Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
John Heels was transported on the Calcutta, departing 31st Jan 1803 and arriving 4th Oct 1803 with 305 passengers.
HMS Calcutta was the East Indiaman Warley (1795), converted to a Royal Navy ship. This ship of the line served for a time as an armed transport. She also transported convicts to Australia. The French Magnanime captured Calcutta in 1805. In 1809, after she ran aground during the Battle of the Basque Roads and her crew had abandoned her, a British boarding party burned her. In 1803 the Calcutta sailed into Port Phillip bay where at least 4 convicts escaped , in Sydney in April 1804 it was reported that 8 had died on the trip. Of the four known escapees one was shot on escape, 2 turned back after 2 days to reattach to the group at the camp in bay before the boat left , one continued on ...into Australia's history books. At least 13 convicts were transferred on to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Australia.The ship also carried officers, wives and free settlers.
Calcutta (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 87, Class and Piece Number HO11/1, Page Number 341 (170) |
| Source Description | This record is one of the entries in the British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database compiled by State Library of Queensland from British Home Office (HO) records which are available on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Pro |
| Original Source | Great Britain. Home Office |
| Compiled By | State Library of Queensland |
| Database Source | British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database |
Claims
"John's wife Jane was my ggg grandmother through her third husband Peter Copeland. Jane must have lived John very much as she was a free woman but chose to accompany John on the convict ship. I used to holiday at Sorrento with my parents in the 1960s. I used to visit the 3 convict graves there, never knowing our family connection to the original failed colony there!!!. Deborah Frank b 1960 So I owe my very existence to John , though not blood related, his horse stealing and the following circumstances ensured I got to be born. No John and Jane at Sorrento 1803, no Debbie 1960.,"
Photos
No photos have been added for John Heels.
Convict Notes
I'm Jane Heels great great great grandaughter. I'm descended from Jane and her third husband Peter Copeland. I used to live at Sorrento as a child never knowing that my ancestor was there in 1803 having accompanied her convict husband John Heels on the convict ship Calcutta. As a child I used to visit the three graves that are still there in Sorrento, maybe one was John Heels? If he had survived I wouldn't be here. Bless their brave souls. Jane died 1850 in Kilmore Victoria. She went to Kilmore as her son's from her marriage to John Hangan were there as Tasmania was not working out for them. The Kilmore Historical society unveiled a plaque to her in 2024 at the old cemetery.. Very proud of her and my fellow Hangan relatives.
Deaths at Camp Sullivan Bay, Port Phillip. https://stors.tas.gov.au/RGD34-1-1p002j2k John Heals (Heels), Buried 3 Jan 1804, age 34, Ceremony performed by R. Knopwood.
John Heels died 3 Jan 1804 at Sullivans Bay. He was one of 25 convicts who died there before the convicts were taken to Hobart Town.
Tasmanian Records https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON22-1-1_0444 Per Calcutta, John Heels, Middx J.D. 17 Feb 1802, Life. ---------------------------------------------------- Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 15 February 2023), February 1802, trial of MARK DENHAM JOHN HEALS (t18020217-26). MARK DENHAM, JOHN HEALS, Theft > animal theft, 17th February 1802. 199. MARK DENHAM and JOHN HEALS were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 3d of February , a bay mare, value 3l. the property of William Loosely . GEORGE CLARKE sworn. - Q. Were you in the neighbourhood of Harrow this month? - A. I live at Harrow. Q. Did you see the prisoner the beginning of this month? - A. I saw them on the 4th of this month at the Police-Office; William Loosely, the owner of the mare, had taken his passage to go to the West-Indies, and he could not carry on the prosecution on that account; the Magistrates at Bow-street desired to know if any person there could prove the mare to be the property of William Loosely . Q. Do you know that William Loosely had a bay mare? - A. Yes, it used to be turned on to the common. Q. Had Loosely had the mare some time? - A. Not long; perhaps six weeks or two months, I cannot say exactly; I live next door to Mr. Loosely. Q. When was the last time you saw it on the common? - A. I had been about buying it, and I had had her upon