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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: Taylor94 on Saturday 13 January 18 12:37 GMT (UK)
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Hi
I'm looking to see if anyone can help me with more info on my 5th grt grandfather John Bonnett/Bonnet, He was born abt 1809 Cambs/Norfolk
He was convicted of Sheep Stealing and exiled to Australia for 10 years in 1847.
He departed England 8 Aug 1849 aboard the ship 'Adelaide'
As far as I know he was dropped off or sent to Wollongong,Illawarra.
He received a Ticket of Leave in 1849/1851 and after that I'm not sure where he is.
He isn't present back with his family in England so I assumed he stayed in Australia.
He could possibly be the John Bonnet who is featured in the police gazettes as being shot at with a pistol 1870/1871 Grenfell.
Any help wold be appreciated.
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A death in NSW with surname recorded as BONNITT may be a possibility is his parents were named Thomas and Elizabeth?
Essie
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Does it list an age by chance?
I have my John as being born around 1809 going by criminal record and census.
He married Catherine Vincent in 1830 terrington st clement, Norfolk.
In 1841 which is the only census he is on they are living in Emmeth, Norfolk and mistranscribed as Bennett. John is listed as not born in Norfolk and born about 1811
John and Catherine baptise all their children in Ely, Cambridgeshire in the 1830s.
There is a baptism in 1809 for a John Bonnett in chettisham, Ely, Cambridgeshire which I think could be him. But the parents are William and Ann.
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A quick check on ancestry shows that a John Bonnitt/Bonnett/Burnet came from Yorkshire to Australia in 1837 and it fits this John Bonnitt you mention so it doesn’t seem to be mine.
Back to square one I guess.
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Interestingly he also seems to receive 2 tickets of leave.
One when he arrives in 1849
Prisoner Number 49/1075
John Bonnett
Ship Adelaide
Sentence 10 years
Trial place Ely (Wisbech)
Trial date 6 Jan 1847
Remain in district of Illawarra.
And then another in 1851?
But some dates are different but same arrival year, ship and name?
John Bonnett
Ship Adelaide
Arrival 1849
Trial place looks like Salford but not sure
16 March 1847
Sentence 7 years
Ticket of leave number 49/1391
Allowed to same as preceding?
There could be 2 different Johns but I’m sure there was only one John Bonnett aboard the Adelaide when it docked unless it made 2 trips
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Hi,
The ToL issued in 1849 allowed for John BONNETT to remain in the Illawarra Police District.
The ToL issued in 1851 was a Passport ToL which was probably an additional document that allowed John to visit/work in another Police District outside of the Illawarra.
Gerry
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Hi,
The ToL issued in 1849 allowed for John BONNETT to remain in the Illawarra Police District.
The ToL issued in 1851 was a Passport ToL which was probably an additional document that allowed John to visit/work in another Police District outside of the Illawarra.
Gerry
Thank you for that, I did notice it said passport but thought they were the same.
I wonder why the Trial date and place are different from the original Ticket of Leave?
The first one is correct about date and trial place being Ely/Wisbech.
Somebody did also point out to me before that it seemed perhaps odd that he got a ticket of leave so soon after arriving, I'm not sure if it is or not?
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Hi there,
The NSW State Archives 'Convict Index' has a chap as
John BENNETT, per Adelaide 1849.
Under that spelling of his surname the index shows John Bennett receives several Ticket of Leave:
In 1849 #1236, for the District of Illawarra - trial at Ely Wisback Quartersessions
In 1849 #1391, for the District of Newcastle - trial Staffordshire Assizes
In 1851 #0038 (28 Jan 1851) Ticket of Leave 49/1391 (ie District of Newcastle, ex Staff Ass) he receives a ToL Passport on the application of Mr Osborne.
So, was there ONE or TWO chaps on the Adelaide named John BENNETT (or variations)... :D
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/search_form?id=65 (you can search by vessel only)
JM
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Convictism had effectively ceased to NSW back in 1840, so ToL and ToL Passports were issued 'promptly' for those arriving in 1849, to reflect the unpopularity in NSW of the delivery of more convicts from Britain.
