Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
Walter Archibald was transported on the Chapman, departing 25th Mar 1817 and arriving 26th Jul 1817 with 202 passengers.
The Chapman ship was built at Whitby, England in 1777, rebuilt in 1811 and refurbed in 1815. Tonnage: 558 The 1817 voyage from Ireland to New South Wales, Australia is not yet fully recorded on this web site - currently being updated. A mutiny occurred on this voyage with 7 men killed and many others wounded. (200 male convicts embarked) 1824 voyage from England to Van Diemen's Land (180 male convicts). 1826 voyage from England to Van Diemen's Land (100 male convicts, 2 escaped). Royal Staff guards & 19 private passengers.
Chapman (generic)References
| Primary Source | Tasmanian Archives - convicts http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/ImageViewer/image_viewer.htm?CON35-1-1,643,6,L,80. Trove newspapers online https://trove.nla.gov.au |
Claims
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Photos
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Convict Notes
1830: The Hobart Town Courier, Sat 13 Nov, p4: THE GAZETTE OF THIS DAY “11. Walter Archibald, 5 ft. 8½ in. light brown hair, grey eyes, 33, a labourer, tried at Dublin in 1816, sentenced life, per Chapman to Sydney and Jupiter to this Colony, native of County Wicklow, Ireland, slightly pockpitted, lost one joint fore finger left hand, absconded from Macquarie Harbour May 17, 1825 – Reward £2.” 1831: The Hobart Town Courier, Sat 19 Mar, p2: "GOVERNMENT NOTICE. No. 53 – Colonial Secretary’s Office, March 18, 1831. The Lieutenant Governor has been pleased to authorize the following rewards to be offered, for the apprehension of the under-mentioned convicts: "Walter Archibald, 11. Chapman in 1817, [escaped] May 11, 1825[and 19 other men]… who have escaped from Macquarie Harbour, and are now illegally at large. "To Free Persons: For the apprehension of each of these Convicts, Fifty Pounds. "To Persons holding Conditional Pardons: For the apprehension of one of the said Convicts, a Free Pardon, and for the apprehension of every other of the said convicts, Fifty Pounds. "To Convicts holding Tickets of Leave: For the apprehension of one of the said convicts, a Conditional Pardon; of two of the said convicts, a Free Pardon; of three of the said convicts, a Free Pardon and Fifty Pounds, and so in proportion for a greater number, viz: Fifty Pounds for each of the said convicts above three. "To Convicts assigned, or in the Public Works: For the apprehension of one of the said convicts a Ticket of Leave; of two, a Conditional Pardon; of three, a Free Pardon; of four, a Free Pardon and Fifty Pounds ; and so in proportion for a greater number. "If any person shall give such information as shall lead to the apprehension of any of the said offenders, his case will be immediately considered by the Lieutenant Governor, with a view to his being liberally rewarded."
1823: Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser, Sat 8 March, p2: In the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction. “The undermentioned prisoners were also sentenced to be transported to such part of the Territory as His Excellency the Governor in Chief may direct: For Life —Thomas Newby and J. W. Bostock, for forgery; Benjamin Smith & Walter Archibald, for house robbery; John Davis and Samuel Lancaster, for sheep stealing…” 1825: Hobart Town Gazette, Sat 8 Oct, p1: RUNAWAY NOTICE. “11. Walter Archibald, 5 ft. 8½ in. light brown hair, grey eyes, 27 years of age, a labourer, tried in Dublin 1816, sentence life, ship from Europe Chapman 1817, arrived in this Colony per Jupiter, native place County Wicklow, Ireland, slightly pock-pitted, lost one joint of the forefinger left hand, absconded from Macquarie Harbour - May 17, 1825 – £2 Reward.” 1826: Hobart Town Gazette, Sat 28 Oct, p1: Prisoners “11. Walter Archibald, 5 ft. 8½ in. light brown hair, grey eyes, 27, labourer, tried at Dublin, sentence life, arrived per Chapman 1817, to this Colony per Jupiter, native place County Wicklow, Ireland, slightly pockpitted, lost one joint of the fore-finger left hand, absconded from Macquarie Harbour May 17, 1825 – Reward £2.”
