These two little buttons look innocent enough however their likely owner was anything but… Jacob Mountgarrett (c. 1773–1828), arrived in Sydney in March 1803 and shortly after was appointed as the surgeon for the new settlement at Risdon Cove. Mountgarrett’s hut was the first substantial building to be constructed at the settlement, and these buttons – from a naval surgeon’s uniform – were discovered in 1980 by archaeologists excavating his hut site, the oldest surviving structure at Risdon.

Despite his title and social standing, Mountgarrett quickly carved out a position of infamy, being implicated in the killing of Mumirimina Aboriginal people at Risdon on 3 May, 1804. This dark episode in the new colony’s history is a foundation story for the European invasion of Tasmania, and for the colonists’ relations with Tasmanian Aboriginal people. Following the killings, Mountgarrett was responsible for sending at least one body to Sydney in a barrel as a ‘specimen’. He also adopted a young boy who was orphaned in the incident, christening him Robert Hobart May, and went on to adopt other Aboriginal children in northern Tasmania, including Dolly Dalrymple.

As the years passed, Mountgarrett went on to be connected to a variety of dubious activities. After being accused of assisting harbour master Peter Mills in his bushranging activities, Mountgarrett was put on trial in Sydney in 1815. Although acquitted, Mountgarrett’s luck didn’t last, with one of his arms needing to be amputated. Following this, he sought permission to retire but his pension was refused and he returned to duty in December 1817. In September 1818, Governor Macquarie recommended that Mountgarrett be dismissed for a range of misdemeanours, including stealing, and he was eventually replaced as surgeon, in 1821. Mountgarrett died insolvent on 27 January 1828, and was buried in the old Church of England burial ground in Launceston.