Dorset Ancestors Rotating Header Image

From Shaftesbury To a Place In Australia’s History

In 1834 Elijah Upjohn was 11 years old, 4’10” in height, with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and of a fair complexion. Born on New Year’s day 1823 at Shaftesbury Holy Trinity he quickly learned from his father Henry a disregard for other people’s property.

Elijah had been caught stealing a pair of trousers and on 8th April 1834 he found himself before the Mayor, Mr R. Buckland and Mr. J.B. Chitty, Justices of the Peace for Shaftesbury, who sentenced him to three months imprisonment during which time he was to be whipped twice. His Dorchester Gaol record describes his conduct as disorderly. He was released on 7th July 1834.

Three years later he was again in trouble with the law and was sentenced to six weeks with hard labour for stealing rabbits. As was the case during his previous imprisonment his conduct while serving his punishment was said to be disorderly.

A year after that sees him back again in front of the Justices and this time the enforcers of law and order thought they had seen quite enough of this boy’s anti-social behaviour. He was now 16 years of age and this time he had been caught stealing shoes. In what may be seen as an early interpretation of the “three strikes and you’re out” rules his sentence was that he be transported beyond the seas for seven years.

In March 1839 the ship ‘Marquis of Hastings’ took on 100 prisoners at Woolwich and then sailed to Portsmouth to receive 140 more, amongst them Elijah Upjohn; he was never to return to England. The convict ship sailed from Portsmouth on the 17th March 1839 and reports say seven of the prisoners died during the voyage.

On arrival in Tasmania Elijah was transferred to Launceston where we believe he served out the rest of his 7-year sentence, he would have been freed in 1846. The next sighting we have of Elijah in Australia is in Geelong, near Melbourne. Why or how he ended up in Geelong we can only speculate but his brother Robert was there around this time and we also know his father had been transported to Australia and may also have been in that town. We know Elijah married there and had children but only two of his boys survived to manhood.

It was not long before he returned to his old ways; from 1864 to 1880 he was in and out of jail, each time for longer periods. He was put away for larceny in 1880 when the judge described him as a “rogue and vagabond.” His life to this point was very similar to that of many convicts transported overseas but a spur of the moment decision secured for Elijah Upjohn a place in Australia’s history books.

In Melbourne gaol a man was to be hanged. The executioner wasn’t available and the warden of the jail lined up the prisoners and asked for a volunteer to execute the man. Elijah Upjohn stepped forward for the job, probably assuming that with it would be some privileges; he could have had no idea how famous this decision was to make him.

Earlier in the morning of the 11th November 1880 he was just another prisoner, now he was preparing a man for his death and playing a part in the ceremony that these occasions become. An elderly, grey headed but fit-looking man, he did not look out of place in his new role as he proceeded along with the warden, the governor, priests attending and some local dignitaries to the cell of the man to be hanged. After being released Elijah Upjohn continued in his new career as a public hangman.

An expert contributor to an Australian radio program broadcast in July 2000 said “Elijah Upjohn would have to be probably the country’s most famous hangman” and goes on to suggest that he got this first hanging right but “the rest were pretty appalling. He was often drunk and he lost his nerve because people were harassing him and giving him such a bad time.” At one time things got so bad for him he was allowed to live in Pentridge Jail at Melbourne for his own safety. Apparently he had been arrested for drunkenness, indecent exposure, and carting nightsoil.

At the time of his death there was no mention of his wife or sons. He was found at Bourke by a constable, was sick and survived only two days. His death certificate dated 28th September 1885 reads: “Upjohn. Public Hangman. About 70 years of age.” Actually he would have been 62 years of age.

Elijah Upjohn had a tragic life. Yet nearly two hundred years after his birth in Shaftesbury, Dorset, newspaper and magazine articles, films and television documentaries, frequently recall his name.

The man he hanged on 11th November 1880 was Ned Kelly.

Comments are closed.