John Tennant Totally Explained

Everything about John Tennant totally explained

John Tennant was an Australian bushranger who was active around the Canberra district in the 1820s. Mount Tennent is named after him as it was on the slopes of this steep mountain behind the village of Tharwa where he'd hide. Tennant was born in Belfast, Ireland and was 29 years old when he was sentenced to transportation to Australia for life in 1823. He arrived in Sydney on 12 July 1824 on the 'Prince Regent'. He was assigned to Joshua John Moore and sent with two other men, James Clarke and John McLaughlin, to establish Moore's property Canberry or Canberra, the first European habitation on the Limestone Plains.
In 1828 Tennant and another man, John Ricks, absconded from their assigned landholder and took to the bush. Another reference states that in November 1827, he and John Ricks (some references spell it Rix) robbed the camp of James Ainslie, the overseer at Duntroon. He stole nine vests of various colours, foreign and local currency, two silk handkerchiefs, 150 lbs of flour and 29lbs of Brazilian tobacco. He then hid out on Mt Tennant, then called Mt Currie, for some months before striking again. John Gale in his book Canberra, its history and legends described Tennant in romantic terms stating: Tennant descending from his look-out (on Mt Tennent) would bail up (a dray) - but only when his larder or wardrobe needed replenishing - terrorising the driver by presenting fire-arms and abstracting from the loading whatsoever he needed just then and order the man in charge of the team to drive on again. He never was known to use unnecessary violence or to wantonly destroy valuable cargo for what he'd no need. Where Tennant stored his booty... was never discovered, not withstanding frequent and ... exhaustive serches to this end. The mountain had numerous caves and mazes well adapted... many never explored. This description of Tennant contradicts the evidence brought against him when he and Ricks were tried on 30 May 1828 in the New South Wales Supreme Court for stealing and putting John Farrell and Thomas Simpson in bodily fear. Farrell described part of the attack on him: Tennant then said, that they'd boy-whip me and not take my life, and as he'd a boatswain of his own, I should have fifty lashes; they then tied me up to a post, and took down my trowsers, and Tennant ordered me to receive fifty lashes, which were inflicted by Ricks, with the buckle end of a strap, and when I was ordered by Tennant to be taken down, he gave me three additional lashes; I was severely hurt, and bled very much; the prisoners took an old carbine, and an old musket, worth altogether about 10s. out of the hut, but they were brought back by the overseer immediately.
Tennant was eventually found guilty. According to Fraser and McJannett Tennant was hanged. According to Macquarie University, and Dowling Tennant was transported to Norfolk Island) for seven years. According to Gale, Tennant was never captured, but in after years was found to be leading a respectable and law-abiding life somewhere down the Lachlan River. Nor was he prosecuted for his deeds. It is apparent from court sources that Gale was wrong about Tennant being captured and tried. He returned after seven years from Norfolk Island a broken man and died at Windsor the following year.

Further Information

Get more info on 'John Tennant'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://john_tennant.totallyexplained.com">John Tennant Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.