The Mail
The Mail May-June 2015 No. 170 ISSN 0812-8243 Registered by Australia Post - Print Post 100004694 May-June 2015 The Mail is published bi-monthly (except Jan - Feb) on behalf of the Descendants of Convicts' Group Inc. A0025060G ABN 65 842 201 084 www. vicnet.net.au/~dcginc Patron The Hon. Justice Howard Nathan Forthcoming Events Meetings are held at 1:30pm on Level B1, 257 Collins Street Melbourne * Dates for 2015 * 2 May 2015—AGM 4 July 2015 5 Sept 2015 7 Nov. 2015 President Bronwyn Quint - 9808 1980 [email protected] * Contents * President's Report .......................................... 3 Minutes of General Meeting ......................... 4 Vice President Minutes of General Meeting…………………...5 Pauline McDonald Notices…………….. ………………………….6 Annual General Meeting …………………. ….7 Secretary Nomination Form……………………………...8 Yvonne Bethell—(03)9739 1427 [email protected] Great Britain’s Exiles……………………...…..9 Great Britain’s Exiles…………………………10 Honorary Treasurer Great Britain’s Exiles…………………………11 Pam Lawrrence Great Britain’s Exiles………………………....12 Newsletter Dates, Meeting Dates……..………13 Examiner of Proofs Albany Convict Gaol………………………….14 Laurice Cross - 9874 4553 43 Dudley Street, Mitcham, Vic. 3132 Albany Convict Gaol………………………….15 [email protected] New Members,……………...………………...16 10 and 20 year Badges………………………..17 Committee Members Thomas Waineright, Poisoner………………...18 Bill Barber Thomas Waineright, Poisoner………………...19 Laurice Cross The Female Convict Ship…………………….20 Stuart Hamilton The Female Convict Ship……………………..21 Fay Jones John O’Rielley Useful Websites………..……………………..22 June Parrott Tasmanian Family History Society, Email Copies of the Mail…………………………………….23 All correspondence, membership enquiries, financial Aims of Group, Membership………………….24 business and other matters related to “The Descendants of Convicts Group Inc” should be directed to the Honorary Secretary. c/- Descendants of Convicts' Group Inc PO Box 229 Coldstream Victoria 3770 Australia Email [email protected] All Claim Forms and related material should be sent to the Examiner of Proofs. All items for inclusion in an issue of ‘The Mail’ should be sent to the newsletter editor Newsletter Editor Jenny Ford [email protected] Printed by: Apple Print 702 High Street Road Glen Waverley All articles and information contained in The Mail are accepted in good faith and ‘The Descendants of Convicts' Group Victoria Inc’. take no responsibility for the content therein. Membership Fees 2015-2016 Fees Single and family joining fee $25 Single subscription $20 Single Life Membership $200 st The subscription fees are due by 1 June each year 2 Family subscription Family Life Membership $25 $250 The Mail, No. 170 Presidents Report The Descendants of Convicts group has again held its own over the last year. We have had interesting speakers at our meetings and our newsletter has been really informative thanks to Jenny Ford the newsletter editor. Please keep helping her out by sending her new and interesting articles to print. New changes have been made thanks to our treasurer Pam and members can now pay by bank transfer as well as cheque or cash at meetings. Our overseas members are happy about this as they have been asking for this facility for a while. On a personal note I have been on the committee of the Descendants of Convicts group for over 20 years now and am stepping down as President and not re-nominating this year due to health and family reasons. If any descendant members would like to take on this position please nominate as it is a worthwhile experience and helps the group out. It is not very time consuming, there being only a committee meeting on the morning of our general meetings, also at the GSV, and a few phone calls and emails between meetings. The next year will hopefully be as good as or better than the last for everyone. Bronwyn Quint May-June 2015 3 Descendants of Convict’s Group Victoria Inc. Minutes of General Meeting held on 7 March 2015 Opening & Welcome: Vice President Pauline McDonald welcomed those present Present: .30.members - See attached list Apologies: .R Dowd, B Quint, K Gulliver, J Gulliver, P Game, R Leetham I Neal, R Bowman P Fitzgerald, G Golds, M Golds, M Chapman, V Henderson, A Mason, B Mason Confirmation of Minutes – 2/11/2014 as printed in “The Mail Ed 169” Moved J O’Reilly; Seconded L Cross that the minutes of 2nd November 2014 as printed in Ed 169 of “The mail be received Carried Matters Arising from minutes meeting held on 2/11/2014: None Treasurer's report Total of term deposits, cheque account and cash on hand $24262.34 $1500 is still to be sent to “Founders and Survivors”. Moved P Lawrence, Seconded S Hamilton, that the Treasurer’s report be received. Carried Business Arising from Treasurer’s Report None Correspondence In GSV – Invitation to 2 members to attend AGM of member groups on Saturday 23rd May 2015. Tasmanian FHS Inc. – Lillian Watson Family History Award – for a book on family history, however produced or published on paper, dealing with family or biographical history with a significant Tasmanian content. Correspondence Out None. Business arising from Correspondence. F Jones and Y Bethell will attend GSV AGM for member groups. No certificates presented Meeting dates - 2015 7th March 2015. Colleen Wood - Exiles 2nd May 2015 Don Bradmore .