| Name: | Margaret Prendergast |
| Aliases: | Prendergrast |
| Gender: | f |
| Date of Birth: | 1805 |
| Occupation: | Servant of all work |
| Date of Death: | 3rd February, 1833 |
| Age: | 28 years |
Life Span
Female median life span was 59 years*
* Median life span based on contributions
Sentence Severity
Sentenced to 14 years
| Crime: | Pocket picking |
| Convicted at: | Middlesex Gaol Delivery |
| Sentence term: | 14 years |
| Ship: | Mermaid |
| Departure date: | 15th February, 1828 |
| Arrival date: | 27th June, 1828 |
| Place of arrival | New South Wales |
| Passenger manifest | Travelled with 99 other convicts |
| Primary source: | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 89, Class and Piece Number HO11/6, Page Number 314 |
| 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. |
D Wong on 1st September, 2018 wrote:
Old Bailey:
MARGARET PRENDERGAST.
Theft: pocketpicking.
6th December 1827
Verdict Guilty
Sentence Transportation
MARGARET PRENDERGAST was indicted for stealing, on the 7th of December, 2 knives, value 1s.; 3 keys, value 1s. 6d.; 1 bottle, value 1d.; 3 half-crowns, 2 sixpences, and 1 farthing, the property of William Sawyer from his person.
WILLIAM SAWYER. I am an extra exciseman. Last Saturday night, about half-past twelve o’clock (I had spent the evening with my father, at Ratcliff-highway), I met the prisoner in Whitechapel-road ; she spoke to me in rather a singular way - I thought she was tipsy, or out of her senses; she laughed and twisted round me, behind and before; I walked on. I live in Finch-street, Whitechapel - I did not stop at all; before I reached home I found my pocket was turned out, and all my money and these other things gone; I had given her nothing - she had then left me; I went to the patrol - he pursued her- she was taken in about twenty minutes, and produced most of the things herself.
JOHN DUNGATE. I am watch-house-keeper. The prisoner was brought to the watch-house by the patrol; she took no notice of the charge, but laughed, and said he offered her two half-crowns, which the prosecutor denied; I said, “Let us see what you have got;” she pulled out this money and all the other things but the ink-bottle, which I found in her pocket.
EDMUND WINTER. I am a patrol, and went after the prisoner; I saw the property found - she said nothing to me, but laughed, and asked what I took her for.(Property produced and sworn to.)
WILLIAM SAWYER. I swear I gave her nothing, and had no conversation with her.
Prisoner’s Defence. He gave me 5s. to go home with me, and when I did so he had no more money, and left me the keys and other things.
GUILTY. Aged 22.
Transported for Fourteen Years.
Margaret was listed as 22 years old on arrival - she was born in Cork, Ire.
Margaret was 5’2” tall, much freckled, brown hair, light grey eyes, much pockpitted, could read, spent 9 months on the town, unmarried.
3/2/1833: Margaret died at Hobart - she had hung herself - described as a Lunatic.
Listed as 21 years old, but would have been 27 if her age on arrival was correct.
D Wong on 1st September, 2018 made the following changes:
alias1: Prendergrast, date of birth: 1805 (prev. 0000), date of death: 3rd February, 1833 (prev. 0000), gender: f, occupation, crime
This record was discovered and printed on ConvictRecords.com.au
