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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z B
G eorge BaileyA father of two, George Bailey was convicted of Highway robbery at the Norfolk Assizes on 28 March 1835. Also convicted on this day at Norfolk Assizes were John Moss, Robert Blogg, Charles Wood and Edward Symonds. George had no previous convictions and was sentenced to transportation to Australia for Life. At thirty four years of age he was one of the older convicts on board the Royal Sovereign . In 1844, nine years after his arrival in the Colony, he was issued with a Ticket of Leave for the district of Bathurst
William Bailey The consequences of stealing a few pence, were harsh for 13 year old William Bailey. William, a knife boy, was born in 1822 in Stroudwater, Somersetshire. He was arrested in Bath probably in the summer of 1835 and convicted at the Somerset Quarter Sessions on 29th June 1835. He was sentenced to transportation beyond the seas for seven years. Also convicted on 29th June were William Bulpin, George Wall, Thomas Bulkin and Isaac Cottle. All were sent to Illchester prison to await their transportation. William was the youngest inmate on the Royal Sovereign. According to the indent, he was also the shortest at just 2' 8 1/2" in height. William survived the voyage, faring better than some prisoners who became ill with scorbitus. William’s only illness in the 136 Days on board ship was catarrh for which he was treated by the ships surgeon Dr. Francis Logan on 8th August. On arrival in Australia William Bailey was assigned to the tough Scottish pastoralist Peter McIntyre at Maitland and was probably put to work on one of McIntyre’s stations. Peter McIntyre died in 1842 and William received his Certificate of Freedom on 23 March 1843 aged 21 years.
Thomas Balkin Thomas Balken was an illiterate 16 year old errand boy when he was convicted of housebreaking on 29th June 1835 at the Somerset quarter Sessions. Along with George Wall, Isaac Cottle and William Bailey who were also convicted of various crimes that day, he was sent to Illchester Prison to await transportation to Australia.
Job Barnes Married with two sons, 25 years old Job Barnes was sentenced to 7 years transportation for stealing sacking after being convicted at the Wiltshire Assizes on 7 March 1835. A farm servant before he was transported, he was assigned to James McDougall at Patrick Plains when he was 28 years old. Here on McDougall's property, he probably continued with the farm work he was already familiar with. By February 1840 he had been granted a ticket of leave by the Patrick Plains Bench of Magistrates and by 1842 had received his ticket of freedom.Joe Bean Described as a ‘man of colour’ with black woolly hair, Joe Bean was a 21 year old house servant when he was convicted of stealing pork at the Bermuda General Assizes. He was sentenced to 10 years transportation to Australia, along with three other servants from Bermuda known as Abraham, John and Jim. Joe Bean was assigned to John McDougall in the Muswellbrook area and absconded from service in August 1838. He managed to evade capture for a couple of months however was captured and probably punished in October of that year. He was living in Maitland in 1844 when he was convicted of robbery and sentenced to twelve months in irons. He may have been sent to the Bathurst district to serve his time as he received a Ticket of Leave for the district of Bathurst in 1850. He received a colonial sentence of 2 years to be served at Norfolk Island and so did not receive another Ticket of Leave until 1855. This ticket was issued for the district of Ipswich.
William Bean William Bean was born approximately 1813 in Kent, England. On 26th July 1835 at the Sussex Assizes he was found guilty of stealing sheep and sentenced to transportation for life. At 5’5 ¾” he was taller than most of the convicts on board and was described as having dark brown hair and eyes and blind in one eye. He gave his occupation as farm servant and shepherd and he was assigned to James W. Low in the Bathurst district of NSW. William received his ticket of leave for the district of Bathurst in 1844.
Joseph Bellamy Joseph Bellamy was born in Bedminster, Somersetshire in 1814. By the 1830's Bedminster had become a thriving suburb of Bristol supplying produce to Bristol and participating in manufacturing. Many from the area were also employed in the numerous collieries in the surrounding area however Joseph worked as a stockman and butcher. On 31 March 1835 aged 19 he was tried at the Somerset Assizes for housebreaking. He had no previous convictions and was sentenced to transportation for life. He awaited transportation in the Illchester prison. Joseph was one of few who suffered no illness requiring medical treatment on the trip to Australia. In 1837 he was assigned to Thomas Icely, a wealthy Sydney businessman, at Bathurst. Icely had been granted 280 hectares of land in 1828 and as well as this acquired the use of vast areas of land over the following years. Joseph probably worked on Icely’s Coombing property at Carcoar. The work was often arduous and Icely (or his overseers) were known to use convicts to pull the ploughs. Joseph received a Ticket of Leave for the district of Carcoar in February 1844, and a Conditional Pardon in March 1848.
