James Mileham
Convict Ship Surgeon
James Mileham was employed as assistant-surgeon on the convict ship Ganges in 1797.
Newcastle
In 1804 he was appointed to accompany Lieut. Charles Menzies on his historic Voyage to the Coal River settlement.In August 1804 he was placed under arrest by Lieut. Menzies and sent to Sydney for disobedience of orders. In April 1805 he was found guilty by a court martial of refusing to attend a woman in child-birth and was sentenced to be publicly reprimanded -
Sentence and Reprimand of Assistant-Surgeon Mileham in May, 1805 -
The sentence of the General Court-Martial held for the Trial of Mr. Mileham, Assistant Surgeon, viz. : —
The Court having maturely and deliberately considered the Evidence for and against the Prisoner, as well as what he had to offer in his Defence, is of opinion that he is Guilty of the first Charge, viz., for disobedience of Orders in refusing to attend a patient in the General Hospital on the 13th of April, 1805, do therefore sentence him to be publickly Reprimanded by the Commander-in-Chief.
The Court is of Opinion that he is further guilty of the second Charge, viz., for Neglect of Duty in not attending a Woman when in labour in the General Hospital on the 13th of April, 1805, do therefore Sentence him to be publickly reprimanded by the Commander-in-Chief is fully approved of, and the Court- Martial dissolved.
The Governor and Commander-in-Chief has to observe that the Proofs are so clear in substantiating Mr. Mileham's disobedience of the Principal Surgeons Orders in a case when his Duty and Humanity equally required his prompt obedience that he entirely disapproves of Mr. Mileham's want of a due Subordination to the directions of his superior in the execution of his Duty.
The Governor perfectly coincides with the Court-Martial in considering Mr. Mileham Guilty of a neglect of Duty in not attending a Woman in labour in the General Hospital, from which conduct the Womans Life and that of her offspring might have been endangered ; and as Mr. Mileham has recently endeavoured to evade his Duty when ordered, the Commander-in-Chief considers it necessary to inform that Mileham that on his incurring any future Censure for neglect of Duty or Disobedience of Orders it will become necessary to suspend him from his situation as Assistant Surgeon till His Majesty's Commands are received thereon .[1]
Early Days in Windsor
Writing in the Windsor and Richmond Gazette in 1914, Rev. James Steele included a biography of James Mileham when he recalled the early days of Windsor -'In 1807 James Mileham was appointed third Assistant Surgeon in the colony. He was employed at the Hawkesbury as Government Surgeon about the year 1811, and lived on the river bank near Baker-street. He received the appointment of Magistrate for Pitt Town on 8th June, 1811, and for Wilberforce 1815-20, and he also formed one of the bench of three magistrates who sat weekly in Windsor to decide cases for all the surrounding districts.
He was present at the laying of the foundation stone of St. Matthew's Church in 1817, and also at the inauguration of the Benevolent Society the following year. He received a grant of 700 acres in Illawarra on 24th January, 1817.
His first wife, Elizabeth Mileham, died in Windsor on 15th July, 1818, aged 57 years. He married for a second time to Susannah, a daughter of Henry Kable, of Windsor.
James Mileham retired on a pension on 1st August, 1821.' [2]
Death
James Mileham died on 28 September 1824, aged 61, at Castlereagh Street, Sydney; he was buried in the Sandhills cemetery and his remains were later reinterred at La Perouse.
[3]Notes and Links
1). Trial of Thomas Jamison on the complaint of James Mileham for an assault and battery on the evening of 3 May 1803 - Sydney Gazette 29 May 18032). Fire at the Hawkesbury 1813 - Sydney Gazette 23 January 1813
References
[1] HRA, Series 1, Vol. 5, p. 426
[2] Windsor and Richmond Gazette 30 Oct 1914
[3] The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) Thu 30 Sep 1824 Page 3
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