Home Office Prison Records

[Jaznjjj]

Thank you again, what an excellent document which confirms the father's name.  Young Henry's  death certificate showed his parents as Henry and Mary - but as the Henry who was transported also married a Mary that was uncertainty about whether there was a recording error. The document also suggests that young Henry had the support of at least his father.  There are now a few jigsaw pieces that can be shuffled around:  parents' names, place of birth Chancery Lane, father's occupation compositor, father in 1825 in St. Bartholemew's Hospital, young Henry's occupation - news carrier.  Oral history in the family was that Henry had sold Pickwick Papers.  I have some work to do now!  J

[Jaznjjj]

Exploring these records (and starting to look for other individuals of interest) am amazed at how you located the petition for Henry Moir, as they are not obviously indexed?  Maybe you did it the hard way?   J

[Bookbox]

Yes, FindMyPast's indexing of the petitions in HO 17 and HO 18 is defective.

However, the petitions have their own index in HO 19, which is also on FindMyPast. This gives the bundle and item number. You then have to browse the petitions in HO 17 or 18 for those numbers, just as you would do with the original documents at Kew.

In this case it was unhelpful that FindMyPast had uploaded the bundles out of order.

[ShaunJ]

There's a RC baptism for Henry Moir at the Sardinian Chapel in Lincoln's Inn Fields on 15 December 1808. Born 13 August. Parents Henry and Mary. Sponsors William and Hesther O'Brien.

There's a marriage for Henry Moir and Mary Erroll at St Dunstan in the West on 10 September 1804.

The Pickwick Papers first appeared in 1836.

[Jaznjjj]

Bingo!   Had found the marriage at St. Dunstan's and also an older sibling born there also in 1804.  I checked the baptism registers 1805 to 1810 without finding Henry Christopher Moir.  So your finding of his being baptised elsewhere is very good news - the change in location and the denomination begs further questions.  I'll need to have a look at a map.  Also need to further familiarise myself with the petitions and their indexing. 

This is a suggestion that people interested in the convicts who are the subject of these petitions might find useful - check with the Bank of England archives.  They have been able to provide me with copies of letters written to them by two of my convict ancestors asking for clemency/favours following separate convictions for being in possession of Bank of England banknotes. 

Yes, I checked out the Pickwick papers and discovered that the oral history was probably wishful thinking on someone's part.  I've found that has happened previously, my grandmother told me that her father and her father-in-law were both ships' captains - one turned out to be an AB, the other was a ship's cook.  Still, sometimes there's a germ of truth somewhere in there. 

Many thanks again.