William Creese was born in 1802 and worked as a butcher in Yorkley. On 4 April 1835, at the age of 33, he was sentenced to transportation for life for the theft of four sheep, the property of Walter Taylor, Daniel White and William Packer. After spending the summer on a hulk, he was transferred to the John Barry which set sail for to New South Wales on 21 Sept 1835 and arrived on 17 Jan 1836. On 1 November 1848, he received a conditional pardon.
Thomas Dalley was born in Newnham in 1753. On 28 March 1787, at the age of 34, he was sentenced to be transported for seven years. After spending three years on the hulks, he was transferred to the Matilda of the Third Fleet which departed on 27 March 1791 and arrived on 1 Aug 1791.
Below is an extract from the Correspondence of Governor Philip to Lord Grenville regarding the state of health of the convicts of the Third Fleet:
Governor Phillip to Lord Grenville
Sydney, New South Wales
November 5 1791.
Of the convicts mentioned by your Lordship to be sent out, 1,695 males and 168 females have been landed, with six free women and ten children. It appears by the returns from the Transports that 194 males, 4 females and 1 child died on the passage; and, although the convicts landed from these ships were not so sickly as those brought out last year, the greatest part of them are so emaciated, so worn away by long confinement, or want of food, or from both these causes, that it will be long before they recover their strength, and which many of them never will recover.
Your Lordship will readily conceive that this addition to our numbers will for many months be a dead weight on the stores.
The surgeon’s returns of this day are: “Under medical treatment and incapable of labour, 626 … 576 of whom are those landed from the last ships”.
Stephen Evans was born in 1811 in English Bicknor and lived in Clearwell. He worked as a blacksmith and ploughman. He married Harriet Frowen on 11 May 1833 and had one child. He was arrested two months after his marriage for stealing a lamb, the property of Richard Ebborne, with Richard Dew. Consequently, on 10 August 1833, at the age of 21, he was sentenced to transportation for life. On 28 Aug 1833, he was transferred to the hulk, the Justitia, and then to the ship, the Moffatt which set sail on 4 January 1834 and arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on 4 September 1834. He was assigned to H G Hackett and in 1841 he was assigned to W G Walker at Norfolk Plains.
Evans was granted a ticket of leave of 16 June 1842. He married Elizabeth Copping in October 1842 and had two children. In April 1833, Elizabeth Copping was also a convict having been sentenced by the Middlesex Assizes to transportation for seven years for receiving stolen goods. Evans had a history of absconding but was granted a conditional pardon on 20 October 1845 and full pardon on 23 November 1846.
Meanwhile, in 1851 Harriett was recorded as being in the workhouse in England. In 1863 Evans married Mary Ann West in 1863 with whom he had three children. Mary West was also a convict having been sentenced to transportation in April 1832 for the theft of a bonnet, a shawl and two gowns. Stephen Evans died on 25 March 1896.
Samuel Dobbs was born in 1797 in Mitcheldean and lived in Coleford where he worked as a collier. He married Ann Gough in 1820 and had two children. On 14 August 1822, he was found guilty of the theft of 2s 5d from Margaret Yemm the wife of a collier in Ruardean. He had already served three months on remand and therefore was fined one pound and discharged. At the age of 31, on 30 March 1831, he was convicted of stealing one lamb valued at 20 shillings the property of John Bethell and sentenced to death which was then commuted to transportation for life. After spending a few weeks on the a hulk, the Cumberland, he was transferred to the Lord Lyndoch which set sail on 25 July 1831 and arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on 18 November 1831.
He had a long history of absconding and in most cases, he was caught by the police soon after and spent short spells in prison. He absconded on the following dates: 20 May 1832, 1 June 1832, 8 June 1832, 21 December 1832, 4 January 1833, 8 March 1833, 9 March 1836, 18 March 1836, 9 June 1837, 14 June 1841, 25 June 1841 and 21 October 1842.
He obtained his ticket of leave on 1 November 1845 and conditional pardon on 14 January 1848 and 29 January 1849.
Robert Hyett was born in 1805 in Awre. On 2 June 1817, he was sentenced to 21 days in prison for absconding from service as an apprentice. He then worked as a labourer in Blakeney. On 3 August 1826, at the age of 21, he was sentenced to transportation for life for the theft of three half-crowns and four shillings from Richard Peters, a labourer from St Briavels. After a spell on a hulk, he was transferred to the Andromeda which set sale on 14 Oct 1826 and arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on 23 Feb 1827.
On 13 April 1831, Hyett was granted a ticket of leave. On 12 April 1843, his ticket of leave was cancelled for misconduct. On 12 August 1848, he was granted his ticket of leave again. On 3 July 1852, he was granted a conditional pardon.
