Scandal & graft: the outrageous career of George Dudfield

Many people know of Ikey Solomon and his role in inspiring Dickens' 'Fagin' character, but if you go a little further back in Tasmanian history you'll find an even more Fagin-esque character: George Dudfield. At one point the most notorious 'fence' in London, Dudfield came from a family of career criminals (his own father was transported twice to the American Colonies). In 1821 he was caught red-handed with more than a thousand pounds of banknotes and promptly transported to Van Diemen's land, where he found a billet as Javelin Man at the Oatlands Gaol. From there, Dudfield used every conniving trick in the book to manoeuvre his way into the Gaoler's job, and from there amass a fortune from corruption. His story is worth telling for the insight it gives us into how colonial society really worked.

Alan Townsend has worked for Southern Midlands Council as a Heritage Projects Officer for nearly twenty years. Over that time he has had the opportunity to research some extraordinary stories around the early formation of Oatlands, specifically a decade of almost continuous scandals centred around the Gaol and Magistracy. Alan also has a keen interest in wallpaper history, and with Linda Clarke has amassed a substantial archive of historic wallpapers from Tasmania. Linda and Alan are currently working on a book about the collection, If the Walls Could Talk.