1823: Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser, Sat 22 Feb, p2: In the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction. “Benjamin Smith and Walter Archibald were then arraigned, charged with stealing goods in the dwelling-house of Patrick Wood, Esq. a Magistrate of the Colony, residing on the River Clyde, and putting him, and others with him in the house, in bodily fear, &c. "Both the prisoners pleaded Guilty; upon which the Judge Advocate admonished them, and as to having liberty to retire the plea, which they had given in, but the prisoners still persisting in their first plea, it was recorded; when His Honor thought it fit, for the information of the Court, that the prosecutor should generally state the circumstances of the robbery, by which it appeared, that in the month of May last, the prisoners, in company with three or four others, entered his hut, in which there were, at the time, six of his men, who were bound down ; that the bush-rangers staid [sic] 3 or 4 hours drinking, and rifling every part of the house, taking also away property to the amount of several hundred pounds; no further personal violence however was done at the time. "[It will be proper here to remark, that three of the offenders had been convicted, on the general testimony brought forward then, as also of an approver, before a Special Criminal Court at Sydney, in July last, and afterwards underwent, at this Settlement, the awful sentence of the law passed upon them.]”
1822: Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, 18 May, p 1: Classified Advertising SEVENTY POUNDS REWARD. POLICE OFFICE, HOBART TOWN, May 17, 1822. “WHEREAS Ralph Churton, William Davis, John William Bostock, Patrick Brown, Walter Archibald, John Harvey, and Alexander Pearce, whose Offences and Descriptions are set forth underneath, have absconded from their usual Places of Residence, and are now at large in the Woods:—A Reward of Ten Pounds each will be paid on their being lodged in His Majesty's Gaol at Hobart Town. By Order of A. W. H. Humphrey, Esq. J. P. Superintendant [sic] of Police, W. ENGLISH, Clerk. "… P. Brown, a convict, (No. 43) charged with sheep-stealing, is 5ft. 8ins. high, dark brown hair, grey eyes, aged 36, a labourer, tried at Dublin in 1816, sentence 7 years, arrived from Europe in the ship Chapman, and born in Dublin. "W. Archibald, a convict, (No. 11) charged with sheep-stealing, 5ft. 8½ins. high, brown hair, grey eyes, 25 years of age, a labourer, tried at Dublin in 1816, sentence life, arrived from Europe in the ship Chapman, and to this colony in the brig Jupiter; a native of Ireland.”
Walter ARCHIBALD/ARCHBOLD/ARCHBALD was convicted in Dublin City on 16 October 1816 of street robbery for which he received the death sentence, commuted to transportation for life. In the interim, he was imprisoned at Newgate. He was 20 on arrival in New South Wales, stood 5’8½” tall with a dark complexion, brown hair and grey eyes (see NSW, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842, Bound Indentures 1814-1818). Newspaper reports and government notices shed more light on his exploits in Tasmania: 1821: From: Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, Sat 31 Mar, p1: COURT OF CRIMINAL JURISDICTION “Michael Dunn, Samuel Robinson, and WALTER ARCHIBALD [capitals are my emphasis] were charged with stealing 100 sheep, the property of Edward Lord, Esq. from a large flock in charge of Joseph Carter, a shepherd, in the interior. "It appeared that the sheep were very properly detained by the Inspector, when in possession of a butcher in the town previously to slaughter; which gave rise, in consequence of the state of the ear-marks, to enquiry, and the subsequent proceedings. But as the shepherd could not undertake to swear, on account of the mutilated state of the ears and the altered appearance of the sheep, further than as to his belief of the sheep having belonged, to Mr. Lord, the proof was considered insufficient, and the prisoners were adjudged Not Guilty. "The Court then adjourned sine die.”
28 Oct 1826: report in newspaper Hobart Town Gazette - Walter ARCHIBALD, absconded from Macquarie Harbour. Description: 5'8" height; lt brown hair; grey eyes. Arrived per "Chapman" 1817, then to this Colony per "Jupiter". Native place of birth: Co. Wicklow. (Note: Macquarie Harbour, on the west coast of VDL, was reknown as a very harsh penal settlement and many prisoners tried to escape.)
Walter Archibald was transported to Port Jackson, New South Wales on the 'Chapman' arriving 1817. Walter was transferred to Van Diemens Land on the 'Jupiter' 1817. 06/02/1823: Supreme Court, Hobart. Life sentence (again). 04/10/1824: Abscond - 100 lashes & 6mths in irons. Assigned to Macquarie Harbour (west coast penal settlement). 1825: Abscond. 1853: "Struck off records".