Stephen Chuter

40

Sandie McKoy on 7th January 2025

The following has been written by Sandie McKoy Biography Stephen was born in 1778 at Frensham, Surrey, to Thomas Chuter and Sarah Jeffrey. He was baptised on 9 December 1778 at St Mary's Church in his hometown. Growing up in a rural community, Stephen spent his early years working alongside his family as a farm labourer and as a child received a basic education. Though he learned to read, he never acquired the skill of writing. In 1808, Stephen married Sarah Cole, and their union was marked by two marriage ceremonies. The first took place on 31 January 1808 at St Mary’s in Farnham, where the couple had been living. The second ceremony followed on 22 February 1808 at St Mary’s in Selborne, Hampshire. Soon after, they settled in Frensham, Surrey, where Stephen continued to work as a farm labourer. Their first child, also named Stephen, was born in 1809 and baptised on 26 March that year at St Mary’s, Frensham. Just over a month after Stephen juniors baptism, Stephen had his first brush with the law. On 1 May 1809, Stephen was charged and convicted by The Rt Hon Lord Viscount Midleton after being found in possession of part of a deer, an offence under the game laws at the time. His conviction was based on his own confession, and he was given the choice to pay a hefty fine of £10 and 11 shillings—a sum far beyond the reach of a farm labourer’s modest earnings, or be imprisoned. Unable to pay the fine, Stephen faced the legal consequences. On 11 July 1809, he was tried at the Surrey Assizes during the Midsummer session in Guildford. The Rt Hon Lord Viscount Midleton sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment in the Surrey County Gaol, marking the beginning of a difficult chapter in his and Sarah's lives. Without Stephen’s meagre wages, Sarah and her infant son, Stephen, found themselves in desperate circumstances. Unable to support themselves, Sarah sought aid from the parish. On 3 August 1809, Frensham parish issued an Order of Removal, requiring Sarah and her baby to return to their home parish in Farnham, where they could receive assistance and resources. Following Stephen’s release from jail, the family once again settled in Frensham. Despite their earlier hardships, they managed to rebuild their lives. Over the next several years, Stephen and Sarah welcomed two more children—Thomas, born in 1811, and Benjamin, born in 1817. Life remained difficult, but the family endured. In 1817, a man named Stephen Chuter was tried at the Surrey Lent Assizes for sheep stealing. Although he was ultimately found not guilty, given Stephen’s previous encounter with the law, it is possible that he was the accused. Sarah sadly died in October 1824 and was buried in the St Mary the Virgin Churchyard at Frensham on the 4th of October. By this time, their eldest sons, Stephen and Thomas, were old enough to work as farm labourers alongside their father, helping to sustain the family through their combined efforts. On 17 September 1835, an event occurred that dramatically altered the fate of the Chuter family. R. Cole Esq. committed Stephen to the Winchester Gaol and charged him with 'having, on the 16th day of September instant, at the parish of Farnham, in the county of Surrey, received of Stephen Chuter, the younger, Benjamin Chuter, and William Chuter, one hind quarter, two targets, and several other pieces of mutton, being all parts of a we, the value of twenty shillings, the property of Ann Hoare, of Kingsley, well knowing the same to have been stolen.' His sons Stephen and Benjamin, and a William Chuter (possibly a nephew) were also committed to the Gaol to await trial. This took place on 20 October 1835 at the Southampton Quarter Sessions in the Winchester Court. Stephen was sentenced to seven years’ transportation, while Stephen the younger, Benjamin, and William were sentenced to transportation for life. Following their sentencing, the High Sheriff of Hampshire, Sir Charles Hulse, ordered the removal of Stephen and the three younger men from Winchester Gaol to the prison hulk York at Portsmouth. On 27 October, they were received by John Henry Capper Esq. The York, like many prison hulks, housed convicts who laboured on the docks and harbour during the day, returning to cramped and harsh conditions at night. Stephen’s health, already fragile, began to deteriorate. By the end of March 1836, his condition was listed as debilitated in the York’s quarterly returns of prisoners. In late April, Stephen, his sons, and William were transferred to the convict ship Moffatt, either on the 29th or 30th. The Moffatt took on 300 convicts from various hulks at Portsmouth, while another 100 boarded from hulks at Woolwich. When the ship finally set sail on 5 May 1836, it carried 399 convicts guarded by a small detachment of the 28th Regiment. The Moffatt made a direct voyage to Australia, without stopping for fresh supplies or fruit. Of the 399 prisoners aboard, 161 were placed on the ship’s sick list, cared for by the ship’s surgeon, John Smith. Although it’s unclear if Stephen was among those listed, his health continued to decline during the journey. Upon arriving at Port Jackson on 30 August 1836, the ship faced another peril. No pilot was present to guide them safely into the harbour, leaving the ship and its 498 passengers at risk of sinking. After narrowly avoiding disaster, the officers lodged public complaints about the lack of proper assistance. Before disembarking, Stephen’s physical condition was recorded in the prisoner's indent record. The description painted a grim picture: at 5 feet 4.5 