[1][4] Following the death of his father in 1845, he inherited the family property, Holywell, in County Roscommon from which he derived a rental income of £1500 per annum.

An obituary published at the time of his death suggested that he had lost his estates due to the effects of the Irish Famine, as landholders were required to provide relief for their tenants.

In 1870, Redford was working as a stockman on Bowen Downs Station near Longreach in Queensland, where, with two associates, George Dewdney and William Rooke, he stole about 1,000 cattle.

Despite the compelling evidence presented by the prosecutor, the jury members were so impressed by Redford's achievements in taking the cattle to South Australia that they found him not guilty, whereupon Charles Blakeney remarked, "Thank God, gentlemen, that verdict is yours and not mine!

"[7] In response to the apparent disregard for justice shown by the verdict, in July 1873, the Government shut down the Roma District Criminal Court for two years but rescinded the order in January 1874.

His former home "Beaumont" on the corner of Gladstone Road and Gloucester St. was burnt in a massive fire in 1884,[8] after his death when the property had passed to his widow Ellen and was being rented.