Peter Ponsonby

343

Maureen Withey on 4th August 2022

Moreton Bay Convict Record. Peter Ponsonby, per Eliza 1, Tried at Middx G.D. 21 Apr 1819, Life. Trade- Tailor. Colonial Conviction: Tried at Gen sess. Penrith, 29 July 1828, Stealing a waistcoat and other property, Three years. Returned to Sydney, 18 Feb 1832. Description: Peter Ponsonby, native place, Manchester, age 28, 4 ft 11 ½, sallow comp, brown hair, hazel eyes, E religion.

343

Maureen Withey on 4th August 2022

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 04 August 2022), April 1819, trial of PETER PONSONBY (t18190421-117). PETER PONSONBY, Theft > theft from a specified place, 21st April 1819. 617. PETER PONSONBY was indicted for stealing, on the 12th of April , at St. Andrew, Holborn , two coats, value 5 s.; four waistcoats, value 20 s.; one pair of pantaloons, value 5 s.; two shirts, value 6 s., and three handkerchiefs, value 6 s., the goods of Richard Gabb , in the dwelling-house of William Gabb . RICHARD GABB . I live at the Goat, public-house, in Tash-street, Gray's Inn-lane . My father, William Gabb, keeps the house; it is in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn . I lodged in the back room, and the prisoner in the front room. On the evening of Easter Monday he absconded from his lodgings. Next morning I went to my box, found it broken open, and all my clothes gone. I suspected him, made inquiry, and found most of my things at the pawnbroker's. The prisoner was apprehended about a week after. He passed as a tailor. WILLIAM GIBSON . I am a pawnbroker. I have a coat, a pair of trowsers, and three waistcoats, which were pledged with me - I only took the coat in. The prisoner is the man who pledged it on the 13th of April - my master, Mr. Ramsay, took the others in. On the Thursday following a man came to redeem one of the articles. I gave him in charge - it was not the prisoner. WILLIAM WAINWRIGHT . I am an officer. I apprehended the prisoner. WILLIAM THISSELTON . I am an officer of Hatton-garden. When the prisoner was apprehended I asked him what he had done with the rest of Gabb's things? he said he pledged the other coat at Aldgate - I went there and found it. RICHARD GABB . The coats and waistcoats are mine. and are worth 4 l. together. Prisoner's Defence. A man gave them to me in the public-house. GUILTY . - DEATH . Aged 18. First Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Recorder. ----------------------------------------------------- Colonial Secretary Index. PONSONBY, Peter. Per "Eliza", 1820. 1822 Jun 24 Convict mechanic to be forwarded to the Emu Plains Establishment (Reel 6009; 4/3505 p.427) 1822 Jun 28 Sent from the Lumber Yard to Emu Plains for punishment (Reel 6053; 4/1754 p.388) 1824 Oct 31 On return of convicts discharged from the Establishment, Emu Plains; to Mr P Murdoch (Reel 6028; 2/8283 p.203) --------------------------------------------------- Accompanying Letter dated 24 th June,1822, to the Superintendent at Emu Plains. .. in forwarding to your Establishment the mechanics named in the margin, I am directed to acquaint you that these men having misbehaved themselves at Sydney are to be allotted to the most laborious field employment under your superintendence where they are to be detained subject to the interference of no one, but at the same time to be held in a constant state of readiness to be assigned at a moments warning by an order from this office, (signed,) F. Goulburn, Col. Sec. -------------------------------------------------- THE POLICE. January 4, 1826 Peter Ponsonby, prisoner of the crown, as a runaway from the Cow pastures, was sentenced to the tread-mill for 10 days, and thence returned. Sydney Gazette, 12 Jan 1826. -------------------------------------------------- In 1833 Peter Ponsonby was working at Castle Forbes, the farm of Major Mudie. A number of men took to th ebush and attacked Mr Larnach, the overseer there. There was a trial at Sydney, resulting in sentence of death for the men. Peter Ponsonby went to Sydney as a witness. As a result of the trial, the Governor ordered an Enquiry into the treatment of their assigned men by Major Mudie and Mr Larnach. Again, Peter Ponsonby gave evidence at the enquiry, which lasted nearly two weeks. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32145499/4245825 Reported in The Sydney Monitor, 28 Jan 1834. Peter Ponsonby, Sworn- (Eliza, 1st)- I am assigned Mr. Mudie for twenty months : I was first assigned to Rumbker and Mr. Murdoch: secondly, I was lent to ? and Woolstonecraft in Sydney : I was at Moreton Bay for three years: I was sent from the Barracks in ? to an iron-gang, and to Moreton Bay from that : I had fifty lashes at Moreton Bay. The rations have been since I came to Mr. Mudie: we got ten pounds of flour, seven pounds of beef, two ounces of tobacco in the week, also soap : the beef was bad always : we used to four pounds of pork in harvest: it was morally impossible for any man to eat it: a heifer was killed and ? out on Wednesday last, it was better than we had long time : the beef was served twice a week, and is often bad for want of salt : we were often three or four weeks without salt: it was about four months we had no salt : I never complained at all: I was in Pool’s hut until a month or six weeks before he took to the bush : the hut was then searched for something by Mr. Larnach, and I was removed to another : Pool got tea and sugar, but he used to divide it with me : Cook used to get tea and sugar also: Pool had only a fustian trowsers more than the other prisoners: he had a fustian jacket when I first went on the farm, but it wore out since : we had no garden to our hut: I never asked one, if I had it I should