Villains and Valour: a history of the Holmyard family of Tasmania

By Merlene Fawdry

Van Diemen's Land was colonised by the British in 1803 as a penal colony. and became part of the British colony of New South Wales. The majority of male convicts served their sentences as assigned labour to free settlers or in gangs assigned to public works. Most female convicts were sent directly to the Female Factory although many remained only for a day or so as they were sent to work for free or convict settlers. Children of convict women either stayed with their mothers or moved to an orphanage. This book is a record of the history of the Holmyard family from the Deloraine and Elizabeth Town areas of Tasmania. It encompasses the stories of four convicts and family lines that touch on the edges of many others. These stories are about family myths and legends, of relatives with no genetic links and others who have dropped off the tree altogether, all bound through shared experience and association. While some fell by the wayside of drink and criminal associations, others went on to become respected members of their communities in their own lifetime, raising large families who in turn continue to contribute to the fabric of the island. They were villains by reputation, but valorous by deed, with many paying the ultimate price on foreign battle fields.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1501063804
• ISBN13: 9781501063800
• Release Date: December 2014
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 6.0"