Gloucester Trial

[trish251]

I am looking for the source detail for a trial of Kezia(h) - Brown(e) that took place in Gloucester 1789. (She was then transported to Australia on the 2nd fleet ship Neptune). The online data base referenced by AR seems to start in 1815.  Other places to look would be much appreciated

thanks

Trish

[Valda]

Kezia Brown circa 1771-1854 was sentenced to seven years transportation on 9th October 1789 at Gloucester quarter sessions for the theft of a black silk cloak, several petticoats, shifts and aprons, and some cloth from James Wheeler, a gardener of St. John the Baptist parish Gloucester. Kezia apparently caught smallpox and James Wheeler took her into his household for 6 weeks while she recovered. On 20th August 1789 she signed a confession with an X admitting she had absconded with the clothing intending to go to Tewkesbury but she was arrested at Norton.
It is believed she was the daughter of Aaron Brown 1749-1840 and Mary Farley 1745-1804 and baptised at Seven Stoke Worcestershire on 10th March 1771.
On arriving in Australia Kezia lived with and later married on 14th August 1793 William Roberts. She died at Windsor 22nd June 1854. Apparently she has at least 8,000 descendants.

Details from 'The Second Fleet'

Gloucester quarter sessions records will be held at Gloucestershire Record Office.

http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1348

Regards

Valda

[trish251]

Thanks Valda

I had all that information and the reference from AR to the Gloucestershire Records Office - I was looking for the actual source trial information (similar to  the Old Bailey online).  I checked the online Record office index and it only starts at 1815.  I will email them as to the earlier data.

Trish

[Valda]

The Old Bailey sessions papers are unique in that they are the equivalent of minutes taken at the time and published - like a newspaper. This means they are easily microfilmed - paper A4 sizeish and therefore easily available to be transcribed (as they are typed they have been put through computer letter recognition software like newspapers). The majority of records are handwritten and therefore extremely time consuming to transcribe.

See my other answer to your assize message to see what actual trial records look like kept by the court clerks.

Quarter sessions come in books and rolls depending on the date

http://tinyurl.com/2yjb2h

Gloucestershire Record Office will be able to tell you whether there are any transcripts of the quarter sessions records but to a certain extent you already have those. To have a copy of the records themselves photocopied/scanned - can only be done by the record office.

Regards

Valda

[trish251]

Hi Valda

Many thanks - as I have been contemplating elsewhere, I will have to decide whether to have the research trip to the UK, or whether to start paying researchers and records offices for information - the former would be much more interesting, but may not be possible

Trish