John Spilsbury convict sent to NSW

[sparrett]

Your capacity to presume or confect the existence of presumptions by other people is extraordinary !

I am not assuming a link between illiteracy and criminality, at all.

Let me spell it out for you.

The "lower class"  ( for want of a better term,  lest you start making presumptions about assumptions again ),  were not much in the habit of placing ads and announcements in the newspapers.   You will observe,  in the newspapers of the day,  many advertisements,  announcements and random pieces of information about the gentry, the merchants, the officials, the professionals, the graziers and the trades.   

You will see next to no information about the small-holders,  labourers,  and others.  Many of these were former convicts,   many were not.  And among the former convicts,  many had no track record of criminal misconduct in Australia.

In that period,  the gentry, merchants, officials, graziers and tradesmen were generally literate,   and many of the smallholders, labourers, workers and ex-convicts were not.

I see it as somewhat unusual,  to have an advertisement placed in the newspaper, as John Spilsbury's advertisement concerning his absconded wife,  which specifically draws attention to his illiteracy,  particularly as there seems to be no obvious reason why it would be mentioned at all.    I have read thousands and thousands and thousands of pages of these newspapers,   and that still strikes me as somewhat odd.  The point being,   that being illiterate is not inconsistent with being a former convict.  The use of the double negative in the preceding sentence is intentional and has semantic meaning.  This should not be taken to mean an assumption is implied that illiteracy implies criminality,  or that criminality implies illiteracy,  or the literacy implies an absence of criminality.  In fact,  to say that A is not inconsistent with B,  is to specifically deny making any of those assumptions.

Nevertheless,  the fact that the ad specifically draws attention to John Spilsbury's illiterate state,  highlights the unusualness of his ad,  because most such ads were placed by middle class rather than lower class people.

He is indeed too old to be the one born in 1817,  and sent to Australia in 1840 aged 23.

There is at least one other John Spilsbury in Australia before 1840,  his marriage is recorded in 1831,   and the failure of his marriage is evidenced by the newspaper ads he placed in 1832 stating that his wife had absconded for no reason,    and that nobody should give her credit.     And he was illiterate,  so quite possibly a convict.   The list of convicts is not complete.

You seem to assume a connection between  illiteracy and criminal activity leading to transportation That is  a bit surprising.

Can you elaborate on this?
 

Sue

Thanks for elaborating and making your theories so clear   

Sue

[majm]

Re LITERACY

Here’s some information from Dec 1827 to show that a  John Spilsbury CAME FREE   
Windsor ……..   John Spilsbury, came free to be Constable from the 6th instant, in the Room of James Union       
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/31759277  The Monitor 17 Dec 1827


And then : Here’s the notice in the newspaper, whereby a John Spilsbury of Windsor inserts advert re his wife, and the advert includes a witness name to certify John’s x mark.   

May I note that IF these two articles are referring to the same John Spilsbury, then the Constable would seem to be simply crossing all the “t” and dotting all the “i” as one would expect of anyone with experience of policing the laws. .

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2204414   The Sydney Gazette 12 January 1832.

Re X Marks on Trove's digitised newspapers 

I recall various adverts with his or her X mark mentioned in those newspapers.   I also recall reading X mark mentions in the earlier versions of historic newspapers  .... at the following link : http://www.nla.gov.au/ferg/

ADD, and of course, the references to Windsor, are to Windsor, NSW, .... The Hawkesbury District  and of course, it is quite possible that there were two different chaps with families in the Hawkesbury District at the same time named John SPILSBURY.


Cheers,  JM

[majm]

Hi,

I’m not sure if there are any census records for 1841 and 1851 for Australia.  If so, could someone please check and see if they can find JOHN SPILSBURY (or PILSBURY) born 1817 in Staffordshire, England.  He was on the convict ship the Eden which sailed to New South Wales in 1840. He had been charged with Burglary.

He did have a wife Elizabeth, but she seems to vanish into thin air after giving birth to her son in Stafford Gaol in 1840. 

John was a shoemaker.  Any information would be most appreciated.

Thanks
Joan

Hi Joan,

Some historic electoral roll info  from 1870  may help to confirm or eliminate.

NSW 1870 Electoral Roll THE BOGAN
In the Bourke Police District
Henry SPILLSBERRY, of Willie, leasehold Marra Creek
John SPILLSBERRY, of Willie, residence Marra Creek

Cheers,  JM

[majm]

Source:  BDA (Biographical Database of Australia)  http://www.bda-online.org.au/

Oct 1831  John SPILSBURY, aged 38, of Windsor  Signed X; & Eliza Stafford, AGED 17 Spinster, of Wilberforce, Signed X.  married 18 Oct 1831, registered Scots Church Presbyterian, Sydney by Banns, with consent of all parties, by John McGARVIE.  Witness  John Chave and Ann Chave of Sydney.  The BDA source cited as Church Register, NSW Sydney Scots Church Presbyterian Marriages.

http://www.insidehistory.com.au/2013/09/biographical-dictionary-of-australia-set-to-launch-a-unique-window-into-colonial-australia/

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTZD-P49 marriage Eliza Stafford 18 Oct 1831

NSW BDM online ref  Vol 73A line 206, John Spilsbury and Eliza Stafford at JA (Sydney, Scots Church)


Cheers,  JM

[majm]

Source:  BDA (Biographical Database of Australia)  http://www.bda-online.org.au/

BIRTH Nov 1825
Henry SPILSBOROUGH, child of John Spilsborough, Private 3rd Regiment, and of Martha,
Abode  Windsor
Born 28 Nov 1825, baptised 8 Jan 1826, Windsor, by Rev John Cross, St Matthews, C of E, Windsor.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTCX-53J

BIRTH Dec 1823
Margaret SPILSBOROUGH, (same parents a Henry, above), baptised 25 Dec 1823 at Windsor, same church, same Rev.

ADD

There's a John SPILSBURY, 3rd Regiment of Foot who arrived in NSW 1822.  He is listed at the following link as among those who stayed.   May I also note that he, his wife Martha and their children are listed on the NSW 1828 Census CD as being located at Windsor, and that John, aged 34 was a Constable.  They arrived on the P Royal, 1822, and were Protestant. 

Among their younger children noted on that CD are Henry born in the colony and Margaret born in the colony.

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~garter1/3rdfoot.htm


Remembering that the OP's chap "was on the convict ship the Eden which sailed to New South Wales in 1840."   (Was this the last ship to fetch prisoners to New South Wales ?)
http://www.convictrecords.com.au/convicts/spilsbury/john/960

Cheers,  JM