Ralph Clark
Ralph Clark (born March 30, 1762 in Edinburgh , Scotland , † June 18, 1794 off the West Indies ) was a British naval officer and author of diaries in which he recorded the life and events in the first years of the convict colony of Australia . His written Hinterlassungen are in October 2009 in the list of UNESCO - World Heritage been registered.
Early years
Ralph Clark was the son of George Clark, a butler, and his wife Ann, nee Man. He embarked on a military career and was promoted to lieutenant in the Royal Marines on August 25, 1779 . After the American Revolutionary War , he lived in London before serving in the Portsmouth Division , a unit of the marine infantry.
On June 23, 1784 he married Alicia Betsy, née Trevan. Clark embarked as a volunteer on the Friendship in the First Fleet , which left Great Britain in May 1787. He had previously unsuccessfully applied for his wife and son to be taken along several times. The Friendship, the smallest ship in the First Fleet, carried 76 male and 21 female convicts.
Convict Colony Australia
Clark's diaries and letters, some documents and a miniature portrait, presumably his wife, were acquired by the Mitchell Library in Sydney in July 1914. The diaries were not published until 1981 and are now available online. His written legacy consists of two diaries stretching over five years and a collection of letters. Since there is a time gap in the diaries, it is assumed that a diary is missing. The diaries often contain spelling errors, unclear commas and formulations in idioms.
His statements about the events during the development of the colony in Sydney and on Norfolk Island are considered significant, informative and instructive. The diaries also provide information about his relationship with his wife and son. The written documents were not intended for publication by him.
Ralph Clark also continuously reports on his health in the diaries. But it can also be seen that Clark acted dutifully and competently. His daily routine is shown in detail. A list of the convicts on the Friendship has been drawn up by him in great detail. It contains the name, age, occupation, crime, sentence, year and place of the judgment, place of birth and, if applicable, the transfer of female convicts to other ships.
The letters he wrote show that he was quite able to formulate texts in a more grammatically correct and well-thought-out way than his writing in the diaries.
When he was off duty, he went fishing and hunting. He collected butterflies, stuffed birds and animals to send to Britain. He was interested in the concrete life and customs of the Aborigines . They valued him.
Ralph Clark was made a member of the colonial criminal court. He hated taking part in the negotiations. Major Robert Ross presided over this court . The court was composed only of officers from the Royal Marines , including William Dawes , with whom he was lifelong friends, and Watkin Tench .
Norfolk Island
After the death of Captain Shea in February 1789, Major Robert Ross temporarily appointed him first lieutenant and appointed him to participate in the first voyage to Norfolk Island , where another convict colony was to be founded on behalf of Arthur Phillip . He left Sydney on the HMS Sirius and arrived on March 6, 1788 in Norfolk Island. He was under the command of Philip Gidley King , a future governor of New South Wales . Ross had made him quartermaster and administrator of the camp at Sydney Bay on Norfolk Island. He later hired him to build a Charlotte Field settlement . He directed the clearing of land and laid the foundation for the village of Queensborough. The way he behaved also made him a recognized mediator in disputes. Ralph Clark stayed on this island until November 19, 1791.
On Norfolk Island, Clark had an affair with the female convict Mary Branham. She gave birth to a child on July 23, 1791 on Norfolk Island who was named Alicia, his wife's name.
Return to Great Britain
After leaving Norfolk Island, he embarked with a group of Royal Marines n Sydney on HMS Gordon . He arrived in Great Britain in June 1792. There he was officially appointed first lieutenant in September. He had to quit his job on December 6th and was placed on half pay. With the beginning of the First Coalition War he returned to active service.
His wife died in 1794, presumably knowing nothing about the illegitimate child. In the same year Ralph Clark's son died of yellow fever off the West Indies . Ralph Clark died on the same ship twelve days later.
Honors
Clark Island , on Sydney Harbor , is named after him. In the early days of the colony, he was allowed to create a vegetable garden there due to the small amount of food available. Other officers were also allowed to do so. The garden maintenance was done by convicts. However, the harvest is said to have been stolen by convicts, Aborigines and soldiers shortly before the last ripening. He gave up and gave up gardening on the island.
The documents of Ralph Clark were on the list of 15 October 2009 UNESCO - World Heritage listed.
Web links
- Ralph Clark's diary and collection of letters (available online in English)
- Illustration of the miniature portrait (presumably the wife of Ralph Clark)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Entry dated 1788, January 26, in the diary of Ralph Clark, a naval office on the First Fleet , on abc.net.au. Retrieved April 5, 2016
- ↑ Family History on statelibrarynsw-familyhistory.tumblr.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016
- ^ Family History at the Library , on statelibrarynsw-familyhistory.tumblr.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016
- ↑ a b c d Janet D. Hine: Ralph Clark (1762–1794) , on adb.anu.de.au. Retrieved April 5, 2016
- ^ Robert Hughes: The Fatal Shore , p. 97, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. , New York City 1987, ISBN 0-394-75366-6
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Clark, Ralph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British naval officer and journalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 30, 1762 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Edinburgh , Scotland |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 18, 1794 |
| Place of death | at the West Indies |