Himself does have rather a large number of thieves and vagabonds in his family you know...I found another one today who came from Devon and was sent to Van Diemen's Land in 1820...she had been convicted of fraud.
It's a pity the records don't describe the crimes in more detail...I wonder what a young woman in 1820 was actually doing when she committed fraud...
Among the other people appearing at the Court the same day as Susan, were three Highwaymen...they didn't fare too well...all three were sentenced to death. And there was one chap who had apparently 'committed an indecent act with a sheep'...he was sentenced to two months in prison.
Whenever I have cause to look at the Criminal records there are always Highwaymen...and they were always sentenced to death...not for them a long and arduous sea passage to the other side of the world, but a short cart ride to the local gallows, where there'd be a good crowd waiting to see them receive their just deserts.
The roads to and from London were those most favoured by the Footpads and the Highwaymen...the coaches carried the wealthy who could afford the fares...often driven by a solitary unarmed coachman, they made for easy targets when stopped by two or three men on horseback intent on robbery...the women's jewellery and the gold coins carried by the gentlemen were easily transportable in saddle bags...
It wasn't until the latter part of the 1800's that the Highwaymen died out...the advent of easily traceable paper money rather than gold coinage and the increasing popularity for carrying personal arms meant the Highwaymen's days were over...
I suppose Footpads who, as their name suggests, didn't ride horses but crept about on foot, were the muggers of times gone past...didn't seem to bother them much as to who they stopped and robbed...because the wealthy rode in coaches or rode their own mounts, Footpads robbed anyone they happened upon...all too often people as poor as themselves.
Susan's voyage took four and a half months...there were three hundred and sixty convicts on board the ship The Endeavour...it sailed back to England with a cargo of wood. Within two years Susan had applied to the Governor for permission to marry...she'd conveniently forgotten she was already married to a man in Devon...permission was granted and she and her new husband...who was also a convict...settled down to produce numerous children...she and husband both applied for their freedom five years after their arrival and that was also granted.
Now had Susan wished, she could have brought her original husband with her to Van Diemen's Land...it was commonplace for people sentenced to transportation to bring with them relatives...most especially those who were dependent...like children or small siblings.
Obviously it was to be encouraged otherwise those dependants would have had to enter a Workhouse and cost money...
Perhaps he thought he was grand where he was...perhaps she hopped on the ship and didn't tell him where she was bound for...
So now Himself has a bigamist to add to his tree...
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Convicts And Convict Ships...
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