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Hi Jason. I think you will find that the microfiche quoted is an INDEX only to the original records in the State Records collection. I have viewed the records and they contain in part the following:

Yatala Gaol Admission, Convict Department GRG 54/4/1 no 787
Name           Thomas Field
Received      14 December 1866 from Adelaide Gaol
Conviction    27 November 1866 for assault and robbery, Supreme Court, Judge     
                    Gwynne.
Sentence     Death, commuted to imprisonment for life with hard labour.
Discharged  24 December 1975 on warrant of his excellency.

There is a great deal of other information, including a very detailed physical description (no mug shots back then!) which describes his expression as "wild, idiotic".

There is also on file a petition from his "distracted and broken hearted mother on behalf of her erring son"  to the state governor, seeking clemency on account of his good behaviour. She points out that he needs to provide for his now nine year old son who has been dependent on her.

This son's birth was not officially registered, but is recorded in the Catholic Church Archives.
FIELD, Henry. Born 19 April 1867. Baptized 27 April 1867, Saints Peter & Paul, Gawler. Parents Thomas and Winifred (nee Lawson).

Winifred remarried a William Rutter in 1868 AND a Nathaniel Vickers in 1872, without any divorces or deaths occurring. (William Rutter also married again!)
Thomas remarried almost exactly a year after he was released, on 23 December 1876, and had a large family, but his son Henry seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. No matching death or marriage records have yet come to light in S.A. nor Victoria, where some branches of the family settled.

There are extensive reports of Thomas's trial in the Adelaide Observer during November and December 1866.

I will send you a personal message with contact details for more  Field info.

Didy.

Thanks for your help, Tanja. The Frances you mention is probably the same one - on the IGI as Frances Ewell DICKSON, chr. 8 Jun 1834 at Staple, Kent. Father, William DICKSON, mother, Frances.

Do you think I could stretch your goodwill to have a look for the family in 1851 with the Dickson spelling, or would that be done by soundex automatically?

Didy