Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
John Lacey was transported on the Minerva, departing 24th Aug 1799 and arriving 11th Jan 1800 with 240 passengers.
The Minerva was built at Lancaster, England in 1804. 4 voyages bringing convict transportees to Australia.
Minerva (generic)References
| Primary Source | http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au; Freemans Journal of 26 December 1797, on p.3; Freemans Journal, Thursday 21 December 1797, p.3 |
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Convict Notes
Family connections for John (Lacey) are: LACEY John (Lacey/Lacy) was born about 1779 in Dublin Ireland & became an iron founder. He was recorded as a leader of the Irish Rebellion, although he was in gaol at the time. He was tried as an Irish Rebel who w/2others administered an unlawful oath at Dublin Ireland Oyer & Terminer Commission on 26 12 1797, was sentenced to Life in prison, accepted choice of 7years transportation & arrived in NSW as a convict on 11 1 1800 after a voyage of 4.5months on MINERVA; he obviously was Catholic. He was on Norfolk Island in 1802. He had a relationship with Mary (Smith/Flaherty her second relationship). He was Free by Servitude by 1808. He is recorded in 1825 as a publican with his family at Parramatta. He is recorded in 1828 as a householder at Parramatta with 1000acres & a dairy, which he apparantly named 'Parrotts' farm. Later in life he sold his farm to son Timothy & moved to Lower Burragong Valley near Laceys Creek. He died in 1842 age63. [Some details taken from this Website] Mary (Smith) appears to have married firstly ??? (Flaherty) & produced a child:>>> 1.Ann (Smith/Flaherty/Flannery) was born on 5 7 1799 at Cove near Cork Ireland-recorded as Ann (Smith) born at sea in Smees records. She arrived in NSW with her mother on 11 1 1800 after a voyage of 4.5months on MINERVA; she was baptised in the colony-n0 record found. [Noted 2unnamed children are recorded as born to a ??? (Flarty) on 13 10 1801-no mother given] .. >>>Mary (Smith/Flaherty/Flannery) was tried in Dublin Ireland, sentenced to 7years & arrived in NSW as a convict with her child on 11 1 1800 after a voyage of 4.5months on MINERVA also. She was Free by Servitude by 1808. She is recorded in 1825 with her family at Parramatta. She was mother of 5children in her lifetime. [Some details taken from this Website] John (Lacey) & Mary (Smith) produced 4children: 1.Timothy (Lacey) was born in 1806. He is recorded in 1825 with his parents at Parramatta. He is recorded in 1828 as publican at Parramatta. He had a relationship with Sophia (Hough). He bought his fathers 'Parrotts' farm at Parramatta. He died in 1887 age about81. ..Sophia (Hough) was born in 1810. She died on 15 9 1885 age about75. ..Details of Sophia (Hough)s family are given in entry for Peter (Hough HILSBROUGH 1799) on this Website. ..Timothy (Lacey) & Sophia (Hough) produced at least 1child: ..1.Mary Ann (Lacey) was born on 19 4 1829 in Sydney & baptised on 24 4 1829 at St Marys RC Sydney. 2.Sarah (Lacey) was born in 1808. She married at age16 Alexander (Harris) labourer on 20 9 1824 at St Phillips CofE Sydney. She is recorded in 1825 with her husband in Sydney. She was recorded in 1828 with her husband at Kent St. Sydney. ..CCONVICTdone ..Alexander (Harrows/Harris) was born about 1798. He was tried at Edinburgh Court of Justiciary Scotland, sentenced to 7years & arrived in NSW as a convict on 18 10 1818 after a voyage of 9.5months on TOTTENHAM. He was recorded in 1828 as a labourer with his wife at Kent St. Sydney. ..[Some details taken from this Website] 3.Elizabeth (Lacey) was born in 1812. 4.Alice/ia (Lacey) was born in 1814. References: Craig James Smee 'Births and Baptisms Marriages and Defacto Relationships Deaths and Burials New South Wales 1788-1830' ..a complete listing from church & other records in the early colony. Irene Schaffer & Thelma McKay 'Exiled Three Times Over! Profiles of Norfolk Islanders Exiled in Van Diemens Land 1807-1813' James Hugh Donohoe 'Norfolk Island 1788-1813-The People and Their Families' Reg Wright 'Forgotten Generation of Norfolk Island & Van Diemens Land'
Being an "Irish Rebel" was not a specific crime on the statute books. John Lacey had been found guilty of "administering unlawful oaths". The person he swore was not named in the newspaper report, but the oath was for committing to the United Irishmen and their goals. The United Irishmen basically wanted all Irish people to be equal citizens and for Ireland to have its own government in a radically reformed parliament. The sentence Lacey was given was in fact LIFE, as reported in the Freemans Journal of 26 December 1797, on p.3 when "the several persons who were found guilty at the Commission of Oyer and Terminer, were brought up to Court before the Hon Justice Downes, and received sentence." Two other men who'd been found guilty of administering unlawful oaths - Patrick Madden and Joseph Davis - were given the same sentence of transportation for life. Lacey had been implicated and charged along with two others for the same crime(Sheridan and Greene) but these two were found not guilty. JOHN LACEY'S CRIME: Freemans Journal, Thursday 21 December 1797, p.3 “Commission Intelligence “Tuesday, December 19th “John Lacey, Michael Sheridan and John Greene were put to the bar on trial for having, in June last, administered an unlawful oath, commonly called the test oath of the United Irishmen, to James Ryan. “First witness, John Collier. Identified Lacey and Sheridan, but could not swear to [identify] Green — the tenor of his evidence was, that a man of the name of Wm Green, had in his presence, and in the presence of Lacey, the prisoner at the bar, administered the oath alluded to, to Francis Evans at Lincolns’Lane in June last, but could not recollect that Sheridan was present. Jury found Lacey guilty and acquitted the others.” BANISHMENT John Lacey was one of the dozens of men implicated in the 1798 Rebellion who were listed in the Banishment Act 1798, (recorded there as "Lacy") he appearing to fall into the category of being "otherwise engaged in fomenting the said Rebellion". The Act recorded that the King would order that "all further prosecution against them would gave them to stop and surcease and to grant his royal pardon to them on condition of them being transported, banished or exiled ..." So John Lacey, who was to be confined to an Irish jail for the rest of his life anyway, and was in jail when the Rebellion broke out in 1798, chose to take up the option of banishment to a foreign country, giving up the right to ever return to Ireland or go to any other place under the King's rule.
