William Featherstone

53

Beth Taylor on 26th September 2019

William Featherstone (c1784-1858) landed in Sydney on the ship Indefatigable (2) on 26 April 1815. He had been tried at the Old Bailey on 8 April 1814 & had a life term or the crime of highway robbery. He was a native of Hertford, a carpenter, aged 28, 5'7¼" tall, ruddy complexion, dark brown hair & hazel eyes. William received a TOL on 16/07/1830, #30/449 in lieu of another dated 1822 returned mutilated. He was a native of Hertfordshire, a carpenter, born 1784, 5’6½” tall, ruddy complexion, dark brown to grey hair. Grey eyes. The ticket was for the district of Airds (Campbelltown). (Source: SRNSW Convict Tickets of Leave, Reel 914, 4/4075) 1814 - WILLIAM FEATHERSTONE, Violent Theft > highway robbery, 20th April 1814. 340. WILLIAM FEATHERSTONE was indicted for feloniously making an assaulting in then King's highway upon George Vasey, on the 15th of April , putting him in fear, and taking from his person, and against his will, 19 s. in monies numbered, and five 1 l. bank notes, his property. GEORGE VASEY. I am a clerk in Cannon-street. On the 15th of April, I was returning home, about twelve o'clock at night, I went into Mr. Rogers's, the Swan and Hoop public-house, on the Pavement, Moorfields; I think it was before I went into Mr. Rogers's. I went into the tap-room to a box, there were four men sitting drinking there out of a pot of porter; the prisoner was one; there were three other men besides him sat in the same box; one of the other men was dressed in a short jacket, another in a long coat, he appeared like a coachman; there was a person in a straight coat, similar to my own, he was of a sandy complexion. I staid there about an hour and a half, or more perhaps. While I was drinking a glass of rum and water, which I called for, the coachman asked me to drink with him; I refused. The prisoner made an observation, that he had no right to ask me to drink when he had not paid himself for what he had drank. The prisoner addressed himself to me, and called me a tailor, and a great many other names that I do not recollect; he was rude to me. After I had drank up my sixpennyworth of rum and water, the coachman proposed to have a shillingsworth; which we had in. After that I declined having more; I said, it was time to go home. The prisoner and the man in the short jacket went out together; in about three minutes the coachman and I went out together. I turned to the left hand to go home; the coachman to the right. When I came out of the door I went up the Pavement, along Finsbury-place to Finsbury-square, and when I came opposite of Dr. Jones's, I was going across over the road, I was attacked by three men. Q. Was the prisoner one of the three men - A. Yes, I am sure of it. Immediately they came upon me I turned round; before I got quite round I received a blow in my mouth, which knocked me down; that blow was with the fist. After I was down the third man took my property from me. Q. Where was your property - A. In my left hand breeches pocket; that was five one-pound bank notes, and nineteen shillings in silver; I put it in my pocket the very same day. Q. Had you shortly before the time you were robbed - A. Yes, I counted my money in the morning, and I took it out at Mr. Rogers's. I took six notes out, gave Mr. Rogers one to change; I put the other five notes back. I am sure I had five one-pound notes and nineteen shillings in silver; that was in my pocket at the time I was knocked down. I got up; and called watch, and the watchman took the prisoner; he met him as he was coming to my assistance. Q. Was it soon after you called out watch - A. Yes. The watchman took him into custody. He shewed me the man; I immediately recollected him to be the man with whom I had been drinking in the public-house. Q. Who was the other persons that knocked you down - A. The other two were the men that had been in the box with me; the coachman who came out with me was one of them. Q. You did not get your money again I take it - A. No. I have no sort of doubt the prisoner is the man. The watchman is here that took him. Q. Vasey, where had you been drinking before you came to his house - A. At Mr. Vaughan's, in Coleman-street. I drank two sixpennyworths of rum and water, and a pint of porter. Q. You were near two hours in this public-house A. Yes. At Mr. Rogers's I had sixpennyworth of rum and water, and the coachman and I had a shillingsworth of rum and water between us. JOHN GIRTON. I am an officer. I live at No. 10, Lanthorn-court. I am a ward officer. Q. Did you go into Mr. Rogers's that evening - A. Yes, about ten minutes before two; I saw Vasey there; he sat in the box as he has described. There was only three there when I went in; the prisoner, the man in the short jacket, and coachman; the other had gone out when I went in. I was drinking a glass of porter at Mr. Rogers's. After I drank my porter I sat down two or three minutes; the prisoner and the man in a short jacket went out; they left the coachman and Vasey; they might go out three or four minutes after them. I went out before Vasey and the coachman. When I went out I saw the prisoner and the man in the short jacket standing against the Globe, on the pavement, at the corner of Fore-street. I had suspicion of the man in the short jacket; I thought I might have seen him before on the Pavement. I went over the way to facing of Fore-street; I waited there about two or three minutes; Mr. Vasey and the man, supposed to be a coachman, came out. When they came out, Vasey went towards his home; the coachman went the other way; he passed by these men standing against the Globe; in half a minute he returned back to them again. Vasey had gone on by himself; the other three were about a minute or two talking together; they went from there across Moorfields, and came out again facing of Short-street. I was going up the pavement. I saw the three men facing of Short-street; one of them went down Little Moorfields, and the other two went up the Pavement. I went up to the top of the Pavement; it was out of the ward of Coleman-street. I did not trouble myself any further. As I was coming down again afterwards, in about a quarter of an hour, I heard the