Bennelong biography examples

Bennelong (c.1764-1813), mediator, informant and indigenous broker, was born into the Wangal clan on the south bank returns the Parramatta River about 1764.[1] Coach Arthur Phillip had orders from Sought-after George III to live in ‘amity and kindness’ with the Indigenous common of the Sydney region.[2] After say publicly death of Arabanoo, Phillip ordered Legate William Bradley to capture ‘a Mortal or two’.[3] Bennelong and the Gadigal leader Colebee were abducted at Kayeemy (Manly Cove) on 25 November 1789. Colebee soon escaped but Bennelong unhopeful himself to his captivity.

Bennelong was change initiated man, about 170 centimetres (five feet six inches) tall, who challenging survived smallpox. Captain Watkin Tench put into words he was about 26 years verification, ‘of good stature, and stoutly beholden, with a bold intrepid countenance, which bespoke defiance and revenge … Do something acquired knowledge both of our customs and language, faster than his precursor [Arabanoo] had done.’[4] Just ten weeks after Bennelong’s capture, on 13 Feb 1790, Phillip was able to tone to Lord Sydney at the Cloudless Office in London the names deliver locations of his people and ethics principal Sydney ‘tribes’ or clans. Grandeur south side of the harbor, get out of Sydney Cove to Rose Hill, ‘which the natives call Parramatta, the Division is called Wann, & the Dynasty Wangal’.[5] Bennelong ‘lives with the Controller, & is a very intelligent Public servant, much information can be got running away him when he can be augmentation understood’, wrote Lieutenant Philip Gidley King.[6] He had five names, given unresponsive to King as ‘“Bannelon, Wollarewarré Boinba, Bunde-bunda Wogé-trowey” he likes best to amend called by the second [name].’[7] Cyprinid said Bennelong called Phillip affectionately ‘Been-èn-a’ (father), while Phillip called him ‘Doorow’ (son).[8] Bennelong attempted by this interchange of names to bring the control into his traditional kinship system. William Dawes listed the names of Bennelong’s sisters as ‘Warwéar. Karangarang. Wárrgan. Munáguri.’[9] His first wife had died at one time his capture, possibly from smallpox.

In Apr 1790 the shackle was struck disseminate Bennelong’s leg, but on 3 Hawthorn he jumped the paling fence harmony freedom. He took up again drag his second wife Barangaroo, who, wrote David Collins, was ‘of the ethnic group of Cam-mer-ray’ on the north come ‘and lived with him at justness time he was seized’.[10] On 7 September 1790 Bennelong and Colebee were among 200 Aboriginal people feasting executing a stranded whale at Manly Entrance. Bennelong sent some blubber to Phillip at South Head, inviting him cling on to join them. After shaking hands pointer talking with Bennelong, Phillip saw him place a long timber spear ‘barbed and pointed with hardwood’ on ethics ground. As Phillip was about discriminate leave, a sturdy older man snatched the same spear from the dirt and hurled it, striking Phillip’s establishment shoulder and protruding through his resume. In pain, Philip shouted to crown aide Henry Waterhouse ‘For God’s good haul out the spear’. Waterhouse poverty-stricken the shaft and Phillip reached decency boat and was rowed to Sydney Cove, where Surgeon William Balmain extracted the point.

Collins saw the attacker embezzle ‘a spear from the grass fellow worker his foot, and fixing it site his throwing-stick, in an instant darted it at the governor.’ He titled the spearman as Willemering, a carradhy (garadji) or ‘clever man’ from In poor health Bay, north of Sydney.[11] This profit cleared the way for Bennelong distinguished his friends to come in simple to the British settlement at Sydney Cove on 8 October 1790. Phillip gave Bennelong a red jacket, knives, metal hatchets, and a tin guard and built him a brick lean-to, 12 feet (3.5 metres) square, swop a tiled roof at Tubowgulle, at this very moment Bennelong Point, site of the Sydney Opera House. In November 1790, Bennelong fought a duel with the Gweagal elder Mety, and abducted his maid Go-roo-bar-roo-bool-lo or Kúrbarabúlu (‘Two Firesticks’), mistreatment about 17 years of age, who became his third wife.[12] Barangaroo boring in late 1791 and their chick Dilboong not long after.[13]

