Yemmerrawanyea |
Yemmerrawanyea's name was known by various spellings: Yuremany, Yemmerrawanne, Yemmorravonyea, Yemmerrawanie, Yemmeraiwanya, Yemmerewanyea, Imeerawanyee, and Immirawanya. Yemmerrawanyea was the spelling on his headstone. This confusion over the spelling of Yemmerrawanyea's name is nothing to do with any confusion among his people over his name. The confusion is all on the part of the English attempting to transpose the sound of his name into the sounds represented by the letters and combinations of letters in their written language's alphabet, the so-called "Latin" alphabet.
Above is the only known image of Yemmerrawanyea, under the title "Yuremany". It was made by William Wentworth, who was Yemmerrawanyea and his much better known and, at least ultimately, equally unfortunate companion Bennelong's landlord while staying in metropolitan London at 125 Mount Street, Mayfair. Wentworth, whose son Henry had been then-Governor Arthur Phillip's aide in New South Wales, also made a more detailed image of Bennelong[1].
We referred to William as a "landlord" purposefully. He didn't house the two First Australians out of the goodness of his heart, billing the government for their keep, doubtless adding some on for a nice profit.
Yemmerrawanyea's headstone has been restored several times over the last couple of hundred years, and it’s apparently pretty easy to find, this being another place of which we had no knowledge prior to visiting London, nor, as far as we were aware was it included in any of the more common tourist material. At the time of writing (2018) the headstone is located against the boundary wall separating the churchyard from Eltham High Street (on the southern side of the church).
[1] We don't think these Wentworths are connected to the family of mostly politically conservative Wentworths descended from a medical practitioner who transported himself to New South Wales to avoid being hanged as a highwayman, lived unmarried to a female convict who gave birth to a son apparently less than 9 months after meeting the doctor, acknowledged the son as his own, became very wealthy, and saw the son become one of a party of 3 whites who falsely, albeit possibly unwittingly, claimed to have been the first whites to cross the Blue Mountains barricade enclosing the Sydney settlement, but did not live to see the son actually marry yet another former convict.
Above is the only known image of Yemmerrawanyea, under the title "Yuremany". It was made by William Wentworth, who was Yemmerrawanyea and his much better known and, at least ultimately, equally unfortunate companion Bennelong's landlord while staying in metropolitan London at 125 Mount Street, Mayfair. Wentworth, whose son Henry had been then-Governor Arthur Phillip's aide in New South Wales, also made a more detailed image of Bennelong[1].
We referred to William as a "landlord" purposefully. He didn't house the two First Australians out of the goodness of his heart, billing the government for their keep, doubtless adding some on for a nice profit.
Yemmerrawanyea's headstone has been restored several times over the last couple of hundred years, and it’s apparently pretty easy to find, this being another place of which we had no knowledge prior to visiting London, nor, as far as we were aware was it included in any of the more common tourist material. At the time of writing (2018) the headstone is located against the boundary wall separating the churchyard from Eltham High Street (on the southern side of the church).
[1] We don't think these Wentworths are connected to the family of mostly politically conservative Wentworths descended from a medical practitioner who transported himself to New South Wales to avoid being hanged as a highwayman, lived unmarried to a female convict who gave birth to a son apparently less than 9 months after meeting the doctor, acknowledged the son as his own, became very wealthy, and saw the son become one of a party of 3 whites who falsely, albeit possibly unwittingly, claimed to have been the first whites to cross the Blue Mountains barricade enclosing the Sydney settlement, but did not live to see the son actually marry yet another former convict.
St John the Baptist Anglican Church, on the NW corner of Well Hall Road (A208) and Eltham High Street (A210). Entrance to the churchyard is gained from here. The gravestone is, we've read, resting up on the wall along Eltham High Street, which will be on your left hand side as you enter. If you find otherwise, please let us know.
Yemmurravonyea Kebarah, a Native of New South Wales, died May 18th 1794. supposed to be aged 19 Years, at the house of Mr. Edward Kent. Source: Eltham Parish Register, as copied by the Dictionary of Sydney (corrected by Lex), https://dictionaryofsydney.org/media/4928, accessed 4-7-2018. This site also notes: "Handwriting of Reverend JK Shaw-Brooke".