Joseph Wheeler Feltham 'Equestrian' 1852 Parkhurst Boy

Joseph Wheeler Feltham left for Tasmania, from Parkhurst Boys Prison, on the Equestrian in 1852. Further details about other Parkhurst Boys sent 0n the Equestrian in 1852 are available here.

Related Posts:
Joseph Wheeler Feltham - I Was A Parkhurst Boy

Port Arthur, Tasmania - The Convict Settlement (1833-1877)

Port Arthur Panoramic View
[by Noodle snacks]

Port Arthur is a former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. It is the top tourist attraction in Tasmania. The settlement is named after Van Diemen's Land lieutenant governor George Arthur and housed some of the worse British (and Irish) criminals from 1833 until the 1850s. The prison closed in 1877.

The Tasman peninsula, containing Port Arthur, had a 30 m wide isthmus called Eaglehawk Neck which was guarded by soldiers and hungry dogs. The surrounding waters were also rumoured to be infested with sharks.


Port Arthur Video:

Dorchester Assizes (Shire Hall, Dorchester) - Site of Trial of Joseph Feltham & George Smith

Old Shire Hall, High West St, Dorchester
Old Location of Dorchester Assizes and Crown Court
[Copyright Nigel Mykura, reuse under Creative Commons Licence.]

Joseph Feltham and George Smith were tried for housebreaking at Dorchester Assizes on the 13th March 1850. At that time the courthouse was at the Old Shire Hall. This location was also the site of the court trial for the 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' in 1834. The actual courtroom used for my trial and also earlier for the 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' is shown below. The judge for our trial in 1850 was Thomas Noon Talfourd.


Old Shire Hall Courtroom

Early Hobart Town Wharf Photographs

My first steps on terra firma australis were at the Hobart Town wharf when I walked off the convict ship Equestrian in 1852. The Hobart Town wharf has a special place in my heart. Below are some early photographs of the Hobart Town wharf area from the Archives Office of Tasmania (site).


View of Hobart Town from the Domain (1857) by J Sharp.
[Link]


Hobart Town Wharf Area (1860):
[Link]


New Wharf Hobart Town (1865):
[Link]


Hobart Town Wharf about 1866
[Link]


Hobart Town New Wharf - Photographer, S. Clifford (1869)
[Link]


Hobart from New Wharf - Photographer, S. Clifford (1869)
Parliament House, Hobart, New Wharf, Salamanca Place [Link]

Charles Darwin Visits Hobart (1836) - Voyage of the Beagle & Published Diary

The above image comes from Charles Darwin's book the 'Voyage of the Beagle'. Darwin spent a short period of time in Tasmania. The passages about Darwin's visit to Tasmania are shown below from Chapter 19 (here) of the 'Voyage of the Beagle'. The comments about the Tasmanian aboriginals come as a bit of a surprise to me.

30th.—The Beagle sailed for Hobart Town in Van Diemen's Land. On the 5th of February, after a six days' passage, of which the first part was fine, and the latter very cold and squally, we entered the mouth of Storm Bay; the weather justified this awful name. The bay should rather be called an estuary, for it receives at its head the waters of the Derwent. Near the mouth there are some extensive basaltic platforms; but higher up the land becomes mountainous, and is covered by a light wood. The lower parts of the hills which skirt the bay are cleared; and the bright yellow fields of corn, and dark green ones of potatoes, appear very luxuriant. Late in the evening we anchored in the snug cove on the shores of which stands the capital of Tasmania. The first aspect of the place was very inferior to that of Sydney; the latter might be called a city, this is only a town. It stands at the base of Mount Wellington, a mountain 3100 feet high, but of little picturesque beauty; from this source, however, it receives a good supply of water. Round the cove there are some fine warehouses and on one side a small fort. Coming from the Spanish settlements, where such magnificent care has generally been paid to the fortifications, the means of defence in these colonies appeared very contemptible. Comparing the town with Sydney, I was chiefly struck with the comparative fewness of the large houses, either built or building. Hobart Town, from the census of 1835, contained 13,826 inhabitants, and the whole of Tasmania 36,505.