inches tall, he was 'rather deaf' and had lost all his teeth—a sign of poor health, age, and malnutrition. On 8 September, a few days after their arrival, 396 prisoners (three having died during the voyage) attended a Divine Service at St James’ Church. From there, they were assigned to private settlers or government works. Stephen was processed at Hyde Park Barracks and his health continued to decline. On 19 September 1836, barely three weeks after arriving in the Colony of New South Wales, Stephen died at the Sydney District Hospital. The location of his burial is unknown. Sources Baptism of Stephen Chuter, baptised 9 December 1778, Surrey Church of England Parish Registers, FREN/1/1, Surrey History Centre, in Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.com. Stephen Chuter, Moffatt, 1836, annotated printed indent, New South Wales State Archives, NRS 12189, pp 111–112, in New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788–1842, Ancestry.com. Marriage of Stephen Chuter and Sarah Cole, married 31 January 1808, Parish of Farnham, Surrey, England, in England Births and Christenings, 1538–1975 (index only; no image currently available), Ancestry.com. Marriage of Stephen Chuter and Sarah Cole, married 22 February, Anglican Bishops' Transcripts, 66032/1/9/1808, Hampshire Archives and Local Studies, in Hampshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921, Ancestry.com. Baptism of Stephen Chuter, baptised March 1809, St Mary's Church, Frensham, Surrey, Surrey Church of England Parish Registers, FREN/1/1, Surrey History Centre, in Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.com. Stephen Chuter, Midsummer 1809, Surrey Quarter Sessions 1780-1820, Surrey History Trust, Find My Past. 'Part Five: Chuter Family Tree', Boardman Moss Family Tree blog, 15 February 2016, https://boardmanmoss.blogspot.com/2016/02/part-four-chuter-family-tree.html. Stephen Chuter, 1817 Surrey Lent Assizes, Home Office: Criminal Registers, England and Wales, The National Archives (UK), HO 27, piece 14, p 201, in England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892, Ancestry.com. Burial of Sarah Chuter, buried 4 October 1824, Surrey Church of England Parish Registers, FREN/5/1, Surrey History Centre, in Surrey, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1997, Ancestry.com. Samuel Chuter, 1835, Winchester Gaol, Hampshire: Calendar Of Trials At Quarter Sessions For The County Of Southampton, PCOM 2/421, in England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935, Find My Past. Trial of Samuel Chuter, 20 October 1835, Home Office: Criminal Registers, England And Wales, 1805-1892, The National Archives (UK), HO 27, piece 49, in England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935, Find My Past. Samuel Chuter, 27 October 1835, Home Office: Correspondence And Warrants, The National Archives (UK), HO 13, piece 68, in England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935, Find My Past. Stephen Chuter, York [1835], Home Office: Convict Hulks, Convict Prisons And Criminal Lunatic Asylums: Quarterly Returns Of Prisoners, The National Archives (UK), HO 8, piece 47, in England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935, Find My Past. Jen Willetts, 'Convict Ship Moffatt (2) - 1836', Free Settler or Felon, Convict and Colonial History website, https://www.freesettlerorfelon.com/convict_ship_moffatt_1836.htm, accessed 7 January 2025. The National Archives’ website, Discovery, ADM 101/55/2/1, Folio 1: Sick book of the Convict Ship Moffatt 1836. John Smith Surgeon, ADM 101/55/2/1, https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10550458, accessed 7 January 2025. 'THE SHIP MOFFATT', Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 6 September 1836, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2206435. Stephen Chuter, Moffatt, 1836, annotated printed indent, New South Wales State Archives, NRS 12189, pp 111–112, in New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788–1842, Ancestry.com. 'The Sydney Herald. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1836', Sydney Herald, 8 September 1836, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12855124, accessed 7 January 2025. Death of Stephen Chuter, died 19 September 1836, Moffat, 1836, Convict Death Register, 12213/690, New South Wales Government, in New South Wales, Australia, Convict Death Register, 1826-1879, Ancestry.com. Death registration of Stephen Chuter, died 1836, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, New South Wales, V182/20/1836.

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 14th August 2023

Possible Death record. New South Wales, Australia. Convict Death Register Date of Death; 19 September 1836. at the General hospital, Sydney Age; 60 years old ** ** As per Register/s

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 14th August 2023

New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents. Indent No; 36 - 1673. Age; 60 years old Able to read. Status; Widower FAMILY; Father to 36 - 1670. Stephen Chuter the younger. Age; 29 years old. Father to 36 - 1671. Benjamin Chuter the younger. Age; 19 years old. Uncle to 36 - 1672. William Chuter. Age; 25 years old.

4

Tim Young on 19th December 2012

Found guilty of knowingly eating meat from sheep stolen by his sons, Benjamin, William and Stephen. Lived in Frensham, Surrey and married to Sarah. One of his grandaughters was the mother of Lord James Chuter-Ede MP (later to be Home Secretary in Attlee cabinet in 1945 and from 1951 leader of the house of commons) I (Tim Young) am the great, great great grandson of Stephen Chuter