Catherine Kerry

Level 72

Robin Sharkey on 27th June 2022

__________________________ It appears that Catherine Kerry gave birth to a child on board the 'Margaret' between 14th and 19th September 1838. She is listed in the general medical journal of the voyage kept by the ship's surgeon, George Todd Moxey with 'parturition'. This means childbirth. [from British National Archives,ADM 101/48/5/5] Folio 2: Catherine Kerry, aged 33, convict; sick or hurt, PARTURITION; put on sick list 14 September 1838, discharged 19 September 1838 cured. Folio 4 – Catherine KERRY – aged 33, convict; sick or hurt, diarrhoea; put on sick list 9 December 1838, discharged 13 December 1838 cured.

Level 72

Robin Sharkey on 18th June 2022

In May 1840, 16 months after her arrival, Catherine Kerry married Richard Richards at Christ Church St Lawrence in Sydney city. Richards sought Government permission to marry her – he said he was aged 41 years, convict per Atlas III with 7 year sentence but now free. Said Catherine was aged 34, bond for 7 years. Both were resident in the parish of that church. Banns were announced on April 19th & 26th and May 7th. However, just before the permission was sought, the following appeared in the Sydney Gazette, Sat 7 March 1840 p.2: “Police Incidents “CATHERINE KERRY a dissipated coarse looking drab was, on proof of her being an habitual drunkard, disorderly and bad character, sentenced to two calendar months imprisonment in Sydney Gaol.” She would have had just enough time to get out of gaol and marry Richard Richards after the third banns called on 7th May. 1843 - Catherine Kerry had got a Ticket of Leave in 1843 (TL no 43/2864) 1845 – Catherine Kerry Certificate of Freedom dated 24 February 1845. The marriage to Richard Richards could not have lasted. Catherine Kerry had a huge drinking problem. From 1854 it overtook her life and she regularly appeared in the Police Court under charges of drunkenness, disorderliness or vagrancy or the whole lot, progressing to stealing in order to survive – frequently charged, as Catherine Richards. In the SMH of 24 August 1854, at p.4 she is described as “a very old offender” In the SMH of 3 July 1856, at p.3 it’s reported that she “had been previously four times convicted since the 4th of May”. From 1857 her convictions increase to imprisonment for one and two months, often with hard labour. No sooner is she released than she is back again on another charge (see various NSW newspaper accounts of Police Court hearings). In 1859 there are two guilty findings for having indecently exposed herself in a public place with a man – perhaps prostituting herself for survival. In ‘Empire’ of 27 March 1860 at p. 4 “ Drunkenness - Catherine Richards about 50 years of age who has frequently been committed before within a short time was imprisoned for two months”. Newspapers frequently refer to her as a vagrant. In 1872 the SMH of 1 November referred to her as a “decrepit old vagrant”. She would by now be aged 66 years. When she was charged in November 1875 with stealing a pair of boots, property of a publican, the gaoler stated that “prisoner had been in trouble 137 times, 32 of such convictions were for petty larceny.” [Evening News, Fri 17 December 1875 p. 2] For this offence she pleaded guilty at the Quarter Sessions (having refused to be dealt with by the magistrates bench when first charged) and was given a longer sentence of six months. This may have been the end of Catherine, since she is discharged from Darlinghurst Gaol in June 1876 and then does not appear in newspapers again. She may have been the Catherine Richards whose death is registered in 1877 at Parramatta. In 1876 on release from Darlinghurst she was aged 70 years. Old and ‘decrepit’, constantly drunk, she was homeless and probably incapable of caring for herself. Perhaps she was too difficult to be put into the Benevolent Asylum. It’s likely she was finally incarcerated in the Parramatta Lunatics Asylum, years of drunkenness affecting her mental faculties (the name was changed to the Parramatta Hospital for the Insane only from 1878), and perhaps the only place she could go to be looked after and off the streets.

Level 56

Wendy Smith on 31st May 2020

The Australia Indentures state Catherine Kerry was 33 years old. She could read; religion Roman Catholic; status widowed with 3 daughters and a native of King's County. She was a dairy maid. Catherine was convicted of stealing cloth at Meath on 8 January 1838 and sentenced to 7 years. She had no prior convictions. Physical attributes: height 5 feet 0 1/4 inches; complexion ruddy and freckled; hair dark brown and eyes grey. Transport number 94. Prisoner number 92-39. Received a Certificate of Freedom in 1845 (number 45/266).