William Faircloth

71

Robin Sharkey on 2nd January 2018

Was placed on Ganymede hulk on 2 July 1835. His age was recorded as "54" years, ot "45" years. Co-accused John McKay was placed on the same hulk and was recorded as having died on the hulk on 25 January 1836. He had also been recorded as being 54 years old, not 45 yrs. Faircloth was sent from the hulk to NSW on 25 May 1836. The third co-accused, Joseph Noel, was on "Justitia" hulk and was not sent to NSW until September 1836 on "Lady Kennaway" arriving February 1837.

71

Robin Sharkey on 2nd January 2018

William Faircloth, aged about 45 yrs, was transported for 7 years on the "Lady Kennaway" in 1836 for crime of robbing his master. However he died at sea on 18 September 1836, per annotation on ship's indent, just a month out from the ship's arrival in NSW. NOTE: Not to be confused with convict on same voyage named William FAIRCLOUGH who was aged 28 at trial in October 1835 at Lancaster Qtr Sessions, and who survived the journey and has various convict records in NSW. William Faircloth was tried with two other men at the Old Bailey for robbing his master. He was a porter employed by a business located in the Aldersgate St/ Barbican area of London which sold canvas from a shopfront and had a warehouse above. It appeared the head storekeeper, Joseph Noel, was behind the robbery, with another man who received the goods. Faircloth probably just did as he was told because one of the warehouse owners described him as "a man of weak intellect, having had an injury in the head" and that “he can eat, drink and read”, and wouldn’t have known for sure whether the canvas had been sold unless he’d seen the invoice but he had no access to the books. Old Bailey Record on line Three men were charged with robbing a piece of canvas from a warehouse where two of them were employed. William Faircloth, aged 45, was a porter there and had been employed for eight years - the warehouse was owned by Messrs Mckenzie and Barling, located somewhere around Aldersgate Street and the Barbican. He took direction from the head warehouseman, Joseph Noel, (recorded in the reports as "James" Noel) who'd been employed there for nine years. The other co-accused was John Mackay (aged 45) who was the receiver of the canvas, not full-time employed in the business but had been seen about the streets by other employees in company with Joseph Noel, and had married the aunt of one of the business owners. The business also employed a shopman, an under-warehouseman and another worker. All gave evidence as to what they had seen happen. Noel had that day ordered the under-warehouseman to take a parcel to St Paul’s churchyard even though it was not his duty, but Faircloth’s. Noel had previously taken a piece of canvas (50 yards of it, worth 28s, rolled up and covered in brown paper as all were) from the canvas warehouse upstairs, supposedly filling an order, and placed it against the door. At the time there were 100-200 similar pieces of canvas in the warehouse. While the under-warehouseman was out at St Paul’s churchyard as directed by Noel, Faircloth took the canvas roll through the shop – it was his job to carry orders out - and was seen by the shopman who went out to his lunch straight after this. While the shopman was in Aldersgate Street he saw the accused receiver Mckay with a roll of canvas, similar to the one he’d seen Faircloth carry through the shop. He told his employers. They questioned Faircloth, investigated the story he told them about where he took it and found that to be untrue. The employer said Faircloth was a man of weak intellect, having had an injury in the head, “he can eat, drink and read”, and wouldn’t have known for sure whether the canvas had been sold unless he’d seen the invoice but he had no access to the books. Noel, as head warehouseman, generally kept an account of what had come in. The piece of canvas was ticked off as if sold but then the tick had been rubbed out with the finger. Faircloth had been told then to tell the truth or else he would be found out anyway. It appears that he did tell the truth. Faircloth had taken the cloth to the Mourning Bush Tavern in Aldersgate Street and asked the barman to keep it for McKay who would come in for it, which he did about one hour later. McKay then took it to the White Bear Inn at Barbican where he asked to leave it for a short time but the Shopman turned up with the constable before McKay came back for it. All three were found guilty and sentenced to 7 years’ transportation.