,
Or I nail you to the floor!"
It's loud for mercy they did cry,
But no one came to their reply,
While Martin, with a smiling eye,
Stood gazing at his foes.
Then through the bush he took his way,
And called on settlers night and day,
Did our valiant son of Erin,
Where the sprig of shamrock grows.

It was on the Salt Pan Plain
He faced his enemies again,
There were Sydney blacks and horse police,
And well-trained soldiers too;
But at the time when they drew near,
Cash hailed them loudly with a cheer,
And let them have it left and right,
His colours were true blue.
Bravely did he stand his ground,
The bullets flying thick around,
And like a fearless general
He faced his firing foes.
"Surrender, Martin !" loud they cry,
"Never till the hour I die
Said this valiant son of Erin,
Where the sprig of shamrock grows.

Brave Cash, not caring for his life,
To Hobart came to see his wife,
The constables who lay in wait
Cried, "Martin is in view !"
Some cowards tried to block his way,
But one of them soon lifeless lay,
Their numbers were increasing,
And still did Cash pursue.
And in the street a man rushed out,
Who tried to stop him in his route,
But with a pistol in each hand
He clean shot off his nose.
"Surrender, Cash !" was still their cry,
"Never, till the hour I die
Said this gallant son of Erin,
Where the sprig of shamrock grows.

O'erpowered and wounded, bleeding, pale,
The Bobbies marched him off to gaol,
And when his trial was brought on
Some hundreds listened by.
And when the Judge, with panting breath
Had told him to prepare for death,
He calmly heard the sentence
With a proud, unflinching eye.
We all have hopes that we shall see
Bold Martin yet at liberty,
That shortly he will be as free
As the ocean wind that blows.
He's of a good old valiant race,
There's no one can his name disgrace,
He's a noble son of Erin,
Where the sprig of shamrock grows.

He's the bravest man that you could choose
From Sydney men or Cockatoos,
And a gallant son of Erin,
Where the sprig of shamrock grows.

Notes

From "The Adventures of Martin Cash" published in Hobart in 1870. The book was later serialised in Tasmanian newspapers. Martin Cash and Francis MacNamara had both been prisoners at Port Arthur.

In his paper 'James Lester Burke, Martin Cash and Frank the poet' in Australian Literary Studies; May 92, Vol. 15 Issue 3 Philip Butterss argues that James Lester Burke was more the author of the Martin Cash book than Cash and that Burke probably wrote the Ballad of Martin Cash rather than MacNamara. Certainly it is a much more clumsy verse than most that has been attributed to MacNamara.

"Cockatoos" was a name for someone like MacNamara, who had been a  prisoner on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. A play titled "Martin Cash" was performed in Launceston in December 1900 and had a character Frank the poet. See report in the Examiner.