Publication Date: 11 November 2025
ISBN: 978-1-920727-42-0
Format: Hardcover
AUD: $65.00
The Convict and the Compass
By Peter Bradley
While the feats of well-known surveyors and explorers of the early 1800s have become legendary, it was an Irish convict, James Meehan, who would help shape the foundations of modern Australia with his meticulous surveys and town plans.
For decades, he could be spotted marching across a farm with his trusted compass and chain, or striding through untamed bushland from New South Wales to Victoria and Van Diemen's Land, making careful notes as he went.
Universally respected despite his lowly start, Meehan aided the Irish, Catholic, emancipist and convict causes. Governors, the King and Macquarie held him to high regard and with their backing Meehan quickly rose from indentured servant to acting surveyor general.
Yet, despite measuring every land grant in New South Wales from 1803 to 1822 and identifying potential roadways and navigable rivers in the growing colony, he as denied the office of surveyor-general due to his convict background - and all but forgotten.
In The Convict and The Compass, using the thousands of notes Meehan wrote in his ever-present field books, as well as official records, contemporary accounts and the observations of those who knew him, author of Convicted Peter Bradley brings to light his ancestor's remarkable legacy. This is James Meehan's story.
About the Author
Peter Bradley is a passionate historian whose interest in family history began when he discovered his great-grandfather's first-hand account of surviving a shipwreck. After a career in finance, Peter's passion lies in uncovering the past, and bringing to light his ancestor's remarkable legacy.
His first book, Convicted, is an engrossing and highly imaginative retelling of the story of a father, son and grandson, entwined with the history of Australia from the landing of the First Fleeting in 1788.