William Hall

William Hall was employed as a butler at the house of Charlotte Collins in Marylebone. He was 38 and a father of five and could read and write. Along with Martha Handcox, a lady's maid employed in the same household, he was convicted at Central Criminal Court of robbery. Read the full trial at The Proceedings of the Old Bailey Online.  They were both sentenced to transportation for life.

In the convict indents of the Royal Sovereign, his native place was given as Staffordshire. He was 5' 4 3/4", and had a dark complexion, brown hair and brown eyes. Cast outward in right eye, carroty whiskers, raised mole on left cheek.

William Harrington - twenty nine year old grocer from Oxfordshire convicted at Surry Quarter Sessions of stealing scales in 1835. William Harrington could read and write and was married at the time of his conviction. In his notes it is recorded that he was considered a bad character as he had been transported before. On arrival in the Colony he was to be kept at hard labour on the public roads.

His description stated that he had a sallow and pockpitted complexion with dark brown hair mixed with grey. His eyes were hazel and the top of his head was bald.

In 1836/37 he was assigned to Goat Island.

George Harris

22 yr old blacksmith from Wiltshire convicted of stealing hay. He was single and could read and write. No previous convictions were recorded and he was sentenced to 7 years transportation.

George Harris was assigned to Samuel Blackman in the Cook district in 1836/37 and received a  Certificate of Freedom in 1843.

His description included:  mole left cheek, EBPW, 1834 inside lower right arm, 3 illegible letters back of left wrist, anchor and H back of left hand, scar inside left wrist.

John Harris

46 yr old father of eight convicted of stealing geese. He was listed as a farm servant, shepherd, well sinker and brickmaker. Native place -  Hampshire - convicted at Sussex Q.S.

30 yr old married father of two convicted of sheep stealing in Suffolk.

Joseph Headley

Many of the convicts on board the Royal Sovereign had no previous convictions. This was not the case with Joseph Headley who was an habitual criminal.   When he arrived in July 1835 it was his second voyage to Australia as he had already been found guilty of housebreaking in Norfolk and transported on the Sesostris for seven years.  Even then aged 22 he already had two prior convictions. 

When he arrived in Sydney on the Sesostris in 1826 he was assigned to the Superintendent at the Parramatta Factory. In the shipping indents which are completed on arrival in Australia, he gave his native place as Sydney.

By 1832 he must have been declared free as he travelled back to England on the ship Portland. He found it difficult to stay out of trouble however and by June 1835 he was again in Court in Norfolk, this time charged with stealing boots. He was once again found guilty and sentenced to 14 years transportation.  He was considered a recalcitrant convict and on arrival was assigned to Goat Island. Here convicts were constructing the Queens Magazine and barracks from sandstone quarried from the eastern side of the island. Also in the barracks area were kitchen and cooperage. These convicts worked in ironed gangs. The building of the Magazine was not completed until 1839 and when it was finished it measured 100ft. x 25 ft. There were massive buttresses supporting an enormous arched roof. Joseph probably worked on the Magazine until it was finished.  He received a ticket of leave in 1842 for the district of Yass so possibly had been forwarded to that area to work on roads after the Magazine was completed. 

He seems to have stayed out of trouble after this as in 1850 he received a Certificate of Freedom.

Richard and Henry Henley

Richard 19, and his brother Henry 17, were charged with stealing nine chairs on 21 April 1835 from their employer Harriet Augusta Tanner. The chairs were valued at 11 pounds 11 shillings and made of Honduras wood. Harriet Tanner was a widow who made her living by manufacturing furniture. She lived in New Street, City Road and employed Henry on a casual basis.

On the 21st of April,  Henry was employed to assist Mrs. Tanner move an easy chair and and eight dining room chairs from Cheapside to High Street, St. Giles.  While Mrs. Tanner was conducting her business,  Henry disappeared. She returned to the truck to see Henry just turning into Oxford Street. Although she tried to follow him, he managed to escape and when he didn't return by 8 o'clock she notified the police. When the police investigated, they found that Henry's brother Richard had sold the furniture to William Smith who lived at No 94 York Street, Westminster £6.

Richard and Henry  pleaded guilty and  although Mrs. Tanner's brother Frederick Henry Brown gave Henry a good character they were both sentenced to seven years transportation.

After arrival in Australia, Richard was assigned to Edward Stanton in Raymond Terrace. He he obtained a Ticket of Leave in 1840 for the district of Port Stephens, and applied to marry Mary Chapman at Paterson. In 1842 he was issued with a certificate of freedom.  Their two first children, Richard Joseph and Henry were born in 1841 and 1845 while the family lived near Singleton. When John was born in 1848 they were living in Pitt street Sydney. When James William (1850) and Caroline Victoria, 1853 were born, Richard was living in Goulburn Street, Sydney and working as a sawyer.

Richard also tried his hand at goldmining and later became a hotelkeeper at Wattle Flat where he died in 1855.  He was buried at Sofala and three years later his widow married James Dyson. (Australian Biographical and Genealogical Records Series 1 1788 - 1841)