Help deciphering convict record

[sparrett]

I have to say that in all the convict descriptions in Australia I have looked at, I have never seen a body type described as standard.  I would be  happy to be educated on this.  

Most common
Slender, stout, solid, portly, lean.

Sue 

[dobfarm]

I can't understand why the writer uses a full word Slender but uses an abbreviated word stating 'St' or 'Sl' if its shorter than 'Slender'  - thus suggests a longer word than 'Slender'. 

Some word  meaning big girl in stature 

[maddys52]

I tend to agree with Sue, I have never seen "standard" in a description.

Here is a list of common abbreviations from the Tasmanian Library
https://libraries.tas.gov.au/family-history/convicts-in-van-diemens-land-now-tasmania/convict-life/convict-abbreviations/description-lists-of-male-and-female-convicts-con18-con19/#articleBody

However, nothing there similar to your example. Note they say a common description would be "medium height/size" in preference to "standard".

[wivenhoe]

What is this record and how have you located it?

[Bookbox]

What is this record and how have you located it?

It's clearly the Newgate Prison register, which can be found online at FindMyPast.

[wivenhoe]

"It's clearly the Newgate Prison register, which can be found online at FindMyPast".


Useful to know, and references to Tasmania convict records....formats...abbreviations...are not relevant.

[shanreagh]

From No 8 ......'her occupation (I just worked out) was “plain cook” - meaning she could cook most meals by herself or with the employer. No fancy sauces, and no housework!'

A plain cook, at least in NZ, does not really have the meaning you have for it.

A plain cook was skilled at being able to cook a range of food for all family meals so casseroles, roasts, puddings,  jam making, baking for a range of numbers of people, budgetting/ordering/quantities etc. 

My grandmother was what was described as a 'plain cook'.  She therefore had the expectation on her to board and provide the meals, at least  for visitors to the isolated valley where her family farmed. This included various religious visiting to minister to their flocks, stock buyers etc.  When she moved to town she boarded new residents to the location such as young single workers and again religious until they were settled.  At one stage when she was quite elderly she relieved for a very short time, when the owner of an 18 single men boarding house died suddenly.

I think the concept of what plain cooks did may have varied in the colonies like Aus/NZ from England.  Plain cooks are still valued in farming families where the farming couple are expected to provide the meals for single shepherd/s, shearers and fencers and during lambing.  My bro in law's family, when his mother was elderly would hire in a plain cook to cook  especially during lambing when they seemed, to me, to have huge roast meals 3 or 4 times a day, after a lambing beat.     The key need was someone adaptable as far as numbers and types of food. 

[McGroger]

Re the person's build description, I agree with Sparrett and maddys52. A good example is given on the following link where Stout and Slight are by far the commonest descriptions. I think they would have been abbreviated (to save writing) because they were so common, whereas less common ones would have been set out in full (e.g. Slender) to distinguish them from the commoner ones. I think the description for Susan Doherty's build is an abbreviated Stout. Note also that back in those days stout was more the description of a strong body rather than a fat body. https://www.perthdps.com/convicts/conwad06.htm
Peter

[sparrett]

And perhaps with an occupation of plain cook, she had access to the food which may have contributed to a stout physique. 
Sue