User:Christine Savage/sandbox/Ellen Monk

Ellen Monk - Last women hung in NSW 

Introduction

Ellen Monk was the last women executed in New South Wales, Australia, for the murder of her husband Thomas Monk. This article will aim to shed light on the life and death of this historical figure, being written by her familial descendant (Christine Savage), using family records and photographs, most of which outdate 100 years, and will aim to dispel and rebuke the misinformation surrounding her life, the murder of her husband, and her execution.

Early Life

Ellen Deasy was born in 1808, in Ireland to Irish parents, her Mother being Catherine Deasy a widow. Ellen was an illiterate woman of Roman Catholic Faith. Her occupation was a seamstress, referred to historically as a 'Needlewoman'. She married, in Ireland, prior to conviction, a man by the name of Daniel Murphy, whereby her alias as 'Ellen Murphy' arose which may be found in later historical reference to her. The couple had no children.

Conviction and sentencing in Ireland

on 16/8/1833 Ellen stole a sheep. She was apprehended and charged by local authority's, police incident number 37, and sentenced to 7 years conviction to Australia. Ellen had no prior convictions. Ellen arrived in Australia on 17th of September 1834, via convict ship Andromeda II, the third voyage. The Andromeda II carried a total of 175 female convicts, one of which included her mother Catherine Deasy. The voyage took 115 days. There where two deaths.

Catherine Deasy, Ellens mother, lived in County Cork, Ireland. She was also an illiterate woman of Roman Catholic faith. Catherine had 3 children, 2 sons and 1 daughter (Ellen). Catherine Deasy was convicted by local authority for stealing a piece of cloth in May 1833 (3 months prior to Ellen's conviction). Police incident number 29. Catherine was sentenced to 7 years conviction to Australia. Both mother and daughter travelled to Australia together as convicts on the Andromeda II.

Marriage to Thomas Monks

Thomas Monks and Ellen (Nee Deasy) met as convicts in Australia. Thomas Monks applied for 'a ticket of leave', after serving out his 7 years sentence, which was granted on 31/1/1833. Thomas and Ellen where 'pardoned'. They were granted, therefore owned, 40 acres of land, including one road, in the county of Georgiana, Confluence of Long Nose Creek and Phills River - which is known today as land, in the shire of Binda, NSW, Australia. They left the convict settlement and established an abode on their pardoned land in Binda, NSW. They brought Ellen's mother, Catherine Deasy, to live with them on this land. Catherine Lived there until she died.

Thomas and Ellen applied for permission to marry to priest M. Brennan in Goulburn 1843, which was refused. It is unsure whether the priest refused based on the fact that Ellen was a widow, or the priest refused due to Thomas being Anglican. They lived as defacto together for 10 years, until they married on the 21/7/1854 at St. Saviour's Anglican church, Goulburn. Ellen was 46 years of age when she married Thomas Monk.

During their ten years of co-habiting as defacto, Ellen gave birth to five children; Catherine Monk (1836, born Taralga), Mary Monk (1839, born Carrabungla), Bridget Monk (1843, born Goulburn), Ellen Nora Monk (1847, born Reedy creek) and Margaret Monk (1845, born Tuena).

The Murder of Thomas Monk

The declaration of Ellen Monk, in her own words, to Magistrate Mr. Oaks, taken in the presence of district constable John Pagett (of Binda), Binda Police station.

"I, Ellen Monks, of my own free will, without any threat or promise, now solemnly declare that on Monday last, being daylight, I was sitting by the fire with my husband trying to get him to bed, which I had done several times during the night, and on the last time I asked him he called me "a bloody wretch" and said "I will go to Limerick's", meaning the public house, with that I took a hammer that was by my side and struck him three times upon the head. I then pushed him into the fire on which were two sticks. I went outside and put some boughs on his body, which was no time being consumed. I then, on the same morning, gathered what remains were in the fire place into a bag and threw them into a water hole close at hand. the hammer now before me is the one I killed my husband with".

Notification of authorities

Mary Monks, daughter, returned to the family home at 8pm on Sunday, after spending the day riding horses with her father, Thomas Monk, and also Michael and James Sheppard. In her testimony to the court Mary states her father was drunk upon their return to home. Ellen, Thomas, Mary and Bridget monks, along with grandmother Catherine Deasy, who all resided in the monks family home at that time, ate dinner that night together along with guests Michael and James Sheppard. No arguments where noted at dinner. The daughters Mary and Bridget, went to bed at 10pm. Mary had a child who also resided in the home, Ellen's Grandchild.

