Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
Cornelius Hegarty was transported on the Calcutta, departing 19th Apr 1837 and arriving 5th Aug 1837 with 342 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 | Irish Convict Database, by Peter Mayberry. |
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Convict Notes
City Criminal Court. Cornelius Hegarty and John Malony were then placed at the bar, charged with forcibly breaking into an out-office of Alexander O’ Driscoll, Esq on the 11th of March, and stealing thereout a saddle, three bridles, stirrup leathers and irons, four coats, a gun, and ten gallons of whiskey. James Bessaun, Esq., stated that the out-office was broken into on the night named, and the several articles stated in the indictment stolen. The prisoner Hegarty had made a confession to him, telling him at the same time that witness would find the gun at the back of prisoner’s house, in a pig-stye, which witness searched, and there found the gun. James Carroll, an approver, then swore that he was concerned in the robbery. The prisoner, Hegarty, met hm on the Passage Road some time before the robbery, when he asked him to go with him to Mr O’ Driscoll’s, to rob it, as prisoner was well acquainted with the premises; he then told him what was in the out-house, when witness said be would consider of it and would call on him in a few days ; about eight or ten days after Hegarty waited on the witness, and asked him to go that night with him to the place he had before mentioned, and that he would get another person to assist them; witness, in consequence, went to Hegarty's house that evening, where he met the other prisoner and remained until late at night ; they then proceeded to Mr O’ Driscoll’s demesne, and having gone up to the house, Hegarty perceived some of the servants in the kitchen, on which witness and the prisoner went into the bay loft, and remained there until the lights in the house were extinguished ; they then went to the coach-house, forced the door and struck a light, where they stole a large quantity of clothes ; they then proceeded to the house where the whiskey was, and broke in the door, when they bored the barrel and took a jar and bottles of whiskey out of it ; they then left, and divided the same Constable M‘Nab and W, Moore, bridewell guardsman, were examined as to the arrest of the prisoners and conversations they had with them ; and two other witnesses proved the property. Mr James L... and Mr J. J. O'Brien gave the prisoner Mahony, who had lived with them as servant, an excellent character. The Court then charged the Jury, who immediately found them guilty. His Lordship then addressed them, They had been convicted upon clear and satisfactory evidence, of a crime which was of very frequent occurrence in this city, as his experience at the present Assizes testified. The punishment which he might award against them for that offence was death, but while he should cause death to be recorded against them, he should for forward a memorial to the Government in their favour. Hon, Mr Proster —They are not indicted, my Lord, for the capital felony of burglary, but merely for breaking into an outhouse, the penalty for which is transportation for life. His Lordship felt happy they were not indicted for the capital felony, as he feared …. should be made to check the crime, Hegarty proved to be the person who had originally planned the robbery, and he would therefore punish him in an exemplary manner, and, the more severely, for having induced the other unfortunate man to the commission of crime—a man who had lived as a servant in respectable families, and up to that moment appeared to have been worthy of the very high character the two gentlemen had given him—a character, he was sorry to say, which had been for ever forfeited. The circumstances which went to mitigate the offence of Mahony, added greater criminality to that of the other, whom he would visit with the severest punishment the law allowed him, giving, at the same time, his guilty companion the benefit of the good character he had received; The prisoners, who were rather decent looking men, were then removed from the front of the dock. Cork Constitution, 28 March 1837.
An outhouse belonging to Alexander O’Driscoll, of The Hill Esq, was broken into on Friday night, and plundered of quantity of spirits, a gun (which had been left there by the gardener) a saddle, bridle, harness and some servant's clothes. Mr. O’Driscoll was from home at the time, but information of the robbery, having been given to Sergeant M'Nabb, of the Douglas Police, he proceeded in search of the robbers, and on Saturday morning apprehended one of them, and on … second.—The name of the first was Cornelius Hegarty—of the second, James Carroll. In a pig stye at the side of the house of the former. M'Nabb discovered the gun, and in a ditch near Carroll's were found the saddle and jar of the spirits. A third robber, of the name Mahony, has has also been taken. He had lived as servant with several families in the vicinity. Hegarty had been for some time in the employment of Mr. O'Driscoll, but was discharged about a year and a half since for theft. Southern Reporter, 16 March 1837.
Irish Convict Database, by Peter Mayberry. Cornelius Hegarty, alias Heagarty, age on arrival, 25, per Calcutta II, 1837. Tried at Cork, 1837, Life for Burglary robbery. DOB, 1812, native place, Cork Co. Married, 2 female children. Catholic. Labourer.