What happened to the children of people transported to Australia around 1825

[Megatill]

Hi Everyone - don't know which category to use so thought maybe "General" would fit the bill.

My question is hard to verbalise: I have a mother-daughter situation where the mother Elizabeth is convicted 1n 1825 in the Old Bailey to 7 years transportation to Australia. Elizabeth's daughter - also Elizabeth! - was 11 years old at the time of her mother's conviction and transportation. Husband and Father William died in 1824, and while there were siblings - both Mary Ann and John had died by 1824.

To make matters more confusing, or maybe are the clarifying points, daughter Elizabeth was convicted in 1835 and transported to VDL (Van Diemans Land now Tasmania).

Some say the children travelled with the convicted parent, but this may not be the case for Elizabeth the mother and Elizabeth the daughter especially if Elizabeth the daughter is also transported 10 years after her mother. Also - no mention of Elizabeth the daughter is made against Elizabeth the mother in the Convict registers from 1825 onwards...

For Elizabeth the daughter to be transported in 1835, and she **had** been transported with her mother in 1825, then she would have had to have had made her way back to London to be caught, convicted and sentenced herself.

So - what would have, or could have, happened to Elizabeth the daughter between 1824 and 1835?

Thanks for reading!

Megan in Sydney  2024-09-14   1546hrs

[maddys52]

I could be wrong, but I would assume the 11 year old Elizabeth would be placed in a workhouse or institution for orphans. See this familysearch wiki, though it doesn't specifically mention children of transported convicts.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/England_Orphans_and_Foundlings_-_International_Institute

Certainly some children did accompany their mothers if sentenced to transportation, but if your Elizabeth is later convicted in England, I would think it very unlikely she went with her mother and then returned to England.

[Megatill]

I could be wrong, but I would assume the 11 year old Elizabeth would be placed in a workhouse or institution for orphans. See this familysearch wiki, though it doesn't specifically mention children of transported convicts.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/England_Orphans_and_Foundlings_-_International_Institute

Certainly some children did accompany their mothers if sentenced to transportation, but if your Elizabeth is later convicted in England, I would think it very unlikely she went with her mother and then returned to England.

I agree with your reasoning, but I did need confirmation of my hypothesis - I guess the next question would be where would I find Workhouse records?

Elizabeth the daughter was born in Smithfield, and the deceased siblings born, baptised and buried in St Andrews Holborn.  I would assume these two areas would be the top of the list of Workhouses?

Megan in Sydney   

2024-09-14   1648hrs

[Biggles50]

I would agree that Elizabeth Jr would like have been placed in an Institution if a family did not take her in.

https://www.workhouses.org.uk/records/

May help you.

Unlikely that Elizabeth Jr travelled with her Mother as it begs the question of where did she find the cash to pay for the voyage home. 

Elizabeth Jr could also have been a child of the street, surviving by whatever means she could.  With her being in London does make me think Oliver Twist, Dickens did write based on his own travels and observations.

[Neale1961]

It will be difficult to know with certainty what happened to Elizabeth Junior.
Grandparents or other close relatives may have been there to help her for a while. As Maddy suggests, the workhouse was also an option.
She would have been old enough to go into domestic service or agricultural labour (depending where she lived). Some kind of service would be my guess, but as this is pre-census, one can’t know for sure.
Elizabeth Junior’s criminal records may shed some light on where she was living and how and if employed.

[Megatill]

It will be difficult to know with certainty what happened to Elizabeth Junior.
Grandparents or other close relatives may have been there to help her for a while. As Maddy suggests, the workhouse was also an option.
She would have been old enough to go into domestic service or agricultural labour (depending where she lived). Some kind of service would be my guess, but as this is pre-census, one can’t know for sure.
Elizabeth Junior’s criminal records may shed some light on where she was living and how and if employed.

Thanks, Neale,

Elizabeth the Daughter's Convict Records report that mum Elizabeth was convicted and Transported (which which is how I found Mummy) but nothing else. She, too, like her mum, was tried at the Old Bailey, and the excerpt states (in summary) she was ELIZABETH BLACKLOCK. Theft; stealing from master. 11th May 1835.

The "Master" was HENRY WILLIAM KING, a journeyman bookbinder, who lived in John-street, Spitalfields. "The prisoner came into my service on the 3rd of April, as a weekly servant...".

Nothing that occurred before that event except her birth year 1814.
The reference to her mum was in the Tassie Convict Records, so once she arrived in VDL, and not before during her trial.


Megan in Sydney
2024-09-14   1722hrs

[Neale1961]

"The prisoner came into my service on the 3rd of April, as a weekly servant...".

So she was a domestic servant, but not in full-time employment, at that stage anyhow.
Any more hints of information on the Australian convict records?

[Neale1961]

I see Elizabeth junior had a former conviction for much the same offence.

ADDED
Her 2 convictions here. The first one was stealing from Mr. King. The second one got her sentenced to transportation
https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/search/name?given_name=elizabeth&surname=Blacklock&text=ELIZABETH%20BLACKLOCK&year_gte=1830&year_lte=1836#results

[Megatill]

I see Elizabeth junior had a former conviction for much the same offence.

ADDED
Her 2 convictions here. The first one was stealing from Mr. King. The second one got her sentenced to transportation
https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/search/name?given_name=elizabeth&surname=Blacklock&text=ELIZABETH%20BLACKLOCK&year_gte=1830&year_lte=1836#results

Correct.  But in the same year.

There is the interval between 1824-25 when Elizabeth the Mother was transported up to 1835 when Elizabeth the Daughter was transported...   I am hoping for an entry in to a Workhouse or another fluke in finding employers... maybe some one else has that answer!


Megan in Sydney
2024-09-14 -  1809hrs