Mary Ann Crossley

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 11th December 2021

New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents. Sovereigh from England. - 1829 - 119 Female Convicts. Indent No; 77 Name; Mary Ann Crossley or Lee or Smith Age; 33 years. Read & Write. Single - 3 children. ONE with her Native Place; Hackney Trade or calling; Daughter of .... Offence; Bigamy Trial where & Date; London - 14 Dec 1828 Sentence; 7 years Height; 5 ft. 5 1/4 in Assigned; Corporation Female Orphan School C35/1352 1828 - Old Bailey On-Line 1/2 Born; 1792. Tried; 4 December 1828 -. MARY ANN CROSSLEY, Sexual Offences > bigamy, 4th December 1828. 41. MARY ANN CROSSLEY was indicted for bigamy . MR. ALLEY conducted the prosecution. HENRY WILLIAM FACEY . I am parish-clerk of St. Luke's, Middlesex. I produce the marriage-register of that parish, by which I find, on the 6th of February, 1814, Richard Crossley and Mary Ann Rothwell were married in that church - it is signed."Richard Crossley, and Mary Ann Rothwell , her mark." Cross-examined by MR. BODKIN. Q. Is that the original? A. Yes - it is witnessed by Mary Ann Brock . MARY ANN MURPHY . My name was Mary Ann Brock . I was at the church at the time of this marriage, and saw the prisoner married to Crossley; I am sure she is the same woman: Crossley is alive - he is now in Court; he is in the service of a brewer. Cross-examined. Q. How long have you been acquainted with the prisoner? A. A few months before the marriage; I had known her husband about the same time: I do not know when they separated, but they lived together some months - I have no reason to know that they have been separated for ten or eleven years - I have not heard so; I have not seen him for the last seven or eight years. COURT. Q. What was she at that time? A. She was nothing that I saw; Crossley was a cooper at Whitbread's brewhouse - I did not know her parents. WILLIAM JACKSON . I am the parish-clerk of Hackney, and have the register of marriages - (reads) "29th of June, 1828 , Henry Lee , of this parish, bachelor, and Sarah Jane Smith, widow, were married by licence;" I knew Mr. Lee, and have seen this woman a few times - I am certain she is the person. Cross-examined by MR. BODKIN. Q. You produce this from the place where these books are kept? A. Yes - I had known the prisoner a few days before; this is the marriage licence. DR. HENRY LEE . I am a physician , and live at Hackney. I married the prisoner on the 29th of June last. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. How long had you known her? A. I believe I had seen her about three years before - I had only known her this year, about six weeks before I married her; I got no money with her - I did not get 900l., nor one farthing; it was a match without money - I know of no other motive but affection to assign on my part; I do not feel myself bound to tell whether it was a love match - I believe it was on the 12th or 13th of July, that I put her into a mad-house; we were married on the 29th of June: I had the certificate of a medical man - she gave me reason to suppose she was going to perpetrate some fatal act, but whether on myself or any other person I could not tell; I did not let her out of the madhouse - I left my family to act for me; I was out of the country at the time, and my family had medical men to see her - my father acted for me; I had never been married before. I mean solemnly to depose on my oath, that before I married the woman at the bar, I had never been married - I swear I got no money from her; she lived in a house at Clapton; it was a furnished house taken for her - the furniture was returned to the person she hired it of; I visited her there - she had a servant, and her son lived there; she told me she had been married before, but her husband was dead: she did not desire me to make inquiries whether he was alive or dead - she prevented me from it; she implored me not to make inquiries as to her circumstances or history before I married her; or rather not to divulge what she told me respecting herself - she begged me not to mention any thing to any body respecting her circumstances; she implored me not to make inquiries respecting her - her history was very long. COURT. Q. Were these circumstances, which were not to be divulged, any thing relative to her having a former husband? A. No, none whatever, nor as to a doubt of his being alive; I had no reason to believe that she had a husband alive; I did not make any inquiries in the neighbourhood - I had no doubt of her having been married. MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Did she wear stays? A. Yes - there was no money found in her stays; I never got a shilling with her - she begged me to keep her history secret; she said her husband's name was Smith - that he was executed for forgery, and that was the reason she did not wish her story to be known; I am not certain whether I asked her where, but I believe she said at Newgate - I took her without a farthing of money; I sent her to Dr. Munro, at Clapton - I continued to cohabit with her for the fortnight, and slept with her the night before I took her to Dr. Munro's; I breakfasted with her the same morning: I did not tell her where I was taking her - she thought I was going to the house she lived at; she did me no mischief - I had lived with her till then. THOMAS VANN . I am an officer. I apprehended the prisoner near Bow church, on the 3d of November. GUILTY. Aged 36. Recommended to Mercy by the Jury . 1828 - Old Bailey On-Line 2/2 MARY ANN CROSSLEY, Sexual Offences > bigamy, 4th December 1828. 42. MARY ANN CROSSLEY was again indicted for a like offence . HENRY WILLIAM FACEY . I produce the register of the marriage on the 6th of February, 1814, as in the former case. MARY ANN MURPHY . I was at the marriage - my name was then Brock; the prisoner's husband is now alive. LEONARD BATTY . I am an exciseman, and live at Hull. I produce a copy of the register, taken from the books in Barnsley chapel, at Silkstone, in Yorkshire. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Had you any body with you? A. Yes, and I saw him write it from the book - I looked over his shoulder: I had it read out to me, and I compared them; (reads) "4th December, 1818, John Pickering , bachelor, and Mary Ann Crossley were married in this parish;" I signed it, but have no recollection of the couple who were married. JOHN PICKERING . I was a labourer . I married this woman in Barnsley chapel ten years ago this day; I lived with her till the 7th of January following. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Did you get any money from her? A. No - my marriage was for love, and partly expecting money; I expected 95l., which she represented she had - I had seen her for a month before, and known her for a week; I was subpoenaed here: Ihave seen Crossley since I came to town; I saw no signs of madness in her - I think I was mad when I married her; she was unpleasant some time afterwards. THOMAS VANN . I took the prisoner on the 3d of November, near Bow church. GUILTY . Aged 36. Transported for Seven Years . 1835 - Certificate of Freedom. Date; 30 Dec 1835. Age; 39. [1796]. Trade or calling house keeper