call of watch; I ran up to where I heard the cry proceed from, to Finsbury-square. When I went up I saw the watchman had the prisoner in custody. I am sure he is the same person that I had seen before in Mr. Rogers's public-house. JOHN WILSON. I am a watchman. On the morning of the 15th I heard a man call watch a little before half past two; I directly came out of my box, and ran towards the sound, into Finsbury-square. I met the prisoner running towards me; I seized him, and then I sprang my rattle for assistance. The prisoner was in a flurry. The patrol and Mr. Vasey came up; Vasey bid me hold up the lanthorn to his face; I did; he said, that is the man that knocked me down. I took him to the watchhouse. Q. Was there anything the matter with the prisoner's little finger - A. The skin was knocked off the little finger on his right hand, as if fresh done, and bleeding. The prisoner is the man I took in custody, and the man the prosecutor charged with knocking him down. JOHN TURNBRIDGE. The prisoner is the man that was brought in custody of Wilson to the watch-house. I observed his finger cut, and blood on his waistcoat; I asked him how he got it; he said he got it in a bit of a row. I searched him; nothing was found upon him. THOMAS ROGERS. I keep the Swan and Hoop public-house. On the morning of the 15th, I remember the prisoner and Vasey being at my house, and also the witness Girton. I have heard the account the other witness has given, it is correct; they went out as has been stated. Vasey appeared to be the worse for liquor. He had one sixpennyworth of rum and water in my house, and part of a shillingsworth. Prisoner's Defence. I know no more of the robbery than a child unborn. The prisoner called four witnesses, who gave him a good character. GUILTY - DEATH. aged 29. Second Middlesex jury, before Lord Ellenborough. (Source: Old Bailey on-line www.oldbaileyonline.org ) 1819 – The convict ship Canada arrived in Sydney on 01/09/1819. “The Canada was delayed in leaving port when it was discovered that a carpenter by the name of William Featherstone per Indefatigable had been secreted on board the Canada with the knowledge of one of the ship's Officers in violation of the Port Regulations and against all the objects of Justice. Captain Spain was sent a demand to deliver up Featherstone who was found on board on 19th October and three days later was sent to the penal settlement at Newcastle under a three year sentence.” (Source: SRNSW Col Sec Papers, Letters Sent, 4/3500, Reel 6006, pp300-2 & Free Settler of Felon? Website http://www.jenwilletts.com/convict_ship_canada_1819.htm ) 1828 Census: Ann FEATHERSTONE, 43, FS, Broxbornebury, 7 years, prot & spouse - William FEATHERSTONE, 44, TL, Indefatigable 1815, 7 years, prot, carpenter, Mattavai, county Cooke. [Note: Re Matavai: “On 22 November 1819 Mary Rouse married Jonathan Hassall (1798-1834) at St. John's Church in Parramatta - in the famous triple wedding when three of Rowland Hassall's children were married in the same ceremony: Samuel Hassall married Lucy Mileham, the daughter of Dr. James Mileham (c.1763-1824) and Mary Cover Hassall married the Methodist missionary Rev. Walter Lawry (1793-1859). After Mary Rouse's marriage Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie engaged Theodore Bartley, aged 16, as a tutor to their son Lachlan. During the first years of their marriage Jonathan and Mary lived on the Hassall family property Macquarie Grove at Camden. Their first child, Rowland was born in 1820. In 1816 Jonathan had received from Governor Macquarie a grant of 200 acres at the Cowpastures near Camden (present-day: Cobbitty) which he called Matavai. This was consolidated later by a second grant of 230 acres. In 1823, Jonathan and his three brothers, Thomas, Samuel, and James, received grants of land west of the mountains. Governor Thomas Brisbane granted Jonathan 800 acres at O'Connell Plains, south-east of Bathurst. The grant became known as Newberry Farm and in 1828 its location was listed as being at Macquarie Plains. The 1828 Census records that Jonathan's Matavai holding now totalled 700 acres; he also owned an additional 1100 acres at Bathurst known as Junction Farm.” (Source: Macquarie University Journeys in Time Project Website http://www.lib.mq.edu.au/all/journeys/people/profiles/rouse.html ] 1849 - Ann Thomas (nee Lane) widow of Burrowa (X her mark) wed William Featherstone widow of Burrowa at Yass on 03/06/1849 (V1849-400-34C) 1858 - William Featherston (sic), aged 62, died at Binalong in 1858. (DC 1858/2893) 1869 – “DEATH of AN OLD SERVANT.-The Burrowa Express records, this week, the death of Mrs. Anna Featherstone, who was born in Ireland in 1772. She was, therefore, 95 years of age at the time of her decease. She has lived in this colony sixty years, and with her husband accompanied the late Mr. W H. Broughton and family when they first settled at Broughtonsworth, long before it was thought that Burrowa would have any other history than that attaching to an ordinary squatting station. She brought with her a granddaughter, Pamela Thornbrough by name, who was married to a man named John Morgan, in the employ of Mr. F. R. Hume, of Castlesteads, whose daughter is married to Mr. George Smith, farmer, Burrowa River, and who has had issue-one child. It will thus be seen that she lived to witness the fifth generation of her descendants. Up to a very late period, she possessed all her faculties to an unusually vigorous extent. She died at Broughtonsworth, the residence of Mr. W. J. E. Wotton, who has been exceedingly kind to her, and who procured her a very respectable interment. Her remains were deposited beside those of her late husband in the Broughtonsworth family cemetery, on Tuesday, the 29th ultimo, thus reposing in death close to the ashes of her former employer and benefactor.” (Source: SMH, 06/07/1869, p4) Ann Featherstone, aged about 89, died at "Broughtonsworth" near Burrowa, district of Binalong on 28/06/1869, of “old age and general debility”. (DC 1869/3029) From the book “Journey to a New Life…” the story of the ships Emu & Broxbornebury by Elizabeth Hook (3rd ed. 2014). I am the author & can be contacted on hookey5609@yahoo.com.au for further info