- The Remarkable Edward Myers: Convict, Artist, Musician, Linguist, Soldier-of-Fortune, Doctor of Medicine and Newspaper Publisher” (2014) and researching and preparing the book for publication 4th July, 5th September, 7th November 4 The Mail, No. 170 Descendants of Convict’s Group Victoria Inc. Minutes of General Meeting held on 7 March 2015 Agenda items Sec Yvonne Bethell apologized to Life Members for sending renewal forms to them as it caused some confusion, although as any contacted per phone or email their details were updated on the database. Life members do not pay renewal fees. General Business 20 year badges were given to Pauline Bartlett for Len Bartlett and Dorothy Stein. A list of members due to collect 10 and 20 year badges will be printed in Ed 170 of “The Mail”. Members to contact Secretary if they are able to attend the May meeting will be presented with their badge at that meeting. Members not able to attend will have their badges posted to their address in our records. June Parrott suggested that some recognition be given to members at 30 years. Moved Janice Swan, seconded Lyn Johnson that an award be given to 30 year members. Carried Sec Y Bethell explained that although this was looked into last year she would investigate the cost of some sort of award. John O’Reilly reminded members that the May meeting was also the AGM and encouraged members to stand for committee positions. The nomination forms were published in Ed169 of “The Mail”. Pauline then welcomed Colleen Wood to speak about Exiles Colleen gave a PowerPoint presentation about the 1,727 exiles who were sent to Port Phillip on nine ships between 1844 and 1849. They had come from Pentonville, Millbank and Parkhurst prisons, where many of the adults had been kept under the ‘separate system’ for eighteen months. When they disembarked in the colony, the exiles received their conditional pardon certificates, meaning that they were free. Many labourers took jobs as shepherds or hut keepers, at a time when the squatters were desperate for cheap labour. The presentation included images showing prison records and other original documents. Colleen has recently completed research for a PhD in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. She can be contacted on:[email protected] for further information Meeting Closed at; 3.30pm followed by afternoon tea May-June 2015 5 Electronic Funds Transfers for fees th On 10 February we received fees of $35 from a member with no identifiable reference details. The EFT was via Bank of Queensland and was received into our account on 10/2/15. The Secretary has been unable to trace this payment. Members who use Bank of Queensland, please check your records and contact Secretary, Yvonne Bethell at [email protected] and let her know if you made that payment, maybe 2 or 3 days prior to the 10th. Apology to Life Members Secretary Yvonne Bethell apologises to The Descendants of Convicts Victoria Inc. Life members for inadvertently sending them renewal notices. This caused some confusion. A number of Life Members sent me emails to which I replied mainly by telephone. I didn’t think of these being sent until the first phone call about it. However, there was an upside to it. Those members who contacted me had their details on the database checked and a number of these were corrected immediately. Also others sent in their renewal forms marked Life member and details were also checked and updated where necessary. Guest Speakers for 2015 2nd May Don Bradmore - “The Remarkable Edward Myers: Convict, Artist, Musician, Linguist, Soldier-of-Fortune, Doctor of Medicine and Newspaper Publisher” and researching and preparing the book for publication. 