Arrest of Governor Bligh – The Rum Rebellion – 26 January 1808

On the evening of 26 January 1808 — twenty years to the day after the founding of the colony — officers and men of the New South Wales Corps marched from their barracks to Government House in Sydney and deposed Governor William Bligh. The coup, later nicknamed the Rum Rebellion (a name not used at the time), is the only successful military overthrow of a government in Australian history. Major George Johnston assumed control as lieutenant-governor; John Macarthur, whose failed trial and conflict with Bligh had sharpened the crisis, was a leading civilian supporter of the Corps.

The Corps marched up Bridge Street to the first Government House (on the site now marked by the Museum of Sydney) with band and colours. Bligh was arrested and held; military-backed administrations ran the colony until Governor Lachlan Macquarie assumed office in January 1810. Johnston was later court-martialled in England for mutiny and cashiered. Historians stress that the rebellion was less about rum itself than about power — land, trade, courts, and who would dominate the colony — even though the Corps’ involvement in the spirits trade earned it the later “Rum Corps” nickname.

Contemporary propaganda claimed Bligh was found hiding under a bed; modern accounts treat that story as Corps legend. Use published State Library of NSW, National Museum of Australia, and Dictionary of Sydney narratives; do not invent dialogue or troop counts beyond well-sourced figures.

Image captions: arrest scenes; portraits of Bligh, Johnston, and Macarthur; maps of Bridge Street and first Government House; and related historical prints. Identify artist and date where known, and do not present the “under the bed” story as proven fact.

Arrest Of Governor Bligh - The Rum Rebellion - 26th Jan 1808