John King | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 February 1830 |
| Died | 23 October 1881 |
| Burial place | Dunmunkle Cemetery, Minyip |
| Known for | Seizing the Eureka Flag |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Eureka Rebellion |
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 Australiaportal |
John King (1830-1881) was a police constable at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade who was responsible for seizing the rebel war flag.
Born in the parish of Tumurah, County Down, Ireland, son of James King, farmer, and Jane (nee McAllister), he attempted to join the British Army several times but was rejected on account of his age. Finally on 24 November 1846, aged sixteen, he managed to enlist at Lisburn – partly by raising his age to eighteen. He served as a Private in the 61st Regiment (The South Gloucestershire Regiment) for six years and 306 days – being with the Army of Punjab [sic] in India in 1848-49, being present during the ‘Passage of Cinaub’, and at the battles of Sadsolopoor, Chillianwalla and Goojerat. On 1 March 1853, he paid £18 to gain his discharge from the army and came to Australia. After trying his hand at mining, on 25 March 1854, he joined the police. His record sheet describes him as ‘age 25, height 5 feet six and a half inches, eyes grey, hair brown; complexion light’.[ citation needed ]
King was at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade and was involved in seizing the Eureka Flag, volunteering for the honour whilst the battle was still raging. [1] In his report dated 14 December 1854, Captain John Thomas mentioned "the fact of the Flag belonging to the Insurgents (which had been nailed to the flagstaff) being captured by Constable King of the Force". [2] King had volunteered for the honour while the battle was still raging. W. Bourke, a miner residing about 250 yards from the stockade, recalled that: "The police negotiated the wall of the Stockade on the south-west, and I then saw a policeman climb the flag pole. When up about 12 or 14 feet the pole broke, and he came down with a run". [3]
After the fall of the Eureka Stockade, King was a witness at the subsequent 1855 Victorian high treason trials. George Webster, the chief assistant civil commissary and magistrate, testified that upon entering the stockade, the besieging forces "immediately made towards the flag, and the police pulled down the flag". [4] King testified that, "I took their flag, the southern cross, down – the same flag as now produced". [5]
The Eureka Flag was exhibited at the trials, and after pieces had been cut off, it was returned to King, who gained his discharge from the police on 29 March 1855.
King initially tried mining again. However, he soon moved to Ararat, where he farmed for six years. On 16 July 1863, he married Isabella Convery, Daughter of Bernard King and Mary Ann (nee Moore) and they had seven children: Bernard James, born in 1864 at Warrnambool; Edward born in 1866 in Warrnambool (married Emily Jane Quinton in 1896); Lewis Peter Arthur, born in 1867 at Warrnambool (married Eliza Grose in 1896); Mary Ann, born in 1869 at Warrnambool (died in infancy); Albert John, born in 1872 at Lake Bolac; Amy Isabel, born in 1875 at Lake Bolac; and William Robert, born in 1878, in Minyip.[ citation needed ] In the late 1870s, he eventually settled near Minyip in the Victorian Wimmera district. It was here that the "King fragments" of the Eureka Flag "made occasional appearances at country bazaars". [6] The family moved to Warrnambool, and John King ran an aerated water factory for nine years before he moved to Lake Bolac where he ran a mill. Moving again, this time to the Wimmera, he took up land called "Kingsley" at Nullan, near Minyip. There, they lived in their old house from Lake Bolac, which had been transported by bullock wagon – it was destroyed in a fire in 1951. John King was a member of the Minyip Shire Council and twice the President of the Shire. He died on 23 October 1881 at Warrnambool and was buried in the Dunmunkle Cemetery at Minyip. Isabella died in 1900 at Minyip.[ citation needed ]
In his 1870 history of Ballarat, William Withers said he had not been able to find out what had happened to the Eureka Flag. [7] Professor Anne Beggs-Sunter thinks it is "likely that King read Withers's book, because he wrote to the Melbourne Public Library offering to sell the flag to that institution." [6]
The head librarian, Marcus Clarke, approached Peter Lalor to authenticate the flag. He was unable, replying, "Can you find someone whose memory is more accurate than mine?" [8] The library eventually decided not to acquire the flag due to the uncertainty over its origins. It would remain in the custody of the King family for forty years until 1895, when it was lent to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Ballarat). John King's widow Isabella would post the flag after being approached by art gallery president James Oddie, along with a letter to the secretary which reads:
Kingsley, Minyip,
1st October, 1895
Dear Sir, In connection with the wish of the president of the Ballarat Fine Arts and Public Gallery for the gift or loan of the flag that floated above the Eureka Stockade, I have much pleasure in offering loan of flag to the above association on condition that I may get it at any time I specify, or on demand of myself or my son, Arthur King. The main portion of the flag was torn along the rope that attached it to the staff, but there is still part of it around the rope so that I suppose it would be best to send the whole of it as it now is. You will find several holes, that were caused by bullets that were fired at my late husband in his endeavours to seize the flag at that memorable event:- Yours, &c.,
Mrs J. King (per Arthur King) [9]
In 1967, it was proven authentic and was formally unveiled by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 3 December 1973. John King’s single barrel fowling piece, used at the Eureka Stockade, is on display at Ballarat’s Eureka Centre.[ citation needed ]
The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British colonial government in Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which took place on 3 December 1854 at Ballarat between the rebels and the colonial forces of Australia.
The Eureka Flag was flown at the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which took place on 3 December 1854 at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It was the culmination of the 1851–1854 Eureka Rebellion on the Victorian goldfields. Gold miners protested the cost of mining permits, the officious way the colonial authorities enforced the system, and other grievances. An estimated crowd of over 10,000 demonstrators swore allegiance to the flag as a symbol of defiance at Bakery Hill on 29 November 1854. It was then flown over the Eureka Stockade during the battle that resulted in at least 27 deaths. Around 120 miners were arrested, and many others were badly wounded, including five soldiers.
