Hugh Hughes of Anglesey

[Tall Al]

Hi,

If it is your Hugh born in 1796, you may be interested in the following potential siblings baptisms -

Jane - 4 March 1798
Owen - 21 Sept 1800
William - 26 December 1802
John - 12 May 1805
Jane - 30 July 1809 (suggesting earlier Jane had died)
Margaret - 26 January 1812

All at Llaneilian; Some show surname as Hugh; Parents Hugh and Margaret.

Alan

PS Don't think the Margaret I mentioned in the 1841/51 censuses are connected as she was not born in Llaneilian.

[jalrose]

Thank you Alan.  That many siblings, perhaps the family simply wanted them to know their brother was deceased when they placed the death notice in the newspaper.   And your theory on surname of Hugh or Hughes appears correct.  Well done.

[dragonT]

Google Books has a copy of "I am a Government Man to Mr Scott of Glendon - Hugh Hughes: From Convict to Free Man" by David Cragg (2015, Australia) which details Hugh Hughes' full story - the theft of the two horses, his flight from Anglesey, the arrest, trial and transportation to New South Wales. The final approx. 170 pages describes his life in Australia. But the book has little to say about Hugh Hughes' family, only that he was born on Anglesey in 1804 to Hugh Hughes, farmer and his wife Margaret nee Prytherick (i.e. Prytherch or Prydderch) and that he was a cousin of William Prytherick of Ty Mawr, Llantrisant, the owner of one of the stolen horses.

As mentioned by Tall Al above patronymic naming was common in rural areas of Anglesey in the early 19th century so we cannot assume that Hugh Hughes' father had surname Hughes.
Prytherch is a much rarer name than Hughes so I've looked for information on his mother Margaret Prytherch.

There was a marriage 18 Dec 1804 at Llangristiolus between Hugh Prichard (Prichd.) and Margaret Prydderch, both otp and ipo Hugh Prytherch and John Knowles.
Then Hugh, son of Hugh & Margaret Prichard of Tyddyn Isaf was baptised at Llangristiolus, 10 Feb 1805. I think this may be the Hugh Hughes we are discussing.

These are the baptisms of some of Hugh's siblings:
Richard, 8 Nov 1807, Llangristiolus - son of Hugh Prichard & Margt his wife.
Anne, 15 Nov 1812, Llangefni - dau. of Hugh Prichd of the parish of Llangristiolus by Margt his wife.
John, 23 Apr 1815, Llangristiolus - son of Hugh & Margaret Prichard, Tyddyn Isaf, farmer.
Mary, 20 Apr 1817, Llangristiolu - dau. of Hugh & Margaret Prichard, Tyddyn Isaf, labourer.
Richard, 23 Apr 1820, Llangristiolus - son of Hugh & Margaret Prichard, Tyddyn Isaf, farmer.
Robert, 12 Mar 1824, Llangristiolus - son of Hugh & Margaret Prichard, late of Tyddyn Isaf now of Llangefni, carrier.

In the 1841 census Hugh and Margaret Prichard, both aged 60, and their son John are at Glan Hwfa St. Llangefni, together with Jane and Margaret, both 30, who may be two other daughters. Hugh is descibed as a coal carrier.

I'm not sure that this is all convincing, but maybe it helps?

[jalrose]

My goodness, what a complicated system to try and research.  Thank you so much for all your efforts and patience to trace what you have in respect of the siblings etc.   I will probably obtain a copy of David Cragg's book, although I have various newspaper articles, State Records etc which provide enough detail.  Its a balancing act where to spend money when researching a large family!  Truly appreciate all the help I have obtained through kind people on Rootschat, including yourself.  Cheers.

[Tall Al]

Hi,

Just wanted to say that I agree with Dragon T and that this looks like the right connection. The only issue is Hugh's age at trial shown as 33 when he was really 26.

The cousin William Prytherch or Prydderch (b1796 Llantrisant)  can be found on several censuses.

The family seems to be as follows -
George Prytherch (1731-1807) of Nant, Llangristiolus and Jane Williams who married in 1761 with 13 children born between, 1762 and 1780,  John the first and Margaret the last. In his will George left all surviving children £20 each,

John married Ann Parry (Widow) in 1787 with son William Prytherch born 1796, and Margaret married Hugh Prichard in 1804 with son Hugh Hughes born 1804.

They are part of a very large Anglesey family

Alan

[jalrose]

Yes, Alan, Had noticed the age in the newspaper article Drosybont sent was at odds with the baptism/birth date (along with the first reference to theft),  but thanks for mentioning the fact - sometimes one cannot see the wood for the trees!   I am very  content with the factual information I now have.

[Drosybont]

Yes, I'm convinced by the details provided by Tall Al and Dragon T.  Regarding his age, at first I thought it might be just a reporting error, but his age is also shown as 33 in the UK criminal records and a year of birth consistent with that is shown in some records in Australia.  There is one exception, though, the Convict Indent for the Burrell, which shows his age as 26. 

Perhaps his age was recorded incorrectly when he was arrested and this was copied from record to record.  As well giving his description, the Convict Indent details his skills, so whoever recorded the information must presumably have spoken to him.  And if he wasn't fluent in English when arrested, he was likely to have been more so by the time he arrived in New South Wales, and so more able to provide accurate information.

Drosybont

[jalrose]

Yes, it is frustrating to not have accurate records for his age, but as Drosybont says, his education could have been lacking, his Welsh accent a subsequent problem etc.  He died in 1882, presumably 78 years, and considering all the hardships he would have suffered, that would be a good innings.   I am inclined to not worry about the age discrepancies in the various records.    Many thanks for everyone's input.