Death lookup request: David Simkin b.1825

[ccmmgr]

Hello everyone,

Greetings from the other side of the vast pond.

I'm hoping someone might be able to help; I've been tracing a rather sad story of a young man named David Simkin b.1825 in Birmingham, Warwickshire. He was convicted for stealing a pair of bellows aged 18 when he had already been sentenced for stealing pigeons. At 5"2 and 6st11lbs he was quite a wisp of a thing.

He was transported on the Sir George Seymour out to Van Dieman's Land on the first ship from Pentonville prison in the 1840s and eventually ended up on the dreaded Norfolk Island as part of his 7 year sentence. He gained his freedom in 1851 and I'm not sure what he did in the interim but in 1895 he is arrested aged 70 for vagrancy in Marulan, taken to Goulburn Prison where he is remanded for a week before being assessed by Dr McKillop at the lunatic asylum (I'm assuming Kenmore, but no name given) who determines that he is suffering from 'senile decay'.

I don't think David ever married but I would like to know where he is buried or at least when he died and I'm not coming up trumps.

Any advice or ideas gratefully received.

[sparrett]

His name was SIMKINS on the records I have seen.

  1895 he is arrested aged 70 for vagrancy in Marulan, taken to Goulburn Prison where he is remanded for a week before being assessed by Dr McKillop at the lunatic asylum (I'm assuming Kenmore, but no name given) 

 

He was remanded to Liverpool Asylum. 

[maddys52]

There is a David SINKINS died in 1903 registered at Parramatta (15307/1903 ) - no parent's names on Index. A possibility?

[CassT]

On ancestry there are a couple of Entries that could be him  under surname SIMPKINS  and SUNKINS
NSW hospital and Asylum Records

Cass

 

[sparrett]

In one of the Ancestry links from Cass T, some information as well as I can make  it out.

https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/8812/images/41717_329563-00215?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=ee31425e8e396d1a2ce9e5cd2bbf54b2&pId=30646

David SIMPKINS. Age 70. C of E Single labourer . Born Warwick (maybe?) EDIT It looks more like Yarmouth England.
Came out 50 years ago in the Rosaline to Sydney.  In Sydney all the time.

 No friends. No means

No issue

Sue

[ccmmgr]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for these leads - really glad to know it's Liverpool Asylum!

Just a quick note that, yes, Simpkin is enumerated as Simpkins, Sinkin etc multiple times for this family even back in England - no consistent spelling and this generation weren't able to write their names on documents so that complicates things further! Makes it a bit tricky!

[ccmmgr]

His name was SIMKINS on the records I have seen.

  1895 he is arrested aged 70 for vagrancy in Marulan, taken to Goulburn Prison where he is remanded for a week before being assessed by Dr McKillop at the lunatic asylum (I'm assuming Kenmore, but no name given) 

 

He was remanded to Liverpool Asylum.

Thank you so much for this - I thought the L.A. notation was just "lunatic asylum" as there was no key to it.

[ccmmgr]

In one of the Ancestry links from Cass T, some information as well as I can make  it out.

https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/8812/images/41717_329563-00215?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=ee31425e8e396d1a2ce9e5cd2bbf54b2&pId=30646

David SIMPKINS. Age 70. C of E Single labourer . Born Warwick (maybe?) EDIT It looks more like Yarmouth England.
Came out 50 years ago in the Rosaline to Sydney.  In Sydney all the time.

 No friends. No means

No issue

Sue

Will take a look at this - Yarmouth would definitely not be him but could be an error and some of these records are in variable script with understandably odd transcriptions - e.g. Birmingham given as Bamingham etc.

The family are definitely from Birmingham, all of the sons worked in the gun making quarter.

Good lead, thank you so much.

[ccmmgr]

In one of the Ancestry links from Cass T, some information as well as I can make  it out.

https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/8812/images/41717_329563-00215?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=ee31425e8e396d1a2ce9e5cd2bbf54b2&pId=30646

David SIMPKINS. Age 70. C of E Single labourer . Born Warwick (maybe?) EDIT It looks more like Yarmouth England.
Came out 50 years ago in the Rosaline to Sydney.  In Sydney all the time.

 No friends. No means

No issue

Sue

In one of the Ancestry links from Cass T, some information as well as I can make  it out.

https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/8812/images/41717_329563-00215?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=ee31425e8e396d1a2ce9e5cd2bbf54b2&pId=30646

David SIMPKINS. Age 70. C of E Single labourer . Born Warwick (maybe?) EDIT It looks more like Yarmouth England.
Came out 50 years ago in the Rosaline to Sydney.  In Sydney all the time.

 No friends. No means

No issue

Sue

Have had a look at this now - this man is a couple of years younger than the David I'm looking for and I think you're right about it being Yarmouth etc (gosh it's a tough scan!). Doubt this one is our man.