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Note: Edited and introduced by Mark Finnane.
Issue Details: First known date: 2004... 2004 The Difficulties of My Position : The Diaries of Prison Governor John Buckley Castieau, 1855-1884
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'A career in the Victorian penal system might not seem to be a source of excitement, but for John Buckley Castieau it was the trigger for nearly three decades of diaries that reveal far more about the colony's early social history than what went on behind prison walls. J.B. Castieau was the governor of both Beechworth and Melbourne gaols as well as, somewhat disastrously, the Inspector-General of Penal Establishments. Well-educated, fond of the theatre, frequently in debt, impulsively generous, self-doubting and of 'unsteady habits' in his cups, he knew many of the prominent characters of 'Marvellous Melbourne' - the journalist Marcus Clarke, the famous and fiery legal figure, Sir Redmond Barry and Sir George Kerferd, Premier of the state. Fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in Victoria and the penal system from the 1850s to the 1880s. ' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Untitled Laurie Hergenhan , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 283 2006; (p. 65)

— Review of The Difficulties of My Position : The Diaries of Prison Governor John Buckley Castieau, 1855-1884 John Buckley Castieau , 2004 single work diary
Untitled Ged Martin , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , March vol. 1 no. 1 2006;

— Review of The Difficulties of My Position : The Diaries of Prison Governor John Buckley Castieau, 1855-1884 John Buckley Castieau , 2004 single work diary
'Building Castles in the Air' - the Castieau Diaries Mark Finnane , 2005 single work criticism
— Appears in: National Library of Australia News , January vol. 15 no. 4 2005; (p. 10-13)
Untitled Ged Martin , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , March vol. 1 no. 1 2006;

— Review of The Difficulties of My Position : The Diaries of Prison Governor John Buckley Castieau, 1855-1884 John Buckley Castieau , 2004 single work diary
Untitled Laurie Hergenhan , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 283 2006; (p. 65)

— Review of The Difficulties of My Position : The Diaries of Prison Governor John Buckley Castieau, 1855-1884 John Buckley Castieau , 2004 single work diary
'Building Castles in the Air' - the Castieau Diaries Mark Finnane , 2005 single work criticism
— Appears in: National Library of Australia News , January vol. 15 no. 4 2005; (p. 10-13)
Last amended 30 Mar 2015 11:09:28
Subjects:
  • Beechworth, Beechworth - Yackandandah area, North East Victoria, Victoria,
  • Melbourne, Victoria,
  • 1855-1884
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