4th July 2015 – Laurice Cross – proving your convict/s 5th September 2015 – Colette McAlpine – Female Convicts in Van Diemans Land. Colette is part of the Founders and Survivors team 7th November 2015 – Sue Thompson – Nellie Melba Sue is a member of Lilydale Historical Society Interest Groups The list of like interest groups is being finalised and will be printed in the next edition (171).Yvonne Bethell 6 The Mail, No. 170 Important Reminder Annual General Meeting on 2nd May 2015 Basement 257 Collins Street Melbourne A reminder to members that the General Meeting starts at 1.30pm and is suspended to hold the Annual General Meeting at approximately 1.45pm. At the AGM all committee positions are declared vacant and new office bearers are elected. There is a nomination form on the reverse of this notice. We need the following President Vice President Secretary Treasurer 6 Ordinary Committee Members All positions are voluntary Please consider nominating yourself, post the form to P O Box 229 COLDSTREAM VIC 3770 or email it to [email protected] and I will find a mover and seconder. Agenda Annual Gener al Meeting 2nd May 2015 1.Welcome 2. Minutes AGM 2014 3. Reports 4. All committee positions declared vacant 5. Election of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Committee Members 6. General Business 7. AGM Close Resume General Meeting May-June 2015 7 The Descendants of Convicts Group Victoria Inc. A0025060G ABN 63 842 201 084 www.vicnet.net.au/~dcginc NOMINATION FORM Annual Election of four Officers and six Ordinary Members of the Committee We hereby nominate: ………………………………………..Member No. ……………. (Candidate’s name in BLOCK LETTERS) for the position of: President/ Vice President/Secretary/Treasurer Ordinary Member of the Committee (Delete as desired) ……………………………………................................................. (Proposer’s Name & Signature) Member No……………. ……………………………………................................................. (Seconder’s Name & Signature) Member No……………. I ACCEPT THIS NOMINATION and give my consent to act in the elected position. Signature: …………………………………. Date: ………./………/……… This form is to be returned NOT LATER THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE DATE OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING to: The Secretary. The Descendants of Convicts Group Victoria Inc. PO Box 115 Flinders Lane PO Victoria 8009 Notes: 1 Only proven descendant members are eligible for election as Officers, but all financial members are eligible for election as Ordinary Committee Members. 2. Members may be nominated for more than one position. 8 The Mail, No. 170 Great Britain’s Exiles sent to Port Phillip, Australia, 1844-1849: Lord Stanley’s Experiment The following is an address given at the 7th March meeting by Colleen Woods. As not all members can attend meetings, Colleen has kindly given permission to print her talk in DOC. It will be printed over 3 editions of DOC. Part 1: Over the last few years that I have been studying the exiles, I found that most of them were members of the working class, with a few from the middle class. Some stand out for sheer force of personality, despite their difficult circumstances. There were at least four that acquired nicknames in the colony: ‘Holy Joe’, ‘Lucky Billy’, ‘Clockey Brown’ and ‘Jack the Shingler’. I’ll come back to them later. The reason I embarked on research into the exiles was because of my great-great-great-grandfather, William Nicholls. As a 17-year-old lad from Norwich, he had stolen a horse and was sentenced to transportation for ten years. After time spent in Millbank prison, he sailed on the Marion and landed in Melbourne in 1848. William Nicholls married in Kyneton and raised a family, but in 1877 he re-offended and found himself in Castlemaine Gaol for six months. Our family history lost trace of him, and so his later years and death remain a mystery. Many of you would be aware of the work of others, particularly Ian Wynd who wrote The Pentonvillains in 1996, Keith Clarke, who wrote Convicts of the Port Phillip District in 1999, and David Dunstan who edited Owen Suffolk’s Days of Crime and Years of Suffering in 2000. Their groundbreaking work on the exiles has been invaluable in my research.. Keith Clarke’s book has a useful list of all the exiles in a table at the back of the book. David Dunstan’s book republishes the only memoir written by an exile. Owen Suffolk was one of the worst re-offenders in Port Phillip, but he was obviously a highly intelligent and talented person. The exile scheme was the work of Colonial Secretary, Lord Stanley, and of Sir James Graham, Home Secretary. The main reason for its creation was in response to the debacle in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), whereby Britain had flooded the island with convicts, and as a result there was no work available. Meanwhile, the squatters in the Port Phillip District of NSW (now Victoria) were crying out for cheap labour in the form of shepherds and hut keepers. Legally speaking, Lord Stanley was in a dilemma because he could not send the men and boys we now call exiles to Port Phillip, because until 1851 it was part of NSW. Mercy’, which meant that Lord Stanley could solve his problem. May-June 2015 (Cont. on p.10) 9 Great Britain’s Exiles sent to Port Phillip, Australia, 1844-1849: Lord Stanley’s