cultivate it : I often heard Pool say that he wished Mr. Mudie was at home : that he was afraid he'd be hanged before he came: he told that it was Mr. Larnach's tyranising over him he afraid of: I have heard Mr. Larnach blow him up: he called Pool a damned scoundrel : Mr. Mudie, when was at home, he used to bring or send down provisions to our hut : we were better off in that hut while Mr. Mudie was at home : our milk was increased from pint to a quart on Tuesday last: we got only a 1 pint of milk for the last five or six months daily : all the trades but myself got tea and sugar : I never complained not getting it : about a month or six weeks ago the and sugar was stopped from all except Pool ; Pool never got a present that I knew of, but a flute and a music book that Mr. Mudie bought for Pool in Sydney; I have worked on Sunday, at the request of my master; I did not like to refuse him ; I only worked two or three days; the men were then badly off for slops, then I had to make three pairs in the day; I always got dinner in the kitchen when I worked on Sunday; I had the benefit of the tea and sugar as long as it lasted, as well as Pool and Cook ; up to the time I was removed from Pool's hut, I had the priviledge of earning something for myself in the evenings and on Sundays; I have heard murmuring among the men about the weights; I have seen metal weights along with the brick weights ; I went to Sydney as a witness ; I don't know what I was to wear; I know that the men who were tried were severely flogged ; Perry was flogged very often; I saw his back, and he had a horrid back; he often complained that he had not enough to eat; he used to call at my hut for a bit of bread, and I used to give it to him ; the flour was very bad ; the men all went up to complain of after that the flour became a little better; I think Reilly had reason to complain; he had a horrid back, and Mr. Larnach wanted him to go work, and for refusing to work he was brought to Court again and flogged; heard Reilly and Pool say that they would not get justice at the Bench at Patrick's Plains ; I heard the men in conversation amongst each other say, that the magistrates were so friendly to each other, no justice could be me them ; I have known two men ask for passes to me to Court and were refused; Edward Burk is one them ; it was in the yard he asked Mr. Larnach for a pass, and I heard him say that he wanted it to go to court to complain of the meat being bad; this was five or six mouths ago; I was in the barn when the attack was made at Castle Forbes; I drank some of the milk icy handed round to the men. Cross-examined by Mr. Mudie- I recollect Mr. Mudie calling at my hut when I was ill ; while I was sick I got my dinner in the kitchen, and my rations besides; I night have said Mr. Mudie made a man of me from being a poor object, but I do not recollect positively; the meat that Mr. Mudie used to bring to Pool's hut was from the kitchen ; he used to do it twice a week; I have known Mr. Mudie to get the blacksmith (Cook) to go to the garden to collect pot herbs and vegetables, and used to superintend the dressing of the meat himself ; used to mend Pool's cloths; Pool used to wear a white shirt sometimes; what Mr. Mudie used to bring to the hut was in addition to rations; they used to make stews once or twice a week, when Mr. Mudie was at home ; I never knew the men to get additional meat when Mr. Mudie was absent from the farm; Pool has made ploughs for his own profit; Mr. Mudie once gave him thirty shillings for a plough ; I do not know whether the timber was got on the farm; I have known Pool to get money from Mr. Mudie on account of building a mill, but I don't know the amount; the blacksmith got a pair of trowsers from Mr. Mudie, above his slops; the men were treated capital during Christmas; I had plenty of grog ; when Scotch Jack was ill I attended him, by directions of Mr. Mudie; he got every thing from the kitchen that he wanted, from Mrs. Larnach: another man (Stephens) was ill and treated in the same way that Jack was; all the men could get vegetables in the garden, and Mr. Mudie used to superintend it himself; I never said the men were better treated than on any farm in the country; Pool was well treated while Mr. Mudie was at home, but when he was absent, at the end of a week he was not; I have got good advice from Mr. Mudie, and never heard him abuse or blackguard his men; I never saw Mr. R. Scott, J. P. at Mr. Mudie's, or Mr. Glennie, J. P. either; I have not known any mechanics to be lent to the magistrates by Mr. Mudie. Cross-examined by Mr. Larnach- Mr. Larnach found pork, and a bottle that had rum in it in Pool's hut when I was removed from it; some shoes belonging to other men, and two pair of trowsers that I had to make for my own account; also a blue jacket of Cook's; when the lard was found in the hut, it was four months ago; I did not bring it there; handcuffs were put upon me, but I was not taken to Court; Mr. Larnach never caught me working for myself in my master's time; I never knew David Jones to be taken to Court; Hitchcock was punished only once; Pool was never taken to Court but the day before he took the bush; I never complained to Mr. Larnach of bad flour, or ever desired to go to Court to complain; I got word one Sunday that prayers were to be at the Plains; there are no slops due me; I had medicine whenever I asked for it; I knew James Brown at Moreton Bay; I have often advised Brown to be quiet; when the colt was killed, I heard Mr. Mudie say there was no help for accidents; he did not abuse Brown. (Signed) PETER PONSONBY, his mark- X Sworn before F. Hely, J. P., In presence of John H. Plunkett. (A COPY.) ALEXANDER M'LEAY.