Was Sarah Annetts really transported for life?

[LizzieL]

I'm trying to solve a mystery regarding my great great grandmother. Her name was Sarah Wallis and she married my Great great grandfather (John Annetts) on 21 Jan 1828 at Chilton Berkshire.John was a widower, but I believe Sarah was a spinster.

The marriage information was kindly supplied by ribbo39 on the below thread about a daughter from John Annetts first marriage.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=423933.msg3991146#msg3991146

In the 1841 census:
John and Sarah are living in Chilton, with the following Ann 11 (1830), Alfred 8 (1833), Henry 5 (1836), Lucy 2 (1839), William 15 (1826). Family search confirms that Alfred is John and Sarah's son and William is son of John's first marriage. I cannot find baptisms of Ann, Henry and Lucy but assume from the dates they are John and Sarah's children

In the Reading Mercury of 15 Dec 1838 was a report from of prisoners remanded in Wantage, one was Sarah Annetts who was accused of setting fire to a rick. Her co-accused was Maria Blissett who was identified as the sister of Sarah's husband (John Annetts) This relationship fits with what information I have so I know that the accused Sarah Annetts was my ancestor. The case was referred to the County Assizes. The Berkshire Chronicle of 2 March 1839 has a report of the trial of Sarah Annetts. She was found not guilty on that offence but she was tried for two others at the same time. One was for another charge of arson on which she was found guilty and sentenced to be transported for life.

On Convictrecords.co.au, it shows a Sarah Annetts convicted at the Berkshire Assize was transported on the convict ship Mary Ann departing 16 July 1839 and arriving New South Wales 16 March 1840. On A2A there are medical record for the convicts on this ship and shows Sarah Annetts being sick twice on the voyage. So it is clear she was actually on the ship.   

But in June 1841 she is back in Chilton with her family being recorded on the census.

Any suggestions, please. Could she have been pardoned and got back to England so quickly?

[spices]

Hi LizzieL, Have you looked at the Convict entries NSW & Tasmania.
 There are entries there for Sarah Annetts same year but different dates.
A pardon after serving 10.1/2 yrs of her sentance.

Cheers Barbara

[majm]

Have you checked the NSW state records office re your lass?  The year 1840 is significant as it is effectively the year that saw transportation of convicts to NSW cease.

Cheers JM.

[carol8353]

Are you sure that the 1841 is the same Sarah,John could have taken up with another one ,as Sarah number one was sent out to Oz in 1839.

I also saw that Sarah Annetts was pardoned on 17th Oct 1851 in NSW.

[LizzieL]

Thank you all for the information and suggestions. I have now found the NSW convict records on line and see that the transported Sarah had a conditional pardon in September 1851. I think that means she was free in Australia but not able to return to England. Only a full pardon could do that. So it looks as though the Sarah on 1841 census and all censuses after until 1881 was another Sarah living with John as his wife. In that case Sarah Wallis would not be my 2 x great grandmother, Sarah #2 would be.

[trish1120]

1851 Census Sarah is born c 1808 Chilton.
HO107/1689/564/5
One of the Children born post 1837's Birth Certs will give you Sarahs maiden name.
I would go for Mercy born c 1847.

Mercy ANNETTS, June 1846, Wantage, 6 274

Trish

EDIT;

Ahah;
Sarah WALLICE Christening 3 April 1808, Chilton, Berkshire, England
Mother ANN Wallice
(Source Familysearch.Org)

So looks like the Marriage is correct but I would still get a Birth Cert to confirm

[iluleah]

I would also question if  John Annetts married this other Sarah, that she just took his name, as if he did he was a bigomist.
I was researching a branch line and found someone who was transported, his wife remarried some 4 months after he left, she was charged, convicted and transported for that.....I often wonder if she did it to try to get transported as it was unlikely he would come back pardoned or not as the cost of doing so would be prohibitory

[trish1120]

I personally think the Sarah Annetts who was Transported has nothing to do with Johns Wife Sarah nee Wallace.

They Married 1828, she is on subsequent Census with him and was born c 1808/1809 Chilton.

The Christening I posted is likely her.
Just my opinion.

Trish

[LizzieL]

I haven't found any marriage for John to the second Sarah. Until yesterday when I discovered the newspapers reporting the transportation, I assumed that the Sarah who John Annetts married in 1828 (Sarah Wallis) was the same one on 1841 - 1881 censuses and the mother of my great grandmother.
The second Sarah seems to have variable year of birth: ignoring 1841 when they rounded, in 1851 it calculates as 1808, in 1861 as 1811, in 1871 as 1809 and in 1881 as 1813. For the censuses up to 1871 she would have been living with "husband" John, so assume he filled in the form. In 1881 she was widowed and was living with my great grandparents, so assume my great grandfather filled in census form. Sarah #2 died in 1885, from recorded age at death her year of birth would be 1810.