Experiment The solution was to call the men and boys ‘exiles’ instead of ‘convicts’, and to give them conditional pardons, so that they would be free on arrival in Port Phillip. This meant that they could not return to Britain until their sentences expired. The vast majority of the exiles were English, with the next largest group coming from Scotland. Although there was a small number born in Ireland, others of Irish extraction may have been counted amongst the English, due to the internal migration of their parents. The 1830s and 1840s in Britain was a difficult time economically and politically, especially for the working classes. It was a time of rioting, unemployment, the spread of Chartism, and efforts to repeal the Corn Laws. There was no state-organised system of education, so young children were exploited by working long hours in factories or down the mines. Many destitute families had to resort to the workhouses. Marx and Engels predicted revolution in Britain. One way in which people expressed their frustration was through setting fire to haystacks and the like. I found fourteen exiles who were convicted of arson or incendiarism. It is sad to come across the fact that not only were some exiles wrongly sentenced, but that they would never have known it. I came across at least six individual cases which had the phrase ‘an erroneous sentence’ written in the trial record book. Thomas Drewery’s case was the only one of an exile who suffered a miscarriage of justice based on mistaken identity. He was a druggist who sailed on the Joseph Somes. Later he was exonerated, and was given the opportunity to return to England. Drewery decided that life in Australia was better, however, so his wife and children were sent out here to join him. He became a Melbourne City councillor. Drewery Lane, not far from the State Library of Victoria, parallel to Swanston Street, is named after him. Many of the exiles came from rural areas, but of those who came from cities, the overwhelming majority were from London and were tried at the Central Criminal Court. The transcripts of their trials are available on the Old Bailey web site. The exiles’ crimes were often for larceny or vagrancy, although there were a number of exiles convicted for more violent crimes. More than half of them had prior convictions. Sometimes magistrates sent boys as young as eight years old to Parkhurst for their own good. (Cont. on p. 11) 10 The Mail, No. 170 Great Britain’s Exiles sent to Port Phillip, Australia, 1844-1849: Lord Stanley’s Experiment Most exiles were sent to Pentonville Penitentiary, which was a new model prison where the ‘separate system’ was being trialled. The other adult prison was Millbank, on the bank of the Thames. It had been established initially as a penitentiary, but in August 1843 was redesignated as a depot prison. From then on, all persons sentenced to transportation had to spend time in Millbank to be classified. Some were then sent on to Pentonville. Boys under eighteen years of age were sent to the Parkhurst Reformatory on the Isle of Wight. Because the exiles were free on arrival, there were no convict indents for them. So, in order to find personal information about them, other avenues must be used. By going through the prison registers, you can find a wealth of information. Sometimes there is a detailed physical description, or the religion, or the father’s name and occupation, or details of visits from relatives. From the Pentonville register I found that, for 24% of the exiles, the fathers had died before their sons went to trial. If you would like to look these up the registers for Millbank and Pentonville are on the AJCP reels at the State Library of Victoria. Because most exiles spent some time in Millbank, it is useful to look at that register as well, even if your exile spent most of his time at Pentonville or Parkhurst. Pentonville Register: AJCP reel no. 5977, P.COM 2/61 & 2/62 (HO 24/1624/19) Millbank Register: AJCP reels no. 5971-5973, P.COM 2/21 & 2/27 (HO 24/1-HO 24/14) Parkhurst Register: HO 24/15 at The National Archives, UK. The designs of Pentonville and Millbank were based on the idea of a panopticon. This meant that all prisoners could be under constant surveillance from a central point. Pentonville accommodated 500 healthy male prisoners between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five. They were selected for their potential and for their apparent willingness to reform . The prisoners suffered a loss of identity, being known only by their cell number. Millbank prison catered for about 1,000 prisoners, separated into adult and junior wards. The adults worked under ‘moderate separation’, and the juveniles worked ‘in association’ but in silence, for twelve hours each day. In the Pentonville Register, those