Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Transportation
William Johnson was transported on the Nile, departing 18th Sep 1857 and arriving 1st Jan 1858 with 271 passengers.
Nile (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/18, Page Number 229 (116). --00-- Edgar, W. (Bill). (2018). “The precarious voyage of her majesty’s convict ship ‘Nile’ to the Swan River colony, late 1857 – and the unexpected aftermath.” The Great Circle, 40(1), 20–43. |
| Source Description | This record is one of the entries in the British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database compiled by State Library of Queensland from British Home Office (HO) records which are available on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Pro |
| Original Source | Great Britain. Home Office |
| Compiled By | State Library of Queensland |
| Database Source | British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database |
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Convict Notes
IN WA: From his FREMANTLE jail record: JOHNSON, William; inmate #4629, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Alias: GALLOWAY Date of Birth: 1833 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Labourer Literacy: Literate Sentence Place: Abingdon, Berkshire, England Crime: Larceny Sentence Period: 14 years Previous Convictions: Yes Ticket of Leave Date: 4 Jun 1859 Conditional Pardon Date: 13 Nov 1861 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/).
8 September, 1857: Sent from Portsmouth to board the NILE for transportation to WA; listed as #27/3955; behaviour on voyage "good" (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; Convicts Transported Per Nile (R32)). --00--
12 May, 1857: He was admitted to PORTSMOUTH prison, inmate #3955; behaviour "very good". There is nothing on his record to suggest official recognition of any health problems. By the time he left Portsmouth he had served 1 year 10 months 25 days of his 14 years' sentence (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for Wm Johnson; Portsmouth Prison; Registers of Prisoners; 1855-1858). --0--
12 August, 1856: Admitted to DARTMOOR -- behaviour "very good". By 1855, Dartmoor was reserved for less able-bodied convicts, so this suggests he may have had health problems. --0--
JAILS: 28 November, 1855: He was admitted to NORTHAMPTON County Gaol and Bridewell, George Row, Northampton -- served 8 months 17 days in separate confinement; behaviour "exemplary". “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. --0--
ANOTHER CONVICTION -- AS WILLIAM JOHNSON: 26 September, 1855: He was committed at WOKINGHAM to stand trial for larceny. --0-- 15 October, 1855: William JOHNSON, alias William GALLOWAY, was convicted at Abingdon and sentenced to transportation for 14 years for stealing a pair of boots (England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 for William Johnson; England; Berkshire; 1855). --0--
TICKET OF LEAVE: 9 October, 1854: William Galloway received a Ticket of Leave #1859, as below: Reference: PCOM 3/19/1859 Licence number 1859: William Galloway. Convicted of Stealing a loaf of bread with a previous conviction at the Quarter Sessions at Reading, Berkshire, 04 July 1851. Then aged 18 years and by trade a Labourer. Sentence: 7 years' transportation. Licence granted: 9 October 1854, for early release from Dartmoor prison. Comments: 15 October 1855 - Convicted at Abingdon of larceny and sentenced to 14 years' transportation. Date: 1854 October 9 Held by: The National Archives, Kew (https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10138159). --00--
2 August, 1852: He was sent to DARTMOOR prison from Pentonville (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for Wm Galloway; Pentonville Prison; Register of Prisoners; 1851-1852). Dartmoor, located at Princetown, Yelverton, in Devon, reopened as a male convict public works prison in November 1850. Within five years it became reserved for less able-bodied convicts. With the closure of Pentonville Prison in 1885, Dartmoor was selected to receive male convicts for their probationary stage (separate confinement). --0--
24 November, 1851: As William Galloway, admitted to PENTONVILLE prison, Caledonian Road, London -- inmate #4050. Listed as 18 years old when convicted; 9 stone 4 lbs; 5'4" tall with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and dark complexion; scars on right arm and cheek. No living relatives. Single. Church of England; bricklayer's labourer. --0--
3 October, 1851: As William Galloway, admitted to MILLBANK prison, Westminster, London -- served 1 month 24 days in separate confinement; behaviour "good". --0--