The stone walls of a 19th-century prison that once housed notorious bushrangers have been unearthed in the Tasmanian city of Perth.
Launceston Historical Society president John Dent, archaeologist Darren Watton and almost two dozen volunteers last month uncovered the remains of the first Perth Gaol, about 20km south of Launceston.
Mr Dent happens to be the great-great-great-great-grandson of Constable James Horton who led the charge in a shootout with infamous bushrangers Samuel Britton and John Beaven in 1829.
The pair had been on the run with half a dozen other wanted men after absconding from their masters, causing havoc in Perth.
Their reign of terror came to a brief end after the firefight between the forest rangers, police and soldiers.
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 19th-century prison 20 kilometers south of Launceston in Perth, Tasmania, where two infamous bushrangers were held in 1829 (photo, excavation)
The bandits were thrown into Perth Gaol, which was used as a cell at the time, before being sent to Launceston to face their fate.
But the system couldn't stop them now that Britton and Beaven were on the run again.
Bounties of 250 pounds and hundreds of acres of land were offered for the capture of the bandits, dead or alive.
It was an untimely end for Beaven in 1832 when he was betrayed by a gang member who wanted the bounty, so shot him in the head before going to the authorities.
Britton's story came to an end between 1835 and 1837 after he and his gang came under fire from the police when he was shot in the thigh.
The outlaws fled to Port Sorrell, where Britton remained – never to be found again.
Excavation staff first heard of the approximately 200-year-old prison site while digging at the nearby convict station in Perth.
Launceston Historical Society founder John Dent (left) happens to be the great-great-great-great-grandson of the Constable who arrested the two bushrangers
The six-metre square structure (pictured) was uncovered about two feet underground on a private property after nine days of excavation.
“There was a plan that showed a prison quite a distance from the site,” said Mr Dent, who founded the research group in 2000.
“There were some yellow marks on the ground, which gave an indication that there was something under the ground, some rocks or some walls.”
'We did a little more research and thought, 'This looks like this could be the location for the first Perth Gaol'.'
With the landowner's permission, the excavators went to work on the lawn in the backyard of the property.
It took nine days of excavation, with diggers digging 600mm deep to reveal the six-metre-square building.
“The rooms were probably only a few meters by a meter so they weren't very big at all, so it would be difficult for people to lie down if it was a very tall person,” Mr Dent said.
The dig also unearthed numerous buried treasures, including an 1827 coin (pictured), jewelry and trinkets and a significant number of buttons and a clay smoking pipe.
Among the buried treasures unearthed were an 1827 coin, jewelry and trinkets and a significant number of buttons, clay smoking pipes, broken bottles and nails.
First mentioned in a newspaper in 1829, the prison was sold into private hands and the facility moved closer to the city itself.
“It appears it may have had some other use as in the upper layers we found quite a bit of late 1860s material, which suggests it was probably used as a small house or for storage,” Mr Dent said.
The site was decommissioned in the late 19th century, with stone taken from the building and used in other buildings in the area before the site was leveled, he said.
The 'important' find adds to the few remaining buildings from the 1820s still standing in the city.
The found items are cataloged before being returned to the landowner, who will display them in his home.
A report will be written and Mr Watton and Mr Dent will present the findings at the Launceston Historical Society lecture in November.
