"Exiles" transported to Port Phillip 1845-1849

[wsquaredinoz]

Just came across this site while searching for information about my g-g-grandfather Josiah Redfern Moseley.  Is there any information about his family in England?  All I know, from marriage and death certificates, is that he said he was born about 1833 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and his parents were Robert Moseley, Storekeeper, and Mary Redfern.

Julia Ardrey was a domestic servant, born in Dublin, Ireland, who came to Australia as an assisted immigrant in 1856. Josiah and Julia had two sons born in Adelong (near Tumut), Josiah in August 1859 and Robert Frederick in December 1860.  At the time of his marriage in Adelong Josiah gave his occupation as Gold Miner.  They moved to Queensland about 1861; at the time free settlers were being sent there to replace convicts as labourers on farm properties.  They had six more children in Queensland before moving back to northern NSW where their last child was born in 1874.  Their first two sons and one of the twins (John) died in a diphtheria epidemic and the other twin (Julia) died several years later.  The names of the first four children were recycled for the last four.

I would be most grateful for any information about Josiah's family in England. One of my aunts told me Josiah was related to the Moseley silverware people in Sheffield, but then she also said Josiah was a Remittance Man - she likes to paint the family as better than they really were.

Wendy

[BAC3]

Hello Wendy,

Thank you for the posting on your GGGrandfather Josiah Redfern MOSELEY.

I do have some pre-transportation information.......not a huge amount......which covers his "Parkhurst Prison"  experience which I shall be delighted to let you have.

I am now totally out of touch with how RootsChat operates but is it possible that you can forward  a Personal Message with your email address and I can then send you the details.

Regards

Tony Cocks

[tropicalj]

hello  there Tony

How is your research  going or have  you  finished  it 

regard jenn

[regross]

It is only recently that I finally traced the arrival into Victoria of

WILLIAM OSBORNE b Leek Staffordshire 1819-1821.

COnvicted in Staffordshire Quatersessions  1842 of stealing tools. Received into PArkhurst Prison 15/9/1842 where he was taught the trade of Carpentry.

He was sentenecd to 7 years transportation
and arrived in Williamstown Port Phillip on teh Maitland 9/11/1847.

SOURCE Keith Clarke's  Convicts of teh Port Phillip.

He disposition was not stated. I have been unable to find any reference to him or his life prior to his marriage. I assume he led a blameless life working hard as his skills would have been i high demand.

In 1852 he married Maria GOODWIN daughter of convict Charles/Thomas Godwin and Sarah Harrington.

I have not found any records of children born to them prior to 1857.  Again a five year period for which I can find no evidence of eith party.

Between 1857 and 1876 they had 11 children. William, John, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary Ann, George, James, Richard, Hannah, Lucy, ans Anne Maria. All duly listed on Maria's death certificate.

The eldest son William went to New Zealand.

Sarah married Frederick Marriott.
Elizabeth married Spencer Clarke my great grandfather.
Mary Ann also married Spencer after her sister died in childbirth.
James married Eliza Hosking
Richard Married Rosina Hore.

source VICTORIAN BDM

They lived in the Western District of Victoria in TERANG. The sons were involved in Newspaper business in Terang nad CAMPERDOWN.

Other researchers have sent me a lot of information on their descendants if you are interested.

I hope this has helped you.

One of the reasons many Victorian may not have responded is that whilst the index is online to actually get a copy of theinformation one must personally visit the Records Office  which when like myself I live 3 hours away is not easily achieved.  There is no indication in the index that the MAitland carried convict exiles.

Robyn in Wodonga Australia.

[BAC3]

Hello Jenn,

Nice to hear from you again..... hope you are keepng well. 

My research carries along at a fair pace but I have still  quite some distance to go before it is finished.   I  started writing the "Dissertation" towards the end of 2006 and probably the next 18 months will more or less see it completed (I am a supreme optimist!!).   Having said that any further help I can get in terms of finding descendants and writing up Biogaphies is more than welcome.

Good to see two posted this week for which I am extremely grateful.

For the moment take care of yourself.

My regards

Tony


 

hello  there Tony

How is your research  going or have  you  finished  it 

regard jenn

[spongebag]

Hallo Tony,

This is my first post - I have been researching and building my husband's family tree for nearly a year now and have recently discovered that his GGG Uncle was a "Parkhurst Boy".   He was CHARLES (CHAS) HESKETH, born c1826/7 in Westminster, London.  My father-in-law Christopher will be 94 on 7 December and I am trying to add Charles' story to my present to him.

Charles was convicted of "stealing pork" on 27th Dec 1843 at Westminster Quarter Sessions and sentenced to 7 years.  He was transferred to Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight and subsequently "sent" to Australia - sailing on the "Maitland" from the IoW on 24th June 1846 and arriving at Williamstown, Victoria on 24th Nov 1846.  He is listed a being retrained as a Blacksmith (coincidence? his father George and eldest brother were both Blacksmiths (farriers) all their lives).

From my research I gather that these boys were "pardoned" as long as they served the rest of their sentence as "apprentice" and did not return to England during that period.  This is where I am stuck!

Your research is facinating and I wonder if you can point me in the right direction to try and find out what happened to Charles, if he married, had children, where he lived and if there are any descendants.

I hope you can help.

Chris Hesketh

[tropicalj]

Hello  there Chris

Welcome  to  Rootschat.  You  will find a  lot of  helpfull  Ladies  and Gentlemen on  this  site.

Now  a  little bit  more  from  you

can  we  have  his  parents  names please,  this  often  helps with  the deaths.

I have  had a  look  at  Victoria  and NSW but no  luck  just  yet.

Have  you  checked  later census  to see if  he did return  to England at all.

kind regards Jenn

[spongebag]

Hallo Jenn,

CHARLES was born in 1826 - in Ireland according to the 1841 Census.  He was also known as CHAS.

Parents were GEORGE Hesketh - born 1799, died 24 Dec 1846 in Westminster Hospital - age 47 of Bronchitis - MARY Hesketh (nee ) born Westminster c1809.

There is no trace of Charles ever returning to the UK - have been through Census records: 1851/61/71/81/91 and 1901.

I know what happened to his brothers and sisters, but he just disappeared after the 1841 Census.  Only recently discovered that he was a Parkhurst Boy shipped out to Australia.

If you can help, would be much appreciated.

Chris

[regross]

Chris,

Have you been able to check the ship's manifest to see if he survived the voyage? I spent ages looking for one son of one of my ancestors whom I knew from three different sources, had left Ireland with his family but could find no trace of him in Australia. When I finally visited the State Records in Melbourne and actually looked at the original documents I discovered he had died shortly after leaving  the UK!!!!

Keith Clark's "Convicts of Port Phillip " may be in your local history association library or your state library. That is where I found my exile listed also on the Maitland but the year following your Charles Heskith.

He may also have changed his name, many did to escape their histories.

Robyn in Wodonga