Elizabeth Crompton

71

Robin Sharkey on 9th November 2025

Both Elizabeth Crompton and her co-accused, Susannah King, sailed on the ill-fated convict transport ship, 'Lady Shore', Given that they ended up together in a totally foreign country in Uruguay (and possibly later at Buenos Ayres in Argentina) Elizabeth and Susannah at least had each other for support to begin with. After their trial in January 1796, they were in Newgate Prison together for another fourteen months. Then, on Saturday 11th March 1797, “thirty-five female convicts and one male (Major Semple) were removed from Newgate, and delivered on board the ship Lady Shore, lying off Woolwich, bound for New South Wales”. (Norfolk Chronicle, Sat 18 March 1797, p.4). After the women had been a month on board at Woolwich, the Lady Shore sailed down to Portsmouth, arriving on 15 April 1797. The ship had then on board at Portsmouth “110 men women and children belonging to the New South Wales Corps, and 70 convicts, only two of which are males viz major Semple and Knowles.” (per Hampshire Chronicle, 22 April 1797). Semple was aged 38 and Launcelot Knowles was aged 65 years. LADY SHORE SAILS Part of the NSW Corps on board the ship included eight or so Frenchmen who'd been taken prisoner in England. Having being condemned to death, they’d then been reprieved to serve as soldiers at Botany Bay. While ‘Lady Shore’ was at Portsmouth, these men formed a plan to seize the ship when out to sea. The younger male convict, Major Semple, learned of the mutiny plan and informed the ship's captain. He, Captain Wilcox, complained to the Transport Board about the danger of proceeding to sea with such men with arms in their hands. [ per ‘Belfast Newsletter’ 4 August 1798, being information from the purser, Mr Black, later writing back to England]. The Colonel of the regiment of the NSW Corps was sent to investigate “but he, perhaps hesitating to give credit to Semple, and from the Benevolence of his own heart entertaining a better opinion of his men than they deserved, overruled Captain Wilcox’s desire.” (per Belfast Newsletter 4 August 1798) And Lady Shore departed Portsmouth on 22 April 1797, headed for Botany Bay with a mutinous men on board. MUTINY On 1st August, when the ship was about four days off the coast of South America, the French mutinied, aided by several Irish soldiers. [per ‘The Naval History of Great Britain’ by William James, at p.1797] After murdering the second mate and captain and putting 29 officers, wives, children and the convict Semple into a longboat on the ocean, the mutineers got the ship under sail. They went to Montevideo (Uruguay) with the convict women, plus elderly convict Launcelot Knowles, the surgeon Mr Fyfe, and the marines of the NSW Corps. For the next seven years, nothing was known about the fate of the convict women, or the other people who were at the mercy of the mutineers. But seven years later, in late 1804, four Spanish ships were captured by the English off Cadiz. On board one of these was the convict Launcelot Knowles (now aged about 72) and on another ship were three of the NSW Corps soldiers. The men said they’d come from Buenos Ayres and the Spanish were letting them go to England (they were to have been released at Cadiz to find an English shipto take them home). FATE OF FEMALE CONVICTS According to their testimony the 67 female convicts had integrated into life in South America as described at the top of this page under the description of the ship. That wording comes from the men’s testimony and is reported in several British newspapers for example: ‘Caledonian Mercury’ of Thursday, 3 Jan, 1805 and ‘Freemans Journal’, Thursday, 3 Jan 1805, p.4

