William Buchanan

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Richard Lord on 26th February 2025

Married to Mary Burke (separate entry). William Buchanan was born in London in 1824 and was sentenced to transportation for life at the age of 17 for "robbing my father of £45 and robbing my mistress". He was the son of George and Sarah Buchanan of Stepney, and had brothers George, Henry, James and John. William was typical of a great proportion of convicts at this time. They came from particular parts of London - the Stepney and Poplar districts, north of the City around Clerkenwell and St Giles, and Soho. These were the poorest parts of London, the home of thieves, prostitutes and beggars. These districts were described as teeming with humanity, up to 30 people living in one room, a rabbit-warren of squalid buildings, courts and yards, no sanitation, full of thieves' dens, burglars, pickpockets, many people drunk most of the time, fighting and gambling going on constantly. "Oliver Twist" describes life well in this part of London, and in 1819 it was calculated that there were about 8,000 criminals under the age of 17 in the capital. Most of them did not have homes, and had to steal to live. This was still the situation in the 1840s when William became a convict. William left England in the Westmoreland on 11/5/1841 and arrived in Hobart 12/9/1841. His description was given as 5'4 1/2", fair, long head, sandy hair, long visage, high forehead, dark brown eyebrows, blue eyes, large nose, large mouth, large chin, no whiskers, scar over left eye. He was working at Jericho in December that year when he absconded, was sentenced to imprisonment and 9 months in chains, and was sent to the coalmines (on Tasman Peninsula). This was where the more difficult prisoners were sent. Over the next few years there were problems of disobedience, refusing to work, misconduct, striking a watchman on the head, etc. He married Mary Burke at St Georges, Hobart on 19/7/1852, and finally his conditional pardon was approved on 7/2/1854. William Buchanan's death record cannot be found. It was either not recorded, or he did not die in Tasmania. Searches of BDM records for other states have not provided possibilities. However although there is no tombstone for him, in the TAMIOT records, he is given a grave number in Queenborough cemetery, in the same grave as his wife. Her death notice advises she was a shoemakers widow. William therefore must have died sometime before 1874.

14

Richard Lord on 25th February 2025

William Buchanan was born in London in 1824 and was sentenced to transportation for life at the age of 17 for "robbing my father of £45 and robbing my mistress". He was the son of George and Sarah Buchanan of Stepney, and had brothers George, Henry, James and John. His description was given as 5'4 1/2", fair, long head, sandy hair, long visage, high forehead, dark brown eyebrows, blue eyes, large nose, large mouth, large chin, no whiskers, scar over left eye. He married Mary Burke at St Georges, Hobart on 19/7/1852, and finally his conditional pardon was approved on 7/2/1854.