Thomas Bellamy was a 19-year-old glass blower in London when he was arrested for picking pockets and sentenced to 7 years transportation. He was tried at the Central Criminal Court on 6th April 1835. He suffered no illness on the voyage to Australia and on arrival was assigned to Edward Keeley at Paterson NSW. By 1840 he had received his Ticket of Leave for the Paterson district. He received his certificate of freedom by 1843 and soon after married Margaret Clarke who had given birth to their daughter Pricilla in 1842. Margaret died in 1856 aged 46 years. Bellamy was witness in a Court case in 1849 when four men Fry, Watts Evans and Hawkins were accused of stealing tobacco from James Phillip's Bona Vista, Paterson. He left the district in 1852, selling his furniture and the lease on a paddock and equipment he had used in the tobacco industry
Joseph Biddle Joseph Biddle was convicted at Berkshire Assizes on 28 February 1835 for highway robbery. Also tried on this day for highway robbery were 20-year-old William Smith and 20 year old Peter Plummer. Joseph was 18 when he was sentenced to 7 years transportation. Like many of his fellow convicts he had several tattoos on his arms and body. SB, SB, JB being some of them – perhaps initials of relatives. Joseph received his Ticket of Leave in 1840 for the Port Phillip district and applied for permission to marry Ellen Maddigan who had arrived on the Aliquiss and was free in 1841. Permission was granted in the district of Melbourne. By 1842 Joseph had received his Certificate of Freedom.
Henry Biggs was born in Essex in approximately 1815. He was a farm labourer and shepherd when he was convicted of his second crime – stealing linen. He was then sentenced to seven years transportation. On the voyage to Australia, Henry like many of his fellow passengers suffered from scorbutus (scurvy). He was treated by surgeon Francis Logan in November 1835 and pronounced cured. Aged 20 Henry was assigned to John Ellis in Yass and his ticket of Leave was issued by the Goulburn Bench for the district of Yass in 1840. Yass by this time had become an important stopping place on the road between Sydney and Melbourne. The township consisted of stores and a post office by 1835 and a courthouse and a gaol were constructed in 1837. Churches were in place by 1841. Henry Biggs was probably employed as a shepherd much as he had been in England before his transportation. In 1853 Henry married Eliza Liddy in Yass.
Robert Blogg Robert Blogg was one of 33 convicts on board the Royal Sovereign in 1835 who had prior convictions. He was considered a ‘bad character’ by the authorities and had already spent 6 ½ years in Bermuda as punishment for his first crime. On 28 March 1835 he was convicted of his second crime, housebreaking and stealing copper for which he was sentenced to 7 years transportation. On arrival in the colony he was to be kept at labour on the public roads. In July 1841 he absconded from the custody of a constable at Port Macquarie and his description was posted in the Government Gazette: Rope maker aged 27 from Norfolk; 5' 7 1/2"; dark complexion, brown hair, grey eyes, nose short and cocked, scar over right cheek, lost top of middle finger of right hand, several scars on left arm, two scars knuckle of forefinger of let hand.
Robert Blogg received his Certificate of
Freedom in 1842.
James Sevencroft Blomfield
James Sevencross
(Sevencroft) Blomfield
was born approximately 1794. By far the most educated convict on board the
convict ship Royal Sovereign he attended Cambridge University and had been a
Minister of the Church for 23 years before his conviction at Central
Criminal Court, London for stealing spectacles. In 1818 he had been
appointed to the Parishes of Beyton, Aldeburgh, and Triston cam Snape in
Suffolk where he lived with his wife and three children. Perhaps James found
that this occupation did not provide him with enough money to maintain his
young family and the lifestyle that he wished. Or perhaps he initially
wished for recognition as a scholar. He seems to have had very illustrious
connections, the Bishop of London, Charles Blomfield being a relative who
had once given his patronage for James to travel to the Cape of Good Hope.
James' downfall commenced after promoting a book he was to write and illustrate
using information
he gathered from his travels to the Cape of Good Hope. Here he had spent
time in charge of the sons of Mr. Daniel, a Naval Officer. Back in England
James began in 1831 taking subscriptions for his work. He travelled
the countryside visiting clergymen and other town officials asking for 5
shillings subscription for his future work. James was ' a very fine looking
man of gentlemanly exterior and imposing address' and he managed to continue
collecting these subscriptions for over three years before he came across
Mr. Charles Douglas. Mr. Douglas lived in Claremont Square, Pentonville and
was working in his garden when James came to call. Mr. Douglas was far
too wily to be taken in by James and declined to subscribe to his work,
however it was not until the next day that he found that his gold spectacles
had disappeared. Coming across James in the Strong room of the Tottenham
workhouse he questioned him about the spectacles and James admitted to
pawning them for 10 shillings after he found the spectacles in his hat.
