Thomas Caton

343

Maureen Withey on 19th September 2020

The Police. April 24th. William Bird, James Doyle, George Smith, Patrick Welsh, John Todd, John Carey, Thomas James, William Bryan, Thomas Katon, and Walter Levey, prisoners of the crown, who had been all apprehended on the morning of the 22d, at a place called the Paper Mill, about three miles and a half from Sydney, and who made violent and desperate resistance to the constables sent to secure them, were all brought forward this day. A considerable number of articles of cotton prints and some slop clothing were found in their possession when apprehended, and from the deposition of Mr. Wm. Smith, a dealer in York-street, it appeared that his house was broken open on the night of the 18th instant, and property and goods to an extensive amount burglariously removed therefrom. A blue coat, one cotton shirt, two pieces of waistcoating, sixteen pieces of cotton print, and four yards of blue cloth being produced, Mr. Smith positively deposed to the same being his property, and to have been stolen from his shop the night it was robbed. The property thus identified having been found in the prisoners' possession, the weight of evidence was so conclusive against them, that the Bench sentenced them as follow ; viz. Bird, Doyle, Smith, Welsh, Todd, Carey, Bryan, and Caton, to be removed to such penal settlement, as His Excellency may direct, each for the term of three years ; James to have his original term of transportation extended for three years from the period of its expiration : Levey to be worked in irons for three months. Sydney Gazette, 26 Apr 1826. -------------------------------------------------- He was sent to Moreton Bay Penal settlement, along with the others involved in this robbery, arriving at Moreton Bay 4th November 1826. He was returned to Sydney at the end of his sentence 19 May 1829.

14

Mary Metcalfe on 7th May 2020

I researched this particular Thomas Caton of the Mary 2 1822 in order to rule him out from the Thomas Caton 1838 Bengal Merchant. Thomas Caton's trial at the Old Bailey can be found on line, for a crime committed Sunday 23 July 1820 in the house of Mr Samuel Evans. At age 16 he was sentenced to death but was later transported for 21 years. His Indent states his Native place as London, Occupation cordwainer, age 17, height 5 feet, complexion plate, hair brown eyes hazel. There is more information that can be found at digitalpanopticon.org also. This Thomaws was convicted on 24 Aporil 1826 at the Sydney Court of General Sessions (Record Sydney & Darlinghurst Gaol 1819-1828, p 39 and sent to Moreton Bay for 3 years robbery (of a house) according to State Records Office NSW. Dr Jennifer Harrison, Queensland researcher, kindly advised that on 4 Nov 1826 he was removed from the Hulk "Phoenix" and sent to Moreton Bay in the same year. In the 1828 Census he was listed as Mary 11 - Moreton Bay CO719.Thomas was returned to Sydney on 18 May 1829 on the "Mary Elizabeth". This man is not listed in the 1837 Return of Convicts. I am drawn to newspaper reports in the Sydney Monitor, of Saturday 11 June 1831, p 3 Criminal Side, and Wednesday 15 June 1831, p4 Domestic Intelligence and suspect that the man whose murder was described in these papers, a Thomas Caton who lived with TOL men in a hut in the Illawarra area, is the man from the Mary 11. He fits the time frame, unlike other Thomas Caton of later years. Happy to be proven wrong.