judged to have excellent conduct became exiles on the first exile ship, the Royal George. Obviously the authorities wanted to make a good impression with this first group. (Cont. on p.12) May-June 2015 11 Great Britain’s Exiles sent to Port Phillip, Australia, 1844-1849: Lord Stanley’s Experiment In Pentonville, prisoners spent 18 months working in their separate cells, learning a trade. Their only communication was with the warders, a trade instructor, and the prison chaplain. They were provided with religious books to read. They had no communication with other prisoners, even when attending chapel or during their daily exercise, when they wore a cap pulled down over their eyes so they could not be identified. The separate system, particularly at Pentonville had its critics, due to the negative effect on the mental health of some individuals, leading to suicide attempts, or feigned acts of suicide. The men who did become insane were sent to Bedlam hospital. As time went on, Millbank became overcrowded and the staff were under pressure to maintain the registers, and so the information recorded in the register became less detailed. The legal foundation for the exile scheme was the warrant for the conditional pardons, using the Royal Prerogative of Mercy. This was signed by Queen Victoria for each of the nine shiploads of exiles. The document was sealed with the wax seal of the Home Office, and was countersigned on the last page by the Home Secretary, Sir James Graham. These documents are kept at the Public Records Office of Victoria in Kensington. The one for the Stratheden is missing unfortunately. Lord Stanley’s lengthy despatch of 27 July 1844 announced the exile scheme. Identical copies of this despatch were addressed to Charles La Trobe (Superintendent of Port Phillip), Sir George Gipps (Governor of NSW) and Sir Eardley Wilmot (Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen’s Land). The despatch was sent on the Royal George, the same ship as the exiles. (You can find a transcription of this in the Historical Records of Australia, Volume XXIII, 699-704.) (To be Cont. in DOC 171) 12 The Mail, No. 170 Items in the Convict Store We have in the Convict Store CD ROMs and books for sale. The CD ROM “Index to Colonial Convict Movements 1827 to 1853” is for sale at $10 per copy. Arrows of Hope Vol 2 is for sale for $5 per copy. These can be purchased at meetings or with added postage and handling from: The Treasurer The Descendants of Convict's Group Victoria Inc. PO Box 229, Coldstream Victoria, Australia, 3770 Newsletter Dates for 2015 If you have an item of interest you would like to see printed in the newsletter please send it by post to 88 Somers Street, Burwood 3125 Australia, or email it to me at <[email protected]>. I am always looking for items of interest to print so please send any in. The closing dates for inclusion in the newsletters for 2015 are: 7 June 9 August 11 October 2015 2015 2015 I look forward to receiving your articles, or any other information you find in newspapers, on the internet, etc. Prefer docs in Word format. What about book reviews? Jenny Ford Newsletter Editor Arrows of Hope Vol 3 I am still looking for stories to put into the 3rd volume of Arrows of Hope. Hopefully a few relaxing days over the holidays gave you time to write a short story about your convict ancestor for inclusion. Any stories can be sent to me by email or posted to the Group’s PO Box. I would like to publish a 3rd volume of the book, but can’t do that without stories to include! Bronwyn Quint May-June 2015 13 Albany Convict Gaol Albany Gaol once was a Convict hiring depot. It was built in 1852. In Western Australia, unlike Tasmania and New South Wales the convict system was based on the idea of rehabilitation. With the Convicts being transported from the Motherland England for over an 18 year period, between 1850 and 1868, so the Old Gaol began as a Convict Hiring Depot. A lot of convicts had their ticket-of-leave and were hired to work by the free settlers. They were also used to man the pilot boat and worked in rebuilding York Street and Stirling Terrace; they also turned the track from Albany to Perth into a good road. Initially It consisted of men’s cell blocks and wardens quarters, large depot building, workshops, hospital, kitchen, offices, garden and parade ground. A report some years later described the cells as damp and poorly ventilated, with a spring of flowing water running under the building during winter. The gaol was also used as a lock up for “ticket of leave” men who had committed an offense. A brick wall with a strong door was built to separate the colonial prisoners from the Imperial convicts. In 1873 the Old Convict Gaol was enlarged to be used as a public gaol. A report in the Inquirer (Perth, 27 April, 1853) briefly describes an escape: “Two more of the ticket-of-leave men have disappeared from Albany Gaol and it is supposed that they shipped themselves on board one of the American whalers.”