Walter Jackson

10 July, 1852: Convicted at York Assizes at York Castle and sentenced to transportation for 10 years for robbery with violence (England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 for Walter Jackson; England; Yorkshire - North Riding; 1852). --0--

NEWSPAPER REPORT OF THE TRIAL: From the Hull Daily News, 17 July 1852, p3: "Walter Jackson (21), and Susannah Wood (21), were charged with having, at Middlesborough, assaulted and robbed James Jackson of 10s., a hat, and a handkerchief.—The case turned exclusively upon the identity of the parties.—Guilty; to be severally transported for ten years. The female prisoner shrieked aloud on hearing the sentence. She is far advanced in pregnancy." --0--

JAIL: July, 1852: He was admitted to North Riding House of Correction, East Road, Northallerton, Yorkshire -- served 1 month 15 days. --0--

26 September, 1852: Admitted to Perth prison, 196 miles north of Allerton -- served 17 months 2 days; behaviour "bad". “After a sentence of transportation was handed down, the prisoner entered into a separate stage where he was placed into an individual cell, isolated from others, apart from brief periods of exercise and attendance at chapel. However, no communication of any kind with other prisoners was permitted at any time. The philosophy behind this penal methodology had its provenances in the religious, monastic traditions; i.e., that in the isolation of his cell the malefactor would be able to contemplate the errors of his way, unadulterated by the negative influences of former contemporaries, and be reformed.” (Edgar, 2018, pp39-40) When first put into practice, the mandated period of separate confinement was 18 months. By the late 1840s, authorities had conceded that such conditions of imprisonment were “injurious to many prisoners’ mental health” and the stint was reduced to 12 months. Periods of separate confinement were reduced further “as a prisoner displayed good behaviour tendencies” (Edgar, p40). Millbank, Wakefield, Pentonville and Mountjoy in Ireland were the “Probation” or “Separate” prisons, as were some local jails. Note: It's not clear why Walter Jackson was sent to Perth instead of one of the other options for separate confinement prisons. "By 1849 the original specification of the [Perth] Prison was due to undergo a change... [A] new set of regulations were issued from the board of Directors of Prisons in Scotland which stated the following: 'That the prisoners who shall be received into the General Prison at Perth shall be male prisoners sentenced to imprisonment for periods of not less than one year; and that no prisoner shall be received therein, the expiration of whose sentence would occur within six months from the date of transmission[14].' The new regulations also banned the reception of court-martialled inmates at Perth, but continued to allow insane inmates during any point in their sentence so long as there was agreement from the board. The Prison went on to become one of the few institutions across the United Kingdom suitable for holding the criminally insane and stood alongside the likes of Broadmoor Asylum and Woking Invalid Convict Prison. By 1851 the hard labour options in the prison were Oakum picking and turning the crank alongside the traditional manual labour expected of inmates." (https://institutionalhistory.com/homepage/prisons/major-prisons/hmp-perth/#_ftn15) —0—

23 February, 1854: Admitted to the Warrior prison hulk moored at Woolwich -- served 30 months 10 days; behaviour "very good". As a result, he was given a Ticket of Leave. --0--

30 August, 1856: Granted a Ticket of Leave #6395, as below: Reference: PCOM 3/60/6395 Description: Licence number 6395: Walter Jackson. Caption order and prison record from when he was convicted of Robbery with violence at the Assizes at York, Yorkshire 10 July 1852. Then aged [not given] and by trade a [not given]. Sentence: 10 years Transportation. Licence granted 30 August 1856, for early release from Warrior hulk. Licence revoked 25 March 1857, caption to Millbank 7 May 1857. Revocation order only. Date: 1856 August 30 Held by: The National Archives, Kew (https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10346624). --0--

25 March, 1857: Ticket of Leave revoked; no reason stated. --00--

5 May, 1857: Admitted to Millbank prison in Westminster, London, from the Bow Street Police Court, following revocation of his ToL. Inmate #4533; 22 when convicted, single, labourer. Served 15 days; behaviour "good" (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for Walter Jackson; Millbank Prison; Register of Prisoners to 1885). --0--

20 May, 1857: Admitted to Portland prison in Dorset; inmate #7060. Portland, Portsmouth, Chatham and Spike Island in Ireland were listed public works stations and the second stage in the penal process. After separate confinement, prisoners were “placed on work parties at various locations, most commonly naval stations, where maintenance of facilities was vital for the effective protection of Britain’s far flung commercial and military influences around the world. While there, attitude and behaviour were monitored closely. In theory, only after consistently positive reports was a prisoner moved on to the third stage of his incarceration—transportation.” (Edgar, p40) Walter Jackson was listed as 22 years old when convicted, single, a labourer/striker; no known relatives; place of birth not known; Protestant; able to read and write a little. Behaviour "very good" (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951; Portland Prison; Prison Records; to 1875). --0--

10 September, 1857: Sent from Portland to board the Nile for transportation to WA; he is not listed on the manifest from Portland but his jail record and WA convict record confirm he was sent from there (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; Convicts Transported Per Nile (R32)). --00--

IN WA: From his Fremantle jail record: JACKSON, Walter; inmate #4754, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Date of Birth: 1835 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Striker Literacy: Literate Sentence Place: York, Yorkshire, England Crime: Robbery with violence Sentence Period: 10 years Ticket of Leave Date: 10 Jul 1858 Conditional Pardon Date: 13 Aug 1859 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/). --00--