Stephen Geary Wilks
Medical Practitioner
Stephen Geary Wilks was baptised 13 May 1782 Tabernacle Ind. St. Luke, Finsbury, London and was the son of Matthew Wilks, Preacher of the Parish of St. James Clerkenwell and Elizabeth, his wife [1]. His brothers were John, Rowland and Mark and sisters Mary and Elisabeth
He married Sarah Blundell on 3 May 1805 in London [2]. In 1808 their daughter Sarah Haighton Wilks was born and on 23 March 1811 a son George Augustus Frederick Wilks [3].
Qualifications
The Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal reported that he gained his degree of Doctor in Medicine from Glasgow University in 1808[4]. By September 1808 it was announced in the newspapers of the day that he had arrived and fixed his residence at Bury [5]A Fork in the Road
By 1813 he was in a relationship with Elizabeth Seymour by whom he had two daughters Georgiana Seymour Wilks in 1814 and Marianne Seymour Wilks in 1816. After much controversy he was branded a philanderer and bigamist [6]Conviction
On 9 January 1821 he was convicted of larceny at the Newington Quarter Sessions having been found guilty of stealing 8 sheets. He was admitted to the Justitia Hulk to await transportation and transferred to the convict ship Adamant on 21 March 1821 [7]Sydney
The Adamant departed England with 144 male prisoners on 29 March 1821 and arrived in Port Jackson on 8 September 1821. James Hamilton was Surgeon-superintendent during the voyage.The Colonial Secretary's Papers contain correspondence dated 11 September 1821 advising that Stephen Wilks was to be assigned to Dr. Douglas on arrival and to work as overseer of the Hospital at Parramatta. [8]
Newcastle
Five months later, on February 6, 1822, having been convicted of a crime in Sydney, his name appears on a list of prisoners forwarded to the Newcastle penal settlement on the brig Elizabeth Henrietta [9]. James Morisset was Commandant at the settlement, however by this time Newcastle's suitability as a penal settlement was coming to an end as it was no longer isolated enough from Sydney and increasing numbers of free settlers were drawn to the district. By 1823 Governor Brisbane had abandoned the penal settlement and removed many of the convicts to Port Macquarie. Newcastle was proclaimed a free settlement. It may have been at this time Stephen Wilks was sent to Bathurst.William Lawson was Commandant at Bathurst from 1819 until James Morisset was appointed to the position in November 1823.
Bathurst - Wellington Valley
Percy Simpson was appointed Commandant to the remote outpost Wellington Valley, on 1st January 1823. His party reached Wellington Valley on February 1823.
- Augustus Earle, 1826, Wellington Valley, N.S. Wales, looking east from Government House NK 12/24, National Library of Australia"Difficulties began for Simpson shortly after his arrival at Wellington Valley. He was compelled to send back eleven of the men, who were of a worthless description. Shortly afterwards he reported that Dennis Kelleher, the shepherd, had left the sheep to visit the camp and, when he returned, they were missing, having been driven away, apparently by deserters from the settlement. Simpson wrote on March 11, 1823:
'The station is far from being agreeable to the majority of the dissolute characters sent me. They have not the means of procuring spirits or of making money either by theft or by working for settlers that other stations give opportunities of doing.' Simpson said he was given to understand that the primary cause of the dissatisfaction was the want of tobacco and suggested that some be sent up. The station was without a bricklayer or stonemason and Simpson was unable to attempt the erection of a Government House or a granery. Simpson and his wife and family were living in a hut which had a leaking roof. No glass was available, so oiled paper was used. None of the men understood the art of thatching roofs. By July 57 acres of wheat had been planted. It was found that the brick layer who had been sent up could not make bricks. Those he attempted to make were spoilt and he disappeared. There were no fences and it was difficult to keep the stock out of the wheat. Simpson found that he could not rely on the troops or his assistants. Visiting the store early in the morning of July 20, 1823, he found the sentry absent from his post and, shortly afterwards, he received reports that the overseer, Chambers, and the constable, Maher, with others, were concerned in a plot to overthrow the settlement. Many of the cattle were driven away and, shortly afterwards, more disappeared. They were traced, found about 50 miles away and returned to Wellington, only to be later driven away again. Lieut. Simpson reported that Dennis Kelleher was the only man on whom he could depend. The cattle had been driven away six times by nine different men, but, in each case, it was Kelleher who followed their tracks and recovered them. An idea prevailed that if everything went wrong on the station the Government would close down the settlement. " [10]
This was the situation at the Wellington Valley settlement in July 1823 when Commandant Percy Simpson requested that Wilks be transferred from Bathurst to Wellington Valley, 'there being a great deal of sickness in the Valley and Mrs. Simpson being in a very bad state of health' [10]
In September 1824, it was reported that surgeon at Wellington Valley, James Kiernan resigned. He complained that he had lived for four months of the winter in a tent while at the penal settlement." [11]
In 1825 Wellington Valley was visited by Wesleyan Missionary John Harper - "June 1825. - I am happy to inform you, that I am safely arrived at Wellington Valley, from Sydney, after nineteen days' journey. On the way, I was taken very ill of the dysentery, so that when I got to Bathurst I was under the necessity of applying to Dr. Wilkes for medical assistance. Under the kind care of this gentleman, I was, by God's blessing, perfectly cured in two days. Captain Fennell, the Commandant at Bathurst, gave me ten blankets and three suits of women's clothes for the blacks. Lieutenant Simpson, the Commandant at Wellington, has treated me with the greatest kindness, and will further my proceedings to the utmost of his power" [12].
