What happened to criminal ancestor?

[Girl Guide]

Ah I see you have provided the info Bev. 

What area did the Eastern Districts Chronicle cover?  Are we looking at New South Wales or further down or what? 

[russell12]

The newspaper just says 'On Sunday morning last a man named George Bennett died at the York Hospital.'
Eastern Districts Chronicle, 21st March 1885.

Bev

I'm going to guess he was buried in a paupers grave, since I can't find an official death record or grave marker... quite a miserable life he led!

Anyhow I'm going to order those pdf birth certificates (apparently they take 4 days to dispatch) and when they arrive I'll update everyone!

Thank you Bev and Girl Guide for all your help 

[bevj]

Ah I see you have provided the info Bev. 

What area did the Eastern Districts Chronicle cover?  Are we looking at New South Wales or further down or what?

No, as mentioned, he was in Fremantle prison and York is a district of Western Australia.
His death was registered, if interested enough you could get a copy certificate.
Bennett    Geo       
55    
Father Unknown
Mother Unknown    
Place of birth Unknown       
Registration no. 13086    
Year 1885

https://bdm.justice.wa.gov.au/_apps/pioneersindex/default.aspx

[russell12]

Ah I see you have provided the info Bev. 

What area did the Eastern Districts Chronicle cover?  Are we looking at New South Wales or further down or what?

No, as mentioned, he was in Fremantle prison and York is a district of Western Australia.
His death was registered, if interested enough you could get a copy certificate.
Bennett    Geo       
55    
Father Unknown
Mother Unknown    
Place of birth Unknown       
Registration no. 13086    
Year 1885

https://bdm.justice.wa.gov.au/_apps/pioneersindex/default.aspx

I found it, thanks for linking it to me - I don't know if there'd be any point in buying the certificate... unless it listed the parents names and place of birth (as then I could confirm it was him), which I don't think it does.

[bevj]

No, unfortunately it looks as if nobody knew anything about him.

Bev

[brigidmac]

A quick question
Were there any prison sentences that had a certain amount of openness

Could he have had conjugal visits ..or could his wife have had babies while he was in prison which would be registerd as his because the werent divorced

Id double check that marriage if i were you especially if there are no other candidates

[bevj]

Which marriage are you referring to?
If he was transported, his wife wouldn't have gone with him, but he would still be officially 'married'.
There are no records of him marrying in W.A.

Bev

[Girl Guide]

I see that George is in prison in the 1851 census.  Birthplace is given as Abbots Langley, Herts so it has to be him.

Seems to have been a busy boy in the crime department. 

[russell12]

I see that George is in prison in the 1851 census.  Birthplace is given as Abbots Langley, Herts so it has to be him.

Seems to have been a busy boy in the crime department. 

33 crimes in total (and those are just the ones he got caught for!) - starting at 13 years old... I've managed to find most the articles for each crime (I'll post a few here in case you are interested);



^ 1845, William Vine married Hannah Atkins (cousin to both James and George) and was fined numerous times for assaulting his wife (they were described as being 'hopelessly poor' and faced eviction from their cottage). There was a news article on an argument between George and James' stepfather 'David Burridge' and William Vine over money and children.



This is the article for the 'riot in a beerhouse' - it seems the location 'the cross keys' was some sort of criminal den since every person whom I've researched from this place has been involved in either poaching, burglary or some form of assault (one guy; George Dyer was arrested for cruelty to a cat  ). Thomas Trapp (a shoemaker and the same person to give evidence against George in his trial) was also related to the family (another cousin) lived on 'snatch up alley'... the name really says it all in this case. The man 'Thomas Sherfield' with whom George fought with had a son 'Amos Sherfield':



^ I know this isn't connected to my family but I just had to share this story, it really broke my heart reading it. Overall not a very pleasant bunch.



Here is another instance at the 'cross keys' ^ I've tried to find where exactly the pub was located and who owned it but to no avail... it would still be interesting to know however.

Regarding the marriage - it took place in Hitchin, and they were still having children together in 1867 - so definitely not them!