Elizabeth Frankland

218

Dianne Jones on 18th June 2022

ELIZABETH FRANKLAND -- SCHOOL MISTRESS: On the Founders and Survivors database, her trades are listed as school mistress, dressmaker and needle woman (http://foundersandsurvivors.org/pubsearch/convict/chain/ai24765). What's the significance? Elizabeth Frankland was one of only 29 female convicts sent to VDL who said they were schoolmistresses or governesses. Ten of those women were the subject of a study by Don Bradmore whose paper, “Convict schoolmistresses in Van Diemen’s Land”, was presented in November 2015 in Hobart at the Female Convicts Research Centre seminar, “What the convicts brought with them – and what they left behind” (see https://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/docs/seminars/DonBradmore-Nov2015.pdf). About Elizabeth Frankland, Bradmore (2015, p2) writes: "She arrived in VDL in 1827, received a free pardon in 1840 and died in 1861. It is thought possible, therefore, that she taught in the colony but no evidence of this has been found." It's not clear whether Don Bradmore's research extended to Elizabeth's married name (she married William Stevens in Hobart in 1829), but, as he explains (2015, p4), he faced challenges in gathering the historical data: "Two factors made the finding of evidence for this study particularly difficult. The first was the difficulty of tracing the women after they had married and changed their surnames – in some cases more than once. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that details of their lives and whereabouts were no longer recorded after their release from the convict system. The second difficulty was the fact that there was increasing opposition to the employment of convicts and former convicts as schoolteachers in the colony during and after the 1830s. From 1849, in fact, the employment of convicts and former convicts as teachers in government schools was banned. Thus, while it is known that there were quite a number of female convicts and former convicts teaching in schools in VDL in the period, their names are not easily discovered." --0--

20

Bill Brown on 6th October 2012

From the Old Bailey website: 5 Apr 1827: Elizabeth Frankland was indicted for stealing, on the 4th of March , at St. Mary, Islington, 1 counterpane, value 10s.; 3 flannels, value 3s.; 12 sovereigns, 4 crowns, 8 half-crowns, 40 shillings, 8 sixpences, and 11 halfpence. Guilty. Sentenced to DEATH. On 23 May 1827, a petition containing 8 signatures (including that of her son) was provided to the Court asking for clemency. Report in Council commuted sentence to transportation for life. Elizabeth's 9 year old son Benjamin Frankland traveled on board the Sovereign. From: Notorious Strumpets and Dangerous Girls by Phillip Tardif: Elizabeth's husband Benjamin Frankland had left her 7 years before her conviction. He traveled to America and reportedly died there. Ticket of leave granted 29 Mar 1833. Conditional pardon: 21 Nov 1836. Free Pardon approved on 10 Dec 1841. Elizabeth Frankland married William Stevens on 20 Jul 1829 in Hobart, Tasmania. They had at least 5 children.

Elizabeth Frankland's son Benjamin was also abord the Soverign and arrived in V D L as a 7 year old.Benjamin's name appears with his mothers on a "list of children belonging to the female convicts on board the ship Soverign" compiled by Robt.Malcolm surgeon R N. Elizabeth Frankland anc child were appropriated to J. Burnett Esq. the Colonial Secretary on arrival in Van diemans Land.