Matilda Dyer

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Robin Sharkey on 4th December 2016

MATILDA DYER was transported on “Canada” for 7 years arriving in 1810. She was tried at the Old Bailey with Ann Kennington for assaulting Benjamin Burd on the street and putting him in fear and stealing a number of bank notes off him. Between Surry St and Temple bar from between 11pm and half-past twelve, he was “knocked downing hustled”. His evidence was that he was “so much stunned at the time” that he couldn’t tell who it was but he thought it was women. Reported at Old Bailey trials on line - Matter no. 6566 of 20 Sept 1809 [ https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18090920-28-defend254&div=t18090920-28#highlight ] Mr Burd was a purser in the navy. On 3rd August 1809 he’d been in town (London city) on business and at 4pm had gone to a banking house to receive some bank notes. Then he dined with his brother at 5pm and afterwards went to a coffeehouse in Norfolk Court off Surry Street, where he checked and counted his notes, taking them out of his pocket. It’s hinted at in the evidence that a Mrs Pike of the coffee house had something to do with the offence against him - she had been “taken up” and a 20 pound note from him stopped by the bank. Perhaps she had worked in together with Ann Kennington and Matilda Dyer and told them that this man had notes on him - the other two women assaulted him in the same street as the coffee house. Because he had collected the notes from the bank that afternoon, he had good knowledge of exactly what notes he had on him. He got the bank to put a stop on all the notes the next day. Mrs Pike had been taken up” by the officers and Ann Kennington appeared as a witness against her. Pike had acknowledged to the magistrate that she had given a 50 l. note. It seems Mrs Pike was “ discharged that night in consequence of Mr. Pollard [publican] stating that he did not believe she committed the felony …” [per evidence of John Vicker, Worship St officer] Matilda and Ann started getting rid of the notes. The publican named John Pollard gave evidence that he knew both Matilda and Ann very well because they were both neighbours [to him]. He claimed in evidence that “I never knew a dishonest act of them ever since I knew them” and so he had no hesitation in giving Matilda change for a 10l note the next day. Ann asked a man named William Alders, a painter and glazier, to change one of the notes for her - a £50 bank note.When he said no she offered him a shilling to do so, at the bank. He asked her how she had got it - it was a large amount of money for her - and she told him ‘by honesty’. He knew her as a seller of fish and fruit. So Mr Alders wrote his name on the note and went with it to the bank, where of course it was picked up by the clerk as a stopped note. Matilda Dyer called one character witness and Ann Kennington called three. Both were found guilty and sentenced to death. Obviously both were reprieved - to transportation for life Their ages were recorded on the Old Bailey reports as being 37 for Kennington and 33 for Dyer, but this is not consistent with later statement of ages in NSW. Far more likely they were 27 and 23 respectively - since Ann being recorded in 1828 as being 40 and in 1831 as being born in 1789 (i.e. 42) she would have been about 20 or 21 in 1809. Assume Matilda was there years younger, at about 17 or 18. IN NSW The women were tried on 20 September 1809.They both departed England on “Canada” six months later in March 1810. 23 January 1811 January - Matilda Dyer MARRIED James Marshall. (arrived per “Duke of Portland” in July 1807). Both resided at Parramatta.Married at St John’s Church of England at Parramatta by Samuel Marsden. Matilda could sign her name but James Marshall made his mark. Witnesses were John Carey and Elizabeth Cook. Oct 1814 Muster Matilda Dyer, per Canada (2), Convict, Mustered at Parramatta, Wife to James Marshall, Off stores. James Marshall was listed as a carpenter, mustered Parramatta, off stores. Matilda Dyer Marshall was dead by 1821 because James Marshall remarried that year. He went on to have three children by 1827 with his new wife.

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Marilyn Zietsch on 6th January 2012

Married James Marshall 25 Jan 1811. No children that I am aware of.