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John Caesar
John Caesar (c. 1763 – 15 February 1796), nicknamed "Black Caesar", was a convict and one of the first people from the African continent to arrive in Australia. He is considered to be the first Australian bushranger.
Born in Madagascar, he was enslaved in the United States in the late 1770s. Caesar later moved to south England where he was tried in 1786 for stealing £12. His sentence was transportation to the Colony of New South Wales for seven years. In January 1788 he arrived in Botany Bay on the First Fleet convict ship Alexander. 15 months later Caesar was tried for stealing food and sentenced to transportation for life. He escaped into the bush but was caught two months later.
Caesar made another escape in 1789, but subsequently returned to the colony after being attacked by Aboriginals. He was sent to work on Norfolk Island, where he fathered a daughter with English-born convict Anne Power. He made a third escape in 1794. In late 1795, Caesar seriously wounded Aboriginal warrior Pemulwuy during a Bidjigal guerilla attack. Caesar made his fourth and final escape from custody in December. Governor John Hunter offered a lavish reward for his capture. In February 1796, Caesar was shot and killed by ex-highwayman John Wimbow.
"John Caesar" was born circa 1763; his birth name is unknown. Early newspaper reports stated that he was born in the West Indies, though contemporary historians have suggested that Madagascar may have been his place of birth. The name Caesar was common amongst slaves, and it is likely he was given the name during his enslavement in Virginia or South Carolina in the late 1770s. Malagasy people were particularly prized in those areas.
John Caesar was living in England by 1786. He may have fled to British lines seeking emancipation. It is also possible that his slave owner was a loyalist who returned to England following the American Revolutionary War. In the Book of Negroes, a 1783 record of Black Loyalists departing North America, two young men aged fourteen and eighteen named Caesar are recorded travelling to Spithead in England. Historian Cassandra Pybus believes that the fourteen-year-old, described as a "stout fellow", was John Caesar. By 1786 he was a servant living in the parish of St Paul, Deptford.
In early 1786, Caesar was charged with stealing £12 from a residence. Later that same year, on 13 March, he was tried at Maidstone, Kent for stealing another £12 from another residence. His sentence was transportation to the penal colony of New South Wales for seven years, and he was sent to the hulk Ceres. Caesar embarked on 6 January 1787 on the convict transport ship Alexander of the First Fleet, as one of at least twelve black convicts. In May 1787, his age was estimated as 23, and his occupation was listed as "servant or labourer".
Alexander arrived in Botany Bay with the First Fleet on 19 January 1788. Caesar was sent to work at Garden Island, one of the harshest penal colonies in New South Wales. He became known as "Black Caesar" and gained a reputation as a conscientious and hard worker.
Convicts were persistently malnourished due to insufficient food provisions. Garden Island was intended to provide fresh vegetables for the colony but attempts to grow food were mostly unsuccessful. The weekly allowance for convicts in 1790 was 1 kg of pork, 1.2 kg of flour and 1 kg of rice. Caesar, being six feet tall and muscular, was constantly hungry and took to stealing food. On 29 April 1789 he was tried for theft and sentenced to a second term of transportation, this time for life. Caesar took to the bush a fortnight later, reportedly with rations, an iron pot, and a musket (plus ammunition) stolen from marine Abraham Hand. At this time, British administrator David Collins, the colony's Judge-Advocate, called Caesar "an incorrigibly stubborn black".
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John Caesar AI simulator
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John Caesar
John Caesar (c. 1763 – 15 February 1796), nicknamed "Black Caesar", was a convict and one of the first people from the African continent to arrive in Australia. He is considered to be the first Australian bushranger.
Born in Madagascar, he was enslaved in the United States in the late 1770s. Caesar later moved to south England where he was tried in 1786 for stealing £12. His sentence was transportation to the Colony of New South Wales for seven years. In January 1788 he arrived in Botany Bay on the First Fleet convict ship Alexander. 15 months later Caesar was tried for stealing food and sentenced to transportation for life. He escaped into the bush but was caught two months later.
Caesar made another escape in 1789, but subsequently returned to the colony after being attacked by Aboriginals. He was sent to work on Norfolk Island, where he fathered a daughter with English-born convict Anne Power. He made a third escape in 1794. In late 1795, Caesar seriously wounded Aboriginal warrior Pemulwuy during a Bidjigal guerilla attack. Caesar made his fourth and final escape from custody in December. Governor John Hunter offered a lavish reward for his capture. In February 1796, Caesar was shot and killed by ex-highwayman John Wimbow.
"John Caesar" was born circa 1763; his birth name is unknown. Early newspaper reports stated that he was born in the West Indies, though contemporary historians have suggested that Madagascar may have been his place of birth. The name Caesar was common amongst slaves, and it is likely he was given the name during his enslavement in Virginia or South Carolina in the late 1770s. Malagasy people were particularly prized in those areas.
John Caesar was living in England by 1786. He may have fled to British lines seeking emancipation. It is also possible that his slave owner was a loyalist who returned to England following the American Revolutionary War. In the Book of Negroes, a 1783 record of Black Loyalists departing North America, two young men aged fourteen and eighteen named Caesar are recorded travelling to Spithead in England. Historian Cassandra Pybus believes that the fourteen-year-old, described as a "stout fellow", was John Caesar. By 1786 he was a servant living in the parish of St Paul, Deptford.
In early 1786, Caesar was charged with stealing £12 from a residence. Later that same year, on 13 March, he was tried at Maidstone, Kent for stealing another £12 from another residence. His sentence was transportation to the penal colony of New South Wales for seven years, and he was sent to the hulk Ceres. Caesar embarked on 6 January 1787 on the convict transport ship Alexander of the First Fleet, as one of at least twelve black convicts. In May 1787, his age was estimated as 23, and his occupation was listed as "servant or labourer".
Alexander arrived in Botany Bay with the First Fleet on 19 January 1788. Caesar was sent to work at Garden Island, one of the harshest penal colonies in New South Wales. He became known as "Black Caesar" and gained a reputation as a conscientious and hard worker.
Convicts were persistently malnourished due to insufficient food provisions. Garden Island was intended to provide fresh vegetables for the colony but attempts to grow food were mostly unsuccessful. The weekly allowance for convicts in 1790 was 1 kg of pork, 1.2 kg of flour and 1 kg of rice. Caesar, being six feet tall and muscular, was constantly hungry and took to stealing food. On 29 April 1789 he was tried for theft and sentenced to a second term of transportation, this time for life. Caesar took to the bush a fortnight later, reportedly with rations, an iron pot, and a musket (plus ammunition) stolen from marine Abraham Hand. At this time, British administrator David Collins, the colony's Judge-Advocate, called Caesar "an incorrigibly stubborn black".