All the aborigines have been removed to an island in Bass's Straits, so that Van Diemen's Land enjoys the great advantage of being free from a native population. This most cruel step seems to have been quite unavoidable, as the only means of stopping a fearful succession of robberies, burnings, and murders, committed by the blacks; and which sooner or later would have ended in their utter destruction. I fear there is no doubt that this train of evil and its consequences originated in the infamous conduct of some of our countrymen. Thirty years is a short period in which to have banished the last aboriginal from his native island,—and that island nearly as large as Ireland. The correspondence on this subject which took place between the government at home and that of Van Diemen's Land, is very interesting. Although numbers of natives were shot and taken prisoners in the skirmishing, which was going on at intervals for several years, nothing seems fully to have impressed them with the idea of our overwhelming power, until the whole island, in 1830, was put under martial law, and by proclamation the whole population commanded to assist in one great attempt to secure the entire race. The plan adopted was nearly similar to that of the great hunting-matches in India: a line was formed reaching across the island, with the intention of driving the natives into a cul-de-sac on Tasman's peninsula. The attempt failed; the natives, having tied up their dogs, stole during one night through the lines. This is far from surprising, when their practised senses and usual manner of crawling after wild animals is considered. I have been assured that they can conceal themselves on almost bare ground, in a manner which until witnessed is scarcely credible; their dusky bodies being easily mistaken for the blackened stumps which are scattered all over the country. I was told of a trial between a party of Englishmen and a native, who was to stand in full view on the side of a bare hill; if the Englishmen closed their eyes for less than a minute, he would squat down, and then they were never able to distinguish him from the surrounding stumps. But to return to the hunting-match; the natives understanding this kind of warfare, were terribly alarmed, for they at once perceived the power and numbers of the whites. Shortly afterwards a party of thirteen belonging to two tribes came in; and, conscious of their unprotected condition, delivered themselves up in despair. Subsequently by the intrepid exertions of Mr. Robinson, an active and benevolent man, who fearlessly visited by himself the most hostile of the natives, the whole were induced to act in a similar manner. They were then removed to an island, where food and clothes were provided them. Count Strzelecki states,161 that "at the epoch of their deportation in 1835, the number of natives amounted to 210. In 1842, that is after the interval of seven years, they mustered only fifty-four individuals; and, while each family of the interior of New South Wales, uncontaminated by contact with the whites, swarms with children, those of Flinders' Island had during eight years an accession of only fourteen in number!"

The Beagle stayed here ten days, and in this time I made several pleasant little excursions, chiefly with the object of examining the geological structure of the immediate neighbourhood. The main points of interest consist, first in some highly fossiliferous strata belonging to the Devonian or Carboniferous period; secondly, in proofs of a late small rise of the land; and lastly, in a solitary and superficial patch of yellowish limestone or travertin, which contains numerous impressions of leaves of trees, together with land-shells, not now existing. It is not improbable that this one small quarry includes the only remaining record of the vegetation of Van Diemen's Land during one former epoch.

The climate here is damper than in New South Wales, and hence the land is more fertile. Agriculture flourishes; the cultivated fields look well, and the gardens abound with thriving vegetables and fruit-trees. Some of the farmhouses, situated in retired spots, had a very attractive appearance. The general aspect of the vegetation is similar to that of Australia; perhaps it is a little more green and cheerful; and the pasture between the trees rather more abundant. One day I took a long walk on the side of the bay opposite to the town: I crossed in a steamboat, two of which are constantly plying backwards and forwards. The machinery of one of these vessels was entirely manufactured in this colony, which, from its very foundation, then numbered only three and thirty years! Another day I ascended Mount Wellington; I took with me a guide, for I failed in a first attempt, from the thickness of the wood. Our guide, however, was a stupid fellow, and conducted us to the southern and damp side of the mountain, where the vegetation was very luxuriant; and where the labour of the ascent, from the number of rotten trunks, was almost as great as on a mountain in Tierra del Fuego or in Chiloe. It cost us five and a half hours of hard climbing before we reached the summit. In many parts the Eucalypti grew to a great size and composed a noble forest. In some of the dampest ravines tree-ferns flourished in an extraordinary manner; I saw one which must have been at least twenty feet high to the base of the fronds, and was in girth exactly six feet. The fronds, forming the most elegant parasols, produced a gloomy shade, like that of the first hour of night. The summit of the mountain is broad and flat and is composed of huge angular masses of naked greenstone. Its elevation is 3100 feet above the level of the sea. The day was splendidly clear, and we enjoyed a most extensive view; to the north, the country appeared a mass of wooded mountains, of about the same height with that on which we were standing, and with an equally tame outline: to the south the broken land and water, forming many intricate bays, was mapped with clearness before us. After staying some hours on the summit we found a better way to descend, but did not reach the Beagle till eight o'clock, after a severe day's work.

