Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Transportation
Thomas Beesley was transported on the Nile, departing 18th Sep 1857 and arriving 1st Jan 1858 with 271 passengers.
Nile (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/18, Page Number 237 (120). --00--Edgar, W. (Bill). (2018). “The precarious voyage of her majesty’s convict ship ‘Nile’ to the Swan River colony, late 1857 – and the unexpected aftermath.” The Great Circle, 40(1), 20–43. |
| Source Description | This record is one of the entries in the British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database compiled by State Library of Queensland from British Home Office (HO) records which are available on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Pro |
| Original Source | Great Britain. Home Office |
| Compiled By | State Library of Queensland |
| Database Source | British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database |
Claims
No one has claimed Thomas Beesley yet.
Photos
No photos have been added for Thomas Beesley.
Convict Notes
CORRECTION: 11 September, 1856: Thomas's father Michael was at 1 Marybone, Liverpool. He was a furniture broker/secondhand broker, according to the 1851 Census and to Thomas's baptism record (of 7 August, 1831), and his wife was Bridget. --00--
TYPO: In 1852 (not '42) he served 12 months’ hard labour.
From his Fremantle jail record: BEESLEY, Thomas; inmate #4684, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Date of Birth: 1837 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Sailor Sentence Place: Liverpool, Lancashire, England Crime: Warehouse robbery Sentence Period: 14 years Ticket of Leave Date: 12 Jul 1859 Conditional Pardon Date: 9 Apr 1862 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/). --00--
15 September, 1857: He was sent to board the Nile for transportation to WA; convict #11/3809. His behaviour during the voyage was "very good" (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; Convicts Transported Per Nile (R32)). --00-- IN WA: On arrival, he was listed as: Beesley, Thomas; 4684; sailor [unclear about genesis of this, as he appears in the WA Convict Records Register, Character Book, 1846-1930, as a blacksmith], single, no children; 5'2" tall, dark brown hair, dark grey eyes, oval face, fresh complexion, middling stout build, no marks/scars. --0--
24 November, 1856: He was sent to Dartmoor prison at Princetown, Yelverton, in Devon; listed as inmate #3809. His behaviour was "exemplary". "Originally built in 1809 and first used for prisoners of war until circa 1816, Dartmoor was re-opened as a male convict public works prison in November 1850. Within five years the prison became reserved for less able-bodied convicts." (https://www.prisonhistory.org/) --0--
11 September, 1856: Admitted to Millbank prison in Westminster. Listed as inmate #3557, 20 years old, single, blacksmith, illiterate. Next of kin -- father, Michael Beesley, 1 Mary Lane, Liverpool. Notation: "Special Medical Certificate" and "Invalid Certificate". Served 2 months 13 days in separate confinement. Behaviour "good" (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951; Millbank Prison; Register of Prisoners to 1885). --0--
JAILS: 1856: Liverpool -- served 6 months 24 days in separate confinement. “After a sentence of transportation was handed down, the prisoner entered into a separate stage where he was placed into an individual cell, isolated from others, apart from brief periods of exercise and attendance at chapel. However, no communication of any kind with other prisoners was permitted at any time. The philosophy behind this penal methodology had its provenances in the religious, monastic traditions; i.e., that in the isolation of his cell the malefactor would be able to contemplate the errors of his way, unadulterated by the negative influences of former contemporaries, and be reformed.” (Edgar, 2018, pp39-40) When first put into practice, the mandated period of separate confinement was 18 months. By the late 1840s, authorities had conceded that such conditions of imprisonment were “injurious to many prisoners’ mental health” and the stint was reduced to 12 months. Periods of separate confinement were reduced further “as a prisoner displayed good behaviour tendencies” (Edgar, p40). Wakefield, Millbank, Pentonville and Mountjoy in Ireland were the “Probation” or “Separate” prisons, as were some local jails. --0--
Newspaper report of his trial: From the Northern Daily Times, 15 April, 1856, p3: "Thomas Beesley, twenty, blacksmith, was convicted of burglary, at Liverpool, on the night of the 7th February last and sentenced to fourteen years' transportation." --00--
TRIAL: 7 April, 1856: At Liverpool, Thomas Beesley was convicted and sentenced to 14 years' transportation for unlawfully breaking and entering the warehouse of Samuel Spriggs and another and stealing 114 lbs of tea, 4 loaves of sugar, 13 bottles of gin and 12 of brandy, and other property. John Hardman was found not guilty. Thomas Beesley had a previous conviction for felony -- stealing a shawl -- and in 1842 served 12 months' hard labour that included 14 days in separate confinement (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951; Liverpool Gaol; Calendar of Trials to 1874). --0--
COMMITTAL: 18 February, 1856: Thomas Beesley, 20, blacksmith, and John Hardman, 18, whitesmith, were committed to stand trial by RE Harvey Esq at Liverpool. --0--