James Hardwicke

174

Iris Dunne on 23rd January 2021

Convict Index: offence 17 June 1796, sentence death, death pardoned 3 August 1796 to Transported for Life, convicted 14 Sep. 1796 in London, aged 27, went to Newgate Prison then to the Hulk ship at Woolwich The Proceedings of the Old Bailey:- JAMES HARDWICKE, Theft > burglary, 22nd June 1796. 447. JAMES HARDWICKE was indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of John Champion , about the hour of two in the night, of the 17th of June , and burglariously stealing a hempen sack, value 1s. four canvas bags, value 2s. and 76lb. weight of tea, value 16l. the property of William Champion , the elder , John Champion , and William Champion , the younger , in their dwelling-house . Second Count. Laying it to be the dwelling-house of John Champion, and William Champion , the younger. JOHN CHAMPION sworn. I live at the corner of Broken Wharf, Upper Thames-street ; I live in the house, the junior partner lives in it with me. William Champion, the younger; the rent of the premises is paid by us all out of the trade; William Champion , the elder, lives in Old-street, he is a married man, and got a family. Q. Do you keep any shop? - A. Wholesale grocers, and tea dealers . Q. Is the shop part of the house? - A. The shop, and house, and warehouses, are all under the same roof, with communications from one to the other: on Friday the 17th of June, our warehouse was broke open, and entered at the two pair of stairs back window, that abuts to a timber-yard; I had not observed that window the evening before, it is a window that has never been opened since the warehouse was built; in the morning, between seven and eight, I observed it was forced in; we lost a great quantity of tea, from seventy, to about eighty or ninety pounds weight. Q. Are you certain that you lost any? - A. Yes. Q. Did you ever find any of it again? - A. Yes; it is found, and will be produced in Court; the packages that it is contained in, some of our clerks can swear to; I don't know them myself sufficiently to swear to them. JOSEPH DURRIGE sworn. I am one of the patroles belonging to the ward; I went round the ward upon duty, and about sixty yards from Mr. Champion's, about two o'clock in the morning, I met the prisoner with a sack upon his back; I asked him what he had got in his sack; he asked me if that was not the way to Billingsgate; I said, no, it was the way to Blackfriars-bridge; I said, I dare say he knew the way to Billingsgate as well as I did; he said it was a sack of clothes; I asked him where he brought it from, and he told me he brought it from one Mr. Gibson, a cornchandler, or corn-dealer, in Leather-lane, Holborn; he said, he wanted to go to Billingsgate to go off with the Gravesend boat; I told him he must go with me to the watch-house; there were three green carts going by, and he ran round those carts about twenty yards with the sack on his back; I sprung my rattle, and a watchman seized him, and he got away from the watchman about one hundred yards, and he was caught again, and brought to the watch-house, and then the sack was examined by the officer of the night. Q. Who took up the sack? - A. One of my brother officers, Richard Munn ; he is not here; I know it is the same sack that he chucked off his back, it was not out of my sight; the sack was opened, and it contained four bags of tea. DANIEL MUNRO sworn. I am the constable of the night; about twenty minutes after two in the morning, as I was in the watch-house, I heard the rattles, I went out, and saw a man running; he was soon stopped, and brought back, and the bag with him; it was opened and contained tea; I found some duplicates, a knife that I have in my hand, and this cord, and this quantity of sugar (producing them); the duplicates were delivered to him again before the Magistrates; this sack, containing the bags of tea, has been in my custody ever since; when I asked him where he got the sack, he said he found it upon Blackfriars-bridge. WILLIAM HUMPHRIES sworn. I live with Mr. Champion; I did not observe the window the night before it was broke; I know the bags, they were in our possession the night before; the tea was kept in cannisters; it was put into these bags. On Saturday morning, the 18th of June, at six o'clock, the first thing that took my attention was the lids off the cannisters, the cannisters out of their places, and every thing in confusion; some of the small cannisters were entirely emptied; on further examination, we found that the warehouse had been broke open by the forcing in a sash-window, which was nailed up; and in order to ascertain our loss, we weighed our stock of tea, when there appeared to be a decrease of eighty pounds, more or less of that tea, and three of these bags here are marked by me; tea is an article no man can swear to. Q. When can you speak to having seen that window? - A. I cannot answer to that. WILLIAM NIBBS sworn. I live with Mr. Champion; the night before the robbery, about eight o'clock, I was all round the house to see the windows, as it was customary every night, and I saw that every thing was safe in the house. Q. And particular by this window? - A. Yes; because that window fronts the stairs as you return down stairs; the next morning, about half past six, or not quite so much, I saw it was broke in; the window is two story high from the ground, he could not get in without a ladder, or being upon the premises. Q. Was any ladder found there the next day? - A. Not that we perceived. Prisoner's defence. I was drinking in Portpool-lane, Gray's-inn-lane, at half past twelve o'clock, I was a little in liquor, and as I was going home, I went to make water upon Blackfriar's-bridge, and found this sack; I thought it was cloaths, I did not know what, I thought to carry it down to Billingsgate, to see what was in it. GUILTY . Death . (Aged 27.) Tried by the London Jury, before Mr. Justice BULLER. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=t17960622-74 Old Bailey Proceedings punishment summary 12th September 1798 The sessions being ended, the court proceeded to give judgement as follows:- Transported for 7 years - 24 James Hardwicke (among many more) https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=s17980912-1

2

jo on 23rd January 2021

Transported to Tasmania,Australia

27

Belinda Harris on 1st February 2014

There is no sign of this fellow in Australia, he presumably died soon after arrival. Convicted 22 Jun 1796 at Old Bailey for stealing some bags and tea from the shop of William Campion, and some worsted breeches from John Cook's shop. Born Hertfordshire, aged 27, 5'7' dark complexion, brown hair, grey eyes, labourer.