From distress to deliverance : the life and times of William Gow, convict, schoolmaster and farmer / Stephen Gow.
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Call No:
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A6/GOW/1
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Author:
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Gow, Stephen, 1956-, (author) ;
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Publisher:
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Armidale, NSW :
Stephen Gow,
2020
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Subject:
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Gow, William, 179?-1872. ; Newgate (Prison : London, England) History. ; Great Britain. Central Criminal Court History. ; St. John's Church (Wilberforce, N.S.W.) History. ; Morley (Ship) ; Convicts - New South Wales. ; Convicts - New South Wales - History - 19th century. ; Pioneers - Australia. ; Prisoners - Australia - New South Wales Biography. ; Education - New South Wales - Wilberforce - History. ; Teachers - New South Wales - Wilberforce Biography. ; Prison hulks - New South Wales - History - 19th century. ; Wilberforce (N.S.W.) - History. ; Hawkesbury River Region (N.S.W.) - History. ; Windsor (N.S.W.) - History. ; Richmond (N.S.W.) - History. ; Australia - family history ; Australia ;
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Material Type:
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Book
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Pagination:
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305 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour), maps, portraits ; 30cm.
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Public Note:
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Donated by Stephen Gow
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Summary:
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How did a young man convicted of burglary and sentenced to hang at the Old Bailey in 1816 come to be appointed as one of the first school masters in New South Wales a little over two years later? This is the remarkable story of William Gow, who arrived at Sydney Cove on the convict ship Morley in April 1817 - and the timely coincidence of his transportation with the governorship of the nascent British Colony by the liberal Scot, Major General Lachlan Macquarie. Within the next five years, William was set to work teaching the children of convicts and free settlers alike in the burgeoning agricultural district in the Hawkesbury valley; was pardoned and granted land by Macquarie; and married a young 'currency lass', Maria Dunston. Together, they were among the pioneers of public education in this country, working for over twenty years in what is today the only surviving school building from that era. Of their ten children, nine survived to adulthood, contributing in various ways to the transformation of Australia from an isolated penal settlement to a prosperous, independent nation. William and Maria's descendants currently run into several hundreds of people over eight generations. Having escaped the noose, William Gow led a long life, testimony to Macquarie's redemptive vision for the petty criminals discarded by their native countries. This book reveals how, through a combination of opportunity, education, faith and perseverance, he left an enduring legacy - a journey "From Distress to Deliverance".
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