Les Pitt
One of Daylesford’s most eccentric lawyers, Pearson Thompson, was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in 1794 and became a barrister in the early 1800s, though it appears that while he sat on the Cheltenham Bench (as he pointed out numerous times in Daylesford), he didn’t practice as a Barrister…
He married Dorothy Scott c1820, and had one son, Scott Pearson Thompson and three daughters, Elizabeth, Mary Ann and Louisa. He left them behind in England when he sold up and emigrated to Australia. Landing in Sydney in 1850, he is listed as a Barrister in Elizabeth Street North. The lure of gold brought him to Victoria and in 1853, in Melbourne, he attended the christening of his first Australian child, Elizabeth Mary, born in May and christened in June at St Francis Catholic Church in Melbourne. Her mother was Margaret Riley…
Pearson Thompson
Thompson was tall, of good bearing and attractive personal appearance and excellent manners, and was the mouthpiece of the underdog. At one time he defended Eliza Rogers, Maria the Lady, Kate Williams and Ellen Douglass, some of Daylesford’s most notorious prostitutes and thieves…
More remarkable is that he started practicing law in 1859 in Daylesford at the age of 65. One of his first cases was the tar and feathering of William Montgomery in February 1859, and one of his last cases was his defence of David Young who was accused of murdering Margaret Graham in 1865, at which time Thompson was described as “an aged, feeble man”; he would have been 71.
His life in Daylesford was tarnished by his relationship with Margaret Riley and Mary Foley.
Riley’s violence towards Thompson was exacerbated by his non-payment of maintenance for the children, leading to her visiting Daylesford at least once a year to harass Pearson at his home. This situation was not made any better by Pearson having taken up with Margaret (or Mary) Foley, another prostitute who was living with him in Duke Street next to the Guide Hall.
In August 1867 Foley broke into the Red Lion Hotel seeking Thompson, who she had thrown out of their house in Duke Street. She accused Mrs Wells, the Publican, of harbouring “old Thompson”. She was fined £2. Thompson appeared in court a number of times with both Riley and Foley, once in October 1867 when Foley attacked Thompson’s son, and Riley was suing for maintenance once again. The Magistrate, William Drummond, took Thompson and Riley into his private rooms but was so badly shaken by the encounter he later refused to sit on the Bench when Riley appeared again.
In December 1867 it was reported that Thompson had been pushed over dislocating his hip. He was admitted to Daylesford Hospital, however even there he was not safe. Foley tried unsuccessfully to break in and attack him. She was sentenced to time in Castlemaine prison and on her release in June 1868 she returned to Daylesford and attacked Riley in the Duke Street house. Foley appeared in court in December 1869 with a child in arms, aged three and a half, named Emily, according to the newspaper report. The child was to be sent to Industrial School in Melbourne as Thompson wouldn’t or couldn’t support her. There is no record of the birth of an Emily Foley or Emily Thompson. The newspaper ripped Thompson to shreds saying, “The mother is a woman of loose character…and a drunkard. The father is an aged member of the bar whose licentious habits have frequently created scandals. How many waifs and strays of society who are entitled to call him parent is very difficult to say”…
It was noted in the Castlemaine newspaper that when he died, he made provision in his will for “other little responsibilities that one left behind”, perhaps a coy reference to his illegitimate children. The article ends with “Forebear to judge, for we are sinners all.” On examination of Thompson’s will I found that contrary to what the Castlemaine newspapers may have implied, he left absolutely nothing to his illegitimate children.
An excerpt from Mud, Blood & Gold by Les Pitt about Pearson Thompson (1794-1872) who lived in Daylesford in the 1860s. The book has recently been reprinted by the Daylesford & District Historical Society. This is an abridged extract. If it whets your appetite, copies can be ordered for $30 plus postage by emailing the historical society at history@daylesford.net
