John Holmes

343

Maureen Withey on 11th November 2025

Tasmanian Records. Conduct Record: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON31-1-18/CON31-1-18P29 No 73. John Holmes. Per Lady Castlereagh. Tried April 1817, 7 years. May 15 1826. FS. Drunk and Disorderly & ill using his wife yesterday Repd. Several other incidents of drunkenness and to keep the peace with his wife Ellen. In 1833,, assaulting his wife Ann, who called for sureties of the peace. See Record for details. Indent: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON13-1-1/CON13-1-1P151 John Holmes, Tried Somerset, April 1817, 7 years. age 26, native place, Somersetshire, Labourer, 5 ft 8 ¾. Hazel eyes, black hair, dk ruddy comp. Well behaved. --------------------------------------------------------------- Marriages: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/RGD36-1-1/RGD36-1-1P121 John Holmes, convict per Lady Castlereagh, age 31 and Eleanor Barras, Convict per Providence, age 30, married 6 Mar 1823 at Hobart. Both signed with their mark X. Children baptised, William Holmes, born 16 May 1823, Martha Holmes, born 26 April 1825, Frances Maria Holmes, born 15 Jan 1831, --------------------------------------------------------------- John Holmes, of the St Patrick's Head, was charged with a breach of the Licensing Act, in being drunk in his own licensed public house. It appears that the constables were sent for to quell a disturbance in the defendant's house, that they found every person in it quite sober, except the landlord, who was the sole cause of the disturbance, and about giving all his guests in charge, for an offence of which he himself was guilty. Fined £5 and costs. The Tasmanian, 19 Oct 1832. John Holmes, of the St. Patrick's Head, was fined 10s., … for minor offences in breaches of the Licensing Act. The Tasmanian, 1 Feb 1833. John Holmes and his wife appeared to answer the complaint of Mr. Michael O'Brien, a huge Hibernian, for assaulting and beating him at their house, the Saint Patrick. It appeared that O'Brien went to the Saint Patrick, and had a little chat with Mary, the maid servant (but in a whispering tone), to which the landlord objected, thinking something was wrong, when Mr. O'Brien struck Holmes, and he fell; and Mr. O'Brien being prolific of hair about the cheek and neck, Mrs. Holmes, to protect her husband, caught hold of a handful of that ornament, and he immediately left the house, and said he would complain to the constables. The prosecutor endeavoured to prove that both the landlord and his wife were drunk ; however, he failed in having struck first, and the case was dismissed. The Tasmanian, 9 Aug 1833. Thursday,,December: 5th. Richard Waneright was charged with feloniously entering the dwelling-house of Mr. John Holmes, and carrying away, sundry monies and goods. Eleanor Holmes, wife of John Holmes, who keeps the St. Patrick, deposed that she went to bed about 12 o'clock on the night of the robbery, after having fastened both doors and windows; was disturbed about 3 in the morning by a bunch of keys falling in the passage; which awoke her ; she came down, and found the doors open, when she missed the till and money-box, which contained about 39s; in copper '; also found missing a ham and two pigs' cheeks ; the articles produced she asserted to be the same she lost; prisoner had been drinking at her house till 12 o'clock that night; prisoner was so drunk, that Tucker led him home; she let Tucker in after he had led Waneright home; there were two men sleeping in the house besides her. William Field examined.—Went to the St. Patrick Head; found the windows broke large enough to admit a man; went to the house of Waneright, and found a correspondence between the cord of the trowsers he had on in the morning, with the marks on the window-seat; made a search, and found in the street opposite prisoner's, among some lime, the ham and cheeks; over the fence of  Holmes's ground he found the money-box; found lime on prisoner’s shoes-; the lime was twenty yards from his door. David Ramsey examined;—Remembers Sunday, the 27th of October ; examined the window-sill; saw the marks of pair of trowsers ; the marks seem to correspond. Prisoner, in his defence, said he left it to the gentlemen of the Jury, and called upon— Mr. C. M'Lachlan—Who gave the prisoner a good character. Verdict Not Guilty. The Tasmanian, 6 Dec 1833.

343

Maureen Withey on 11th November 2025

Hulk Records: HO -9-4_2 page 22. Received 7 May 1817. John Holmes, age 25, Stg cloth, Tried Taunton Assizes 3 April 1817, 7 years, Transp 31 Oct 1817.