Certificate of Freedom
Stephen Wilks was granted a Certificate of Freedom dated 28 January 1828. [13]In December 1828 he advertised a forthcoming publication:
Family in England
By 1829 Stephen Wilks was well-known and had regained some respectability in the colony, however the disgrace he caused his family in England was not forgotten and when his father Matthew made his will in 1829 there was no mention of Stephen, although each of his children by his wife Sarah, Sarah Haighton Wilks and George Augustus Frederick Wilks, were bequeathed £200 in trust. His brothers John and Rowland and daughter Mary also received bequests as did sons-in-law, various charities, servants etc. [14]Towards the End
In 1852 in Sydney, Wilks resuscitated a child who had been thought lifeless through drowning. He happened to be passing by when his identity as a professional gentleman of great experience was pointed out by an onlooker. He readily came to the child's assistance. The newspaper report noted that he had formerly published a work entitled "The Life Preserving Manual" in which the means of restoring suspended animation after drowning etc were minutely pointed out. [15]Mistaken Identity
He was probably never far from penury and the following case when he was accused of passing a bad cheque, although declared a case of mistaken identity, could have been him, judging by other newspapers notices calling for him to pay for accommodation etc. This case took place not long before he passed away and revealed that he had been unwell for some months - "Dr. James Charles Russell, master of the Liverpool branch of the Benevolent Asylum, deposed that he had known Dr. Wilks for 16 or 18 years, and by no other name ; from about the 10th of September until the 13th of December, Dr. Wilks was an invalid under his care at Liverpool at no time from the 20th to the 30th November was Dr. Wilks able to come to Sydney, and therefore he had no hesitation in swearing that he was not in Sydney at all during that period; between the dates named Dr. Wilks joined with him in a medical certificate for the admission of an inmate of the asylum into the lunatic establishment at Tarban Creek. His worship on this had no hesitation whatever in saying it was a case of mistaken identify and forthwith discharged the accused" [16]Stephen Geary Wilks died in the Benevolent Asylum 24 July 1853. He was buried 27 July 1853, Parish of Camperdown [17]
Notes and Links
1). His brother was John Wilks (1776 - 25 August 1854) who was an English Whig Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1830 to 1837. The History of Parliament2). James Kiernan was surgeon-superintendent on the Aquilar arr. 10th February, 1824
3). On 31st May 1824 Wilks gave evidence at an inquest into the deaths of three men who had been killed by natives near Bathurst. Sydney Gazette 12 August 1824 [evidence from Stephen Geary Wilks acting surgeon at Bathurst]
References
[1] 13 May 1782 Baptism of Stephen Geary, son of Matthew Wilks, Preacher of the Parish of St. James Clerkenwell and Elizabeth his wife[2] 3 May 1805 - Marriage of Stephen Geary Wilks to Sarah Blundell both of Parish All Hallows, Barking by the Tow, City of London. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P69/ALH1/A/03/003
[3] Baptism 20 October 1811 - George Augustus Frederick, son of Stephen Geary Wilks and Sarah his wife, late Sarah Blundell; was born March 23rd in Parish of St. Mary in the town of Bury St. Edmonds
[4] The Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal
[5] Bury and Norwich Post - Wednesday 28 September 1808
[6] British Newspaper Archive - Extraordinary Elopement... Published: Friday 23 January 1818 Newspaper: Chester Chronicle County: Cheshire, England
[7] Home Office: Convict Prison Hulks: Registers and Letter Books; Class: HO9; Piece: 4 Details: Stephen Wilks age 36 convicted at Newington Quarter Sessions 9 January 1821, of stealing 8 sheets. Admitted to the Justitia Hulk 18 January 1821. Transferred to the convict ship Adamant on 21 March 1821
[8] Colonial Secretary's Correspondence. Series: NRS 937; Reel or Fiche Numbers: Reels 6004-6016
[9] Colonial Secretary's Papers, Series: NRS 897; Reel or Fiche Numbers: Reels 6041-6064, 6071-6072
[10] Colonial Secretary's Papers, Series: NRS 897; Reel or Fiche Numbers: Reels 6041-6064, 6071-6072
[11] The Discovery and Occupation of Wellington Valley, by James Jervis, Wellington Times, 23 October 1950
[12] Sydney Gazette 11 February 1826
[13] State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia; Series Name: Butts of Certificates of Freedom; Series Number: NRS 12210; Archive Roll: 983
[14] England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858Piece Description: Piece 1752: Liverpool, Quire Numbers 101-150 (1829)
[15] Sydney Gazette 25 March 1852
[16] Sydney Morning Herald 2 March 1853
[17] Death Certificate (Ancestry)
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