Charles Bennett

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Dianne Jones on 2nd February 2022

IN WA: From his Fremantle jail record: BENNETT, Charles; inmate #4747, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Date of Birth: 1824 Marital Status: Married 2 children Occupation: Bricklayer Literacy: Literate Sentence Place: Worcester, Worcester, England Crime: Forgery Sentence Period: 6 years penal servitude Ticket of Leave Date: 9 Nov 1859 Conditional Pardon Date: 18 May 1861 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/). --00--

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Dianne Jones on 2nd February 2022

--0-- September, 1857: Sent to board the Nile for transportation to WA; inmate #18/1123. His behaviour during the voyage was “good” (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; Convicts Transported Per Nile (R32)).

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Dianne Jones on 2nd February 2022

25 May, 1857: Admitted to Chatham prison at Kent; inmate #1123. Listed as 35 when tried, reads and writes, Protestant, builder, married with two children; behaviour "good". Portland, Portsmouth, Chatham and Spike Island in Ireland were listed public works stations and the second stage in the penal process. After separate confinement, prisoners were “placed on work parties at various locations, most commonly naval stations, where maintenance of facilities was vital for the effective protection of Britain’s far flung commercial and military influences around the world. While there, attitude and behaviour were monitored closely. In theory, only after consistently positive reports was a prisoner moved on to the third stage of his incarceration—transportation.” (Edgar, p40)

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Dianne Jones on 2nd February 2022

JAILS: March, 1856 - May, 1857: Leicester gaol -- served 8 months 17 days in separate confinement; behaviour "good". “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--

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Dianne Jones on 2nd February 2022

Newspaper reports of the trial referred to him as "Charles Bennett, 35, a respectable man and builder and contractor of Lane" who had attempted to change two £5 Bank of England notes at Oldbury on 16 April. That the notes were forgeries was confirmed at his trial by a staff member of the Bank of England (see Worcestershire Chronicle, 16 July, 1856; and Birmingham Journal, 19 July, 1856). --0--

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Dianne Jones on 2nd February 2022

TRIAL: 12 July, 1856: Convicted and sentenced to 6 years for "uttering a forged bank note to defraud". --00--

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Dianne Jones on 1st February 2022

OCCUPATION: He was a builder but the option isn't available above.