James Gossip

343

Maureen Withey on 25th September 2022

Police Office Sydney, March 20 1823. Runaways from Port Macquarie: Thomas Sims; Richard Williams; William Blackburn; Thomas McCarty; James Cossop; Michael Clansey; Isaac Cooke; James Mara; Thomas Peacock. Punishment: One hundred Lashes each Breech and to be returned to Port Macquarie. (Signed) D. Wentworth, Supt. of Police. Tho. Macvitie, J.P. (Name recorded as James Cossop)

221

D Wong on 30th March 2016

Old Bailey: MORRIS READY, JAMES GOSSIP, Theft > theft from a specified place, 18th February 1818. Reference Number: t18180218-68 Offence: Theft > theft from a specified place Verdict: Guilty; Guilty Punishment: Death; Death MORRIS READY and JAMES GOSSIP were indicted for stealing, on the 17th of February , at St. Marylebone , 22 silver spoons, value 12l., and 30 silver forks, value 20l., the goods of Jonathan Bullock , Esq. , in his dwelling-house . WILLIAM PICKETT . On the 17th of February, between ten and eleven o'clock in the morning, I was standing opposite the gateway of Mr. Bullock's house, in Cumberland-street, Portman-square , and saw the two prisoners go down the area - I am sure they are the persons - They were down there about three minutes. I saw the prisoner, Ready, come up first, and observed his hands in his pocket - He had a loose coat on. He came into the street, went to the corner of Berkeley-street, stopped there, and looked over the corner of the railing towards the house. In about a minute, or a minute and a half, I saw Gossip come out of the area, and go up to him-his hands were also in his pocket-he had the same kind of coat on. I went over to Mr. Bullock's, went down the area-steps, and met Johnson, the butler, and told him. I lost sight of them. We both went in pursuit of the prisoners, and overtook Ready at the corner of Duke-street, Oxford-street, which is between a quarter and half a mile off. I had seen Gossip run down Somerset-street with him. While we were pursuing, they parted - I overtook Ready, and took him to the watch-house. As we went along, I saw him drop eight table-spoons - I heard them fall close to him - They were silver; Johnson picked up seven of them. I saw Ready searched at the watch-house, and eighteen silver forks, and two gravy-spoons found on him. I also saw twelve silver desert-spoons, and twelve silver forks found on Gossip- they said nothing. JOSEPH JOHNSON. I am butler to Mr. Jonathan Bullock . Pickett gave me information- I looked in the cupboard, and missed the plate. I ran out, and pursued with him. I saw some person take Gossip- I then ran after Ready, and saw him taken also- we took him to the watch-house. I saw eight table-spoons drop from his person- I am sure they dropped from him; I picked up seven of them. I knew them to be my master's, by the crest. I went to the watch-house, and saw eighteen large forks, and two gravy-spoons, found on him, which were Mr. Bullock's, and had his crest on them. WILLIAM NEWITT . I am a constable. I searched Gossip, and found twelve desert-spoons in his left-hand pocket. WILLIAM SELLERS . I found twelve silver desert-spoons on Gossip. (Property produced and sworn to.) JOHN SYMONDS . I was at the corner of Pullen's Mews, heard the alarm, ran through the mews, and saw the prisoners in Somerset-street. I seized Gossip, took him to the watch-house, and saw the property found on him. ISAAC SEARCEY . I was coming out of a house in Duke-street, heard the cry of Stop thief! saw Ready running, and observed something in his pocket- I followed and took him. He said, "Don't take me, I have only broken a pane of glass"- I secured him. He got one of his hands from me, and tried to throw the eight table-spoons down an area- he threw them down. I picked one up, took him to the watch-house, and took eighteen silver forks and two gravy spoons from his pocket. I gave the one I picked up to Johnson. READY'S Defence. We saw a butcher down the area, he beckoned to us to come down, gave us the plate out of his apron, and told us to take it to Portman-square, and he would pay us. GOSSIP'S Defence. I went down with Ready. The butcher gave us the plate, and said he would pay us. WILLIAM PICKETT . I was opposite the gateway, and saw no butcher. JOSEPH JOHNSON. The butcher had been there, but had been gone sometime before I heard of the robbery. READY - GUILTY . - DEATH . Aged 16. GOSSIP - GUILTY . DEATH . Aged 15. Maurice/Morris Ready was also on board the General Stewart. Colonial Secretary Papers: GOSSIP, James. Per "General Stuart", 1818 1819 Jan 13: On list of convicts disembarked from the "General Stuart" and forwarded to Liverpool for distribution (Reel 6006; 4/3499 p.261) 1821: On list of convicts at Port Macquarie (Reel 6019; 4/3864 pp.344-5) 1821 Jun 11: On list of prisoners transported to Newcastle per "Governor Bligh" (Reel 6008; 4/3504 p.38) 1823 Mar 20: Runaway from Port Macquarie; to be flogged and returned; also listed as Cossop (Reel 6057; 4/1767 pp.56-56a) 1823 Mar 20: Prisoner to be sent to Hobart per "Deveron" (Reel 6010; 4/3507 pp.489-90) 1823 Mar 21: Prisoner to be embarked on "Deveron" for Hobart (Reel 6057; 4/1767 p.109) 1823 Mar 21: Runaway from Port Macquarie. On list of convicts embarked on the "Deveron" for Hobart (Reel 6010; 4/3508 p.13) 7/5/1821: Tried in Sydney – nothing recorded in ‘Trove’. Arrived VDL 1/1/1823 1830-1835 Musters: Absconded.

James Gossip was transported to Sarah Island, Macquarie harbour in the south west of Tasmainia in 1822. He absconded from there in 1825 and has not been heard of since.