February 7th.—The Beagle sailed from Tasmania, and, on the 6th of the ensuing month, reached King George's Sound, situated close to the south-west corner of Australia.

Darwin's visit to Tasmania is also mentioned in the book published by Keynes, R. D. ed. (2001), 'Charles Darwin's Beagle Diary'. The Tasmania specific passages are shown below:

30^th The Beagle made sail for Hobart Town: Capt. King & some other people accompanied us a little way out of Harbour. — Philip King remains behind & leaves the Service. — |704|

February 5^th After a six days passage, of which the first part was fine & the latter very cold & squally, we entered the mouth of Storm Bay: the weather justified this awful name. — This Bay should rather be called a deep Estuary, which receives at its head the waters of the Derwent. — Near its mouth there are extensive basaltic platforms, the sides of which show fine façades of columns; higher up the land becomes mountainous, & is all covered by a light wood. — The bases of these mountains, following the edges of the bay, are cleared & cultivated; the bright yellow fields of corn & dark green ones of potato crops appear very luxuriant. Late in the evening we came to an anchor in the snug cove on the shores of which stands the capital of Tasmania, as Van Diemen's land is now called. — The first aspect of the place was very inferior to that of Sydney; the latter might be called a city, this only a town. —

In the morning I walked on shore. — The streets are fine & broad; but the houses rather scattered: the shops appeared good: The town stands at the base of M. Wellington, a mountain 3100 ft high, but of very little picturesque beauty: from this source however it receives a good supply of water, a thing much wanted in Sydney. — Round the cove there are some fine warehouses; & on one side a small Fort. — Coming from the Spanish Settlements, where such magnificent |705| care has generally been paid to the fortifications, the means of defence in these colonies appeared very contemptible. — Comparing this town to Sydney, I was chiefly struck with the comparative fewness of the large houses, either built or building. — I should think this must indicate that fewer people are gaining large fortunes. The growth however of small houses has been most abundant; & the vast number of little red brick dwellings, scattered on the hill behind the town, sadly destroys its picturesque appearance. — In London I saw a Panorama of a Hobart town; the scenery was very magnificent, but unfortunately there is no resemblance to it in nature. — The inhabitants for this year are 13,826; in the whole of Tasmania 36,505. — The Aboriginal blacks are all removed & kept (in reality as prisoners) in a Promontory, the neck of which is guarded. I believe it was not possible to avoid this cruel step; although without doubt the misconduct of the Whites first led to the Necessity. —

7^th–10^th During these days I took some long pleasant walks examining the geology of the country. — The climate here is damper than in New S. Wales & hence the land is more fertile. Agriculture here flourishes; the cultivated fields looked very well & the gardens abounded with the most luxuriant vegetables & fruit trees. Some of the farm houses, situated in retired spots, had a very tempting appearance. The general aspect of the Vegetation is similar to that of Australia; perhaps it is a little more |706| green & cheerful & the pasture between the trees rather more abundant. — One long walk which I took was on the opposite side of the Bay; I crossed in a Steam boat, two of which are constantly plying backwards & forwards.— The machinery of one [of] these vessels was entirely manufactured in this Colony, which from its very foundation only numbers three & thirty years!

