Confusing convict! Date mix up- Mary Ann Davis

[Noy1818]

Hi Everyone,

One of my ancestors is Mary Ann Davis. She was born in 1843 in Gloucestershire, England, to James Davis and Sarah Gilbert. She married in 1863, at age 20 to William Shea. They were married in Launceston, Tasmania. From family myth I believe she was convicted of "Coining offences" but none of the dates match up and i have no record of it. All of the convicts are to old to be her, as she has to be in Tasmania before she is 20 years old.

Any help to work out more about her would be great

[Noy1818]

This is the only lady on the Old Bailey website she could be as it does not quote her age, but I need to know it otherwise I cannot prove it is her. If this is her, she would have been 10 years old at the time.

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18520920-885-punishment-16&div=t18520920-885#highlight

[majm]

Transportation of convicted persons ceased to
  New South Wales ceased in 1840 
(NSW at that time included all of what became Victoria in 1851 and Queensland in 1859)
  Van Diemen's Land (former name for Tasmania) ceased in 1853.

South Australia was not ever a penal colony

Transportation of convicted persons to Western Australia commenced in 1850 and ceased in 1868

Info on the last ships to reach VDL transporting female convicted persons
http://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/index.php/convict-ships

The 1863 marriage William and Mary Ann
http://stors.tas.gov.au/RGD37-1-22p269j2k
I notice that there's no details of the name of the person consenting to the marriage of a minor, so I wonder if Mary Ann was 20 or if the age has been mis-read (although it seems to read 20, but perhaps it could be 26 ?).     

Cheers,  JM


 

[Noy1818]

If she was a convict, she would have to been convicted quite young. I have found that one of the last female convict ships to come to VDL in 1852 was Duchess of Northumberland, which arrived 25 November. There is a Mary Ann Davis on this ship, although I am not sure of her exact correct age, but it looks as if she is 24 on arrival. Which then does not match up with Marys marriage date. 

[Noy1818]

Just thought then that maybe her father or mother was a convict and took her with them, or put in a request to get her sent over. But both her father and mother died in England. I cannot find her on a free immigrant list either. 

[~MERLIN~]

Before you go assuming that Mary or her parents were possibly convicts you should track them on the UK census to see where they were along with any possible siblings to Mary Ann prior to to her 1863 marriage in Tasmania.

[Noy1818]

Before you go assuming that Mary or her parents were possibly convicts you should track them on the UK census to see where they were along with any possible siblings to Mary Ann prior to to her 1863 marriage in Tasmania.

Thanks for that!  I just found the 1851 England census and found Mary Ann Davis, aged. 9 Here is the info off it....

Name:   Mary Ann Davis
Age:   9
Estimated birth year:   abt 1842
Relation:   Daughter (Child)
Father's name:   James Davis
Mother's name:   Sarah Davis
Gender:   Female
Where born:   Worcestershire, England
Civil Parish:   Worcester St John Bedwardine
County/Island:   Worcestershire
Country:   England

Household Members:   
Name   Age
James Davis   35
Sarah Davis   34
Edward Davis   12
Mary Ann Davis   9
James Davis   6
William Davis   2
Walter Davis   1

Which means if she is a convict, she has to have been transported after 1851....

[~MERLIN~]

Which means if she is a convict, she has to have been transported after 1851....

Why 

What is on the 1861 census?

[Noy1818]

She was married in Tasmanian in 1863 to William Shea, aged 20. The last female convict ships to arrive in Tasmania were in 1853. So if she is a convict, she has to be transported abt 1852, to make it onto the last female convict ships. She cannot be more then 11 years old when she was convicted.

Unless she came out as a free woman...