. Another report in the Inquirer (Perth, 23March, 1870) states: “Our little gaol is crowded. There are now in it 2 white men waiting for trial, 2 white women undergoing 3 months sentence and 3 blackfellows for an indefinite period--l —remanded from time to time on a charge of murder amongst themselves; 25 British seamen in the depot for refusing to work, and I very much doubt if we do not have bloodshed among them yet, if great precaution is not taken bv the authorities.” (All information and photo/map were summarised from Trove, The History of the Albany Convict Gaol by Susanne Horton, and website: http://www.albany.asn.au/convictgaolalbany.htm) The idea for the article and access to the map and a few pages of the book came from member Helen Reichenbach. 14 The Mail, No. 170 May-June 2015 15 NEW MEMBERS New members who have joined since the last meeting and are now Associate Members, they are: Associates: 1602 Lyn & Ian Cair ncr oss 1605 Kate Scanlan 1606 Sandra Roundsevell-Aidon Proven Members: Member Name: Member No.: Convict Name: Ship Name: Place of Arrival:` Date of Arrival: Date Proved: Phillip Johnson 1521 Primmer, Charles John Ocean Sydney 1816 23 March 2015 Member Name: Member No.: Convict Name: Ship Name: Date of Arrival: Date Proved: Phillip Johnson 1521 Sullivan, Mary Brother 04 February 1827 23 March 2015 Member Name: Member No.: Convict Name: Ship Name: Date of Arrival: Date Proved: Phillip Johnson 1521 Johnson, William Mangles 1837 23 March 2015 Member Name: Member No.: Convict Name: Ship Name: Date of Arrival: Date Proved Samuel Vernon Miller 1344 Inman, Mary Maria 11 October 1818 29 March 2015 Member Name: Member No.: Convict Name: Ship Name: Date of Arrival: Date Proved: Samuel Vernon Miller 1344 Miller, James Indefatigable 19 October 1812 29 March 2015 16 The Mail, No. 170 10 and 20 Year Badges for 2015 Those present at the May meeting will be presented with them at the meeting or will have them posted out after the secretary receives confirmation of a current address. Members can phone me on (03) 9739 1427 or mobile 0400 981 238 between 9.00am and 9.00pm any day. Yvonne Bethell May-June 2015 17 Artist, Writer, Dandy, Forger, Poisoner and Convict A convict who poisoned his uncle to get his property, then insured the lives of his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and poisoned them, too, is the artist who drew two portraits to be hung soon at the National Gallery here . Wainewright poisoned off his three relatives in England. He was never charged with murder, but was arrested for forgery. He was transported to Tasmania, arriving at Hobart in November,1837.After a time it became known that there was an artist in the Hobart Gaol who had shown at the Academy, and a group of citizens asked if he could visit homes in the town to paint portraits. It is said that he was usually accompanied by an armed guard. At one time, when he was painting a beautiful young woman of 18, his drug phial fell to the ground. She went to pick it up." Not with your innocent fingers, "he muttered, stopping her. Wainewright later worked in the Hobart Public Hospital, where ,his only friend was a black cat. He died of apoplexy at 53. Wainreight’s early background is interesting. On 13 November 1817 he married Eliza Frances Ward, the daughter by a previous marriage of Mrs Abercromby. His grandfather had left him the income from £5250, which amounted to some £200 a year. Wainewright placed the capital sum of his inheritance in trust for his young wife, arranging that the money would go to her at his death. However, he lived above his income and was soon heavily in debt; by forging the signatures of his cousin, Edward Foss, and his father, Edward Smith Foss, a solicitor, to a power of attorney in July 1822 he obtained £2250 of his capital from the Bank of England. Two years later with a second forgery he obtained the remaining £3000. In 1828 he and his wife went to live with his uncle, George Edward Griffiths, who soon died, leaving him his house and some money. In 1830 'old Mrs Abercromby' died a few days after making her will in favour of Mrs Wainewright. The two other daughters, Helen and Madeleine Abercromby, came to live with the Wainewrights. Almost immediately Helen, still only 20, took out life policies with various insurance companies for some £16,000. Ten months later Helen Abercromby died after a brief illness. The insurance companies were suspicious and refused to pay. Wainewright, as executor, brought an action for recovery. After long delay the case was heard before Judge Abinger on 29 June 1835, but the jury disagreed. 