Robert Holdham

52

Robyn Everist on 24th September 2025

14 Apr 1823 - Confirmation of year of birth as 1773 is from 1823 burial record states age as 50 years.

341

Maureen Withey on 14th March 2023

Tasmanian Records. https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON22-1-1_0444 Ship Calcutta. Robert Holdham, alias William Knapp, Tried Lincoln G.D. 8 Mar 1800. 7 years. Added afterwards, in pencil, Executed. ---------------------------------------------------- ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. Lincoln. Robert Holdham was sentenced to 7 years transportation, for having married Graham, when his first wife was living. Chester Courant, 1 Apr 1800. Rob. Holdham. alias Wm. Knapp, aged ?4, for marrying Susannah Graham, of Bicker, having another wife alive, was sentenced to 7 years transportation. Stamford Mercury, 14 March 1800. ----------------------------------------------------- Wednesday.—Robert Oldham, James Comerford, and Robert McMahon, were indicted for stealing 150 sheep, the goods of Mr. Thomas Wells.—Another information charged Oldham as being the principal, and the other two prisoners, as aiding and assisting him in the said felonies. The principal evidence on this prosecution was that of a man named John Johnson, who lived near the farm of Oldham, at Green Point, and upon whose voluntary information, the robberies were at first discovered. The two accessaries were servants to the other prisoner. The sheep in question were stolen in the month of February, 1822, from the grazing-ground of the prosecutor, in the Macquarie District, and had been drove a considerable distance through the country to Green Point. John Johnson deposed, that some time in the month of March last, he was solicited by the prisoner, Oldham (with whom he was intimately acquainted), to take care of his hut for a little time, as he was, he remarked, going to Comerford in the bush, to bring in some sheep from his flock, while his other servant ( McMahon) was then keeping the flock at home : having acquiesced with his request, Oldham proceeded on his journey, taking with him some articles of refreshment ; after a lapse of 3 or 4 days, he returned by himself, bringing with him 8 sheep, amongst which was a very fine Merino ram, which appeared to have been much burnt by the brand in the forehead ; that he (the witness) remarked, it was a pity to kill such a fine ram, as he supposed the owner (knowing the sheep was dishonestly obtained), would not part with it for £10 ; in answer to which, the prisoner said, " he would certainly like to keep it, but the horns were so remarkable, they would sell him." After he had killed it, he chopped the horns off with an axe, and then killed the other 7, some of which were pitchmarked with a large S on their side. Upon the request of the witness, the prisoner gave him the ram's and two other of the skins, having previously cut the S out of them. [Here the skins were produced in Court ; which the witness identified to be the same he had from Oldham.]—That, on the Monday following, the prisoner Oldham went again by himself, for another lot of sheep, which he also saw him drive home ; they were of the same breed, as the others, which he had slaughtered, remarkably fine and fat, & about 150 in number at least, as the prisoner told him. That the prisoner (Oldham) killed 12 more sheep, upon which the witness asked him, what would become of the poor stock-keeper (meaning the prosecutor's shepherd) ; his reply was, " that it would be a long while before the sheep would be missed, if ever; observing at the same time, that he had seen Mr. Wells's new house, and that it would be impossible for them to track him, as he had brought the sheep through the Black Marsh, over the hills."—That the sheep, which he had killed, he sent some one way, and some another, upon a jack-ass ; upon another and the last occasion, he even saw him take ten sheep away in a boat, alone.—That shortly afterwards the witness gave the information, which came to the knowledge of Oldham, who in consequence came to the house, and, upon expostulation as to the information he had given, made use of threatening words to him :— That the prisoner, M'Mahon, who was always out with his master's sheep, had told the witness, that he expected his master home in the evening with some fresh sheep, as he was to meet Oldham at a particular place, where Oldham would put the new sheep in his flock, that they might come home quietly ; observing also, that Oldham could then draw them off, so much more easily, than if he had to drive them by themselves.—This witness further deposed, that M'Mahon said, that they (Oldham and Comerford) knew well, where the sheep were, and that they had nothing to do, but watch the stock-keepers away, and then they would get them, or lose their lives. The original ear-marks of the stolen sheep having been disfigured and cut off, Johnson asked Comerford, upon accidentally meeting him, if the sheeps' ears were well, and if they were ready to join the flock in safety ; at which Comerford, laughing, said, not quite ; but they soon would be.—Here closed Johnson's evidence. Jane Gubby deposed, that she had often seen Johnson at Oldham's house, about the time the sheep were stolen ; and, as she was one day passing his door, she was asked in by Johnson, who said upon her entrance, " don't that look pretty," pointing at several carcases of fine fat sheep, which were hanging up in the place ; she said that looked pretty enough:—That Oldham some time after this visited Johnson's house, bringing with him a drawing knife and a saw, which he had borrowed, and which he said would be the last time he would trouble him for the loan of. After some other conversion, Oldham remarked, that Johnson looked as innocent as if he had not known what he said to Morris (alluding to his voluntary information), adding that he expected nothing else, seeing that Johnson was not satisfied. That the dog belonging to the place was growling at the same time, when Oldham said some thing about b---dy old dog and brains, but whether the words were meant for Johnson or his dog, she could not positively say. John Williams, a constable, deposed to having found 40 of the prosecutor's sheep, confined in a concealed bush yard, about 600 yards from Oldham's house, and two lying at the outside of the yard, having their legs tied with an old piece of a silk handkerchief ; which he drove to Johnson's yard ; that he afterwards went to Oldham's flock, which, being in charge of the prisoner M'Mahon, were about 200 in number, and from which he pulled out, with the assistance of Johnson and constable Sterne, 36 more of the prosecutor's sheep, which were, as the others, much disfigured in their ear-marks, some having half their ears cut off, with a slope, some with both ears, and some across ; all appearing to have been recently done, at least not more than six weeks.