Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
William Kefford was transported on the Minden, departing 16th Jul 1851 and arriving 14th Oct 1851 with 302 passengers.
Minden (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 92, Class and Piece Number HO11/17, Page Number 149 (77) |
| 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
This William Kefford was age 27 when he was convicted on 17 October 1848. On 3 January 1850, this William Kefford was sent to the prison hulk Justitia. At least one other Bedfordshire citizen, also named "William Kefford" had brushes with the law.
William Kefford was born at Tempsford, Bedfordshire on 21 February 1821, the son of William and Sarah Kefford(nee Roberts) who married at Eyeworth on 3 August 1809. He was baptised at Tempsford on 6 October 1822. William appears at Tempsford on the 1841 Census as a labourer and his first known brush with the Law was on 9 November 1842 when he was sentenced to 2 months hard labour for an offence under the Game Laws. The offence which ultimately led to his transportation took place either on 27 September at Biggleswade (according to the Bedfordshire Calendar of Prisoners) or 1 October at Tempsford (according to the Bedfordshire Times dated 21 October 1848) when, together with a Richard Hall, also of Tempsford, he broke into the house of a John Bainbridge and stole £17. William Kefford was aged 27 and was unmarried at this time. His occupation was still given as a labourer. He was committed on 5/6th October by Sir G C Payne, Baronet, and on 17 October 1848 convicted along with Richard Hall. Both were sentenced to 7 years transportation to Australia. The trial took place at Bedford. He was moved to Millbank Prison on 8 August 1849 but a search of the 1851 Census for the prison (Ref HO107/1479 f985-1021) dated 30 March 1851 did not locate him there. However, it is possible that he was on a prison hulk at Woolwich, as the 1851 Census for the hulks Hebe and Wye (HO107/1589 f463 p18) have a convict whose initials were W.K. He is shown as a labourer aged 27 (3 years understated) born at Tempsford, Bedfordshire. William Kefford departed from Plymouth on the ship "Minden" on 25 July 1851 and arrived at Fremantle Prison, Western Australia on 14 October 1851, as convict number 750. His age at this time is recorded as 25 years, 5 years understated. Richard Hall arrived in Fremantle on the "Pyrenees" as convict 657 on 28 June 1851. William Kefford was granted a Conditional Pardon in April 1854 but it is not known for sure what happened to him thereafter.