JM
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Grevilles PO Directory 1875 GRENFELL
John BENNETT, George St, Blacksmith
NSW Electoral Roll 1878 THE LACHLAN, Grenfell Police District
John J BENNETT, residence, Emu Creek Gold Field
NONE with a surname BONNETT (or variations after the 'BON')
NSW ER 1870, Forbes PD (so Grenfell was hived off the Forbes Police District)
John J BENNETT, residence Emu Creek Gold Field
Alfred James BONNETT, residence, Emu Creek Gold Field
James BONNETT, residence, Emu Creek Gold Field
I checked, re-checked the spelling, definitely John as BENNETT and Alfred James and James as BONNETT. These rolls were recorded by the local police under instructions from the local Police Magistrate. The police asked VERBALLY and knowing how to spell was not a requirement of employment in the police. :)
JM
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A little about the John BONNETT who was shot at Grenfell (under heading Shooting with Intent)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article135806208 and http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13242678
He was a tinsmith and had since moved to live at Gulgong
Ros
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Hi
I have NOT found John BONNETT at Gulgong in my hardcopy of the NSW Electoral Rolls covering Gulgong in the 1870s, nor in the 1875 Grevilles Post Office Directory covering Gulgong. Perhaps he did not stay there long, for there was already a local tinsmith even in the free to search online 1872 Grevilles PO Directory.
http://www.family.joint.net.au/index.php?mid=1&cid=11
I have posted this link to the NSW Resources Board just now.
ADD, here's the link to the fantastic NSW Resources Board: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=369703.0
It is a child board of the Australia Resources Board:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/australia-resources-offers/
JM
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Earlier I mention if it is possible there’s both a John BONNETT and a John BENNETT on the Adelaide arriving 1849. I think there's at least one reliable online resource that shows there's possibly two different chaps. It notes its source as the Australian Joint Copying Project. I am sure the AJCP is still available for free access in England, probably at TNA and not just at various public libraries and public archives throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Here it is: https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/bennett/john/32628
John Bennett, tried Stafford Assizes, 7 years
Sourced AJCP roll 92, HO11/16, page 96.
https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/bonnett/john/34219
John Bonnett, Isle of Ely Quarter Sessions, Wisbech, Cams., 10 years.
Sourced AJCP roll 92, HO11/16, page 85 (44)
JM mentions that HO is abbreviation for Home Office, so that’s an O (the letter) and NOT an 0 (the number).
Australian Joint Copying Project info:
https://www.nla.gov.au/microform-australian-joint-copying-project (11 handbooks etc with live links to them)
https://www.nla.gov.au/research-guides/australian-joint-copying-project-handbook-1 (here’s handbook 1 live link as it is the General Intro
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-396880406/view?partId=nla.obj-396998862 Page 1 of many for Part I digitised.
The rolls themselves that the handbooks refer - try:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
JM
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Thank you very much for your replies.
John was a Farm Labourer before he was sent to Australia so im not sure if picking up the trade of a tinsmith would be easy although if this is him he has been there since 1849 so time to learn.
It says in the paper article that the John Bonnett here was a resident of Gulgong before coming to Grenfell, Seems like a long journey. There doesn't seem to be any burials that I can see as I've ruled out the 1877 Burial for John Bonnitt in Newcastle. So unless he had been listed as Bennett he may have returned to England.
There is an 1871 Census for a John Bonnett born 1811 Australia living in London as a Visitor. I cant see any birth which fits this but could this possibly be John returned? I assume if he went back by boat it would dock at London and maybe this is him after it docked, Been in Australia 20years and just put Australia as his birth place...Perhaps?
I did see that there was a John Bonnett and a Bennett which made it abit confusing as wasn't sure if it was a transcript error as I've seen Bonnett as Bennett a few times.
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I am now convinced there’s two separate chaps… Note the images have the HO ref and the page # to match my earlier post.
From the actual digitised images with PRO reference HO 11/16 ie the list of 300 Male convicts embarked on the Adelaide, 1849, paperwork shows for delivery as: 261 Port Phillip, 39 VDL. (By alphabetical list of counties,)
Page 85 44
Cambridge (headings on the pages are: Names, Where convicted, When, Term of Years)
John BONNETT, Isle of Ely Quarter Sessions at Wisbech, 6 January 1847, Ten years
Page 96
Stafford
John BENNETT, Stafford Assizes, 16 March 1847, Seven years. (bracketed with a John Pearson, John Richards, Henry Ball).
JM
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Hi,
Have we found a Certificate of Freedom for John BONNETT?
Gerry
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No I just have his Ticket of Leave when he arrived to allow him to travel in Illawarra district.
I think that passport ticket might be for John BENNETT as lists trial place as Staffordshire.
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I have looked for a Certificate of Freedom, but not found one.
I even tried the Index to convict exiles 1846-50 at NSW Archives. I found John BONNETT, aged 42, per Adelaide 24 December 1849. Tried Isle of Ely Wisbeck (sic !) Cambridgeshire, 6 Jan 1847, ten years, TL District Illawarra...
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/search_form?id=20
and
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/convict-exiles-index
I have also tried all my usual offline resources, he is elusive. I am convinced there's the two chaps, and that our OP is after the one with the ten year sentence. That ten years may be the sticking point for the early issuing of any Cert of Freedom.
JM