The Demise of Thomas Pengilley – Old Geelong Gaol

The Demise of Thomas Pengilley – Old Geelong Gaol

 

Main Street Birregurra 1907 - Royal Mail Hotel

 Thomas Pengilley had been a successful prospector in Victoria. In 1855 he established the firm of Pengilley and Childs, general storekeepers in Mercer Street, Geelong. He later had business’ at Morrison and Stieglitz gold diggings, before buying a hotel at Sebastopol near Ballarat

In 1880, Thomas Pengilley was the publican at the Royal Mail Hotel, Birregurra, in which he lived with his wife and young family. The 47-year-old publican had become unhinged, and over a four-year period had begun to attack his wife making her feel unsafe in her own home.

 
 Mrs Pengilley, afraid for her children contacted the local police and had Thomas detained. He was sent to the Kew Lunatic Asylum. Pengilley spent time in and out of Kew over a span of a few years. His erratic and unpredictable behaviour caused problems for the hotel’s income. Often Pengilley would become unfriendly and hostile toward patrons, causing his wife to shut the doors.

 Eventually, Mrs Pengilley had enough and being abused by her husband and had him arrested. He was taken to the Birregurra Police Court where he was charged to keep the peace with his wife for six months. Pengilley could not meet the requirements of the securities of his sentence and was instead sent to Geelong Gaol to serve a short term.

Pengilley was placed in a cell away from other inmates. He arranged to have his meals provided by an outside source.
 On the night of his death, a warder brought him a glass of water around 6pm. The Warder noticed that Pengilley was morose and slightly unhinged. He left him be and returned at 9pm. The warder pushed the cell door open and discovered Pengilley had hung himself by tying a valise strap around his neck and attaching it to a gas bracket above the door, hanging himself.

 It is believed that Pengilley became addicted to hard liquor, which eventually led to him physically and mentally abusing his wife and family. That alcoholism also led to his insanity and eventual suicide.

Yarra Ben Asylum - Victoria

 The tragedy of the Pengilleys does not end there. Thomas's oldest son, Thomas junior was accused in 1889 of not paying maintenance of a child he had had out of wedlock. In the same year, Thomas, like his father before him, found himself admitted to Kew Lunatic Asylum.
 In 1890, Thomas Jr. Was formally charged with deserting his child. The child’s mother, Phillis Labatt stated in court that Pengilley had fled to Broken Hill, she also stated that he was a frequent resident of the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum. Pengilley died at the age of 38 in 1899.

Victoria Police Gazette - May 21 1890

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2019

Bibliography:

'BIRREGURRA NEWS.', Geelong Advertiser, (2 September 1889), p. 3.

'BIRREGURRA.',The Colac Herald, (11 July 1882), p. 3.

'Family Notices', The Argus, (9 October 1899), p. 1.

'Family Notices', Geelong Advertiser, (6 February 1880), p. 2.

'GEELONG.', The Age, (5 February 1880), p. 3.

'POLICE COURT.', Geelong Advertiser, (9 November 1889), p. 4.

'SUICIDE IN THE GEELONG GAOL.', The Ballarat Courier, (6 February 1880), p. 3.

'TOWN TALK.', Geelong Advertiser, (23 May 1890), p. 2.

Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
Original data: Victoria Police Gazette Indexes. CD-ROM. Ridgehaven, South Australia: Gould Genealogy and History, 2009.