BBC "Who Do You Think You Are?" Anne Reid (WDYTYA Series 12 Episode 6)

[smudwhisk]

One of my 4xGGfather's was convicted of receiving stolen goods in 1814 and sentenced to 14 years transportation, his youngest child was 2 months old when he was convicted.  His family never migrated to Australia and he died in Sydney in 1844.  I've yet to see the court record as they are at the National Archives but I found it interesting that the two guys who actually did the stealing only received 7 years each.  Similarly, I've see that at one point the mandatory punishment for sheep stealing was death, although it often got commuted to transportation for life.  By 1845 when another of my 4x GGfather's got convicted of stealing one sheep, he was sentenced to 7 years transportation but, as he was 55 years old by then, he never made Australia but spent 5 years on a prison hulk at Woolwich prior to his death.

Some crimes seemed to get higher penalties than others.  John Reid did seem to get off a little lightly but I suspect if this had happened earlier than the 1840s he'd probably have got a harsher punishment.

[Mowsehowse]

Some crimes seemed to get higher penalties than others.  John Reid did seem to get off a little lightly but I suspect if this had happened earlier than the 1840s he'd probably have got a harsher punishment.

That is correct.  Annie was told by one of the experts that some years earlier fraud was a hanging offence. 

[Winterbloom21]

Re your comment Smudwhisk, about the receiver getting a greater punishment than the thief, this has always been the case.     To this day, the penalties for handling and receiving are heavier than for stealing.    The handlers 'create the market' for the thieves and are seen as bigger criminals.   

[smudwhisk]

Thanks Winterbloom, hadn't really thought of it that way. I suppose I was thinking a bit like Anne Reid that perhaps he'd not known it was stolen.   I still hope that a more detailed newspaper report of the trial may turn up as I've read that the Assize records at Kew aren't detailed so probably won't tell me anything I don't already know. I do know from newspaper reports that he was in financial difficulties and had got caught up in a dispute over a prommissary note but again I've not found any more detail about that either. May just have to accept he'd perhaps become a bit of a master criminal.

[Beeonthebay]

I should add that the female convicts I have been researching were all convicted many times of what we would call misdemeanours, until I suppose the magistrates had had enough.  I had one sad case recently of a woman done for receiving stolen goods, despite 3 pleas for clemency including a signed petition by about 75 of her neighbours she still had to go because the gaols were overcrowded!!

I did learn recently that anything to do with forging money or coins was considered the utmost crime akin to treason. 

Smudwhisk, FindMyPast has millions of criminal registers, records and transportation registers but I don't know what year they start, I can't access my subscription as it keeps crashing on this free weekend  that's must be why they've given current subscribers an extra 3 days.  Because we can't get online!!!!   

[smudwhisk]

Smudwhisk, FindMyPast has millions of criminal registers, records and transportation registers but I don't know what year they start, I can't access my subscription as it keeps crashing on this free weekend  that's must be why they've given current subscribers an extra 3 days.  Because we can't get online!!!!   

Thanks Bee, I've already managed to find what I think are all the available docs on that ancestor from ancestry, unfortunately its one of the names that gets mistranscribed a lot so have had to be creative.   Its those Australian records which helped confirm it was my missing ancestor.  The only annoying thing is that one of them is so feint its unreadable so may have to see if I can get a Pro Researcher at some point to see if the originals are still allowed to be viewed as would like to know the details.  I'm not even going to try and see if I can get a different copy since NSW archives aren't very cheap for copies and as its been microfilmed, albeit unreadable, I suspect they'd just send me another copy of that.

They've only given current Worldwide subscribers 3 extra days, those of us with Britain subscriptions haven't been as they assume that we will make use of the non-British records.  I have an ancestry worldwide sub so haven't really found much extra, apart from the NSW Will Books, that can't access on ancestry but I've been using it to find some records from a friend's irish ancestors.  Haven't tried today, but it was OK yesterday.

[Mowsehowse]

Smudwhisk......I wonder if the magicians in the photo dept here on RC can help to make it more legible??

[smudwhisk]

Smudwhisk......I wonder if the magicians in the photo dept here on RC can help to make it more legible??

Well it was suggested previously by some on the Aussie board to post a link to it to see if anyone could help deciper.  Unfortunately, nobody got any further reading it than me.

I've tried manipulating it myself with little luck, its just a lot of feint blotches.  I suspect the original probably may be readable, its just the microfilming has left a lot to be desired.   As it was a letter from my ancestor in the NSW Colonial Secretary's Papers, I would be curious as to what he was writing about.  Didn't help him as he still served his full 14 years.

[Mowsehowse]

Smudwhisk......I wonder if the magicians in the photo dept here on RC can help to make it more legible??

Well it was suggested previously by some on the Aussie board to post a link to it to see if anyone could help deciper.  Unfortunately, nobody got any further reading it than me.      

And you posted it on the "photo restoration board"     I am surprised if you got no reply. I noticed something recently that had upwards of half a dozen helpful wizards having a go.

Then again I have NO  expertise in that field so perhaps it is a lost cause? 

What I have noticed is that on my phone, when I angle the screen, sometimes details become clearer than when I hold the screen flat.