George Burgess

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Rod Duggan on 26th September 2016

George Davis Burgess was born in 1796 He was sentenced to Transportation for Life in 1814. George spent time on the Prison Hulk Retribution at Woolrich before being Transported to Australia aboard the Indefatigable, arrived in Sydney in April 1815 and was Transported to Tasmania aboard the Kangaroo. George married convict Elizabeth Riley in Launceston on 31st August 1820 and had 7 children He later married Ann Bartlett on the 21st September 1857 George and Ann owned 3 properties in Paterson St Launceston, 2 being houses and one being the Public House Hotel. George received an Absolute Pardon in 1840 and died in Launceston on the 24th June 1863 GEORGE BURGESS, THOMAS HASSEN, Theft > pocketpicking, 6th July 1814. 626. GEORGE BURGESS and THOMAS HASSEN were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 9th of June , a silver snuff box, value 5 s. the property of a person to the jurors unknown, from his person . BENJAMIN JOHNSON. I am an officer of the city of London. On the 9th of July, the night of the illumination. I saw the prisoners from Spring Gardens to Carlton-house; I had my eye upon him; I followed him about two hours. I followed them close in the mob, and saw them take from several people pocket handkerchiefs, before I saw them take the snuff box. They went more than a dozen times from Spring Gardens to Charing Cross. I saw them at Spring Gardens come round an elderly gentleman and a lady together. I saw both the prisoners round the gentleman, and as they left the gentleman I saw something shine in Hassen's hand like a snuff box. They both left the gentlemen at the same time, and went towards Carlton-house again. They turned up St. Alban's-street, and went to the first public-house in St. Alban's-street, and directly they went into the public-house I searched them; I found on Hassen a silver snuff box, four silk handkerchiefs, one cotton, two pair of scissars, a knife with the blade open, a tailor's thimble, a rule, and a pair of gloves. Upon Burgess I found one silk handkerchief in his breeches pocket, and two cotton ones. I told them I had been following them. They said they found all the things. They said they found the snuff box by Spring Gardens. At the place where they said, it was impossible for them to stoop, the crowd was so great, or else I should have taken them; I could not on account of the mob. Q. Had the handkerchiefs the appearance of having been found upon the ground - A. No; they are now as they were found; they have no appearance of having been upon the ground. I have advertised the things four or five times; nobody has come forward.This is the snuff box; it is gold inside. Hassen took it out of the gentleman's right hand waistcoat pocket. Burgess's Defence. I went out to see the lights; on my returning I met Hassen; I had seen him twice before. We went together into this public-house to have some refreshment; Johnson came in and searched me, and found this silk handkerchief, I had it given to me in the morning by a young man, who is gone to sea. The cotton handkerchief is my own. Hassen's Defence. On the night of the illumination I left my lodging at eleven o'clock; I walked up Pall Mall, I felt something soft under my feet; I found a silver snuff box wrapped up in some silk handkerchiefs I then met this young man; we went into a public-house together. Johnson came in and searched me, and found the property on me. BURGESS, GUILTY , aged 18. HASSEN, GUILTY , aged 21. Transported for Life . Second Middlesex jury, before Mr. Justice Bailey. -------------------------------------------------- Mr and Mrs George Burgess Publicans In those years a full copy of the Launceston Assessment Rolls was published as an Extraordinary Edition of the Hobart Town Gazette. In 1859 George Burgess was shown as the owner of the Public House only. It was valued at £110 and the rates were £5-10-00. George Davis Burgess died on 24 June 1863 in Launceston at the age of 67 (R403). He was obviously quite rich when he died and he left everything to his wife Ann. In his will, he “gives unto my first wife, Elizabeth Burgess, if living, the sum of one shilling”. In the 1863 edition of the Assessment Rolls, Mrs George Burgess was shown as owning 3 properties in Paterson Street, Launceston. Two properties were houses, which were rented, the other was a Public House in which she lived. The value for the Public House was then £70. In 1864 she was shown as the owner of the three properties but she was not now living in the Public House. The rateable value was still shown as £70. The Public House was demolished in 1937 and new Hotel, the TRC Hotel, was built. The Hotel is named after TR Collins, a previous (or the first) owner of the property. Ann Burgess died in Launceston on 14 November 1867 at age 58 of “Decay of Nature”.She was shown as a widow on her death certificate, therefore George Davis Burgess must have predeceased her. The names and ages of the children she bore is not recorded on the Death Record."