Mr. Douglas wasted no time in calling the constabulary.
Constable Joseph
Foster accompanied James to a pawnbrokers in Grays-inn-lane near Kingscross
kept by Mr. Burgess who positively identified him as the
person who pawned the gold spectacles. James at this
point denied stealing the spectacles saying they were in
his hat by mistake. Had he been a thief he said he could
have plundered to a considerable extent in the houses of
the persons he visited to collect subscriptions for his
book. Why, he asked would he have admitted to having the
spectacles and taken the constable to the pawn shop if
he had meant to steal the spectacles? In this James
seems to be disingenuous. Perhaps this tactic had worked for him in the past.
His respectable appearance and connections may have carried him through.
This time however the authorities had twigged to his duplicity and were not
to be so easily hoodwinked. The Rev. George Hudson Thompson, Minister
of Trinity Capel, Tottenham had subscribed to James' work for 5
/-
and when he was told by an acquaintance that there was a notice in the
Times
cautioning people that a person answering James description was pursuing a
course of imposition by false representation, he was furious. He left
immediately to warn his neighbours against being similarly taken in.
While out on this mission he spotted James driving a 4 wheel chaise and
caused him to be taken into custody.
At this point James must still have felt he
would be believed. While he was undoubtedly worried abut his reputation, he
probably did not believe he would be found guilty of any offence. He
had, after all led a charmed life for the last three years. Surely his
education, abilities and connections would stand him in good stead once
again? He must though have been concerned for his wife and child whom he had
brought from Barnett with their maid servant, and who were in dire financial
straights. James continued to plead his innocence throughout the hearing,
speaking up for himself at what he probably considered were the injustices
of the case - stating that the Magistrate had not taken into consideration
the number of subscriptions that had not been collected as many put down
their names that did not pay. And more desperately as the trial went on -
declaring that it had always been his intention to bring out his work and
that he had in fact prepared drawings expressly for the purpose of
embellishing it. He could produce the person who engaged to print it and he
had agreed with him for 1000 copies for 150/- and again - 'You will
find the names of upwards 300 lawyers as subscribers to the work and if I
meant to practice any imposition they are a class of men who would be very
soon have found me out' . He pointed out that he had been forced to pay
great portions of the subscriptions towards his necessities. The Magistrate
was not to be convinced, pointing out that after receiving
subscriptions for so large an amount James continued to collect more
although the expense of the work was trifling and the printers costs would
have been well covered. The Magistrate found that there was no moral doubt
that James' intention was to raise money by false pretences on the credit of
a work which it was more than probably never intended to bring out however,
legal proof of a guilty intention was not sufficiently strong to found an
indictment upon it the charge of fraud and so would not be persisted in.
However in the charge of stealing spectacles the evidence was so strong that
he had no choice but to commit James for trial.
On hearing of James situation and pleas to visit
his ailing and now impoverished wife, the Bishop of London, Charles
Blomfield, directed that James' expenses for visiting his wife be
charged to his own expense. James was accompanied to visit his wife and
child by the constable of Tottenham towards the end of June 1835 and soon
after was conveyed to Newgate prison to await his trial which took place at
the Old Bailey on 6th July 1835. James was sentenced to seven years
transportation and 23 days later departed on the Royal Sovereign bound for
Australia. Despite his age (41) he suffered no serious illnesses on the
voyage to Australia although in September he was treated by the ships
surgeon
Francis Logan for Ringworm. His appearance on arrival must
have been very different to the swarthy, fine looking gentleman who stood in
the docks at the Old Bailey. His complexion was sallow and he is described
as being a full two inches shorter than on previous occasions. His light
brown hair had been shaved. His convict garb would have been a
sharp contrast to his Clergyman's suit of black that he was accustomed to in
London. He must have been desperately worried about his family left behind
and like his fellow companions worried about what the future would bring.
Where would he be sent on arrival in the Colony? A well read man, he would
have an idea of the conditions that awaited him. This knowledge would
probably have been enhanced by other prisoners on board some of whom were on
their second transportation to Australia.
On his arrival in the Colony James found that he
was to be forwarded to the penal settlement at Port Macquarie. In 1836 in
Port Macquarie there were approximately 1300 people, 360 of them were free
settlers often living great distances from the settlement itself. James
travelled at times quite a distance from the convict settlement and
considered that outlying settlers in the district had inadequate religious
instruction and so in 1838, three years after his arrival, petitioned the
Governor to be allowed to provide religious instruction in the form of
lectures or readings to these distant settlers. He considered the crime for
which he had been convicted quite trivial and still clung at this time to
his ‘sacred calling’ and wished to improve the spiritual and moral condition
of those around him. This petition to lecture was denied by the
Governor and presumably James continued in his convict occupation at Port
Macquarie.