11^th I ascended Mount Wellington. I made the attempt the day before, but from the thickness of the wood failed. — I took with me this time a guide, but he was a stupid fellow & led me up by the South or wet side. Here the vegetation was very luxuriant & from the number of dead trees & branches, the labor of ascent was almost as great as in T. del Fuego or Chiloe, — It cost us five & a half hours of hard climbing before we reached the summit. — In many parts the gum trees grew to a great size & the whole composed a most noble forest. — In some of the dampest ravines, tree-ferns flourished in an extraordinary manner; — I saw one which must have been about twenty five feet high to the base of the fronds, & was in girth exactly six feet: — the foliage of these trees forming so many most elegant parasols created a shade gloomy like that of the first hour of night. — The summit of the mountain is broard & flat & is composed of huge angular masses of naked greenstone; its elevation is 3100 ft above the level of the Sea. — The day was splendidly clear & we enjoyed a most extensive view. — To the Northward the country appeared a mass of wooded mountains |707| of about the same elevation & tame outline as the one on which we stood. To the South the intricate outline of the broken land & water forming many bays was mapped with clearness before us. — After staying some hours on the summit we found a better way to descend, but did not reach the Beagle till eight oclock, after a severe day's work.

12^th–15^th I had been introduced [to] M^r Frankland, the Surveyor General, & during these days I was much in his Society. — He took me two very pleasant rides & I passed at his house the most agreeable evening since leaving England. There appears to be a good deal of Society here: I heard of a Fancy Ball, at which 113 were present in costumes! I suspect also the Society is much pleasanter than that of Sydney. — They enjoy an advantage in there being no wealthy Convicts. — If I was obliged to emigrate I certainly should prefer this place: the climate & aspect of the country almost alone would determine me. — The Colony moreover is well governed; in this convict population, there certainly is not more, if not less, crimes, than in England.

16^th The weather has been cloudy, which has prolonged our stay beyond what was expected. — I went this day in a Stage Coach to New Norfolk. This flourishing village contains 1822 inhabitants. It is distant 22 miles from Hobart town; the line of road follows the Derwent. — We passed very many nice farms & much Corn land.— Returned in the evening by the same Coach.

17^th The Beagle stood out with a fair wind on her passage to K. George's Sound. The Gun-room officers |708| gave a passage to England to M^r Duff of the 21^st Reg:

References:

Charles Darwin
Voyage of The Beagle (1839)

Keynes, R. D. ed. 2001.
Charles Darwin's Beagle Diary.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tasmanian Genealogy Links

Some Useful Tasmanian Genealogy Web Sites:

• Archives Office of Tasmania
• Maritime Museum of Tasmania
• State Library of Tasmania Family History Sources
• Tasmania Gen Web (rootsweb.ancestry.com)
• Tasmania Family History Society
• Tasmania Family History Society (Hobart Branch)
• Tasmania Genealogy Links
• Tasmania History Index
• Tasmanian Genealogy Services - Surname Interests
  
• University of Tasmania Archives

Australians - Reverend John West - The History Of Tasmania (1852)

My family were devastated when I (Joseph Wheeler Feltham) was sent to prison and subsequently transported to Hobart Town, Van Dieman's Land, on the convict ship the 'Equestrian' in 1852. In retrospect I was blessed to be transported to this up-and-coming colony to start a new life. The following passage by the Reverend John West, from his book 'The History of Tasmania' (1852), summarises quite clearly to me why Australia, and my new home Tasmania, is so special.

"The liberality and generosity of the Australians has been remarked by every stranger. In prosperous times money is at command for every project which professes to do good, and suffering is instantly relieved by bounty which is sometimes extravagant. The loss of a vessel a few years ago afforded an instance of this. The utmost latitude of beneficence could not exhaust the immense sum (£1,200) contributed to make good the personal losses of a few passengers and seamen. The liberality of the hand is here unrestrained by religious antipathies. Bigotry assumes the character of ill temper and puffing. Two parrots in Philadelphia trained to polemics were set over against each other, one crying all day, "there can be no church without a prelate;" the other, "there can be a church without a prelate ;" the passengers were divided in opinion, but laughing walked on. Such is colonial life."

