Prison Hulk Register

[turfy]

Hi
Can anyone please read the attached record for William Cork aboard the Prison Hulk Ship HMS Justitia, moored Woolwich c1839.

It may help to know that his crime was stealing a Duck and he was born in Uffculme.

He is number 9 (second from the bottom)

Many Thanks

[Dalum]

my take on it...

Willm Cork 
age: 50
crime: ly a duck  [ly=larceny?]
convicted at Exeter 25 July 1839
sentence: 10 years
married or single: m
read or write: n [no or neither?]
trade: stone mason  [something written over the second word so not sure]
gaoler's report: Conv^d & [     ?  ] trans^d bad char^r poor connexions
how disposed of: Died 29 apr 1841

the enrty below and also the first two on the page have "Conv^d & trans^d" but this has an extra word I can't work out.

Hugh

[Dalum]

I'm having my doubts about the 'convd & transd' could the word between them be 'thrice'?

Hugh

[turfy]

Hi Hugh

William's sentence was for 10 years transportation, I assume he died aboard the prison ship while awaiting to be transferred to another vessel for the voyage. Could 'Convd' and 'trans' be to do with convicted and transportation maybe? I wonder what 'poor connexions' could mean?

Many Thanks

[Dalum]

I think 'connexions' means family or maybe friends and family. The policeman in the previous entry had 'respectable' connexions.


Hugh

[Wiggy]

I am reading fro William Cork -  convicted & thrice imp(risone)d,  bad char(acte)r  poor connections(?)     [I'm not entirely sure about connections - seems to be spelt with and 'x' and possibly have a 't' at the end]   

I think the previous entry says   connexions respectable,   character unknown -   

And the one before that     connexions???  respectable     

and the one before that again - - previous character good, poor connexions(?),  -  as if he's made bad friends in prison maybe.       

  Don't know - - -      the word coming up again and again as connexions seems to me to have a 't' at the end of it-  can't think of a word to fit though.     

Wiggy   

[mare]

... nothing really to add, my first look at it,   think though that under Read or Write column it is R for read, W for write or B for both ? ... so I would say W for William. i.e that he could write  mare

[Wiggy]

Just as a piece of interest maybe - also maybe relevant in this case

 - I am reading about various convicts/prisoners of this period at the moment-  it has been noted in the book that many of them, though of good background, farmers, and character, never had anything recorded against them or been in trouble for anything before,, fell in with the wrong lot just once, and got caught, hence were convicted of crimes they might never otherwise have committed - 
Just a thought in trying to understand . . ..   

Wiggy   

[turfy]

Thanks everyone.

Hi Wiggy

That's interesting, William (my 4x Great Grandfather) ended up on the Justitia because he stole a Duck, we would like to think that maybe he was forced into it in desperation of trying to feed his family but he had been in trouble before... I hope to find out out more when I hopefully manage to get down to the record office in Exeter. Interestingly he stole the Duck from John New esq. in Uffculme and there is still a John New esq. there today - my Father thinks maybe we should take the [a] Duck back down to him!

I note that you say you are reading about convicts of this period - would you happen to know what is likely to have happened to Williams body when he died on the Prison Hulk Justitia 29 April 1841?

Regards.