William Goslet

William was born, 1806 - in or around the village of Sherston, in the county of Wiltshire, England He was baptised on the 2 Feb 1806 at the local Village church, Sherston Magna. He was the fourth child of nine children born to Charles Goslett and Sarah Reeves. Their first born child was also named William - he died some time before 1806. So when their second son was born in 1806, they again turned to the name William. GOSLET , GOSLETT , GOOSLET , GASLETT , GOSSETT , GOOSTET

Monday 14th February 1825. William Gooslet, was committed to Fisherton Gaol. William Gooslet, was charged with burglariously entering, and stealing bacon, from a house occupied by J.Sainsbury, at Sherston Magna. William was trialed at the Wiltshire Assizes on the 5 March 1825 for Burglary. He was found guilty and sentenced to Death. As was the normal practice at this time, the court could grant leniency, and change the sentence, to transportation. Though this must have happen, as William arrived in Australia, under a Life sentence - no record of his court appearance and eventual reprieve and sentence to Transportation for life, has yet to be found. This does not look to be the first time for William to go before the courts, in January of the same year 1825; a William Goslett was imprisoned for 15 days for Larceny, but was discharged when found not guilty. On Monday the 9th May 1825 William Goslet was removed from the County Gaol of Fisherton Anger and taken on board, the York Hulk at Gosport, under sentence of transportation, for burglaries The Marque of Hasting arrived in Port Jackson on the 3 January 1826, after a voyage of a hundred and thirty four days. There were no convict deaths record on the voyage out, 152 convict boarded and 152 arrived in Port Jackson. William Goslet alias Gooslet age nineteen, was listed as Convict No 144. In June & July 1827 of this year we find a record of William, absconding from his place of assignment. William is recorded in Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, as having absconded from his place of assignment, from Dr Evans at Patterson Plains in the Hunter District. It was in the month of November 1828, that the Census - of New South Wales was taken... Here we find our first detailed mention of William. He is still under sentence - working as an assigned labourer, for a Mr William Evans of Bellevue Paterson Plains, in northern NSW. His name again had suffered, and was miss-spelt as GASLETT in the Census. On the 6 Feb 1833, 7 years after arriving in the Colony, William was assigned - as a convict labourer to John Jobbins of Gundaroo - John was Williams first cousin (Their mothers were sisters).. With this assignment, William came to live in the Gundaroo area - where he would remain for the rest of his life. His name again had suffered, and was miss-spelt in Assignment Records as GOSSETT On the 19 April 1836, William received his TICKET OF LEAVE, if was officially Gazette on 15 May 1833. No. 36/695 His names was recorded as : William Goslet {Alias Gooslet} Sometime after William was granted his Ticket of Leave, his name appears on other Government list issued by Goulburn Bench. It was a list of 12 convicts, who had originally been issued Tickets of Leave to reside in Goulburn, but for various reasons had them changed to Yass. His name again had suffered, and was miss-spelt as GOOSTET 1837 A little over a year after William received his Ticket of Leave; he then requested and received permission to marry MaryAnn Turner. NOTES Mary Ann was the daughter of free native born Elizabeth Humphries and black convict John Turner, who arrived on the Mariner in 1816. Elizabeth parents were, First Fleet convict, Edward Humphries of the Scarsbough 1788 - and Second Fleet Convict, Mary Williams of the Neptune, 1790. John Turner was a Mulatto, of African and English parents. Their NSW Marriage Certificate is No 1790 Vol 21. It shows the following details. Solemnized in The Parish of - in the County of Camden NSW. William Goslett aged 30 of Gunderoo, Bachelor, Ticket of leave. Mary Ann Turner aged 21 of Gundaroo, Spinster, free, Native born Were married in this Chapel by Bands, with consent of The Governor and Parents. This 18th day of December 1837. By Rev. Jno Vincent, Chaplain in the Church of England, Both Mary and William made their marks. Witnesses were Thomas Humphrey and Emma Dovey both of Sutton Forest. On the 1st February 1843, Governor Sir George Gipps signed a Conditional Oardon for William Goslet or Gooslet. CONDITIONAL PARDON No 44/48 1876 William died in Gundaroo on 9 Feb 1876, and was buried in the Church Cemetery of St Luke's in Upper Gundaroo. There is no record of Williams’s death with NSW BD&M Registry; as such no Death Certificate has been obtained. He had been in the Colony 50 years 1 month and 6 days. He arrived with very little and had worked hard, both as a convict and later on his own he half.