References:
The History of Tasmania
By John West
Published by H. Dowling, 1852
Volume 2

Tasmanian History Timeline 1850-1859

The following are a list of important dates in Tasmanian history dating from the decade of Joseph Wheeler Feltham's arrival in Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land.

• 1850 – First Van Diemen's Land secular high school built at the Domain in Hobart Town.
• 1850 – Hobart Town’s Constitution Dock is officially opened.
• 1851 – The Black Thursday bushfires occur in February 1851.
• 1851 – A major influenza epidemic hits Van Diemen's Land.
• 1851 – First election for 16 non-appointed members of Legislative Council.
• 1851 – Hobart Town’s Chamber of Commerce is established in 1851.
• 1851 – The first Australian inter-colonial cricket match is hosted in Launceston between Van Diemen's Land and Victoria.
• 1851 – Van Diemen's Land Darlington penitentiary abandoned on Maria Island.
• 1852 – Elections for first Hobart and Launceston municipal councils are held.
• 1852 – Gold discovered near Fingal
• 1852 – The convict ship the 'Equestrian' arrives in Hobart Town.
• 1853 – Arrival of last convict ship, the St Vincent.
  
• 1853 – Jubilee festival in Hobart celebrates the end of convict transportation.
• 1853 – The first Tasmanian adhesive postage stamp issued.
• 1854 – The Legislative Council wrote to Queen Victoria requesting that the name of the colony be changed to Tasmania.
  
• 1854 – Severe floods and fires hit Hobart.
• 1854 – The Mercury newspaper is founded as bi-weekly publication.
• 1855 – The first horse-drawn 'buses' (in reality they were large carts) began services - mainly on the Hobart city to nearby New Town route.
• 1855 – Henry Young becomes first vice-regal representative to have title of Governor of Van Dieman's Land - later Tasmania.
• 1856 – Name of Van Diemen's Land officially changed to Tasmania after grant of responsible self-government.
• 1856 – New two-house Parliament opens after elections, William Champ becomes colony's first Premier.
• 1856 – Norfolk Island transferred from Tasmanian to New South Wales control.
• 1857 – Hobart's municipal Incorporation
• 1857 – Hobart-Launceston telegraph line opens for first time.
  
• 1857 – Hobart starts using coal gas - Hobart streets get gas lighting.
• 1858 – Hobarts Marine Board has it's first meeting - becoming Australia's oldest port authority.
• 1858 – Hobart and Launceston councils form municipal police forces.
• 1858 – Council of Education established in Tasmania.
  
• 1858 – The Hobart Savings Bank founded in 1858.
• 1858 – Tasmanian Parliament passes Rural Municipalities Act
• 1859 – Hobart Town Council appoints a health officer.
• 1859 – The new Government House at Domain occupied for first time, by Governor Henry Young and Lady Young.

For The Term Of His Natural Life (1927)

The Australian story 'For the Term of His Natural Life', written by Marcus Clarke, was published as a novel in 1874. The novel is based, in part, on the life of a convict called Rufus Dawes from the penal settlement of Port Arthur, Tasmania. The harsh treatment and poor living conditions of the Tasmanian convicts is clearly shown. Most of the incidents portrayed, and many of the specific characters, are quite easily identifiable from the historical colonial literature of the time.

The novel 'For the Term of His Natural Life' is available online ... here

A full length motion picture adaptation of the book, 'For the Term of His Natural Life', was made by the American director Norman Dawn in Hollywood (1927). The film contained the silent film stars Eva Novak and George Fisher. Unfortunately, the film had limited success because the recent development of film sound (talkies) led to a fall in silent film popularity. The film is available on YouTube in 12 sections shown below.


1/12


2/12


3/12


4/12


5/12


6/12


7/12


8/12


9/12


10/12


11/12


12/12

Joseph Wheeler Feltham - I Was A Parkhurst Boy

Parkhurst Boys Prison (Isle of Wight) early 1800s:

I was a member of a select group of boys known as the 'Parkhurst Boys'. We were found guilty of various crimes and sent to Parkhurst Boys Prison (Isle of Wight) for a period of rehabilitation, including learning a trade. Following this we were sent to the colonies of New Zealand, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia and Norfolk Island; to be apprenticed to local settlers.

