Benjamin Reed was a convict stockman assigned to William Bowman. He became a known killer of aboriginal people and according to Rev Joe Docker, of Bontherambo station, Benjamin Reed was in a feud with Merriman.
1830 Feb 18th convict Benjamin Reed (later in life spelt Reid) arrived in Australia on board the Katherine Stewart Forbes. He was sentenced to life for housebreaking but almost as soon as he arrived was granted a ticket of leave and assigned to William Bowman of Bong Bong. (1)
His crime was house-breaking and his sentence was life. His skills were listed as, ploughs, shears, milks and reaps. Description; height 5.6″, complexion, ruddy and freckled, hair brown, eyes grey. (1)
In the early part of 1838, Benjamin Reed travelled with William Bowman’s overlanding party down the Sydney road. (2)
In late March 1838, William Bowman took up land at Mount Alexander calling it Sutton Grange station. It was located 20 miles northeast of Mount Macedon. Within weeks of arriving at Sutton Grange, William Bowman began having trouble with the local Indigenous people. According to the Melbourne Court Register, 21st April 1838 (2 weeks after the Faithful massacre), Bowman made a sworn statement where he complained the Blacks had intimidated his men to the point he was having trouble making them go out to work. (2.1)
John Coppock was the overseer of Barfold station which neighboured Bowman’s Sutton Grange station. John Coppock wrote of his assigned convict servants they were an ‘unmitigated band of ruffians, and at times were very difficult to control, and required a good deal of management.‘ John Coppock said he knew his men shot Aboriginal people on sight, men women and children. (2.2)
The Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Peoples whose lands took in the Mount Macedon area would have been outraged by the contemptuous behaviour of the squatters and their convict labourers. (2.3) The indiscriminate shooting of Indigenous people as described by John Coppock would have begun a war of attrition so it is no wonder Bowman had difficulty making his men go out to work.
On the 19th of May, a shepherd belonging to Bowman named Thomas Jones did not return home at day’s end. The next morning the overseer, Robert Bell and some of the assigned men went in search and found the body impaled with spears and the stomach opened. Robert Bell reported the Blacks had been very troublesome having stolen from the huts and killing sheep and now they had killed a shepherd. (2.4)
On the 9th of June 1838, Bowman’s shepherds reported one of their flocks and another belonging to their neighbour at Barfold station had been taken by the Blacks. A massacre of indigenous people then followed with Bowman and Barfold’s John Coppock afterwards claiming they had to enter into battle to recover the sheep. This became known as the Waterloo Plains massacre. (2.5)
On August 17th of 1838, Benjamin Reed was with James Crossley (overseer to WP Faithful) searching for a missing bullock driver. The location of the search is uncertain but it is possible they were on the Ovens River as it was about this time that Bowman sold Sutton Grange and moved to Tarrawingee.
George Graham was a convict servant assigned to WP Faithful who failed to return to the hut on the night of the 16th of August. George Graham was known to have fits and his co-workers believed he had succumbed to one of these fits and they planned to search for him the next morning. (3)
Benjamin Reed and James Crossley (overseer at Faithful massacre of shepherds) set out on the morning of the 17th of August to search for George Graham. Both Reed and Crossley had travelled to Australia onboard the same convict ship, Katherine Stewart Forbes. (1.1)
Crossley said in his statement that he and Reed found blood on the ground two miles from the hut and traced it to a waterhole where they believed the body was located. Crossley then showed Mr Faithful to the water hole where the body was found submerged with 4 tomahawk hits to the head and the belly open and bowels removed. (3)
Benjamin Reed (spelt Reid in his statement) said, “I accompanied Mr James Crossley in search of George Graham on the morning of the 17 August and the above statement is the fact.” (3)
William Bowman sold Sutton Grange and by September of 1838, was established at Tarrawingee station on the Ovens River. (4)
