Alexander Laing

Alexander Laing, one of 172 convicts transported on the Florentia, 14 August 1827

Name, Aliases & Gender

Name:	Alexander Laing
Aliases:	none
Gender:	m

Birth, Occupation & Death

Date of Birth:	1808
Occupation:	Seaman
Date of Death:	-
Age:	-

Life Span

Male median life span was 56 years*

* Median life span based on contributions

Conviction & Transportation

Sentence Severity

Sentenced to 14 years

Crime:	Robbery
Convicted at:	Aberdeen Court of Justiciary
Sentence term:	14 years
Ship:	Florentia
Departure date:	14th August, 1827
Arrival date:	3rd January, 1828
Place of arrival	New South Wales
Passenger manifest	Travelled with 172 other convicts

References

Primary source:	Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 89, Class and Piece Number HO11/6, Page Number 272; Inverness Courier, Wed 25 April 1827 page 2. British National Archives
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 Project.

Did you find the person you were looking for?

If Alexander Laing was the person you were looking for, you may be able to discover more about them by looking at our resources page.

If you have more hunting to do, try a new search or browse the convict records.

Know more about Alexander Laing?

Contribute to this record

Community Contributions

Robin Sharkey on 26th January, 2016 wrote:

Alexander Laing was tried aged 19 at the Aberdeen Assizes for assault and robbery because in November 1827 he took “from the person of Francis Edmond, cartwright, his watch etc. Pleaded guilty. Pannel’s [sic] counsel urged in his defence that he was in astute of intoxication at the time, that he had not been long in Aberdeen, that others had a greater share in the crime than he; and that this was his first offence. Sentence: fourteen years’ transportation.” per Inverness Courier, Wed 25 April 1827 page 2.

Laing was ill on the voyage out to NSW - ADM 101/27/5/1 Medical and surgical journal of the convict ship Florentia:
“Folios 34-35: Alexander Laing, aged 19, Convict; disease or hurt, diarrhoea. Put on sick list 1827, 26 October, at sea. Discharged cured, 31 October 1827.”

In NSW:
Assigned on arrival to W Dawes of Penrith.
5ft 11inches, black hair, ruddy complexion, dark brown eyes. Tattoo of mermaid on right arm. (per Indent of “Florentia”)

Convict Changes History

Robin Sharkey on 26th January, 2016 made the following changes:

source: Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 89, Class and Piece Number HO11/6, Page Number 272; Inverness Courier, Wed 25 April 1827 page 2. British National Archives (prev. Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 89, Class and Piece