John Hewlett was born in 1822 Newnham and worked as a farm labourer. On 24 July 1934, he was sentenced to two weeks in prison for absconding from his service for 6 weeks. On 20 July 1840, he was sentenced to six months in prison for robbing potatoes from a garden. On 3 March 1841, he was sentenced to transportation for ten years for burglary and stealing 3 loaves of bread and a watch. After a spell on a hulk, he was transferred to the Tortoise which set sail for Van Diemen’s Land on 28 Sept 1841. He died in 1871
John Dee was born in 1813. He was born and lived in Westbury- on-Severn and worked as a ploughman. On 11 August 1832, at the age of 18, he was convicted at Gloucester Assizes of housebreaking and theft of a silver watch, two gold seals and two gold keys from the house of Edwin Palmer and was sentenced to transportation for life. After spending time on the hulk, Justitia at Woolwich, he was transferred to the Surrey which set sale for Van Diemens Land on 4 December 1832 and arrived on 7 April 1833.
He was assigned to work as an assistant to Mr Giblin from 1833 -1835 and then on public works. He received a ticket to leave on 7 April 1842 and conditional pardon on 4 July 1845 and 23 December 1846.
John Cutler was born in 1809 in Stanton Drew, Somerset. He moved to Lydney where he obtained work as a shepherd’s boy and then as a farm labourer and ploughman. At the age of 19, he was brought before the Gloucester Assizes for housebreaking and theft of a coat and shoes from the house of Henry Morse, a Yeoman of Lydney. 0n 2 April 1828, he was found guilty and sentenced to death which was later commuted to transportation for life.
He was transferred to a hulk and then to the Manlius which set sail on 18 July 1828 arriving in Van Dieman’s Land on 9 November 1828. He was employed as an assistant to Dr Garratt up to December 1835 and then on public works. He was given his ticket of leave on 11 Sept 1837 and conditional pardon on 9 December 1841 and 2 December 1842.
In October 1848, at the Cambell Town Agricultural Show, Cutler was awarded £2 for fourteen years of services as a general farm servant to Mr. Gibson of Pleasant Banks. In July 1854 he was awarded a similar prize £5 for the length of service and good conduct with Mr. Gibson.
Elizabeth Hale was born in Gloucestershire in 1785. She lived in Blakeney and had one child also called Elizabeth. In July 1818, she was sentenced to 14 days in prison for theft. On 3 March 1835, at the age of 50, she was sentenced to be transported for 7 years for counselling and aiding her daughter to steal 16s and 2 handkerchiefs from John Knight of St Briavels and receiving stolen goods. Her daughter was sentenced to six months in Littledean prison with the last month in solitary. After a spell on the hulks, Hale was transferred to the Mary which set sail for New South Wales on 13 April 1835 and arrived on 6 September 1835.
Christopher Edmunds was born in 1816 in Newent. His family moved to the Westbury-on-Severn area where he gained work as a collier. On 2 July 1839, he was sentenced to five months in prison for stealing boots and shoes.
At the age of 23, on 10 Feb 1840, he was sentenced to transportation for life for burglary and theft of a quantity of drapery and other goods. The Gloucestershire Chronicle 4 April 1840 reported:
Christopher Edmunds, aged 23 pleaded guilty to a charge burglariously breaking open the dwelling house of Roberts, shopkeeper, in the parish of Westbury-on-Severn. and stealing thereout large quantity of drapery and other goods, the night of the 13th Dec. last. Nancy Edmunds, aged 51, his mother, Jane Edmunds, aged I6, his sister, Charles Stanley, aged 28, and Joseph Baker, aged 22 were charged with receiving part of the property knowing it to be stolen. The evidence against the female prisoners rested on the testimony of another member of the family, a daughter of Nancy Edmunds; she gave her evidence with great deal trepidation, and the learned judge considered the case regarding the female prisoners incomplete. The case against Stanley and Baker, the latter of whom was apprehended with some of the property in his possession in Leatherbottle lane, in this city, by Edmund Estcourt, mayor’s officer, was rather more perfect, but the jury returned a general verdict of not guilty. There were two other indictments against Christopher Edmunds, for burglaries in the house of Thomas Morris, at Newnham, and of Sarah Burnett, at Westbury on-Severn; but he was not tried for them. Alter the acquittal of his companions, he wished to withdraw his plea of guilty, but was not allowed, and having been previously convicted of another offence, he was sentenced to transportation for life.
After a spell on a hulk, he was transferred to the Lord Lyndoch which set sail for Van Diemen’s Land on 11 September 1840 and arrived on 5 February 1841.
In March 1842 it was recorded that: “his misconduct in tearing down the roof and plank of the cells for the purpose of absconding resulted in 30 lashes”.
On 17 October 1844, it was recorded that he showed: “meritorious conduct in pursuing and assisting in the capture of 5 runaways from Westbury Station”.
He was given a ticket of leave on 27 August 1950 and conditional pardon on 21 June 1853.
On 16 Jun 1851, Edmunds married Bridget Walsh in Hobart. Walsh had arrived in Australia under the assisted passage scheme on 13 April 1841. The couple went on to have at least one child.