135

C H on 17th February 2024

Old Bailey Online SUSANNAH KING. ELIZABETH CROMPTON. HENRY JONES. Theft; grand larceny (to 1827), Theft; receiving. 13th January 1796. Text type Trial account Defendants SUSANNAH KING, ELIZABETH CROMPTON, HENRY JONES Offences Theft > Grand larceny, Theft > Receiving Session Date 13th January 1796 Reference Number t17960113-71 Verdicts Guilty, Guilty, Not guilty Punishments Transportation 128. SUSANNAH KING , ELIZABETH CROMPTON , and HENRY JONES , were indicted, the two first for feloniously stealing, on the 26th of November , a cloth coat, value 15s. five linen shirts, value 20s. two linen waistcoats, value 4s. a pair of nankeen breeches, value 2s. a linen cap, value 4d. a muslin cap, value 3d. a linen apron, value 6d. two muslin aprons, value 1s. two muslin cravats, value 1s. two muslin half handkerchiefs, value 1s. a silk bonnet, value 1s. 6d. a black silk cloak, value 20s. and a pair of cotton stockings, value 3d. the property of William Platten ; and the other, for receiving, on the 1st of December , a muslin cravat, a muslin apron, and a silk bonnet, part of the before-mentioned goods, knowing them to have been stolen . WILLIAM PLATTEN sworn. I am a carpenter , I lodge at No. 43, King-street, Seven-dials : On the 26th of November, I lost these things; I went out in the morning, about six o'clock, to work. I left my wife at home, she is here; on the Monday night, I received information of my property; and on Tuesday I went to Bow-street, and got a search-warrant, I went with an officer to King's lodgings, in a court, in Monmouth-street, she was at work in the room when I went in. Q. Does any body live with her in that room? - A. I cannot tell; I found two aprons, and a cravat, they are marked with my name, and a dupli cate of a pair of nankeen breeches of mine; Donaldson, a constable, went with me; I went to the pawnbroker's in Bridges-street, near Drury-lane Play-house, and found a blue coat, two shirts, and a pair of nankeen breeches; when I went for the breeches, the pawnbroker searched and found the other things. Q. Have you seen any thing of a bonnet, a muslin apron, and a muslin cravat? - A. Yes; I was present when they were found; we went first to Bow-street, with the prisoner King, and then to Jones's, at No. 6, Old Belton-street, Long-Acre, he rents the first floor front room, and found these: one cravat, one apron, and a bonnet; I did not see the constable take the cravat, nor the apron; I saw them in the room, but I did not see him find them; I saw him take the bonnet out of the bed; this was on Tuesday the first of December. Q. Was Jones at home at the time? - A. Yes. Q. Did he say how these things came there? - A. Not then, he wanted to go to dinner; I went to the landlady of the house, the landlord was very ill, the landlady said Jones was the person that rented the room. Q. Was Jones present when she said that? - A. Yes. Q. Did he deny that? - A. He did not say any thing to it. Q. What is Jones? - A. I don't know, he is a stranger to me; I was told he was a printer. Q. What part of the bed was it taken from? - A. I cannot say; the bed was turned up, and that was in the bed; the things were delivered to the constable; Jones was taken into custody. Cross-examined by Mr. Ally. Q. You found a bonnet in Jones's bed? - A. Yes. Q. The same day you were at Bow-street? - A. Yes. Q. The property was lost on Thursday, and you went to Bow-street on Tuesday? - A. Yes. Q. Then he must have had that bonnet in his possession five days; have you not heard that Jones is a printer? - A. Yes. Q. Then, of course, his place is open to journeymen, and other persons, going about his business? - A. I cannot say. Q. It is a common lodging house? - A. I cannot say; I saw other people in the house, but not in the room. Q. Not at the time you were there? - A. Only Jones, Crompton, and a person he called his daughter. Q. Crompton was merely standing in the room? - A. She was ironing something; I am not sure whether it was a cravat or not. Q. Ironing it publickly in the room? - A. Yes. ANN NORMAN sworn. I live in King-street, Seven-dials: On Thursday the 26th of November, about two o'clock, I went to a two pair of stairs window, I lodge opposite the prosecutor's house, I was accidentally at the window; I saw Susannah King standing by a post, about twenty yards from Platten's door; about twenty minutes after that, I observed a woman coming out of Platten's house, with a large bundle in her apron. Q. Can you say who that was? - A. It was the prisoner Crompton. Q. Are you sure of that? - A. Yes. Q. Did you know her by sight before? - A. No. Q. Did you know Susannah King by sight before? - A. No. Q. Had you such an opportunity of observing their faces, at that time, so as to know her again; - A. Yes; for I never took my eyes from King till I saw Crompton coming out of Platten's door; I looked after them, and saw them go away together up King-street; I saw her side face very distinctly as she stood by the post; and Crompton had a bonnet on, the other had not. Q. Did they appear to speak to one