Assigned convicts

[buckyb]

Hi All

Just a short question that I haven't found an answer to on the internet.

Could assigned convicts be temporarily lent to other settlers in the same or another district?

Any help would be most appreciated.

Rod

[majm]

Right,  are you asking about convicts in W.A. or in N.S.W. or in Tas?  there are real differences between W.A. and the other colonies ... different era, different purpose, different rules.   

I have some knowledge of NSW, not much on Tas.  I have been chided on RChat re my comments about W.A. convictism researching. 

But,      Are you asking if there's records kept of instances of for example where farmer Joe lent one of his convicts who had shearing skills to his neighbour Pete to help out with the sheep shearing on Pete's farm?  (and/or vice versa) - Both Joe and Pete were settlers in the same district. ?  ?  ?

As far as I am aware if NSW (so in the era 1788 to 1840)  :  No need to document any sharing,  so long as the convict had his Ticket of Leave documentation on his person at all times, it allowed him to remain in the district.   Of course, it would depend on the Police Magistrate issuing the ToL, and on the Settlers co-operating. 


JM  ADD
NSW https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/convicts-guide
 

[buckyb]

Thanks JM

This might be a little more complicated than I thought.

I had better outline what I am looking at, it is all in NSW.

I am trying to follow the trail of William Armstrong born 1793 in Dublin and arrived in Australia on 31 Aug 1835 as a convict on the ship "Hero". William was given a life sentence.

He was assigned to the surveyor William Wedge Darke in Sydney shortly after arriving. William Darke married in 1838 and moved to Victoria in 1839. At some point he was reassigned to Lt Col James Morriset who was appointed Police Magistrate to Bathurst in 1838, so he then assumedly moved to Bathurst.

On 19 Nov 1845 he was granted a TOL, this seems to be in accordance with the rule that a "lifer" was entitled to apply after 10 years service with 2 masters.

The problem I have is that he was confined to the District of Windsor, this was then altered to Bathurst on 9 January 1846. I can find no connection to Windsor with either of the two masters, thus I was looking to see whether he had been temporarily lent out to a friend or other connection of Darke or Morriset.

Perhaps an error was made on the original TOL document by stating Windsor instead of Bathurst. Or perhaps Morriset being the Police Magistrate in Bathurst had a neighbouring Magistrate issue the certificate to avoid any conflict of interest.

Your thoughts and input are most appreciated.

Regards
Rod   

[sparrett]

Is this your chap charged with murder in 1843 at the property of Col Morriset?

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/37116573

Sue

[buckyb]

Hi Sue

Thanks for your input.

Yes, that is the right chap. He was given a good character reference by James Morriset and only finished up with a sentence of 24 hours jail.

Rod

[majm]

Some info, that may or may not be significant

  a  Surveyor moving to Port Phillip District in 1839 would be a movement within the colony of NSW, as Victoria was not hived off until 1851.  If the surveyor had trained up a team of convicts to help with the physical aspects of surveying land for say a new settlement at say Melbourne (a definite possible in 1839) your chap may well have moved with the surveyor and the paperwork may have been left aside because :
  Transportation to NSW effectively ceased in 1840, and there were anti transportation leagues pushing for no more convicts,
  Police Magistrates were responsible for law and order and presided over what we would now recognise as Local Courts (not the District Courts, the one level below that, so 'Petty Sessions')  It was more an administrative role and some PMs were completely untrained in legal matters.

I can find your chap listed at NSW Archives Convict Index, and that ONLY has the ToL for Windsor, in 1845.   (45/2120)  Where do you find the other info you have provided about William Armstrong?
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/convicts-index

If I recall correctly Morriset came as part of the 48th Regiment (I have ancestors in that reg) and he had a checked career - big on discipline  ... ended up bankrupt from memory...

Who signed off on the 1845 ToL ? 
 
JM

[majm]

So when did he get assigned to Morriset?  what documentation? 

JM

[majm]

 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12888672 DARKE back in Sydney 1845-6

(bankrupty in Melbourne 1842,  .... many went bankrupt in that year/s due to economic downturn, no cheap labour -convictism ceased, and the government increased the setup price for land ... to help the private enterprise arrangements in the new colony in South Australia ... an outcome recommended under the Molesworth Royal Commission in England.)

JM

[buckyb]

Thanks JM for the info

According to NSW BDM William Armstrong fathered 4 children in the period 1837 to  1845 ie Cecilia, Elizabeth, Robert and John. The first Cecilia could be a bit doubtful. All were born at Kelso, Bathurst, the address of James Morriset.
William Armstrong was charged for manslaughter in March 1843, after his trial the SMH published an article on 4 Apr stating "It appeared that both the prisoner and the deceased were in the service of Colonel Morrissett, Police Commissioner at Bathurst."
Given that William was in Kelso from around the time that Morrisett went to Bathurst and that he was in his service in 1842 when the crime took place, I think it is a reasonable assumption that he was assigned to Morriset. To obtain his first and only ticket of leave after 10 years in the colony he was required to have served under two masters.
His TOL was not signed off by anyone, there are two hand written notations on the record viz. "Granted on recommendation of Mr Darke a Surveyor" and "Altered to Bathurst 9 January 1846 on letter 45/11645". At this stage I haven't been able to access the letter 45/11645.
Rod