John Basson Humffray was a leading advocate in the movement of miner reform process in the British colony of Victoria, and later a member of parliament.
Leonard Phillips Fox was an Australian writer, journalist, social activist, and painter.
The Ballarat Star was a newspaper in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, first published on 22 September 1855. Its publication ended on 13 September 1924 when it was merged with its competitor, the Ballarat Courier.
William Bramwell Withers was a journalist and novelist best known for writing the first history of Ballarat, Victoria. Born in England, Withers moved to the Colony of Natal in 1849 and contributed to local newspapers. He moved to Victoria in 1852, working odd jobs before becoming a reporter for the Argus and the Herald in Melbourne.
The Battle of the Eureka Stockade was fought in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia on 3 December 1854, between gold miners and the colonial forces of Australia. It was the culmination of the 1851–1854 Eureka Rebellion during the Victorian gold rush. The fighting resulted in at least 27 deaths and many injuries, the majority of casualties being rebels. The miners had various grievances, chiefly the cost of mining permits and the officious way the system was enforced.
The Eureka Jack Mystery relates to the creation and flying of a rebel Australian flag known as the Eureka Jack. Its origin is not specifically known.
The following bibliography includes notable sources concerning the Eureka Rebellion. This article is currently being expanded and revised.
The Eureka Rebellion, an 1854 gold miner's revolt in Victoria, Australia, has been the inspiration for numerous novels, poems, films, songs, plays and artworks. Much of Eureka folklore relies heavily on Raffaello Carboni's 1855 book, The Eureka Stockade, which is the first and only comprehensive eyewitness account of the uprising. The poet Henry Lawson wrote about Eureka, as have many novelists.
The following is a comprehensive timeline of the Eureka Rebellion.
The Eureka Stockade Memorial Park is believed to encompass the site of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade that was fought in Ballarat, Victoria on 3 December 1854. Records of "Eureka Day" ceremonies at the site of the battle go back to 1855. In addition to the Eureka Stockade Monument, there are other points of interest in the reserve, including the Eureka Stockade Gardens and an interpretative centre. There was formerly a swimming pool and other structures. There has been a nearby caravan park since the 1950s. The present Eureka Stockade Memorial Park Committee has undergone several name changes since 1922.
The 1855 Victorian high treason trials took place between 22 February – 27 March in the aftermath of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. The Goldfields Commission recommended a general amnesty for all on the runs from the fallen Eureka Stockade. Instead, thirteen of the rebels detained were eventually indicted for high treason. The juries all returned a verdict of not guilty by a jury, and the indictment against Thomas Dignum was withdrawn. On 23 January, the trial of Ballarat Times editor Henry Seekamp resulted in a finding of guilt for seditious libel, and a month later, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of six months. The trials have been described as farcical, and the colonial secretary would rebuke Governor Sir Charles Hotham over prosecuting the Eureka rebels for the lofty offence of high treason.
The Eureka Stockade was a crude battlement built in 1854 by rebel gold miners at Ballarat, Australia during the Eureka Rebellion. It stood from 30 November until the Battle of the Eureka Stockade on 3 December. The exact dimensions and location of the stockade are a matter of debate among scholars. There are various contemporary representations of the Eureka Stockade, including the 1855 Victorian high treason trials map and Eureka Slaughter by Charles Doudiet.
The Eureka Stockade Monument is situated at the presumed site of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. It is located on the Eureka Stockade Memorial Park in Ballarat, Victoria. A public meeting was held on 16 April 1884 to discuss the construction of a permanent monument in honour of the event. A. T. Morrison was the founding honorary secretary and treasurer. It was reported on 31 May that 200 pounds had been raised and four 64-pounder cannons were supplied by the defence minister, Sir Fredrick Sargood.
The Eureka Stockade is an 1855 novel by Raffaello Carboni, who was present in Ballarat during the Eureka Rebellion. He lived near the Eureka Stockade and witnessed the battle on 3 December 1854 when the government forces defeated the rebel garrison. The Eureka folklore is deeply indebted to Carboni's novel, the first and only comprehensive eyewitness account of the Eureka Rebellion.
William Edward Atherden was the last survivor of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. He was originally from Dover in Kent, England. At the age of 15, he sailed to Melbourne. and along with other sailors, deserted to head for the Victorian gold fields, walking some of the journey with bare feet. After the fall of the Eureka Stockade, Atherden was one of 114 men taken prisoner. After he was released, Atherden went back to prospecting and made a small fortune. Returning to England in 1856 he was married to Mary Martin the following year and had six children. Atherden returned to Australia with his family, buying an orchard in York, Western Australia. He was present in Ballarat for the 50th anniversary commemorations of the battle in 1904. Atherden retired to Osbourne Park in Perth, where he died on 14 May 1934. He is buried in Karrakatta Cemetery.
During the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, there was a dog that remained at the side of one of the pikemen and even followed his dead body to the cemetery. Christopher Crook, who was a correspondent for the Geelong Advertiser, is quoted in Wiliam Wither's A History of Ballarat as saying:
A little terrier sat on the breast of the man I spoke of, and kept a continuous howl; it was removed, but always returned to the same spot, and when the miner's body was huddled, with the other corpses, into the cart, the little dog jumped in after him, and lying on his dead master's breast, began howling again.
There were two British army regiments in the colony of Victoria during the 1851-1854 Eureka Rebellion. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade that took place on 3 December 1854 at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.