John Cadman (1772 – 12 November 1848) worked as a

publican In antiquity, publicans (Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the ...

in England, before becoming a

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

and being transported to Australia.

Outline of life

Sydney Ferry LADY SCOTT rebuilt as John Cadman near Balls Head Bay Sydney Harbour 1975

On 11 March 1797, Cadman was sentenced to transportation for life at the

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

assizes The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...

, after being arrested at

Bewdley Bewdley ( pronunciation) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley west of Kidderminster and southwest of Birmingham. It lies on the River Sev ...

on the charge of stealing a horse.Australian Dictionary of Biography
online Edition. Cadman, John (1772–1848) Cadman was transported aboard ''

Barwell Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of 8,750 residents, Increasing to 9,022 at the 2011 census, the name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that ...

'', which left

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

on 7 November 1797 and reached

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 18 May 1798.Ozships: Australian Shipping on the net
/ref> In 1809, Cadman became the

coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boat ...

of a government boat. While in the service of the Government as a coxswain, he lost an eye. Cadman received a conditional pardon from Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1814State Records of New South Wales
Petition of John Cadman to Governor Lachlan Macquarie, 1821. and a free pardon in 1821.
CADMAN, John. Per "Barwell", 1798. Cadman became the master of the cutter ''Mars'' in 1825, which took 25 prisoners to

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

. He was then promoted to the position of Superintendent of Government Boats at Sydney in 1827 on a salary of £91, until he retired in 1845. When that position of office was abolished in 1845, Governor Sir George Gipps recommended "his great respectability" and arranged for him to be paid a retiring gratuity of £182. Since 1816 Cadman had occupied a rough stone cottage at The Rocks.

Cadmans Cottage Cadmans Cottage or Cadman's Cottage is a heritage-listed former water police station and sailor's home and now visitor attraction located at 110 George Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local governmen ...

still stands today and is the oldest surviving house within the city of Sydney. On 5 or 6 January 1818, Cadman received government permission to marry at Sydney. On 26 October 1830 John married Elizabeth Mortimer. Cadman died on 12 November 1848 and was survived by Elizabeth Mortimer and her two daughters from a previous alliance. Cadman was buried in the old

Devonshire Street Cemetery The Devonshire Street Cemetery (also known as the Brickfield Cemetery or Sandhills Cemetery) was located between Eddy Avenue and Elizabeth Street, and between Chalmers and Devonshire Streets, at Brickfield Hill, in Sydney, Australia. It was con ...

(now

Central railway station, Sydney Central is a heritage-listed railway station located in the centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The station is the largest and busiest railway station in Australia and serves as a major transport interchange for NSW TrainLink inte ...

's main terminus); his headstone and remains were taken to Bunnerong Cemetery (now Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park) in 1901. Cadman's headstone still remains there and the inscription reads: Three cruise vessels on

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

were named after Cadman; the 1974 built '' John Cadman'', the 1986 built ''John Cadman II'' and the 1989 built ''John Cadman III''.History
Cadman Cruises

References

External links

Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877

State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...

- includes digitised documents and letters written by Cadman to the

Colonial Secretary of New South Wales Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 ...

when he was employed as Superintendent of the Government Boats {{DEFAULTSORT:Cadman, John 1772 births 1848 deaths Convicts transported to Australia History of New South Wales British publicans Burials at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park