another? - A. Yes; I saw them at Bow-street on the Tuesday after; I knew them again immediately. Q. Look at them again, and say if you have any doubt that the two prisoners are the persons you saw? - A. Yes. Q. What the bundle contained you cannot tell? - A. No. Cross-examined by Mr. Ally. Q. You seem a pretty positive witness; have you ever been a witness before? - A. No. Q. You were up in the two pair of stairs window, and Crompton had a bonnet on, and just coming along the street; and four days after, you positively swear that was the person? - A. Yes. Q. You continued twenty minutes at the window, though you went there by accident; you seem to have had a great deal of idle time upon your hands; do you often do so? - A. Sometimes. Q. And you mean to swear positively to them? - A. Yes. GEORGE DONALDSON sworn. I am a constable of St. Martin's in the Fields: On Tuesday the Ist of December, I went with a search-warrant with Mr. and Mrs. Platten, to No. 4, Monmouth-court, up two pair of stairs, in the back room; I found the prisoner King sitting at work; there were two old women fitting at work upon soldier's cloathes in the same room. Q. How do you know this was the room of the prisoner, and not of the two old women? - A. Mr. Platten told me it was: as soon as I got into the room, I told King, I had got a search warrant; and, I asked her to let me look at her pockets: in which I found a duplicate of a pair of nankeen breeches; upon which I searched about the room, and found, two aprons and a cravat, in a box without a lock; it was not locked, however; I asked her where she got these things; she told me, she got them from Elizabeth Crompton ; I searched as minutely as I could, but found nothing else in that room. Q. Did you go to the pawnbroker's? - A. Yes; No.22, Bridges-street, Covent-garden; I went to order up the pawnbroker, by the Magistrate's direction; the master said, his man was upon a trial, or something of that sort, but he was out; I went the second time, with Mr. Platten, to the pawnbroker's, they produced the breeches, and Mr. Platten knew them to be his: when the second examination was, the pawnbroker brought forth some other articles; a coat, and two shirts. Q. What became of the things that the pawnbroker produced? - A. He kept them in his own possession. Q. Did you at any time go to the room of the prisoner Jones? - A. I went to Old Belton-street, to Crompton's, and found an apron and a cravat. Q. Where are Crompton's lodgings? - A. I found her at Jones's room, and two or three more were in the room; I asked Crompton, to let me look at her pockets, which I did; and found no duplicates, that could lead to any discovery; I then searched the room, and found a black silk bonnet, a cravat, and an apron; the apron, I found somewhere about the bed; the cravat, I found, I believe, upon a table; and, I believe, the bonnet was upon the bed. Q. Can you say whether it was or not? - A. I cannot rightly recollect but, I believe, it was somewhere about the bed; I think, the bed was turned up, and it laid behind it; I could not find any thing else; and, then, I said, I must take Crompton and Jones, with me, to the office. Q. Was any thing said, by Jones, or Crompton, about how the things came into the room? - A. No; I don't remember, any thing passing, rightly,(produces them); Crompton was ironing, in Jones's room. Cross-examined by Mr. Ally. Q. You are speaking of the same transaction that the last witness does? - A. Yes. Q. And therefore you are speaking of the same thing he was speaking of? - A. Yes. Q. You said, you found the bonnet somewhere about the bed? - A. Yes. Q. This woman was ironing? - A. Yes. Q. The prisoner, King, when you first searched her, told you, she got some of these things from Crompton? - A. Yes. Q. Crompton was not by, at that time? - A. No. Q. You searched Crompton, and found nothing upon her relative to this property? - A. No. FRANCES PLATTEN sworn. I am the wife of William Platten; I lodge in King-street, Seven Dials: My husband went out to work about six o'clock; I staid about an hour, and cleaned up my room; and then I went up stairs into the shop, to stay with them, for company; I staid there till a few minutes before one o'clock; I was backwards and forwards, but not to stay; I went down stairs, to feed some rabbits, and then I locked my room door, and went out; I took my key in my pocket; I was absent from my room till half past three; I went down stairs, (I live down in a kitchen), and found the door open very easy. Q. Did it appear to have been forced open, or opened with a key? - A. It appeared to have been opened with a key: I looked for some mutton, to put it on, to cook for my husband's supper, and I missed the mutton; I lifted up the box, and missed all my husband's cloaths and mine. Q. Were they there when you went out? - A. Yes. Q. Had you locked the door in the morning, when you went up stairs? - A. Yes. Q. Every thing in that box was taken? - A. Yes; every thing. Q. Did you ever see any part of your things again? - A. Yes; I missed the things mentioned in the indictment, (repeating