Free to Keep Time
A Former Convictâs Long Case Clock
Onboard the ship Eliza when she docked in Sydney on 25 June, 1828, were 158 convicts sent from Britain. Among them was James Redding, a man seemingly condemned for life, as he faced an uncertain future in an unknown land.
In the years that immediately followed his arrival, Jamesâ days were dictated by the tick of another manâs clock, signaling when to wake, work, eat and sleep. But in 1837 he received a âticket of leaveâ, and then a conditional pardon in 1842. This change in status presented James with the opportunity to turn his life around. As a free man, he took on work as a shipping agent for local maritime merchant Captain John Bingle, scheduling the flow of goods and people along the Hunter River (Coquun).
Eventually, James built two houses at 123 and 125 High Street, Morpeth and carefully furnished them to reflect his growing status in society. The most precise timepiece of allâthe Long Case Clock was found only in wealthier households at the time. So this clock did more than just measure the passing of time. It stood as a symbol of Reddingâs new and good fortune. A tidy life in good order.
The clock face features an idyllic scene of two houses, a possible reflection of Reddingâs pride in all that heâd achieved, as a man free to keep his own time.