It is interesting that both myself and George SMITH, who was convicted with me for the same crime at Dorchester Assizes on the 13th March 1850, were both sent to Parkhurst Boys Prison, and then both transported on the 'Equestrian' to Van Dieman's Land. On leaving the Equestrian, I stayed in Hobart Town, whereas George SMITH was transferred to Campbell Town.

The other Parkhurst Boys transported with us on the 1852 'Equestrian' voyage to Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania), are listed below.

Carr, Samuel:
Age 17 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Manchester - 25th November 1849 (25.11.1849)
Crime - larceny
Notes - Listed as a vagrant.

Clark, Charles:
Age 15 years
Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Tried Leeds - 30th November 1849 (30.10.1849)
Crime - stealing
Notes - Listed as a flax dresser with 9 previous convictions.

Cornivall, William:
Age 14 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Lewes - 23rd February 1848 (23.02.1848)
Crime - house breaking & larceny.
Notes - Trial year questionable.

Cowell, William:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Sentenced to 10y 16
Tried Bolton - 20th December 1849 (20.12.1849)
Crime - larceny
Notes - Listed as a bricklayer with 8 previous convictions

Cuthbertson, William:
Age 12 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Glasgow - 24th April 1849 (24.04.1849)
Crime - theft
Notes - Listed as having 7 previous convictions and with a father, mother, 2 brothers & 1 sister lately in prison.

Dancey, Alfred:
Age 14 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Gloucester - 29th March 1850 (29.03.1850)
Crime - manslaughter
Notes - Listed as able to read well and having previous convictions.

Davey, Samuel:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Cambridge - 20th July 1849 (20.07.1849)
Crime - robbery
Notes - Listed as a pick pocket who was frequently in jail.

Dun, William:
Age 14 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Bolton - 20th December 1849 (20.12.1849)
Crime - larceny
Notes - Listed as a comb maker with 3 previous convictions; refer - Parkhurst Register '105/11'; trial year is questionable

Feltham, Joseph:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Tried Dorchester - 13th March 1850 (13.03.1850)
Crime - burglary
Notes - Listed as a baker.

Glendenning, Alex:
Age 14 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Edinburgh - 28th January 1850 (28.01.1850)
Crime - theft
Notes - Listed as a rope & sail maker.

Hoy, John:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Glasgow - 28th August 1849 (28.08.1849)
Crime - theft
Notes - Listed as having learnt to weave in prison and having 5 previous convictions.

Johnson, Frederick:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Cambridge - 1st January 1849 (01.01.1849)
Crime - larceny
Notes - Listed as having previous convictions; trial year is questionable.

Kennedy, Michael:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Tried Hull - 5th January 1850 (05.01.1850)
Crime - stealing a canvas skylight cover.
Notes - Listed as a shoemaker with previous convictions.

Linto, Walter:
Age 13 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Bridgewater - 3rd July 1849 (03.07.1849)
Crime - housebreaking & theft.

Marlin, John:
Age 15 years
Sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.
Tried Chester - 22nd January 1849 (22.01.1849)
Crime - highway robbery.
Notes - aka [LYNN; HAMILTON]; listed as a weaver with 6 previous convictions.

Marsden, Charles:
Age 17 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Nottingham - 1st April 1850 (01.04.1850)
Crime - stealing
Notes - Listed as a lacemaker

McCafferty, William:
Age 15 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Edinburgh - 29th January 1850 (29.01.1850)
Crime - theft
Notes - Listed as a sailor with 4 previous convictions.

McCarthy, Justin:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Tried Middlesex - 6th March 1847 (06.03.1847)
Crime - stealing

McClure, John:
Age 15 years
Sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.
Sentenced to 14y 15
Tried Glasgow - 14th August 1849 (14.08.1849)
Crime - house breaking
Notes - Listed as a cotton spinner; age is questionable.

