Just to be clear, there were two women named Mary DUFFY on the
Australasia. One was tried at Armagh and native to Armagh, single aged 18, the other was tried at Galway and native to Galway, married aged 20. I don't know where the 'Antrim' has come from. That database linked by rathmore also says that the Galway Mary was tried for sheep stealing but her crime was stealing clothes. No idea where they got that from, the Irish prison registers have the same information as the Tasmania records.
Armagh Mary
https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON41-1-24/CON41-1-24p59Galway Mary
https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON41-1-24/CON41-1-24p65The two marriages have both been noted on the record of the Armagh Mary but descendants think that the first marriage to George DREW should have been on the other Mary's record. Geography does suggest that the Armagh Mary was the one who married Henry CLARK in 1852, she was at Swansea and Spring Bay, the other Mary was at Franklin in 1854 which is where the marriage to DREW took place in 1851. It isn't unusual to see the authorities mess up the convict records.
The Armagh Mary was part of a 'gang of thieves' in Armagh. I think she was most likely a girlfriend of one of them rather than being related, but it is probably a good idea to keep their names in mind when looking for her origins.
Her gang members were James HAGAN, Edward HAGAN, William HAGAN, Patrick HAGAN, Lawrence LIND, Alexander (Sandy) REGAN, and James ROWE. They stole from a house, two hams, two pair of boots, knives, forks, clothes, smoothing irons and shoe brushes. Mary stayed outside and they handed the booty to her out the window. She kept the clothes and gave a pair of boots to Margaret DUFFY, presumedly her sister. James McCAULEY and his wife hid the bacon in their house which I think was in Lower English Street.
Mary HAGAN was the boys' mother, an 'old offender' and 'social pest'
She was imprisioned not long after for stealing bread.
Patrick HAGAN and Alexander (Sandy) REGAN were tried with Mary and all received 7 years. They both went to Western Australia on the
Phoebe Dunbar in 1853.
http://www.perthdps.com/convicts/con-wa10.htmlJames HAGAN was sent to Tasmania on the
London for receiving stolen goods.
https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON33-1-101/CON33-1-101p123https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON14-1-42/CON14-1-42P159https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON14-1-42/CON14-1-42P159The news items are all in the Armagh Guardian which is free to view this weekend on Findmypast.
Debra