18 The Mail, No. 170 Artist, Writer, Dandy, Forger, Poisoner and Convict The portrait by former convict Thomas Wainewright was found in a private collection in Scotland. When the case was heard again the verdict was in favour of the defendants on the grounds of 'concealment by Miss Abercromby and an evasion of the statute'. Wainewright had left his wife and son in 1831 and remained out of England for six years. During Wainewright's absence in France the Bank of England discovered his forgeries and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He returned to England, was arrested on 9 June 1837 and charged with having attempted to defraud the Bank of England with a forged power of attorney. He was sentenced to transportation for life . He worked at first on the roads in a chain-gang and was quartered in the prisoners' barracks in Campbell Street; later he was transferred to the Hobart Hospital as a wardsman. His health started to decline. The doctors were unable to diagnose the complaint, which was probably disseminated sclerosis. He was allowed some freedom and this enabled him to practise his beloved painting. Many of the portraits he produced at this time are among the best of his works and were mostly painted in gratitude for small favours by the subjects. In 1844, helped by the hospital authorities, he petitioned the governor for a ticket-of-leave, but his conditional pardon was not granted until 14 November 1846. He died one year later. (All information summarised from Trove, Adelaide News 15 March, 1945, Australian Dictionary of Biography and ABC News) May-June 2015 19 THE FEMALE CONVICT-SHIP BY THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY The tide is in, the breeze is fair, The vessel under weigh ; The gallant prow glides swiftly on, And throws aside the spray : The tranquil ocean, minor-like, Reflects the deep blue skies, And, pointing to the destined course, The straightened pennon flies. Oh ! none of those heart cradled prayers That never reach the lip, No benedictions wait upon That fast-receding ship : No tearful eyes are strained to watch Its progress from the land ; And there are none to wave the scarf, And none to kiss the hand. Yet women throng that vessel's deck— The haggard, and the fair, The young in guilt, and the depraved, Are intermingled there ! The girl, who from her mother's arms Was early lured away ; The hardened hag, whose trade had been To lead the pure astray ! A young and sickly mother kneels Apart from all the rest ; And with a song of home she lulls The babe upon her breast. She falters,—for her tears must flow,— She cannot end the verse ; And nought is heard among the crowd But laughter, shout, or curse ! 'Tis sunset. Hark ! the signal gun , All from the deck are sent The young, the old, the best, the worst, In one dark dungeon pent ! Their wailing, and their horrid mirth, Alike are hushed in sleep, And now the female convict-ship In silence ploughs the deep. But long the lurid tempest-cloud Hath brooded o'er the waves, And suddenly the winds are roused, And leave their secret caves, And up aloft the ship is borne, And down again as fast, And every mighty billow seems More dreadful than the last. 20 The Mail, No. 170 THE FEMALE CONVICT-SHIP Oh ! who that loves the pleasure-barque, By summer breezes fanned, Shall dare to paint the ocean-storm, Terrifically grand ? When helplessly the vessel drifts, Each torn sail closely furled ; When not a man of all the crew Knows whither she is hurled ! And who shall tell the agony Of these confined beneath, Who in the darkness dread to lie— How unprepared for death ! Who, loathing, to each other cling When every hope hath ceased, And beat against their prison door, And shriek to be released ! Three times the ship hath struck. Again ! She never more will float. Oh ! wait not for the rising tide, Be steady—man the boat. And see, assembled on the shore, The merciful, the brave ;— Quick, set the female convicts free, There still is lime to save ! It is in vain ! what demon blinds The captain and the crew ? The rapid rising of the tide With mad delight they view. They hope the coming waves will waft The convict-ship away ! The foaming monster hurries on Impatient for his prey ! And He is come ! the rushing flood In thunder sweeps the deck ; The groaning timbers fly apart, The vessel is a wreck ! One moment from the female crowd There comes a fearful cry ; The next, they're hurled into the deep, To struggle, and to die ! Their ebbing tide ; And sixty in a ghastly row Lie numbered side by side ! The lifeless mother's bleeding form Comes floating from the wreck, And lifeless in the babe she bound So fondly round her neck ! 