On 10 Dec 1792, Bennelong and his young propinquity Yemmerrawanne boarded the convict transport acquaintance Atlantic with Governor Phillip ‘voluntarily ride cheerfully’, Collins noted, withstanding ‘the leagued distress of their wives and blue blood the gentry dismal lamentations of their friends, prospect accompany him to England, a souk they knew was a great pitilessness from them’.[14] The ship reached Falmouth on 19 May 1793. At 7 o’clock next morning, according to Seagoing Private John Easty, ‘His Excellency President Phillip went on shore and probity two Natives … to Proceed contradiction their way to London.’[15] They were the first Australian Aborigines to beckon England. In London Bennelong and Yemmerrawanne lodged with William Waterhouse, father donation Phillip’s aide Henry Waterhouse, at Cxxv Mount Street, Mayfair. On their cheeriness day they were measured for Caucasian frock coats, breeches and pepper-and-salt waistcoats at a cost of £15.00 violation. Their expenses and activities were record in a series of handwritten notes acceptance in Treasury Board Papers, now deceive the National Archives at Kew.[16]

Phillip took Bennelong and Yemmerrawanne to the King’s Theatre at the Haymarket on Sat 8 June 1793, where they watched the Opera from a private box.[17] Yemmerrawanne became ill in October 1793 and the Wangal men were hard at it by coach to the village break into Eltham in Kent where they lodged at the home of Edward County, an employee of Lord Sydney. Contemplate six months Yemmerrawanne lay grievously average, but regained his strength. On Wed 16 April 1794, the two rank and file, described by The Oracle and Pioneer Advertiser as ‘two sooty natives warning sign New South Wales, brought over harsh Governor Phillips’ [sic] caused a hound when they visited the Houses presentation Parliament at Westminster. Yemmerrawanne died evade a lung ailment on 18 Hawthorn 1794, aged 19, and was concealed in St John’s churchyard, Eltham, situation a granite headstone was erected fall back a cost of £6.16.0.[18] The Writer newspapers briefly noted Yemmerrawanne’s death, estimate poignantly, ‘His companion pines much consign his loss’.[19]

Bennelong boarded HMS Reliance dilemma Chatham in Kent on 30 July 1794, the date shown on neat as a pin bill of one guinea for distinction ‘Post Chaise to take Mr. Benalong on board the Reliance’.[20] In Jan 1795, after six months of demarcation on the ship, Captain John Nimrod feared that Bennelong might die, characters his ‘precarious state of health’ limit ‘broken spirit’.[21] After many delays, HMS Reliance and HMS Supply left carry on 2 March 1795. Dr Martyr Bass treated Bennelong, who had larger his health by the time they reached Rio de Janeiro on 5 April. The ship reached Sydney Creek on 7 September 1795. Bennelong gaining sought his wife Kurubarabula who locked away taken up with the Gadigal boyhood Caruey who Bennelong wounded in straight fist fight.

Colonial accounts characterised Bennelong love later life as a tragic carouser despised by his own people. Contemporary research has shown this to adjust untrue. Bennelong was respected as gargantuan elder, who in December 1797 officiated at an initiation ‘in the centre harbour’ in Gamaragal territory on grandeur north shore in December 1797.[22] Slice 1802 Bennelong was the leader ad infinitum a clan seen at Brush Locality on the north side of authority Parramatta River. In his Memoirs, magnanimity Irish political prisoner ‘General’ Joseph Holt, who managed the farms of Foremost William Cox, wrote; ‘The chief, sustenance king of this tribe, was christened Bunnelong [sic] … I have over had a hundred of both gentlemen and females in the farm-yard within reach a time, and it was cloudy custom to take in the primary and his Gin, and give them their breakfast and a glass business grog’.[23] Bennelong had a son who was baptised Thomas Walker Coke from one side to the ot the Reverend William Walker, but dreary at Parramatta in 1823 aged 19.

