William Bailey

Level 218

Dianne Jones on 19th May 2021

--00-- 1843, 27 September: William Bailey received a Conditional Pardon (see https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-5$init=CON31-1-5p11). 1846: His Conditional Pardon was extended.

Level 218

Dianne Jones on 19th May 2021

1832, 6 February: His death sentence was commuted to transportation for life (21 years). 1832: On arrival in VDL, he was listed as 32, single and a ploughman (see https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON18-1-6$init=CON18-1-6p117).

Level 218

Dianne Jones on 19th May 2021

1831, 1 December: William Bailey was tried at the Old Bailey: "First Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice Littledale. #6. WILLIAM BAILEY was indicted for feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Andrew Beaton, on the 18th of November, at Edmonton, and stealing therein 1 till, value 6d.; 60 pennies, and 34 halfpennies, his property. ANDREW BEATON: I live in the parish of Edmonton, and occupy the house; the shop communicates with the dwelling-house. On the 17th of November, about ten o'clock, I went to bed; I had secured my house and shop myself; the shop door is the street door - it was locked and bolted; the window shutters were secured with an iron bar: about three o'clock next morning I was awoke by a knocking at the door - I jumped out of bed, and opened the bed-room window; somebody said, "Make haste, and come down, for here are thieves, and we have got one:" it was not day-light - I went down to the stair-foot door, and saw the pannel [sic] of the street door was out; there was a man laying on his face on the outside, with his shoes off, and another person across his back, holding him down; I asked who it was; the person on him said, "My name is Biddle' - I asked if he knew who the prisoner was; he said, No, and the prisoner said, "You will soon know who it is" - I begged Biddle to keep him in that situation till I put on my clothes - he did so; the street door had been unlocked, and the bottom bolt lifted up - I had left the key inside the door; the top bolt was not down, therefore the door could not have been opened; the pannel was large enough for him to get through - two chisels were left on the premises; I found part of a partition in the shop between two doors was taken down, by which means a person could get into the shop, and take the till out of its place to the opposite side of the shop, and put it into the window, close to where the person entered - it was two or three yards from its place; there was 7s. 5d. in pence and halfpence, which I had left there on the previous night - about sixty pence and thirty-four halfpence and they were in the till in the morning: I took the prisoner to an officer - when I got a light I knew him - he had been employed by me, and should have been at work for me that very day - he had been binding hay for me with his father that week; his brother and father have been in my employ some years at different times, and he has been occasionally employed by me about two years. HENRY BIDDLE: On the morning of the 18th of November, about three o'clock, I was near Beaton's house with Cline; we saw two men standing at the corner of Mr. Beaton's house - when they saw us they immediately went away; I then saw a light through Beaton's shop door, and on going up to it I found the pannel of the door was out - on looking through the hole in the door I saw a man standing in the shop - we rang the bell, and desired Beaton to come down, as there were thieves in the house; the prisoner then attempted to make his escape through the opening of the door - when he was about three parts through the opening I fell upon him, and held him down till Mr. Beaton arrived; we then took him to Camp, the officer - he was not one of the two I had seen at the corner. JOHN CLINE: I was with Biddle about three o'clock in the morning, and saw two men; we went towards the shop, and saw a light - I went up to the door, and the pannel was cut completely out; Biddle and I looked in, and saw a man standing in the shop - Biddle said, "Ring the bell;" I rang, and knocked at the door with my stick, and at last the prisoner came half way out - Biddle kept him down; Beaton came down, and we took the prisoner to Camp. JOHN CAMP: I am a constable of Edmonton. I was called up, and received the prisoner from the witnesses; I took him to the watch-house, searched him, and found some matches, two short pipes, a knife, and string in his pocket- I knew him before. MR. BEATON: I have the chisels; I found the large one in the shop, and the small one outside, with a pair of shoes, by the cart shed; neither of them belong to me: the shop is part of the dwelling-house. (Dec. 1.) GUILTY - DEATH. Aged 32." (see https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/)