trial, which made me more particular in taking notice of her; it was a bay cropped mare. Q. Did you see the mare at the Police-Office? - A. Yes, and I knew it to be the same mare; it was shewn to me by James Martin. JAMES MARTIN sworn. - Q. Where do you live? - A. At Harrow. Q. Did you, at any time, see either of the prisoners there? - A. On the 3d of this month, about four o'clock in the afternoon, I met the two prisoners on the road. Q. Were they both together? - A. Both together. Q. Near Harrow? - A. Within about two miles of Harrow; they were going towards Harrow; I had a search-warrant, going to search a house at Harrow for stolen goods; I had a suspicion they were going on the common, as I had seen them before about Smithfield. Q. Did you watch them? - A. Yes; they did not go into Harrow, but went within one or two hundred yards of the town; they stopped there about ten minutes, and then came back upon the common. Q. Did you follow them at any distance? - A. Yes, about two or three hundred yards. Q. Did you see them do any thing? - A. Yes, I saw them drive the mare off the common. Q. Did you know the mare? - A. Yes, very well, it was Mr. Loosely's mare; I saw them drive the mare into a lane; it was then rather after five o'clock; I went and got two men to assist me, John Martin and Richard Ginger . Q. How long were you gone? - A. I might be gone about ten minutes; when we came back, we found the same two men surrounding three horses, and trying to catch one of them, but they could not; and when they found they could not, they returned to the lane, and put the bridle on the other horse, and was riding off with it. Q. Was it dark or light at that time? - A. It was rather dark. Q. Did you see which put the bridle on? - A. They were both together; Denham put the bridle on, and Heals put a spur upon his own heel, Denham lifted him up, and away he went off with the mare; Denham walked by the side; Heals had got about one hundred yards down Greenford-lane before I stopped them; I told them the first man that ran away I would shoot him; one rode off, and the other ran away; the first man I caught I knocked down with the butt-end of my pistol, that was Heals; I called for assistance; two young men came up, and I desired them to hold Heals while I went after the other. Q. Did you catch him? - A. Yes, after he had run about two hundred yards. Q. Had you any conversation with them at that time? - A. We carried them to the cage; Denham had got about four guineas in his pocket, which he said he would give us if we would let him go; I kept one of them in the cage, and the other I slept with all night at my own house; the next day I took them before a Magistrate, and they were committed; I found that Heals lived at Harrow some years ago, but I did not know him then. JOHN BLISS sworn. - I attended on behalf of Mr. Loosely at Bow-street; that is all I know of it. DANIEL MARTIN sworn. - Q. You were called to assist James Martin? - A. Yes. Q. Did you watch any men upon the common? - A. Yes. Q. Did you see the men do any thing? - A. Yes, I saw them put the bridle on. Q. Do you know who the men were? - A. Yes, Denham put the bridle on, and the other got up upon her. Q. What did they do afterwards? - A. They went away with her; when Martin called out, we came up to assist him, and they were secured. RICHARD GINGER sworn. - Q. Did you assist the two Martins in securing the two men? - A. Yes. Q. Are the prisoners the same men? - A. Yes. Q. Did you see one of the men put the bridle on the mare, and the other get upon her? - A. No, I did not; I was about one hundred yards off; I afterwards assisted in securing them. Denham's defence. I went with this man to look after an ass and soal; we were informed it went towards Harrow; the mare had belonged to this young man before it belonged to that gentleman; we heard in Covent-garden market that it was stolen or strayed, and we found it upon the common; we meant to take it home; we did not mean to make a property of it. Q. (To Martin.) Do you know who Loosely bought this mare of? - A. No. Q. (To Clarke.) Do you know who he bought her of? - A. No, I heard him say he bought her in Smithfield. The prisoner, Denham, called three witnesses, who gave him a good character. Heal's defence. The mare was mine; I sold her at Langhorn's to this gentleman, and we heard in Covent-garden that it was stolen or strayed; and, seeing her upon this common, while I was looking after my own property, we meant to take it to the man that owned it. Denham, GUILTY , Death , aged 20. Heals, GUILTY , Death , aged 20. First Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice Le Blanc.
Travelled with Wife Jane Heels. He died and Jane married fellow Calcutta convict John Hangan.