The TASMANIAN Connection:
Jeremy Irons, Thomas Irons and the transported convict William Paul Dowling.
Above:
Snapshot (from DVD) of portrait of Thomas Irons, Jeremy Iron's great great grandfather featured in the episode Who Do You Think You Are? UK SBS Series 1, 2008.
According to the historian featured on Jeremy Iron's episode on Who Do You Think You Are?, this framed pastel portrait held in the Jeremy Irons family collection of his paternal great great grandfather Thomas Irons was probably painted by fellow prisoner William Paul Dowling while Thomas Irons was held in custody awaiting trial for Chartist insurrection at Newgate Prison.
The same historian produced a portrait of another prisoner called William Cuffy [Cuffey and/or Cuffay] which was painted and signed by William Paul Dowling at the time when all three - Dowling, Irons and Cuffy - were incarcerated at Newgate in 1848. Thomas Irons was imprisoned for 18 months, but both William Cuffy and William Paul Dowling were transported for life. Dowling was transported to Van Diemen's Land the same year, and developed a reputation as an artist, hence the Tasmanian interest.
Above and below:
Thomas Irons' portrait on left, probably by Dowling
William Cuffy portrait signed by W.P. Dowling on right and below.
The original lithograph of William Cuffay - spelt "Cuffey" on the recto - is held at the National Portrait Gallery UK. The catalogue notes state that:
William Cuffay's grandfather was a slave on the Caribbean island of St Kitts.
William's father came to England as a cook on a Royal Navy vessel and settled in Chatham, Kent. His son was born in Kent and became a tailor. He became involved in trade union politics, becoming one of the most prominent leaders of the Chartist movement in London. He was savagely lampooned in Punch and The Times and as a direct result of these virulent attacks in the racist press, his wife at the time, Mary Ann, lost her job. In August 1848, Cuffay was arrested and tried for treason to which he pleaded 'not guilty', but was sentenced to transportation. He arrived in Tasmania in November 1849. Cuffay did not repent his radical politics and after his free pardon in 1856 he became involved in local politics, particularly the amendment of the colony's Masters and Servants Act. At one of his last public appearances he addressed the crowd as 'fellow slaves' and told them 'I'm old, I'm out of work, and I'm in debt, and therefore I have cause to complain.'
NPG UK notes:
William Cuffay
after William Paul Dowling
lithograph, 1848
12 1/8 in. x 8 1/2 in. (308 mm x 215 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1966
NPG D13148
Above:
Police register showing the transportation records of Dowling and Cuffy [sic].
(Snapshots from SBS DVD).
WILLIAM PAUL DOWLING (1824-1877)
Dowling, who was said to have studied at the Dublin School of Arts and to have won awards, gave his profession as 'artist' from arrival in the colony of VDL. He was a painter, engraver and photographer, was born and raised in Dublin and known as Paul. He was transported to Hobart Town as a political prisoner, arriving in the Adelaide on 29 November 1849. In about 1846 he had gone to London to organise the Davis Club, an Irish revolutionary organisation, and there also became secretary of an English revolutionary society. It was for his part in the latter's activities that he was given a life sentence for sedition at the London Central Criminal Court on 18 September 1848. As was the case with many other political prisoners, Dowling was granted a ticket of leave upon arrival. He set up as a portrait painter at 9 Liverpool Street on 1 January 1850, received a conditional pardon on 14 August 1855 and a full pardon on 24 February 1857. Supporting his application for the former, the Very Rev. William Hall, the Roman Catholic Vicar-General of the diocese of Hobart Town, wrote: 'he has taught drawing in my school for some time past'....
Above:
Portrait of a boy by W.P. Dowling
State Library of Tasmania
Title: Curzon Allport / WP Dowling
Creator: Dowling, William Paul, ca. 1824-1877
Publisher: 1850
Description: 1 drawing : crayon on paper pasted on to a canvas stretcher ; 38 x 32 cm. Format: [picture] / Picture ADRI: AUTAS001124066994
Source: Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts
William Paul Dowling died of tetanus at his residence in Brisbane Street on 3 August 1877, following an operation. Reporting his death, the Launceston Examiner stated that he was best known 'for the production of photographic portraits, and particularly for his system of enlarging photos which are then finished in oil or crayons'. His obituary in the Cornwall Chronicle on 6 August 1877 stated he had made 'a comfortable competence' from the business and had been able to return to Ireland for a visit before moving into his Brisbane Street studio in the 1860s: 'Mr Dowling was an amiable man of quiet, retiring demeanour, very much respected, and liked best by those who were longest acquainted with him'Source: Joan Kerr, G.T. Stilwell: DAAO
Above: snapshot from DVD
Jeremy Irons tries out the hat worn by Peelers while searching for details about Thomas Irons' five year career as a policeman in the late 1830s.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Synopsis: SBS online
Episode 13, Season 1 (UK)
Who Do You Think You Are?
Jeremy IronsVIDEO at YouTube
Other than a story that one of his ancestors rode to Westminster on a donkey to present a petition on behalf of the Chartists and was subsequently imprisoned in Newgate, [Jeremy Irons knew little about his family background].
In the hope of uncovering some colourful characters in his family tree, Jeremy started by talking to his family. A cousin was the custodian of the family archives, including a sketch of his great great grandfather, Thomas Irons, who is believed to be the man with the donkey.
Thomas Irons' marriage certificate in 1840 shows that at the time of his marriage, his profession was 'policeman', one of London's first 'Peelers'. He signed up in 1828, but was eventually dismissed in 1834 for deserting his post and being drunk.
So was there a connection with Chartism? This was a political movement founded after the 1832 Reform Act when the vote was extended to the middle classes but not the working classes.
The People's Charter (after which the Chartists were named) set out plans to widen the franchise and secure a more democratic voting system. The movement reached its height with a massive rally on Kennington Common on 10 April 1848, when a petition was delivered to parliament containing over two million signatures.
The petition had no effect, and disgruntled extremists turned to means other than peaceful rallies. On 16 August 1848, the Orange Tree and Powell Plots were exposed by an informer, Thomas Powell, who tipped the police off about a series of planned insurrections by militant Chartists.
Among 14 men arrested at the Angel pub, Webber Street, was Thomas Irons. Weapons were found. The leaders were tried, found guilty and deported to Australia. Thomas was convicted as well, but because he didn't possess a weapon he was sentenced to 18 months in Newgate prison instead.
During his time inside, newspaper reports show that his wife and five children were supported by charitable donations from other Chartists. Yet it appears that in the end, Thomas abandoned them. By 1871 he was dead, having gone to sea as an engineer. His body was found in Rio.
This video uploaded to YouTube (not by us) is a heavily edited extract of Jeremy Irons' episode on the Who Do You Think You Are series. All the key images of Thomas Irons were excluded to prevent copyright breaches.
The poem read by Jeremy in the final moments was written by his maternal great great grandfather to his daughter Kate on Valentine's Day 1857.
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