William Clackson (c. 1799–?) was a
shoemaker
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...
living in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
at the time of the "
Radical War
The Radical War, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland, a culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the ear ...
" of 1820. He was sentenced to death for his part in the uprising, but this was subsequently commuted to
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
to
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. He left
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in the convict ship ''Speke'' on 22 December 1820.
Clackson arrived in
Australia on 18 May 1821. In the 1828
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
he is recorded, age 29, as working as a shoemaker in
Sydney, living with his wife Margaret, aged 28, who arrived in the colony on the ''Orpheus'' in 1826.
On 10 August 1835 Clackson was granted, in common with the other
Bonnymuir insurgents, an absolute pardon.
References
*The Scottish Insurrection of 1820, Peter Berresford Ellis and Seamus Mac A'Ghobhainn, John Donald 2001,
1820 - The Radical War
1799 births
Year of death missing
Scottish activists
Convicts transported to Australia
{{Scotland-bio-stub