In Old Parramatta, one could find Princely Pickpockets, Gentlemen Rogues, Genteel ‘Sea-Wives,’ Homemakers who were Housebreakers, and Anti-Settlers. Here, a celebrated highwayman supped with the ‘Guv’nor,’ a hardened ex-con loved his shotguns as much as he prized his tuberoses, and a frail one’s profession of heartbreak could just as easily be an act of revenge. It was a place that could make a convict out of a free man, and turn a convict into a constable…or even a mayor! As the title suggests, Rogues tells the stories of some of Old Parramatta’s most morally bankrupt and incorrigible characters, as well as those misfits who, simply by rebelling against the norms of their day, became walking paradoxes.

Edited by historian Dr. Michaela Ann Cameron, and supported by Create NSW, Rogues features new pieces by Dr. Cameron as well as Dr. James Dunk, Dr. Catie Gilchrist and David Morgan.