Ralph Entwistle

Ralph Entwistle (c. 1804–2 November 1830) was an English labourer who was transported to the British penal colony of New South Wales as a convict in 1827. As a member of the Ribbon Gang, his escape sparked the Bathurst Rebellion of 1830. He, along with nine of his gang members, were captured by police and executed in 1830.

Biography Entwistle was born in 1803 (possibly 1805) in Bolton, a small mill town near Manchester. He was initially an apprentice bricklayer, but in 1826, he and an accomplice stole clothing after breaking into a house. His partner was freed due to lack of evidence but Entwistle was sentenced to transportation for life in 1827.

Initially detained in a private prison hulk on the Thames, he was boarded onto the convict ship John, departing around 18 July 1827 along with 187 other convicts, arriving in Sydney on 25 November. In Australia, he was officially known as "Convict 27-2626" near the then frontier area of Bathurst.

By 1829, he was under the impression that he had earned, or was eligible for, a ticket of leave, unusual for "lifers" who were not normally eligible until at least 12–14 years of exceptional service.

At the end of the first day, and after joining another similar convict group, the four men decided to cool off in the Macquarie River. While bathing nude, a convoy accompanying the governor, Lt. Gen. Sir Ralph Darling, arrived but did not notice the men who were now in hiding. A third party from Bathurst, led by Police Magistrate Thomas Evernden, travelling to greet the governor did discover them and he later sent constables to arrest and imprison them. had grown to more than 50 members The book explains some of the reasoning for Entwistle's rebellion to more than just an unfair punishment, but also to the Ribbonism movement of the time.