Elizabeth Byrne

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 30th June 2023

Indent No; 523. Offence; Stealing a shirt Committed this offence to get transported for a Hugh ?? who came in the Lord Goderick Status; Single. Age; 23 years. 1844 - Confirmed of an illegitimate child in the P. House of Correction

221

D Wong on 6th December 2015

5/12/2015: Maggie Orchard? contributed the previous information to Convict Records:

221

D Wong on 6th December 2015

Name Elizabeth Byrne Gender F Date of Birth - Occupation - Date of Death - Age - Convicted 4/1/1841 Crime - Convicted at: Ireland, Wicklow Sentence term: unknown Ship: Mexborough Departure date: 12th August, 1841 Arrival date: 26th December, 1841 Place of arrival Van Diemen's Land Passenger manifest Travelled with 115 other convicts Traveleled via: The Cape Primary source: Van Diemen’s Land Return of Male and Female Convicts shewing their distribution throughout the Colony on the 31 st December 1841 (AJCP, HO 10/51) Report by the Surgeon on the Mexbourogh GENERAL REMARKS Jn S. Hampton Surgeon Superintendent Dated at Hobart Town 4thJany 1842 The ship “Mexborough” arrived at Kingstown from Deptford on the 28th July 1841 and on the 4th 5th & 9th August 145 female Convicts, 36 of their children and 11 Free Settlers, all in good health, were received on board from the Depot in Grange Gorman Lane Dublin. The necessary arrangement of the Mess, cleaning parties, victualling etc. being completed, on the 12th August the ship sailed from Kingstown. During the first fortnight very bad weather and contrary winds caused much suffering from sea sickness and in two of the Convicts, the continued retching and vomiting produced alarming attacks of Gastritis and Dyspepsia, both of which ultimately yielded to a carefully regulated course of dietetic treatment, enemata, and counter irritation in the epigastric region. During the whole voyage, but particularly for the first six weeks, slight cases of derangement of the prim?? v/bile? produced by change of diet & want of exercise came frequently under treatment but only required a few doses of alterative or aperients medicine. After embarkation the Women and children improved in condition, and appearance, were very healthy, & with the exception of the two cases already mentioned & one severe attack of common continued Fever, no other cases of any importance occurred previous to putting into Simon’s Bay on the 5th Novr to obtain a supply of Water there not being a sufficient quantity on board for the remainder of the voyage. On the 12th Novr the Mexborough again sailed from the Cape & was exposed to a continuance of gale of wind and very inclement weather up to the date of arrival at Hobart Town on the 25th Decr and being a very old ship it was exceedingly difficult, & required the utmost vigilance, to prevent leakage keeping the Prisons damp. This leakage in conjunction with the very bad weather if not altogether the cause of the fatal termination of Holohan and Reilly cases no doubt very materially hastened the unfavourable result of these two cases, a result the more to be regreted, on account of the ship at the time of the first death occurring on board being within sixty miles of Hobart Town, and until the gale came on which drove us off the coast there was every appearance of the voyage being completed without a death on board. Both the patients in the fatal cases were unhealthy, debilitated women very frequently on the Sick List, and during the bad weather, particularly the gale of wind in which they died, very desponding. The almost incredibly dirty habits of Holohan no doubt in the first instance produced the Diarrhoea under which she ultimately sunk. During the last week of her life she was a most loathsome nuisance destroying all the spare bedding & requiring to be put in a warm bath morning and evening, otherwise the Hospital & after part of the prison would have been altogether uninhabitable, and however incredible it may appear offered the most violent resistance to being shifted and kept clean, although perfectly sensible & able to make all her wants known. A case of fracture of the radius and another of the clavicle terminated very favourably under the usual treatment, as did also a severe contusion of the foot. The most strict & preserving attention was given throughout the whole voyage to cleanliness, ventilation and dryness; the daily routine established on these points & invariably enforced except during very bad weather was as follows: at daylight the Convict Cooks were admitted on deck, and the ships company commenced cleaning the upper deck, water closets etc. At 6 AM all the women got out of bed, neatly rolled up their bedding and washed and dressed themselves and children. As soon as the cleaning and drying of the upper deck was finished, generally between 7 & 7:30 Am. all the Convicts were admitted on deck. At 8 AM. Breakfast. At 9 Am all the convicts except the cleaning were sent on the upper deck and the whole of the prison as then thoroughly cleaned by scraping, scrubbing, and holystoning, at the same time scrubbing the bottom boards of the beds, seats, etc. The cleaning of the Prison was generally finished in fine weather about 10:30 Am. The Convicts, with the exception of the Sick, were then all sent on the upper deck, the wind sails trimmed and pointed into the hatchways, and the prison doors locked until dinner time (1PM). After dinner no restriction was placed on the prisoners as to being below, because it was found that they came on the upper deck in preference. By these means the prisons were kept very well ventilated, clean and cool until the hour for sending the Convicts below for the night, which in temperate, cool or cold weather was always done at sunset. During the hot weather within the tropics the Prisoners were permitted to remain on the quarter deck & poop until 6 or even sometimes 9 PM which evidently had a most beneficial effect as well as their health a/& comfort and contentment. At 10 PM the convicts were always all quiet in bed. In consequence of the long continuance of bad and damp weather the swinging stoves were frequently used in the Prisons and were useful in promoting dryness and ventilation. The Holds were frequently fumigated and ventilated. The bedding was often aired and shaken. Washing days once a week or oftener according to the weather, & the Prisoners always mustered on Sunday with clean clothes etc. In fine weather Lemon Juice and Sugar was issued to the Convicts - in bad, or wet weather- Wine and the whole of the Lemon Juice and Wine sent on board, was issued previous to arriving at Hobart Town. There was one birth during the voyage, the labour, a first one was perfectly natural and both mother & infant are well. The above mentioned persevering attention to discipline, cleanliness and dryness rendered the Prisoners comfortable, contented and healthy, for with the exception of the two fatal cases detailed in this Journal the Convicts, Free Settlers & very large proportion of young children arrived at Hobart Town in better health and condition than they were in on embarkation at Kingstown, in proof of which although the voyage had been long with much bad weather there was not a single patient under treatment when the ship anchored in the Derwent. J. S. Hampton Surgeon Superintendent From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other people named John Hampton, see John Hampton (disambiguation). John Stephen Hampton (c. 1806 – 1 December 1869) was Governor of Western Australia from 1862 to 1868. Early life[ Little is known of John Hampton's early life. His death certificate states that he was born in 1810, but other evidence suggests 1806 or perhaps 1807; these latter figures are considered more likely. He undertook medical studies at Edinburgh, graduating with a diploma of medicine in September 1828. He was appointed an assistant naval surgeon with the Britannia, but shortly afterwards was transferred to the Sphinx. In 1832 he was attached to the Plymouth dockyards, where he worked to prevent the spread of cholera. He later served on the Savage, the Firebrand and finally the Portland. In December 1834 he was promoted to full surgeon, and in March 1843 became surgeon-superintendent. Between 1841 and 1845, Hampton was surgeon-superintendent on a series of convict ships to Van Diemen's Land: theMexborough, the Constant and the Sir George Seymour. Van Diemen’s Land Return of Male and Female Convicts shewing their distribution throughout the Colony on the 31st December 1841 (AJCP, HO 10/51) Transcribed by Female Factory Research Group Page 7 Police No. Name Ship In what Service, or how Employed Page 523 BYRNE Elizabeth Mexborough House of Correction, Launceston 350

62

Keith South on 7th January 2015

Convicted 4/1/1841.