James
was granted a ticket of Leave for the District in 1840. The 1840’s were a
difficult time as the entire colony was hit by a depression. By 1841 James
must have given up hope of returning to his former calling, or of ever
seeing his 3 children and wife again because he applied for permission to
marry 38-year-old Catherine Hogan a convict who had arrived on the
Diamond.
At this time he was living in the town of Port Macquarie.
James received his Certificate of Freedom in 1842 On 7th
May 1846 (in England), his son Henry Sevencroft Bloomfield married
Charlotte, daughter of Captain Spencer of Kilfenora, Ireland.
John Bluford was
born
approximately 1815 to Mary (nee Priest) and James Bluford. A stable boy in his native Bristol, he eventually became
the licencee of the Butchers Arms, a hotel at Largs near Morpeth.
Sentenced at Somerset Assizes on 31
March 1835 for housebreaking, he languished
at Illchester Prison before
embarking on the Royal Sovereign for transportation to Australia. Another
prisoner, Joseph Bellamy was also convicted of housebreaking at the same
time as John. Both gave their last abode as Bedminster, Somersetshire.
In March of 1846, John now employed as a hutkeeper, at Mr. Lang's 'Breeza'
was tried at the Maitland Circuit Court for cattle stealing. He was found
not guilty, however was remanded in custody on another charge of stealing an
ox belonging to Ruth Phelps.
By 1848 John was again applying for
permission to marry – this time to 20-year-old Margaret Thompson who had
arrived on the Portland. They were married by
Rev. G.K. Rusden in Maitland. By
1850 he had received his conditional Pardon. He died aged 57 in 1872 at
Largs.
Michael Bowker - A
Cotton Spinner from Lancashire, Michael Bowker was married
with 2 sons and a daughter when he was sentenced to 7 years
transportation for stealing money. He received a Certificate of Freedom 1841
William Braddick - 23 yr old violin player from Somerset.
He was sentenced to transportation for Life for sheep stealing. Assigned to
Henry Hall at Yass
Thomas Bragg
Thomas
Bragg, convicted of stealing a copper boiler at the Essex Quarter Sessions in
November 1833, was one of the 48 farm workers on the Royal Sovereign. Aged 46 he
was married and a father of seven. He is described as having white blotches on
the back of his lower right arm and scald marks below his knees. He was
one of many to suffer from scorbutus on the trip although was not treated until
13 December when the ship had already docked. On arrival he was assigned
to Messrs Maccarthur at Camden. He obtained a ticket of Leave for the district of
Stonequarry on 7 September 1840
James Bravon
was born in Sussex c. 1815. He was twenty two
years when he was
convicted of stealing handkerchiefs
at the Portsmouth Quarter Sessions on 6th April 1835.
He was assigned to P. King of Penrith and received a Ticket of Leave in 1840.
James Broadbent
James Broadbent was a filesmith from Yorkshire and was convicted of housebreaking at
Warwick Quarter Sessions. His Tattoos included -
7
stars, half moon man and flag and Sheffield coat of arms, inside lower right arm.
He was assigned to John Erskine who was employed as Clerk to the Bench
of Magistrates in Maitland
Jabez Brown - a 29 yr old ribbon weaver from Coventry
who was convicted of stealing silk at the Warwick assizes. He was married with 3 children
before transportation.
Description: Missing upper tooth. He received a Ticket of Leave for Goulburn district
in 1844
Benjamin Bryant was twenty years old - a boatman from Wiltshire when
he was convicted of stealing a coat in January 1835 and sentenced to 7
years transportation.
He applied to
marry Susan White in Bathurst district.
William Bullpin
William
Balpin born in Durleigh, Bridgewater Farm servant aged 22 convicted of house
breaking Somerset Assizes June 1835 and sentenced to transportation for Life.
For a previous conviction he was sent to prison for 3 months. In
the indent for the Royal Sovereign he is
Samuel Bunce (Bounce) Was tried at Worcestershire aged 44. He suffered from vertigo on the voyage to Australia and died in the General Hospital Sydney soon after arrival on 31st December 1835.
Joseph Burrell Was a 29 year old single farm labourer convicted of pig stealing at Essex Quarter Sessions. He was assigned to John Eales, Maitland
James Butcher had a prior conviction of six months in 1835 when he was sentenced to 14 yrs transportation at Suffolk Quarter Sessions for robbing a store house. He was a 29 year old father of three and described as a farm worker and illiterate. |
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