Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
William Howard was transported on the Albuera, departing 6th Sep 1858 and arriving 28th Oct 1858 with 11 passengers.
Albuera, launched at Moulmain (British Burma) in 1854, made three voyages to Adelaide up to 1874. Sailing from Calcutta, India, on 6 Sep, 1858, she arrived at Fremantle with 11 military convicts on 28 Oct. They were all convicted by Courts Martial (in India and Burma) and sentenced to transportation. Note: Albuera is not to be confused with other ships of the same name or those spelled Albeura.
Albuera (generic)References
| Primary Source | Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 4679-5166 (R1). --00-- Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for William Howard; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 9599-10128 cont. (R16). --00-- Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for William Howard; Convict Establishment, Miscellaneous Local Prisoners Register and List of Colonial Lunatics, 1858 - 1868 (V16). |
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Convict Notes
THIRD: 1871, 4 October: Supreme Court, Perth – sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment for larceny (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for William Howard; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 9599-10128 cont. (R16)). Admitted to Fremantle Jail, inmate #10035; 43, shoemaker; married to Susan Howard, Perth; three children (William James, Edward and John); literate; Protestant; 5’9”, dark brown hair, grey eyes, long visage, fresh complexion, stout build; marks – American coat of arms right wrist, ship, flags, woman, etc., etc., right arm, left hip injured. 1874, 17 January: To York, employed from 20 January by Joseph Pyke of York, shoemaker; paid 4 shillings per week. Engagement renewed 30 June; same pay. 1874, 18 January: Ticket of Leave granted. 1874, 6 October: Certificate of Freedom, at York (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for William Howard; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 9599-10128 cont. (R16)). --000--
SECOND: 1867, 2 October: Convicted in the Supreme Court, Perth, and sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment for larceny of money (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for William Howard; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 9059-9598 cont., 9599-10128 (R15-R16)). Admitted to Fremantle Jail, inmate #9640; 40, shoemaker; married to Susan (living at Perth) with two children, William James and Edward; semiliterate, Protestant; 5’8”, brown hair, grey eyes, long visage, slightly dark complexion, healthy appearance; marks – left hip injured, American coat of arms on right arm. 1870, 10 March: Discharged on Ticket of Leave, Perth. From this date he was employed as a harness maker in Perth; ditto from 30 June. Worked as a labourer from 3 August, at Canning; ditto from 23 September at Perth. 1870, 3 October: Expiree – Certificate of Freedom granted. --00--
COLONIAL CONVICTIONS – THREE: FIRST: 1866, 18 May: Admitted to Fremantle jail, inmate #1367 William Howard, 39, per Albuera; class – on Conditional Pardon; 17 May, 1866 (date of sentence); offence – stealing a watch, 6 months’ imprisonment; semiliterate; Church of England; committing Magistrate Charles Symmons. -- 1866, 17 November: Discharged from Fremantle jail (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for William Howard; Convict Establishment, Miscellaneous Local Prisoners Register and List of Colonial Lunatics, 1858 - 1868 (V16)). --00--
FREMANTLE JAIL RECORD: HOWARD, William; inmate #5058, arrived 28 Oct 1858 per Albeura [sic] Other No: 9640, 10035 [Colonial sentences] Date of Birth: 1828 Date of Death: 12 Aug 1898 Place of Death: Perth Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Labourer, soldier Literacy: Semiliterate Sentence Date: 1854 Sentence Place: Kamptin [sic] Crime: Theft & desertion Sentence Period: 14 years Ticket Leave Date: 22 Dec 1858 Conditional Pardon Date: 2 Apr 1861 Comments: Reconvicted in Western Australia (https://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/research/convict-database/) --000--
IN WA – CHARACTER RECORD: 1858, 28 October: William Howard, 31, single, semiliterate, labourer; Protestant; “... [indistinct] by the Gov of Calcutta Jail” Courts Martial; 14 years for desertion and theft. General character – “Bad – quiet, sober, respectful & obedient”. 1858, 10 Sep: Ticket of Leave (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; Character Book for Nos 4508-5585 (R8)). --00--
IN WA: 1858, 28 October: On arrival, WILLIAM HOWARD, was listed as convict #5058, 30 years old, single, 5’9½” tall, dark grey eyes, grey hair, prominent visage, dark complexion, and middling stout appearance; marks – ship, sailor, woman, child, MHWH, American ... [indistinct] right arm A labourer by trade; convicted at a General Court Martial, Kamptee, India; sentenced to 14 years’ penal servitude for “theft and desertion” (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 4679-5166 (R1)). Note: Various records give his year of birth as 1828, presumably based on an assumption that he was 30 on arrival in WA. However, the “Convicts to Australia” site says the age quoted on these WA Convict Records “seems to refer to the age of the convict when the passenger list was created”. Thus, if 30 when tried he could have been born in 1824. --00--
THE VOYAGE TO WA: One of the few snippets of information found about the Albuera's voyage in 1858 appears in an article in the Melbourne Argus: “INDIA (From our Galle [Sri Lanka] correspondent. October 20, 1858): ... The very great mortality which has taken place in the shipment of horses from the different ports of Australia has created no little attention here. The Admiral Boxer, which arrived lately at Bombay from Sydney, landed only 76 out of 108 shipped. This makes the Australian horse too costly for cavalry purposes, and I am bound to say also, that the stamp of horses selected has not come up to what it might and should have been, in the opinion of the best judges, and those who have been in the colonies. The Government have despatched the ALBUERA [my emphasis] with convicts to Swan River, and to return with 120 horses from that colony. The experiment will be watched with much interest.” (The Argus, 18 Nov 1858, p5 at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7304789) --00--
GENERAL COURT MARTIAL (GCM) This was army’s highest tribunal, dealing with commissioned officers and the most serious cases involving other ranks. It could only be convened by the Crown or its deputy (for example, the commander in chief, or governors general). At least 13 commissioned officers had to be present if ‘at home’ (serving in the British Isles, Ireland, non-British territories or small British possessions), or five if ‘overseas’ (the British colonies), together with a judge advocate. Decisions were confirmed by the person who issued the warrant (that is, the Crown or its direct deputy). (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/courts-martial-desertion-british-army-17th-20th-centuries/) --00--
COURT MARTIAL: 1854, 8 July: WILLIAM HOWARD, rank and regiment not given, appeared before a General Court Martial at Kamptee, India, and was sentenced to 14 years’ transportation for “theft and desertion”. Given the severity of sentence, this would not have been his first court martial. At some stage following his conviction, he was sent to Calcutta and held there in jail to await transportation (https://www.perthdps.com/convicts/con-wa24.html; Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 4679-5166 (R1); https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/60668/images/44765_352437-00409, image 410) --00--