'Tis morn ,—the anxious eye can trace No vessel on the deep ; But gathered timber on the shore Lies in a gloomy heap In winter those brands will blaze Our tranquil homes to warm, Though torn from that poor convict-ship That perished in the storm ! (Published in The Sydney Gazette 24 June 1834) May-June 2015 21 Descendants of Convicts’ Group Victoria Inc. website For those who want to check out our very useful website, here is where you go: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dcginc/ Useful Websites Convict Records (Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/ConvictRecords A Reference website, quite interesting. Convict Stockade http://convict.historyaustralia.org.au Quite a good varierty of information on this site. Fairly new. Convict Trail http://www.convicttrail.org/history.php Convicts Transported from South Australia http://www.jaunay.com/convicts.html Convicts… Where to Start http://www.janetreakesgenealogy.com/ConvictResearch/ ConvictResearch.htm Project Gutenberg http://gutenberg.net.au/ Contains a huge range of free history downloads National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/australasia/ Contains many old photos from around Australia. Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/ Guest Speakers for 2015 May 2 Don Bradmore - “The Remarkable Edward Myers: Convict, Artist, Musician, Linguist, Soldier-of-Fortune, Doctor of Medicine and Newspaper Publisher” and researching and preparing the book for publication. 22 The Mail, No. 170 Tasmanian Family History Society Inc. Membership of the TFHS Inc. is open to all interested in genealogy and family history, whether resident in Tasmania or not. Membership includes receipt of Tasmanian A ncestry, its quarterly journal, free entry to branch libraries and discounts on some publications. Research is undertaken for a fee by each branch: Burnie, Devonport, Hobart, Huon and Launceston. Enquiries: State Secretary PO Box 326 ROSNY PARK TAS 7018 or [email protected] Ph 03 6244 4527 Further details about the society and its publications may be found at www.tasfhs.org Email copies of DOCs Newsletter Would you prefer to get your colour copy of The Mail by email? The benefits of receiving your copy of The Mail by email instead of receiving a printed copy are many. Just a few are that you will receive your copy earlier, not having to wait for the printed copies to come back from the printer and be put into envelopes then posted. Files can be stored on your computer or copied onto disk requiring little storage space. If you would like to receive your newsletter by email you will need to have a program to read PDF files, such as Adobe acrobat which can be downloaded free from the web if you don’t already have it on your computer. Anyone who would be interested in receiving their newsletter by email or would like more information can contact the Secretary by email at <[email protected]> and we will add your name to the list. Bronwyn Quint May-June 2015 23 The Descendants of Convicts' Group Victoria, Incorporated Aims of the Group The aims of the Group are to educate participating members on matters pertaining to the convict system. These matters will include: Conditions which prevailed in the United Kingdom and the Australian colonies at the time; The Transportation system; Relevant sources of information both within the United Kingdom and Australia; Processes for tracing one's ancestry and levels of proof required for Group membership; Matters of general genealogical interest. These aims are achieved through regular meetings, field visits, workshops and social events. the 24 Membership Members: Any per son is eligible to join the Gr oup and become an Associate Member. Members may submit claims for pr oof of descent fr om a convict to Group's Examiner of Proofs and Certificates will be issued for claim proven. Descendant Members: Member s attain the status of Descendant Members on proof of their claim, Certificates for each descended convict will be issued at the first meeting of the Group, following verification of proofing documents. A joining fee, together with the year ly subscr iption fee, must accompany each application for membership. The annual fee is payable in May of each year thereafter, and must be lodged with the Treasurer by 1 st June of each year. First annual fees for members joining after the November meeting will fall due on the following May twelve months. Joint Family membership is available to two member s at one addr ess on payment of the joining fee and the joint yearly subscription fee. Children up to 18 years of age are included in a family membership. Life membership is available on payment of ten times the annual subscription. Current fees, as set at the Annual Gener al Meeting in May of each year, are listed on Page 2 of “The Mail”. The Mail, No. 170
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