Workhouse Birth

[franpow]

Hi, I hope you maybe able to assist me. My friend has followed her ancestor to a workhouse born there  1776 London, as Sarah Bailey. That's the problem, it appears there maybe more than 1 Sarah Bailey.
In 1793 Sarah is found guilty of stealing a watch, jailed for 1 year sent to New Gate Prison. After which Sarah is  transported  to spend 7years in Port Stanley Australia.
Apparently Sarah married John Hazzard along the way.
Can anyone help this puzzle.
Thank you so much

[MaxD]

Hi
Is it known whether Sarah stayed in Australia and married John Hazzard there?
MaxD

[franpow]

Hi MaxD, Yes apparently Sarah had met & Married John Hazzed. There is however a problem when we research
further and information becomes distorted. Although the information i have, suggest the ship "Surprise" maybe the one they travelled on to the New World.
Would you know if Sarah was sent for trial and accused of stealing a watch which in turn she found herself imprisoned for app. a Year.

[KGarrad]

Although the information i have, suggest the ship "Surprise" maybe the one they travelled on to the New World.

Sorry - did she go to Australia, or the New World (America)?

[franpow]

I stand corrected, Australia

[MaxD]

There is a Sarah Bailey listed as being on the 1794 arrival of the ship Surprise, from Middlesex gaol (which would include London) with a sentence of 7 years in Oct 1793. Can't find John Hazzard/Hazard in convict lists.   Family Search has a marriage of John Hazzard with a Sarah Bailey in NSW in 1810. There are also records of a child Ann born 1800, name written as Bayly (Hazard in another record of the same christening).
Sorry though, can't find a record of the trial or her birth.  Not very helpful I'm afaraid.

MaxD

[jorose]

I can see some John Hazard references in the NSW Colonial Secretary's Papers:
http://colsec.records.nsw.gov.au/indexes/colsec/default.htm

Not a convict but a soldier, though.  On Trove in 1832 a John Hazard, perhaps the same man, late of the 102nd regiment, says he has been in Australia for about 40 years.

If so, he may be this man, born Cork in Ireland, served from 1791 and was discharged in 1817 aged 50.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8788933
see also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_Corps

This looks like Sarah's trial.  She was just 18:
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t17930220-6-defend115&div=t17930220-6#highlight
 
It will be difficult to prove any given baptism in London is the right Sarah.  From the trial documents, it seems she was probably living in the Smithfield area, and a woman who spoke on her behalf (calls her "Mary" for some reason) and worked in Smithfield says she had known her for eight years.  However, this doesn't tell us where she was born/baptised - or even if she was born/baptised under the name "Sarah Bailey".

http://www.londonlives.org/formPersName.jsp
 - you can see a little more documentation on her here.
On 20 Feb 1793, Elizabeth Ford, Sarah Bailey, and Ann Taylor were all committed to Newgate.
Her description: 4/6 (four feet, six inches tall) dark hair, Hazel Eyes, London, singlewoman
She did not sail until Feb 10 1794 - so she was in prison a year, although not "sentenced" as such, it wasn't uncommon and some prisoners died in prisoner on on the "hulks" before ever being transported, while others managed appeals during this period.

For some reason these records list her as "13", although in the Old Bailey court records she is "18".  One or the other is probably a mistake by somebody misreading "3" for "8" or vice versa.  18 seems more likely to be correct in this case (taking into account the ages of the other two, the fact that her youth wasn't brought up as a defence, etc).

[MaxD]

Just a side note Jorose - thanks for identifying a couple of useful sources that I was unaware of that may help in my own diggings about in the past of my own family.
MaxD