John, an iron founder by trade, was tried and convicted in Dublin in December 1798 as a result of his involvement in the 1798 Irish Rebellion. He was sentenced to seven years in gaol but surrendered himself for transportation instead of serving a prison sentence. In the history of the rebellion, John is listed as a leader and his name appears on the Banishment Act that had been established to deal with the rebels. Left Cork on 24th August 1799. Ship:- the 'Minerva' sailed with 165 male and 26 female convicts on board of which 3 males died during the voyage. Arrived on 11th January 1800. John was loaded on the Convict Ship "Minerva" at the port of Cork and transported to New South Wales, the ship indent indicating that John had accepted to be transported. A letter from Lord Castlereagh to the Lord Lieutenant General and Governor General of Ireland Lord Cornwallis indicated an annexed list of persons who surrendered for Self-Transportation. The "Minerva" sailed from Cork on the 24th of August 1799 in a small convoy. On The 4th of September two ships flying Portuguese colours fired upon the "Minerva". The ship arrived in Rio de Janeiro on the 20th of October where she resupplied before sailing on the 8th of November arriving in Port Jackson on the 11th of January 1800 at 11am, sixty-four days out from Rio. The Norfolk Island Victualling book of 1802 records John on the Island. The muster of 1805-06 indicates he had been set free by servitude and was self-employed as a sawyer. Records show John John had a defacto relationship with convict Mary Smith aka Flaherty (also 'Minerva' 1800), a Hospital Nurse. Four children were born from this union; his son Timothy in 1806 and daughters Sarah in 1808, Elizabeth in 1812 and Alice in 1814. After selling the Parrott's Farm to his son Timothy, John Lacy moved to the Lower Burragorang Valley, in the parish of Bimlow and on the bank of Lacy's Creek John being one of the first settlers in the valley. The Muster of 1828 showed John had 1000 acres in the Valley. He had established a dairy, and was listed in the muster as a supplier of food to the Government. John died in 1842 and Mary in 1834. They are buried together at St Patrick's Cemetery, Parramatta NSW.
Sainty & Johnson; 1828 Census of New South Wales: Page 228... [Ref L0024] Lacy, John, 50, free by servitude, Minerva, 1800, 7 years, Catholic, householder, Parramatta, 1080 acres, 415 acres cleared, 25 acres cultivated, 2 horses, 7 horned cattle. [Ref L0025] Lacy, Mary, 42, free by servitude, Minerva 1800, 7 years. [Ref L0026] Lacy, Elizabeth 16 born in the colony, daughter of John and Mary Lacy Parramatta. [Ref L0027] Lacy, Alicia, 14 born in the colony, daughter of John and Mary Lacy Parramatta. # Also page 228... son Timothy and his wife.. [Ref L0002] Lacey, Timothy, 22, BC, Publican, Parramatta. [Ref L0003] Lacey, Sophia, 17, BC. (Timothy had married Sophia Rigby in 1827. Sophia was the daughter of Peter Hough (Convict, 1799, "Hillsborough") and Catherine Rigby (Convict, 1801, "Canada"). ## Page 178... Also daughter Sarah and her husband... [Ref H0493] Harris, Alexander, 31, FS, Tottenham, 1818, 7, Labourer at Kent Street Sydney. [Ref H0494] Harris, Sarah, 21, BC. (Sarah had married Alexander Harris (Convict, 1818, "Tottenham") in 1824, aged only 17.
In the colony, John and Mary had at least 4 children. They are recorded in the 1825 muster... Lacey, John, free by servitude, Minverva, 1800 7 years publican Parramatta. Lacey, Mary free by servitude, Minerva 1800 7 years, wife of John Lacey. Lacey, Timothy born in the colony, son of John Lacey Parramatta. Lacey, Sarah born in the colony, wife of A Harris Sydney.
John had a relationship with Mary Smith (AKA Flaherty). Mary was also transported on the "Minerva". She was tried in Dublin in 1797 and sentenced to transportation for 7 years. It may be because of this that John surrendered himself for transportation. On arrival in the colony, Mary aged 23 was described as 'married' and with a daughter born in 1800. Marriage possibly to John Lacey but no details recorded on daughter.
John Lacey was born in Dublin in about 1778 and was described as an iron founder. He was convicted in Dublin Court in Dec 1798 as a results of his involvement in the 1798 Irish rebellion. He was sentenced to seven years in gaol but surrendered himself for transportation instead of serving a prison sentence. In the history of the rebellion, John is listed as a leader and his name appears on the Banishment Act that had been established to deal with the rebels. John was transported aboard the ship "Minerva".