In September 1838, 21-year-old David Reid (no relation to Benjamin Reed) arrived at Joe Slack’s at Barnawartha in search of land. When Ogiers took down David Reid’s reminiscences he recorded that a stockman named Benjamin Reed took David Reid to the Ovens River. David Reid was so impressed he took up the land and became William Bowman’s neighbour. Ogiers wrote that Ben Reid was left in charge of Tarrawingee run when Bowman was away. (4)
In 1839, 20th November, Benjamin Reed (born 1808) married Mary Godfrey (born 1817) in Sutton Forest (adjacent to Bong Bong, the original home of William Bowman) She was 22 and Read was 31. Benjamin Reed signed with an ‘X’ while Mary signed with a childlike signature. Her father was William Gordon Godfrey and her mother’s name was Mary. (5)
Benjamin Reed received his ticket of leave in November 1839 (6)
In May 1840 Benjamin Reid took his wife Mary to stay at Dr George Mackay’s station at Whorouly. Dr Mackay went to Sydney to propose to Fanny Dight leaving his brother, John Scobie Mackay in charge. (4) (6)
On the evening of the Mackay raid, John Mackay was in the main hut with Benjamin and Mary Reed and a bullock driver named Richins. Unexpectedly, Charles Cropper’s overseer, Mr McDonnell arrived with another bullock driver – that made five people at the hut. They had one gun between them. (7)
About twenty Aboriginal people arrived and among them was Merriman and Harlequin. Merriman seems to have been the spokesperson and made demands. The Blacks spent several days holding the hut and its occupants in a siege. According to David Reid’s recollection, the main demand was that Benjamin Reed should hand his wife over to Merriman. (4) (8)
John MacKay gave a statement after the events to GA Robinson but it differed from the recollections of David Reid, his neighbour. John MacKay’s version omits the exchange between Merriman and Benjamin Reed regarding Merriman demanding Mary Reed be sent out to end the siege.
According to David Reids’ recollections, Merriman called out, ‘Turn out white gin along with black fellow, blackfellow then all gone cooler,’ meaning by cooler, “all anger gone.” (4)
What had Benjamin Reed done to make Merriman demand Mary Reed as payment?
Stockmen and shepherds were known to have intercourse with Indigenous women which often resulted in trouble. The Faithful massacre of WP Faithful’s shepherds in 1838 was, according to George Rusden, ‘because the men trafficked with the women.’ (4.1) and according to Capt John Hepburn, one of Bowman’s assigned men, a man named Knight, spent days if not weeks living with the Blacks afterwards explaining his absence by ‘his being held captive.’ Knight caused much ill-feeling between both sides and was eventually killed by the Blacks. (2)
During the siege at Dr George Mackay’s, the Blacks had fires lit all around to light up the area and make escape impossible. However, Benjamin Reid still tried to make a run for it by trying to get a horse from the yard beside the hut. He was discovered and only just made it back to the hut safely. To ensure no further escapes were attempted the Blacks killed the horses. (4)
Merriman and his men were spotted by a passing stockman who immediately realised a siege was underway and went for help. Merriman was aware they had been seen and called off the siege but not before Mackay’s watchman was ritually killed. (4)
Four months after the siege, in October 1840 Major Lettsom arrived from Sydney to arrest Merriman but failed to find him. Search parties were sent out and it was believed Merriman had gone to the head of the Goulburn River. In early December, Merriman and Harlequin were captured and taken to Melbourne. Tragically Harlequin died from the brutal treatment metered out him on the journey to the stockade. (9.2)
Benjamin Reed and John Mackay then went on a search for the Blacks they considered responsible for the siege and killing of the watchman during the raid at Dr George Mackays.
One of the men they wanted was Merriman’s brother in law, Mole-le-nin-ner” alias Joe. On 24th December a mounted trooper named Byory, accompanied by Benjamin Reid and another man (a blacksmith) arrived at Rev Docker’s Bontherambo station and apprehended Mole-le-nin-ner” alias Joe. Rev Joseph Docker was disgusted that Benjamin Reid was intoxicated during the capture of Joe. Docker said they put a collar on Joe and took him away. Mr Docker further complained that Reid was extremely insolent and ‘swore he would shoot every bloody black on the river.’ (10)
Rev Joseph Docker told the men Joe had not been involved in the siege but they refused to listen to him. (10)
Joe alias Mole.nin.er was taken to Melbourne but GA Robinson interceeded and had him set free. Rev Docker also wrote references on Mole.nin.er’s behalf.