McKecknie, William:
Age 15 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Glasgow - 24th August 1849 ( 24.08.1849)
Crime - theft
Notes - Listed as having learnt to weave in prison and having 7 previous convictions

Newton, George:
Age 15 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Gloucester - 1st January 1850 (01.01.1850)
Crime - stealing
Notes - Listed as a fisherman.

Rolands, James:
Age 18 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Harwick - 3rd July 1849 (03.07.1849)
Crime - stealing a watch.

Smith, George:
Age 14 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Dorchester - 13th march 1850 (13.03.1850)
Crime - burglary
Notes - Listed as a pipemaker.

Stockwell, J.:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Central Criminal Court - 4th March 1850 (04.03.1850)
Notes - Crime - larceny

Taylor, George:
Age 17 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Clerkenwell - 23rd November 1847 (23.11.1847)
Crime - stealing boots etc.
Notes - Listed as having 10 previous convictions

Thompson, John:
Age 17 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Glasgow - 14th January 1850 (14.01.1850)
Crime - house breaking
Notes - Listed as a cloth capper.

Tompkins, Henry:
Age 18 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Worcester - 6th May 1849 (06.05.1849)
Crime - house breaking.

Ward, John:
Age 15 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Devon - 1st January 1850 (01.01.1850)
Crime - stealing
Notes - Listed as a vagrant and thief.

Warner, Thomas:
Age 16 years
Sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
Tried Central Criminal Court - 4th March 1850 (04.03.1850)
Crime - stealing £5


Related Posts:
Joseph Wheeler Feltham 'Equestrian' 1852 Parkhurst Boy

Joseph Wheeler Feltham Lived At Ware Street, Hobart, Tasmania

Hobart Town Map 1858:

This old map shows the boundary and streets of Hobart Town in 1858 (Jarman's map). Joseph Wheeler Feltham lived in Ware Street, near the Northern boundary of the town. More of Ware Street and the Felthams in future post(s).

Important locations in and around Hobart Town (1858):
Adelaide Street, Argyle Street, Arthur Street, Augustus Street, Barrack Street, Bathurst Street, Battery Point, Brisbane Street, Burnett Street, Campbell Street, Charlotte Street, Collins Street, Colville Street, Davey Street, Elizabeth Street, Elphinstone Road, Fitzroy Crescent, Forest Road, George Street, George's Hill, Harrington Street, King's Road, Lansdowne Crescent, Liverpool Street, Macquarie Street, Melville Street, Molle Street, Montpelier Retreat, Mount Stuart Road, Murray Street, New Town Road, Park Street, Patrick Street, Proctor's Road, Queen Street, Queen's Park, Queen's Road, River Derwent, Salamanca Place, Sandy Bay, Sandy Bay Road, Sullivan's Cove, Ware Street, Warwick Street, Wellington Street

The Legend Of The "Shapwick Monster" (Shapwick, Dorset)

The Shapwick Monster (Crab Farm Weathervane):
Copyright Steve Edge Reuse Under Creative Commons Licence. [Image link]

As a child I was told the story of the mythical Shapwick Monster. The story goes that in 1706 a travelling fishmonger, passing through the parish of Shapwick, dropped a live crab unawares from his cart. Some of the villagers came upon the crab, and were not sure what it was. The Village Elder was called and he announced that it was a "monster". The villagers armed themselves with sticks and pitchforks to drive the "monster" away.

The fishmonger, according to legend, returned in search of the missing crab to find the villagers crowded around the "monster". He simply picked up the crab, putting it back on his cart, and continued on his travels. Unfortunately, the fishmonger recounted the story of the dim-witted villagers of Shapwick mistaking a simple crab for a "monster". Since this time the villagers of Shapwick have been thought of locally as a "bit simple".

The nearby location of the "monster" sighting is now remembered by the aptly named "crab farm".


