Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
William O'brien was transported on the Calcutta, departing 19th Apr 1837 and arriving 5th Aug 1837 with 247 passengers.
HMS Calcutta was the East Indiaman Warley (1795), converted to a Royal Navy ship. This ship of the line served for a time as an armed transport. She also transported convicts to Australia. The French Magnanime captured Calcutta in 1805. In 1809, after she ran aground during the Battle of the Basque Roads and her crew had abandoned her, a British boarding party burned her. In 1803 the Calcutta sailed into Port Phillip bay where at least 4 convicts escaped , in Sydney in April 1804 it was reported that 8 had died on the trip. Of the four known escapees one was shot on escape, 2 turned back after 2 days to reattach to the group at the camp in bay before the boat left , one continued on ...into Australia's history books. At least 13 convicts were transferred on to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Australia.The ship also carried officers, wives and free settlers.
Calcutta (generic)References
| Primary Source | Irish Convict Database, by Peter Mayberry. |
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Convict Notes
William O'Brien, Thomas Cregan, and Peter O'Connor, were indicted—the first for burglary and robbery, the other two for feloniously receiving the goods, O'Brien was charged with stealing. There were other counts in the indictment. The goods consisted of a quantity of clothes, the property of Mr. G. Macdona, merchant tailor, of Crow-street. Mr. Macdona proved the robbery and identified a great quantity of cloth made up and not made up. Edward Tomkinson, an approver, was next examined. He gave a detailed account of the manner of the robbery by himself, prisoner O'Brien and two other men, named Doyle and Byrne. He stated that on the Monday alter the robbery he, Cregan, and Doyle went to O’Connor’s house in Mary’s- lane with some of the cloth. They went in, and he remained out- side when they went in. They had money when they came out, but no cloth. He identified an iron bar that had been made by Doyle, and used for breaking open the doors. This witness was cross-examined by Mr. McDonagh.—He confessed that it was he that had seduced O'Brien to rob his master, and that the apprentice had got but five shillings out of the sale of the whole booty. There was an abundance of evidence produced which completely bore out the statement. T. Arkins and Matthew Arkins gave a good character, and thought him incapable of purchasing goods knowing them to be stolen.— Chief Justice charged the jury at some length. They retired, and in a short time returned a verdict of guilty against all the prisoners, William O’Brien, Thomas Cregan, and Peter O’Connor, convicted of Mr. Macdona’s robbery, were then placed at the bar. Sentence of death was recorded against O'Brien; Cregan was sentenced to transportation for fourteen years; and O'Connor to transportation for seven years. Warder and Dublin Weekly, 15 April 1837.
Irish Convict Database, by Peter Mayberry. William O’Brien, age on arrival, 17, per Calcutta II, 1837. Tried at Dublin City, 1837, Life for Felony of cloth. DOB, 1820, native place, Dublin City. Single. Protestant. Errand boy.