John Mackay was not finished with the round-up and next captured an Indigenous man named Micky and placed him on the end of rope. Micky was also a brother to Jim Crow, an Indigenous man belonging to GA Robinson’s mounted police. While crossing the river Micky called out to his kin to rescue him and John Mackay, fearing the loss of his prisoner, shot him dead. (10.1)
After the siege, Benjamin Reed was sent to give evidence but during this visit to the settlement of Melbourne, Reed became drunk. Subsequently, he was too drunk to give evidence and was locked up till he was sober enough to return home. (9) Reid’s ‘ticket of leave,’ was suspended for a short time, in consequence of his appearing to give evidence before the bench at Melbourne, while in a state of intoxication. (9.1)
In 1841 GA Robinson wrote to authorities requesting Benjamin Reid’s ticket of leave be cancelled stating that he is a known killer of aboriginal people.
1841 Benjamin Reid had his ticket of leave revoked and was returned to Hyde Park barracks. The charge against him was improper conduct. The Sydney Herald, Monday 9th August 1841, pg1.
Two years later his ticket of leave was granted and he was free again.
Benjamin and Mary Reid had one daughter.
Benjamin Reid died on 9th September 1889, he was 76. His body was found at Wildes Meadow near Berrima, cause of death was natural causes accelerated by exposure.
FEATURED IMAGE: pen and wash drawing by Frederic Remington (1861-1909)
THE REFERENCES:
(1) NSW Convict Indents 1788 – 1842: Benjamin Reed
(1.1) James Crossley ship Katherine Stewart Forbes & NSW State Records
(2) Victoria Letters of Pioneers – Capt. John Hepburn wrote of meeting William Bowman while overlanding and travelling together to Mount Alexander.
(2.1) Killing of Bowman’s shepherd, Thomas Jones, Historical Records of Victoria Vol 2A pg 336
(2.2) John Coppock, “Old Time Memories: Trials and Experiences of a Pioneer,” “The Australasian,” 31 October 1885, courtesy of the National Library of Australia, Trove. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/11302442#
(2.3) Indigenous peoples – Macedon Ranges Shire Council
(2.4) Historical Records of Victoria, Foundation Series, The Aborigines of Port Phillip 1835-1839, Vol 2A pg 335 – 336
(2.5) Historical Records of Victoria, Foundation Series, The Aborigines of Port Phillip 1835-1839, Vol 2A pg 336 – 340
(3) Historical records of Victoria; Vol2A, page 334, James Crossley statement
(4) Ogier’s reminiscences of David Reid, http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52773898
(4.1) History of Australia, vol. 2 page 228. 1883. Historian George Rusden wrote, ‘The men with the sheep quarrelled with the natives at the Broken River. The cause was the usual one. The convict men had trafficked with the women.’
(5) Births, Deaths and Marriages NSW. Convicts Applications to Marry 1825-1851
(6) info on the ticket of leave – Two Lives of Joseph Docker pg 175)
(7) House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online, pg 111, 112, 113. Statement of John Scobie Anderson Mackay to GA Robinson, 14th Feb 1841. Enc in No.25
(8) pg 176, The Two Lives of Joseph Docker.
(9) The Journal of George Augustus Robinson, Port Phillip Protectorate, 1839 – 1852. Dr Ian D Clarke, page 242
(9.1) House of Commons Parliamentary Papers. pg 108, GA Robinson to Charles Joseph LaTrobe
(9.2) See Time Line on this website for further information
(10) House of Commons Parliamentary Papers. pg 107, Rev Joseph Docker to George Gipps
(10.1) House of Commons Parliamentary Papers. pg 110 – 111, John Scobie Mackay sworn statement to GA Robinson