them). Q. Did you know any of the prisoners before this? - A. No; I went with the constable, to search the prisoner's (King's) room, in Monmouth-court; my husband, and the constable, were with me; she was in the room, and her mother, and some other people; there were two aprons found; one in a box, another on the bed; and the neck-cloth in the box; the constable found a duplicate in her pocket. Q. Were they any part of what you had lost? - A. Yes. Q. Did you see the things produced at the pawnbroker's? - A. Yes. Q. Can you swear to them? - A. Yes. Q. Crompton's room was not searched, was it? - A. Yes; in Old Belton-street. Q. Is it a different room from the prisoner Jones's, or is it the same? - A. The same room. Q. Was Jones there? - A. Yes; the woman, and Jones, were there; we found a bonnet upon the bed; between the bed and the sacking, a musslin apron, in the bed, in the same place; the neck cloth was upon the table; Crompton was ironing at the time. Q. She was supposed to have lived with Jones, at that time? - A. Yes. - ALLEN sworn. I am servant to Mr. Sienesi, in Bridges-street, Covent-garden: On Thursday, the 26th of November, the two women, prisoners at the bar, came to our shop, in the afternoon. Q. Are you sure they are the same two women? - A. Yes; they had been at our shop before; the middle one, Crompton, pledged, with me, a blue coat, for 12s.; a pair of breeches, for 1s. 6d.; a shirt, 2s.; and, a shirt, 3s. in the name of Hannah Jordan. Q. Did you ask her any questions, how she came by them? - A. I asked her if it was her own property; she said, it was; the other prisoner only stood by at the time she pledged these articles; the officers came to me, with the duplicate of the breeches, and I produced them. Cross-examined by Mr. Ally. Q. You said, in the afternoon? - A. Yes. Q. Do you mean, by that, between twelve and one o'clock? - A. No; after that.(A coat, two shirts, and a pair of breeches, were produced in Court, by the pawnbroker, and deposed to by the prosecutor).(The two aprons, and cravat, found at King's lodgings, were deposed to by the prosecutor). Mr. Ally. Q. As to the bonnet and the two cravats, they appear to be very old: what are they worth? - A. It was new made up; it cost me 1s. 6d. making up, about a fortnight before, and I found the stuff. Q. At present, as they are produced, you will not undertake to swear, that they are worth a shilling? - A. I don't think it is worth more; when it was stolen from me, it was worth 4s. 6d.; some of the ribbands are taken off. King's defence. A woman, of the name of Jordan, came up to me, on Thursday, about half after three o'clock; she told me, she had come from Elizabeth Crompton's husband, from on board of ship; she asked me, if I could tell her where to find Elizabeth Crompton ; I went to her brother's, in Short's Gardens, and called her, on the stairs; and she came down; the gentlewoman said, she had given me trouble, and asked me to go and have something to drink; we went to Queen-street, and had part of two pots of beer; when we had sat a bit, she said, she was very sick, would we accept of relith of any thing to eat; we went to a butcher's, in Earl-street, and she got a pound of beef steaks; we had them fried; and, after we had had something to eat, and another pot of beer, she asked Elizabeth Crompton to pawn some things for her; accordingly she went to the pawnbroker's, and asked me, if I would go with her, which I did; and we returned the woman the money back again, and the tickets; we had a glass of pepper-mint at the bar, a piece, and she wished us a very good night; she said, she wanted to buy a few things, in Monmouth-street; she went and bought some things, and Crompton and I went with her; she made Crompton a present of these old aprons, and then Elizabeth Crompton gave me the two aprons, and the old cravat. Crompton's defence. I have no more to say than what she has said; no further, than when the gentlewoman came up into Mr. Jones's room, I was ironing; and Mrs. Jones was not within at the time; I went up to Mr. Jones's to beg the favour to let me wash a few things, as my husband was on board of ship; his daughter gave me her consent to wash a few things, and I was ironing them at the time; she said, if I could do them before her father came in, I was very welcome to do them; Mrs. Jordan gave me the bonnet, and I wore it for three days; Mr. Jones knows nothing about it. Jones's defence. I wish to ask the constable, and the pawnbroker, and that other woman, what they said before the Magistrate. Court. We have that in writing, and they have declared the same now as they did then.(The prisoner jones called fix witnesses, who all gave him a good character). King, GUILTY . (Aged 30.) Crompton, GUILTY . (Aged 35.) Jones, NOT GUILTY . Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron THOMPSON . I

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 2nd August 2023

UK Criminal Registers - Criminal Entry Records. Ship; Lady Shore No; 27 Trial; 13 January 1796 Age; 30 years. [born abt. 1762] Place of Transportation; Beyond the Seas.