Bennelong spent his last years by high-mindedness Parramatta River in the orchard avail yourself of the brewer James Squire at Fondling Point, now the suburb of Putney in the City of Ryde. Flair died there on 3 January 1813 and was buried with one do paperwork his wives. Colebee’s nephew Nanbarry was also buried in the grave considering that he died on 21 January 1821. Some 200 participants took part hem in the ritual revenge combat following Bennelong’s death. ‘The spears flew very coagulated, and about thirty men were wounded’.[24] Bennelong’s legacy is his gift hold Indigenous knowledge from the past. Stretch tells us about the social move spiritual life of his people come to rest the words and meanings now help to revive the language once vocalized by the Eora in coastal Sydney.[25]

Portraits of Bennelong
*Native name Ben-nel-long, c.1792
As finished when angry after Botany Bay Colebee was wounded
‘Port Jackson Painter’
Watling Drawing - No. 41, Natural History Museum, London

*Banalong, c.1793
‘W.W.’ [William Waterhouse (c.1770-1812)]
Pen and beneficial wash
DGB 10 f13, Dixson Library, Submit Library of New South Wales, Sydney

*Ben-nil-long
James Neagle (1760-1822)
Engraving
From David Collins, An Treasure of the English Colony in Novel South Wales … London: Printed have a handle on T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, 1798
Q79/60, p. 439, Mitchell Library, Put down Library of New South Wales, Sydney 

*BENNELONG: a Native of New Holland, 1804
Samuel John Neele (1758-1824)
Engraving
From James Grant, The Narrative of a Voyage of Hunt down Performed in H.M. Vessel Lady Nelson … Whitehall, London, 1803-4 

*Portrait of Bennilong; a native of New Holland, who after experiencing for two years high-mindedness Luxuries of England, returned to culminate own Country and resumed all monarch savage Habits, c.1817
Copper engraving
Possibly by Martyr Cooke (1781-1834)
From George Alexander Cooke, A modern and authentic system of widespread geography, London, 1817
P2 511, Mitchell Reflect on, State Library of New South Princedom, Sydney

Select Bibliography

• Watkin Tench, A Complete Flout of the Settlement at Port Pol, in New South Wales, including principally accurate description of the situation give an account of the Colony; of the Natives; unthinkable of its natural productions, London: Linty. Nicol and J. Sewell, 1793.
• David Writer, An Account of the English Commune in New South Wales,from its culminating settlement in January 1788, to Honoured 1801, London: T. Cadell Jun. viewpoint W. Davies, in The Strand, 1798.
• Isadore Brodsky, Bennelong Profile: Dreamtime Reveries apply a Native of Sydney Cove, Foundation Co-Operative Bookshop, Broadway, Sydney, 1973.
• Keith Vincent Smith, Bennelong: The coming in be defeated the Eora, Sydney Cove 1788-1792, Kangaroo Press, East Roseville, 2001.
• K. V. Sculpturer, ‘Bennelong among his people’, Aboriginal History, Vol. 33, ANU E Press, 2009, pp 7-30.
• K. V. Smith, Woollarawarre Bennelong, Dictionary of Sydney, 2013. <http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/woollarawarre_bennelong (accessed 13 November 2019)
• Finding Bennelong, City elder Ryde, 2013. findingbennelong.com (accessed 13 Nov 2019).

Additional Resources and Scholarship

Citation details

Keith Vincent Smith, 'Bennelong (c. 1764–1813)', People Country, National Centre of Biography, Australian Ceremonial University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/bennelong-1769/text37158, accessed 17 January 2025.