Summary
Personal Information
Transportation
John Mclachlan 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 250. Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department; Estimates and Convict Lists (128/1 - 32). |
| 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 |
Claims
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Photos
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Convict Notes
NEWSPAPER coverage of his trial: 19 July, 1855 -- from the Fife Herald, p2: High Court of Justiciary—Case of Fire-Raising.— On Monday before the Lord Justice-General, Lords Cowan and Handyside, John McLachlan was charged with wilful fire-raising, in so far as on the lst or 2d January 1855, he did wilfully and maliciously set fire to the premises of Messrs Miller and Bannerman, wrights and trunk-makers, Gordon Street, Glasgow, by applying a lighted match to some shavings, as a consequence of which the fire took effect and burned and destroyed the said premises, and the property therein belonging to the firm, and the chests and tools belongjng to the workmen, and did also destroy an adjoining workshop occupied by George Stevenson, upholsterer and cabinetmaker, as also the warehouse and property of Messrs Dugald Campbell and Co., auctioneers and appraisers, including a quantity of silver plate of the value £700. The prisoner, who had been taken up, on making his exit from the back of the premises before the fire broke out, by a policeman who suspected him of having committed or attempted theft, pleaded not guilty to the charge of wilful fire-raising, but stated that he had gone into the workshop to steal and had accidentally dropped a light among the shavings. Evidence was led at some length, from which it appeared that McLachlan had been dismissed from the employment of Miller and Bannerman, and was alleged he had set fire to the premises from vindictive motives. The jury found the prisoner guilty as libelled, and the Lord Justice-General...[remarked on] the enormity and danger of the offence, [and] sentenced him to transportation for twenty-one years." (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/)
AGE: There is some disparity in his records. Court documents suggest his year of birth was 1827 but Fremantle jail and WA Convict records list it as 1824 (see Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department; Estimates and Convict Lists (128/1 - 32)).
From his Fremantle jail record: McLOCHLAN, John; #4611, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Alias: McLACHLAN Date of Birth: 1824 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Joiner Literacy: Literate Sentence Place: Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Crime: Wilful arson Sentence Period: 21 years Ticket of Leave Date: 31 Mar 1860 Conditional Pardon Date: 10 Jan 1865 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/).
TRIAL: 16 July, 1855: National Records of Scotland -- Reference JC26/1855/320 Trial papers relating to John McLachlan for the crime of wilful fire-raising. Tried at High Court, Edinburgh. Accused: John McLachlan, Verdict: Guilty, Sentence: Transportation - 21 years. --00--
CRIME: 1855: National Records of Scotland -- Reference AD14/55/276 Precognition against John McLachlan for the crime of wilful fire-raising. Accused: John McLachlan, Age: 28, joiner, Address: Residing with Mrs McKinnon, widow, Brown Street, Hutchesontown, Glasgow, Origin: Native of Glasgow. --0--