Abraham France

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Maureen Withey on 10th January 2024

Ten years penal servitude.—Edward Onion (28), Abraham France (26), and Young White (39), stealing a purse, four half-crowns, five shillings, and sixpence, the property of David Myers, of the Caledonian Hotel. Horton. The court awarded a gratuity of to Miss Myers, who, as will remembered, detected the prisoners in the act of plundering her father’s house, which they had entered under the pretence of playing at bagatelle, and also caused their apprehension. Bradford Observer, 28 May 1863.

3

Jacqui Kenton on 10th January 2024

If I have the right man, AF was born to John France and his wife Martha Jenkinson and baptised in July 1836. He married Mary Ann Marsden in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 1857. There may have been 2 daughters - tbc. He did marry bigamously in Australia but so did his English wife who married Samuel Middleton 1st Feb 1868, and then Thomas Oxley on the 8th Feb 1885. She died in 1908. Abraham's father - John - was a dyer, as was his grandfather (another Abraham). The family seemed to be law abiding apart from young AF and his younger brother (John) who actually joined the police force but had to leave due to laziness. His wife and children had to appeal to the parish for food as John refused to work.

Abraham FRANCE born 1836, Leeds, England, was convicted in Bradford, England on 21 May 1863 on three charges of larceny (stealing), and received a 10 year gaol sentence, two of which he served in Chatham Gaol, Bradford, England, with the remaining eight to be served in Australia. Abe's description was given as Height: 5'9 3/4", Hair: Brown, Eyes: Blue, Face: Long, Complexion: Fresh, Appearance: Middling Stout. He had a scar on the right side of his nose, and one upper front tooth missing on the left side. He arrived in Western Australia per the "RACEHORSE" on 10 Aug 1865 aged 29 years, and his record showed that he was Literate and Protestant. He was one of 279 convicts transported on the Racehorse which left England on 19th May 1865. He received his Ticket of Leave on 15 August 1871, and a Certificate of Freedom on 27 Feb 1883. He is listed in early records of Western Australia as having lived in Fremantle and Perth, and had worked as a carpenter, a general servant and wood cutter. It is said that Abraham was very quick tempered which got him into a lot of trouble. The following are some of the offences he committed after arrival in Australia and the harsh penalties he received.: October 20 1865: Assaulting a fellow prisoner - 12 months hard labour and 5 dozen lashes. October 18 1865: Stealing Pie melons, 3 months hard labour 30 March 1866: Disgusting language to constable - 7 days bread and water 12 July 1867: Perth - Stealing cabbages - 6 months hard labour at Perth 1 November 1867: Perth - Using threatening language to A.W. McQuaid - 7 days bread and water. 27 November 1867: Absconding from Claisebrook and robbing the premises of C. McMullen and I. Anderson ...........(indistinguishable)...... 11 June 1868: Fremantle - Idleness and refusing to do any work in the Smith's shop - 4 days bread and water 5 October 1868: Fremantle - Absconding from Fremantle - 6 months hard labour in chains 5 October 1868: Entering the hut of C. Williams and stealing therefrom wearing apparel and a quantity of provisions - 6 months hard labour at Fremantle 6 October 1868: Two months of sentence from 5.10.1868 To be Half in strictly separate confinement. 2 January 1869: Fremantle - Gross idleness using obscene violent and threatening language and trying to raise a mutinous feeling in the party - 6 days bread and water Many other offences followed. It would appear that harsh treatment did nothing to stop Abe's fighting spirit, however it would appear that from the time he received his Ticket of Leave on 15 August 1871, he was a more settled character e.g.: 16 August 1871 worked for A. Chan - Perth 21 August 1871 worked for R. Briggs - Fremantle 31 October 1871 " " " 6 December 1877 Laboured for 5 Shillings per day for C. Studman of Jarrahdale 31 January 1878 Cutting wood in Fremantle for C. Armstrong of Fremantle 23 November 1878 Sawyer at Mundijong for L. Jeffrey of Mandurah 30 June 1879 Sawyer - Piece Work - Mundijong for L. Jeffrey of Mandurah 30 June 1880 Sawyer - Piece Work - Mundijong for L. Jeffrey of Mandurah 11 July 1880 Sawyer Piece Work - for H. Morfitt of Mandurah 30 June 1881 There is one mystery as yet unanswered. Abe's conviction papers mention a wife named Mary A. France of Wakefield Road, Bradford. Was it a mistake? Other references say he was single. Did he leave a wife behind in England? If he did, did he divorce her, or was his marriage to Sarah EACOTT bigamous??? Death date and place of birth obtained from official records. Death Cert. No. 2110. Abraham died at Perth Hospital and is buried in the Mandurah, Christ's Church, Anglican Church cemetery. Taken from The West Australian, Perth, Friday 23 July 1897 Death from arsenic poisoning was returned yesterday after the inquest on the body of Abraham France, of Mandurah, who died a few days since in the Perth Hospital. No blame was attached to anyone. His death certificate lists cause of death as Uremia. Certificate signed by Doctor Lovegrove. Medical sources give the following information regarding "Uremia": Uremia is a clinical syndrome associated with fluid, electrolyte, and hormone imbalances and metabolic abnormalities, which develop in parallel with deterioration of renal function. The term uremia, which literally means urine in the blood, was first used by Piorry to describe the clinical condition associated with renal failure.Uremia more commonly develops with chronic renal failure (CRF) or the later stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but it also may occur with acute renal failure (ARF) if loss of renal function is rapid. As yet, no single uremic toxin has been identified that accounts for all of the clinical manifestations of uremia. Toxins, such as parathyroid hormone (PTH), beta2-microglobulin, polyamines, advanced glycosylation end products, and other middle molecules, are thought to contribute to the clinical syndrome. Doctor Lovegrove who was also Magistrate, claimed (and I quote from Death Certificate): "I consider there was no blaim attached to anyone". Date of death is recorded in the old church records. See "Brief history of - Christ's Church, Anglican Church, Mandurah" by Vida Williams, and also the papers of the time.