At 6am Monday morning Bridget Monk (17 years old) woke up to 'an intolerable smell' and ran out into the living area whereby she saw 'a blazing fire', a bone with flesh on it on the fire, and her mother. Her mother ordered her back to her bedroom and threatened her that if she said anything to anyone she would murder her like she murdered her father.

Bridget returned to the girls bedroom and woke up her sister Mary (21 years old). Both sisters thought the house to be on fire. Bridget cried out "Mother! Mother! the house is on fire". Mary testifies in her court statement that she went outside the bedroom door and smelt 'an awful smell' and saw her mother chopping a bone with 'some black stuff about it'. Mary ran out 'in only my chemise' and saw her mother put the bone into a bag and take the bag away to a water hole 'about 20 yards away'.

Later that day Mary Monk went to Christy-Ann (friend) with her child 3 times to tell Christy-Ann of the events and seek help. On the third trip Ellen came after her daughter and took her daughters child off her. Mary went after her mother in fear Ellen would Murder the child (Ellen's biological grandchild). During this chase Ellen threatened Mary. Mary returned to the Family home, later Berrill and Croaker attended (berrill being Ellen's son in-law and croaker a family friend). Mary mentioned nothing to them about the matter out of fear for her and her child's safety as Ellen was present, and croaker was intoxicated.

The following day (Wednesday) Mary Monk informed her mother that she was going to 'the Cows' (livestock), but instead Mary went off and informed her sister Catherine 'Kitty', who was married to Berrill, and lived three miles from the Monks home, about the murder of their father. Mary pleaded for Catherine to 'tell the constables' but Catherine could not leave the house until her husband returned. Mary returned home to the Monks residence.

The following day (Thursday) Catherine's husband Berrill came to the monks residence and asked Mary as to the truth of what Mary had told Catherine about the murder of their father. Mary responded it was true. Berill took Mary Monk, Bridget Monk and the baby, from the house and headed toward Binda police station with the intention of dropping Bridget and the child off at McKennons on the way.

On the way Berrill, Mary, Bridget and the child encountered Binda's district constable, John Pagett, who was out actively searching for Mr. Monk, as earlier that day Ellens daughter Ellen-Nora Monk (13 years old), who lived out of home, went and reported her father missing to him upon request of her mother, Ellen, Stating that her mother had informed her that her father had 'wandered off into the bush in a state of delirium tremors'. Mary Monk Informed Pagett that this was incorrect, and that her father, Thomas Monk, was murdered in the early hours of Sunday morning by their mother Ellen Monk.

Pagett returned to town to get the assistance of police office Poltick. Pagett and Poltick attended the Monks residence, whereby Ellen proceeded to tell them that Thomas had 'gone off into the bush'. The police commenced to search the residence, commencing with the fireplace, which was unusually clean. Nothing was found in the house, Ellen had hidden the hammer In a loft over the house. The police proceeded to search the yard, with assistance from the daughters, and found ashes of the deceased, after the ashes where pointed out to the officers by one of the daughters stating "look at my fathers ashes".

That night the police did not apprehend Ellen, but 'kept close watch on her'. The following morning they raked the water hole, but found nothing. They later used a spade and hoe of which yielded some bones and ashes, which were displayed to the court during the trial. The bag in which the remains had been place was located in the pig sty with some Barley in it.

Ellen Monk was arrested and conveyed in custody to Binda police station on Friday. The following morning, at 7am, Ellen Monk confessed to Pagett the murder of her husband stating: " I killed him, burned him, and threw his ashes into the water hole. My reasons where because Thomas had slandered me from one end of town to the other, and had said that none of the children where his. I'm innocent of the crime, I did it as revenge. I had no idea of what I was doing until I asked Thomas to go to bed, and trying to raise him up he said "Go away you bloody wretch, ill go to Limericks!". With the hammer being near I took it and I hit him. I did not put him on the fire until I was sure he was dead. I rolled him onto the fire, of which there were two logs. I heaped fresh wood onto the fire and sat by the door, and kept burning him off, and clearing him away. Although he was very heavy I felt as strong as a lion, and thought it was God who was helping me, although it was the devil. I sent my daughter Ellen to you to tell you he had gone away cranky and wondered off as I thought it would account for him and was the best plan".

Pagett called the local magistrate Mr. Oakes to take her declaration a formal declaration. After her declaration was taken Pagett asked Ellen if there was anything else she wished to say. Her reply was "No, only that I am guilty, and I wish to see my daughter Ellen Nora Monk". Ellen Nora later attended the Binda police station to see her mother, her mother told her daughter what she had done to her father.