Farmland at Crab Farm (looking south):
Copyright Steve Rigg Reuse Under Creative Commons Licence. [Image Link]

References:
The Shapwick Monster (DarkDorset.co.uk)
The Shapwick Monster (wsr.org.uk)

Feltham Family Distribution in USA (1920)

The above USA map, from ancestry.com, shows the distribution of Feltham families based upon the 1920 US Federal Census records. The ancestry.com Feltham page is here. The most common Feltham states in 1920 were Massachusetts and Illinois. I do not know whether I have any US relatives.

My Grandson William John Elwick Feltham (1887-1952) The Soldier

William John Elwick Feltham (London, 1919)
[Colonial Studio (F. Segers) December 1918 - April 1919]
[United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London]

William (1887-1952) was my first grandson, born of my oldest son John William Feltham (1856-1938). He enlisted at the age of 29 years (23rd August 1916) with the 12th Battalion from Newtown, Tasmania and embarked overseas to the First World War (1914-1918) aboard the HMS Suffolk (20th September 1916). Private William Feltham was wounded in France, on the left side and left leg, and captured on the 13th April 1917. He was held as a prisoner of war in Germany, before being repatriated to England on the 23rd of December 1918. Whilst in London he was photographed (see picture above). William returned back to Australia on the 10th of May 1919, learning that I had already died (11th of October 1918). Some of the family believed that I had died as a result of the worry about William's fate.

The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) Newspaper on 17th of July 1917 reported that William John Elwick Feltham, of Newtown, previously reported missing, has been confirmed as a PRISONER OF WAR [link].

William was the first of my many descendents to return to mother England though he never managed to visit my family or birthplace in Dorset.

Feltham Surname - International Comparisons and Geographical Spread

The Feltham family surname originates from England but has disseminated around the World. The following data from the National Trust Names Website [here] demonstrates, in particular, that the Feltham name is thriving in both Australia and Canada.



The incidence of the Feltham surname is twice as high in Tasmania as the Australian average. I will take some credit for this, with the help of my descendents (as one of the original Felthams to come to Tasmania). It is interesting to see that Salisbury is the most populous area for Felthams.

Marriage Of My Parents Reuben Feltham & Sarah Wheeler (1831)

Canford Magna Parish Church:
[Photographer: Ian Britton] Link

My parents were married in the above parish church, Canford Magna on the 23rd of May 1831.
Reuben FELTHAM, Shapwick, to Sarah WHEELER, Longfleet, by Banns.
Witnesses: William & Mary Wheeler and Stephen Mundy Masterman

The banns of marriage (mentioned above), commonly known as "the Banns", (from an Old English word meaning "to summon") are the public announcement in a parish church that a marriage is going to take place between two specified persons. The purpose of banns was to enable anyone to raise any legal objections so as to prevent marriages that are legally invalid, either under canon law or under civil law. Appropriate objections could include a vow of celibacy, lack of consent, a pre-existing marriage (having been neither dissolved nor annulled), or the couple's being related within the prohibited degrees of kinship. [see Wikipedia]

Banns in Dorset:
"These were the published intention of marriage and had to be announced on three Sundays before the intended wedding. They were issued in each of the parishes in which the couple resided. Their purpose was so that any potential objectors to the marriage had three weeks in which to comment." [Link]

Canford Magna:
Canford Magna is a Dorset village located south of the River Stour, between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole.

The choice of Canford magna parish church for the wedding would seem sensible in view of Sarah Wheeler coming from Longfleet (near Poole) and Reuben Feltham coming from Shapwick. Mary Wheeler (Sarah's sister) and Stephen Mundy Masterman would marry later the same year (1931).


River Stour near Canford Magna:
[Photographer: Ian Britton] Link

Googlemark - Reuben Feltham & Sarah Wheeler

The Blog Of Joseph Wheeler Feltham dec.

I am Joseph Wheeler Feltham dec., born Joseph Feltham 1831, originally from England, near Wimborne. I was tried and convicted of burglary at Dorchester on the 13th March 1850 and spent time in prison before being sent to Tasmania as a convict. I was shipped to Tasmania on the convict ship the Equestrian, leaving Plymouth on the 1st of September 1852 and arriving in Hobart on the 16th of December 1852. I was never to return to mother England.

This blog is about my life, ancestors, descendents and perceptions.