—That upon searching Oldham's house, he found a piece of an old silk handkerchief, of the same pattern as that with which the legs of the 2 sheep were tied.— This witness further deposed, that 2 of the prosecutor's stock-keepers, Carroll & Bell, identified the sheep to be their master's property the moment they saw them at Green Point. J. W. Sterne, the other constable, who was in company with the last witness at the time of finding the stolen sheep, corroborated the whole of his evidence. Bryant Carroll, one of the shepherds, deposed, that he had about 1300 ewes and lambs under his care ; from which flock 150 were stolen in the night from their bedding-hills.—This witness concluded his evidence by giving a very clear and conclusive testimony, and confirming the facts of the case, in many points adduced in the evidence of the former witnesses. John Bell, the other shepherd, was examined, and confirmed the general statement, as to the loss of the sheep,—the particular breed,—the discovery of the sheep yard,—and his belief, although he would not venture positively to swear so,—that the sheep found there, and in Oldham's flock, were his master's property. Here the evidence for the prosecution closed ;— The prisoner Oldham, merely denied the facts, and asserting, that the sheep spoken to by Johnson, as killed, were his own sheep, for the use of the harvest ; the other prisoners making no defence whatever. A witness was called, to prove that Oldham had sheep, and had supplied the witness occasionally with joints of meat. A second witness was produced, to swear that she had seen Johnson, near his own place, with a sack, out of which a piece of mutton fell ; from which, as the sack appeared full, she considered he was carrying mutton. The Learned Judge Advocate (WYLDE), summed up the evidence, observing, that the case against the prisoners might be considered, perhaps, as varying in degree of proof against the prisoners respectively, as dependent upon the series of circumstances belonging to the charge before them ; particularly upon the information of Johnson, as supported by the general evidence : neither Bell nor Caroll certainly had positively sworn to any particular sheep, from the marks being so much mutilated, & in this it was safe for them not to venture, what they, perhaps, could not safely do.—This necessarily brought the Court principally to the evidence of Johnson, who, though in a certain degree, to be considered perhaps an approver, it was for the Members to determine, on all the circumstances of the evidence, how far his testimony was probable, when unsupported by any other direct evidence; as when it was,—how far it tended to implicate each, or either, and all of the prisoners, as to the crime, with which each respectively stood charged ; while it must not fail to be observed, that no evidence whatever had been given, on the part of the prisoners, with respect to their possession of the sheep so found by the con-stables, and in a state naturally accounted for, if the statement of Johnson were held to be worthy of credit. His Honor went also through the evidence, observing, that if the approver was believed, the case seemed made out very clearly against the prisoner Oldham; but if they had any doubt on their minds, they would of course give that doubt to the prisoners, against two of whom certainly the only direct evidence against them was that of Johnson. The Court retired for 20 minutes, and returned with a verdict of Guilty against Oldham (who was ordered to be brought up for sentence on a future day; Comerford and M'Mahon—Not Guilty. Hobart Town Gazette, 1 Mar 1823. On Monday last the following unhappy men, sentenced to death by the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction, were executed :— George Richardson, Robert Oldham, William Davis and Ralph Churton. The offences, of which these men were convicted, were all of the same description, —robberies of stock, and it may not be unworthy of remark, how much these unfortunate men in their original state, and their subsequent progress, assimilated to each other. These five men had been some years free, four at least of them had acquired property, and some had exhibited industry on their farms. But there is too much reason to know, that they were at the same time acquiring by honest and dishonest pursuits, and that mixture of character, which attaches to so many in these colonies, is one of the principal evils. The man who exhibits no honest means of obtaining subsistence, and acquiring property, is at once suspected, soon detected, and his career closes. The other not only so far disguises his own proceedings as to carry them on long unsuspected, or at least undiscovered, but he is enabled, under the cover of lawful pursuits, to bring others into league with him ; to draw in and employ those who are open to temptation, and, thus by increasing and encouraging crime amongst them, to defeat and oppose that reformation which, from the moment of attaining freedom and settlement, it should be his duty to exhibit in himself and to excite in others. Men of this description are found invariably to be the planners and abettors, and generally participators in the stock robberies. Under the guise of their farming and stock pursuits, they employ prisoners holding tickets of leave & others, and they are enabled to make them the instruments of those robberies, which without assistance they could not effect. Prisoners alone, under the restraint as to locomotion which the regulations impose, could not, but by such facilities, effect robbery without detection ; and thus it appears, that in all the convictions for stock robberies to any extent, free or emancipated men are the principals, with convicts colleagued. We cannot but hope, that these examples will have a due effect, and will open the eyes of those who yet hope to carry on stock plunder undiscovered and unpunished. —Should these awful consequences of such crimes unhappily fail to prevent a continuance of them, the perpetrators can only look to similar fate upon conviction ; for a due regard to the security of property will necessarily expose them to the utmost severity of punishment that the Law inflicts. Hobart Town Gazette, 19 April 1823.

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 16th July 2021

Burials in the Parish of St David's, Hobart Town in the County of Buckingham Year 1823 No; 694 Name; Robert Oldham ** spelling as per register ** When Died; 1823, 14 April When buried; 1823, 14 April Age; 50 years [1793] Ship’s Name; Calcutta Quality or profession. Convict - EXECUTED By Whom Ceremony was preformed; Wm Bedford Libraries Tasmania. Name; Robert Holdham. Ship; Calcutta Tasmania Libraries. NAME_INDEXES:1402488. CON22/1/1 Page 433 Noted against name; EXECUTED