Richard Jones was born in 1807 and lived in English Bicknor where he worked as a pit sawyer. On 3 Jan 1832, at the age of 23, he was sentenced to be transported for seven years for breaking into a granary and stealing six bushels of wheat. After a spell on a hulk, he was transferred to the Jupiter and set sail for Van Diemen’s Land on 31 Dec 1833 and arrived on 28 May 1834. He was detailed to public works and then in December 1835 as an assistant to T M Fenton.