Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
Charles Higgins was transported on the Calcutta, departing 19th Apr 1837 and arriving 5th Aug 1837 with 248 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
COMMISSION OF OYER AND TERMINER. The Commission opens this day. …. The following are the calendars: CITY CALENDAR. … George Boshell, felony of wearing apparel; Jane White, same; Eliza Boshell and Catharine Murphy, receiving stolen goods; John Marlow and Francis Holmes, same; Charles Higgins, same; … Freeman’s Journal, 8 April 1837. Charles Higgins was convicted of receiving 45 notes of 30s. each, and monev to the amount of 123£, belonging to the Agricultural Bank, knowing them to be stolen, and sentenced to transportation for life, Warder and Dublin Weekly Mail, 15 April 1837. George Boshell, listed above, was convicted for stealing a trunk from a "car", which was being transported by a bank official, which contained £700 pounds worth of bank notes, property of the Agricultural Bank. Charles, presumably, was sentenced for receiving some of the money stolen in the robbery. POLICE YESTERDAY. … OF AGRICULTURAL BANK NOTES. Henry-street.— Mr. Clark, grocer, of Church-street, and Browne, a police constable, come before the magistrates, accompanied by the gentleman belonging to the bank who lost the notes in question, and made the following ...The young man from the bank stated that on Tuesday evening week he was going on a car through Capel-street, having a leather portmanteau containing 700£. in notes of the Agricultural Bank, his clothes, and some papers. was stolen off the car, and he had advertisements put into the public papers about it. Mr. Clarke then stated that on Wednesday evening a man named Bennet, who keeps a clothes-shop in Mary’s-lane, came into his shop for change of a ten-pound note of the Agricultural Bank, He offered to change it if he would take : the man consented, and Clarke half cash and half value .. come back gave him a pound on account, and told him to again and he would have the rest of the money for him, The man did come back but Clarke’s suspicions were in the meantime excited about it, and he resolved to have nothing to do with him: so when he came back he gave him the note, Browne, the constable, got back his pound, and happened to walk in by chance in the meantime, and Clarke went to the door to mention the circumstance to him; but Bennet did not return since. slipped out, The magistrates sald that Clarke or Browne were no way blameable ; they did not hear of the robbery at the time, and were detained although it was unfortunate that the man was in custody, they were not blameable. Shortly after Clarke and Browne left the office, Day and Carty, police-constables, came into the office, and stated that they believed they had the parties taken who had stolen the trunk in question. A nailor’s wife, named Prichard, was then brought up before the magistrates, and examined, stated she found a 30s. note in her husband's forge, and brought it to Doyle’s, in Church-street, to get it changed, where it was stopped ; it was one of the stolen notes. The husband of the woman was then called in to see what account he would give of the note in question, He said that she found….. that a man offered it to her for sale. A young fellow named Boshell, who is also a nailor, and a desperate character, was brought in with his wife, mother-in- law, and another woman, a witness, who. Stated …. A woman was brought forward ; that about seven on the evening of Tuesday week, just about the time the trunk was lost, she saw Boshell, in 4 Queen-street, carrying a trunk, and one fellow with him; it was a long leathern one, of a dark colour. Another woman deposed that the old woman, mother-in-law, gave her a pound note to get changed, and that she got the change of it at Calvert's, in Thomas-street ; she gave her another to get and she went to Mr. Phelan’s, in Thomas-street, but they would not change it for her. P asked where she got the notes ? The old woman was said she found them rolled up in paper under her foot at the corner of Sackville-street The parties were all remanded for further examination. …. Dublin Morning Register, 3 Feb 1837.
Irish Convict Database, by Peter Mayberry. Charles Higgins, age on arrival, 17, per Calcutta II, 1837. Tried at Dublin City, 1837, 7 years for Receiving stolen money. DOB, 1820, native place, Dublin City. Single. Catholic. Errand boy.