John Marsh

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Maureen Withey on 16th April 2025

Tasmanian Records. Conduct Record. https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON33-1-57/CON33-1-57P159 no 13526. John Marsh, Nailor, age 19. Tried at Stafford Special Assizes, 26 Dec 1843, for sheep stealing. States his crime was stealing from Mr Collis, Shuwbridge. Gives his native place at Strawbridge. This is most likely the village of Sturbridge (Stourbridge) in Staffordshire, not in Norfolk, as is listed on the Tasmanian Records. Staffordshire Winter Assizes. The first case which came on for trial was the following following one of sheep stealing: John Marsh, aged 19, Francis MannerIey, aged -?, and Mary A Jobberley, alias Elizabeth  March, aged mother of the first prisoner, were indicted for killing, on the 24th of November, 1843, at the pariah of  Kinfare, one wether sheep, the property of William Blow Collis, with intent to steal the carcass of the   same.~Thomas Thornton, police officer, received information on the 26th of November, and proceeded to a house Lye Waste, in which the prisoners were found, accompanied  an officer of the Worcestershire constabulary. The female prisoner went with him up stairs, to search the bed-room, and after looking about found bag covered with red cloak, which contained about 40lbs. of mutton. It was quite fresh, but  much hacked in the cutting up.—Henry Paget, butcher, of Stourbridge, proved that one of the feet found in the  the field exactly corresponded with the shank of leg found in the prisoners’ house.—John Marsh, in his defence, said that had found the mutton.—The Jury found John Marsh guilty, but acquitted the mother and the other prisoner.—A previous conviction for felony was proved against Marsh; and his Lordship observed, in passing sentence, that although he was young in years   yet this was-not hip first commission of crime. The offence of sheep stealing was on the increase, and it was necessary to make examples of those against whom it was clearly proved. He had pleaded for mercy, but it was necessary that justice should be executed; and his was a very clear case, the sentence that be should pronounce upon him was that he be transported for ten years.—The mother was detained to answer a charge of receiving the mutton, knowing it to have been stolen. Wolverhampton Chronicle, 3 Jan 1844.

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Deborah Mobberley on 13th June 2016

John Marsh was the son of Unknown Marsh and Elizabeth Mobberley (b.1788). He was born and raised in Stourbridge, and the family were Nailors. They would have worked out of their home making handmade nails of all sizes . After his father died and his widowed mother was left with 3 children to feed, John stole a sheep and gave some of the mutton to his mother. He was convicted of sheep-stealing, and his mother Elizabeth Marsh was also convicted of receiving stolen goods. Both were sentenced to transportation and shipped to Van Diemen's Land separately in 1844. John died when he accidentally fell off his horse and landed on his head in 1877. He was 52. His mother Elizabeth died in 1859 when her clothes caught on fire while alone in her hut. She was 73.