Petty criminals in the family.

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Petty criminals in the family.

Postby TWG1947 » Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:10 pm

A good place to look for our ancestors is the criminal records held at various record offices, these can give us a slightly different view of our ancesters than we might have hoped for.

A few of the Garratts are represented, we have:

In 1840, Hannah (29) and Elizabeth (25) were in gaol for a month for refusing to find a surety to keep the peace, especially towards Mary Round.

In 1844 Elizabeth Garratt (64) was in goal for three months of hard labour, for theft.

Again in 1844 Harriet Garratt was aquitted of stealing 20lbs of coal from William Grazbrook, then in 1846 her and Hannah Garratt were dischared when a wittness failed to show at their trial, this time for a breast of mutton.
Elizabeth Davis who was said to have recieved it was also discharged.

Poor old Eliza Garratt age 14,in 1849, was given 3 months hard labour for stealing a cap! The property of
Theophilus Hulme

A Samuel Garratt (the younger) in 1827, did 6 months hard labour for the theft of livestock at Rowley Regis from William Cox.
While another Samuel Garratt, in 1840, had 18 months for killing an ass.

A couple of Garratts were transported, a Joseph Garratt or was he John Jones? (which one used the alias?)
7 years transportation for the theft of a male ass from Henry Haddaway at Dudley.

And Benjamin Garratt,age 21, in 1846 along with John Billingham, was transported to Van Diemans Land,for 15 years for
highway robbery with violence.

Benjamins was first at the Worcester Quarter Sessions 2nd January 1843, charged with stealing 40 lbs of iron from William Coley on the 14th November 1842 at Dudley. He was aged 17, occupation chainmaker.
His sentence was one month in gaol and to be whipped. He was committed by C. Cartwright.

Then on the 17th July 1844 he was there again, aged 19, occupation chainmaker. This time for stealing a padlock, at Dudley, the property of Samuel Trowmans on the 14th April. He was committed by W. Bennitt Esq.
His sentence this time, six months imprisonment with hard labour, and to be whipped.

(On the original indictment he is listed as Benjamin Guest, but the Guest is crossed out. Did he try to use an alias
to avoid a harsh sentence?)

He would have been imprisoned in Worcester County Gaol.

And at Worcester Assizes 17th July 1846 Aged 21.
Robbery in company being armed, before convicted of felony. Sentence transportation 15 years.

This crime was committed with John Billingham, of Birmingham, aged about 20, also transported for 15 years.

From Worcester they would have been taken, by train, to Millbank Gaol in London and then to their ship the Pestonjee Bomanjee, there were 198 prisoners on board. It sailed 25th October 1846.

There were 4 deaths amongst the prisoners during the voyage.

And one of the troopers children. Alexander Neil, aged 4 months, son of Private Daniel Neil of the 65th Regiment, died 14 February 1847.

The Pestonjee Bomanjee arrived at Hobart 17th February 1847, the journey took 115 days.

From Benjamin's convicts record we have a brief discription of him, he was 5ft 5 1/2inchs tall, dark brown hair,
eyebrows and brown eyes,

It then records his movements, offences and sentences, minor things which he spent from a few days to 2 weeks
in solitary confinement,and who he worked for after his initial 2 plus years hard labour at the Darby station

He had a Conditional Pardon 31st July 1855. The conditions were that convicts never travelled to various
countries, usually Gt Britain.

He met and possibly married an Irish girl Jane Harkley (Real name Morrison).
She had been transported for 7 years for stealing clothes, her second offence.

If they were married the marriage of Benjamin and Jane is not on the Tasmanian Pioneer Index,
but they had the following chidren:

Thomas Garrett, born Longford 1855, died Longford 1855.
Priscilla Garrett, born Westbury 1858.
Sarah Ann Garrett, born Westbury 1860, died Westbury 1860.
F Garrett, born Westbury 1861.
Sarah Garrett, born Westbury 1864.
Benjamin Garrett, born Westbury 1865.
Thomas Garrett, born Westbury 1866, died Westbury 1870.
(Names as written)

Note: There is a will for a Benjamin Garratt of Westbury dated 1889, but his wife's name is Hannah Maria,
is this Jane? also they have a daughter named Alice.

As for John Billingham, he married Jane Watson, a freewoman, in 1855 in Hobart, he was 29 she was 43.
They appear not to have had any children.

http://www.the-curates-line.com/
TWG1947
 
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