Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
Thomas Shaw was transported on the General Hewett, departing 31st Jul 1813 and arriving 7th Feb 1814 with 301 passengers.
The Windham and General Hewett left England the 24th of August, in convoy with the Wansted, Capt. Moore, who sailed from hence last Thursday for Batavia; the General Hewett arrived at Rio the 17th of November, and sailed again the 2d of December. Together with the military detachments, she received on board for this Settlement 300 male prisoners, of whom we are sorry to report the death of 35, whose names we shall endeavour to procure an account of, and publish in the next Gazette, for the information of their friends and families in Great Britain. Sydney Gazette, Sat 12 Feb 1814.
General HewettReferences
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 87, Class and Piece Number HO11/2, Page Number 118 New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia Convict Musters, 1806-1849 |
| 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 |
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Convict Notes
THOMAS SHAW'S CRIME Thomas Shaw had a friend in crime when he passed forged notes in Rochester town in early October 1812. That was William Holt, who was also tried, although separately, at the Lent assizes for Lancaster, at Salop six months later. Both young men came from Todmorden in Lancashire. They were committed to Lancaster Castle (prison) by 5 October 1812. [ per Leeds Intelligencer, 5 October 1812 p.3]. and stayed there for six months awaiting trial at the next Assizes. These were not held until the following Lent, commencing on 20th March 1813, at Salop. “Thomas Shaw charged with having uttered a forged Craven Bank note to Robert Butterworth at Rochdale. "William Holt charged with having uttered a forged Craven Bank note to George Peel at Rochdale." [ Lancaster Gazetter, Sat 20 March 1813 p.3] Shaw and Holt both initially received the death sentence for uttering forged notes, and this was commuted to transportation for life. They were soon transported on “General Hewett” departing August 1813 and arriving 7th February 1814.
Sainty & Johnson; 1828 Census of New South Wales: Page 334... [Ref S0544] Shaw, Thomas, 45, conditional pardon, General Hewett, 1814, life, Carpenter, Parramatta. [Ref S0545] Shaw, Frances, 34, free by servitude, Lord Melville, 1816, 7 years. [Ref S0546] Shaw, Thomas, 8 born in the colony. [Ref S0547] Shaw, John, 4, born in the colony. [Ref S0548] Shaw, Ann, 3 born in the colony. [Ref S0549] Shaw, James, 8 months, born in the colony.
Lancaster Gazette Sat 27 Mar 1813 p.3 On Thursday, Thomas Shaw (29) and Wm Holt (22) were tried for uttering a forged Craven note to Rt Butterworth, at Rochdale; Shaw was found guilty but recommended to mercy by the jury and the prosecutors, and Holt was acquitted.
At 29 Thomas Shaw was 5 foot 8 ½ inches tall. He had a fair complexion, with sandy coloured hair and blue eyes. Born in Yorkshire in 1778, he was handed a life sentence on the 20th March 1813 at Lancaster, England. Later that year, in August the General Hewett set sail for Australia with Thomas as one of its passengers. It arrived in Sydney on the 7th February 1814. Thomas was a carpenter and earned a condition pardon on the 26th January 1820. In the same year, on the 6th of March he was granted permission to marry Frances Brown. They were married on the 12th June, 1820, St John’s Church of England Church in Parramatta. (Interestingly, according to the NSW State Government records website all marriages at the time were carried out at this church. ) By the time of the 1828 census Thomas Shaw (45) was listed as being married to Frances (34) and having 6 children: Mary Brown (15), Joseph Brown (10), Thomas Shaw (8), John Shaw (4), Anne Shaw (3) and James Shaw (5 months). Joseph Brown took on the name Shaw later in life. The 1828 census also showed that Thomas owned 8 horned cattle. Thomas died on the 5th of August 1842 at 64 years old. He was buried St John’s Church of England Church in Parramatta. References: New South Wales Government. Copies of returns of Absolute and Conditional Pardons granted. Series 1165. State Records Reel 774, copy of 4/4492. State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. New South Wales Government. Registers of Conditional Pardons. Home Office: Convict Transportation Registers; (The National Archives Microfilm Publication HO11); The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England. Class: HO 11; Piece: 2. Year Range : 1810-1817 Parish Marriage Registers. Textual records. St. John’s Anglican Church Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. Reference Number: REG/COMP/1; Description: Vol 01, Baptisms, 1790-1825; Marriages, 1789-1823; Burials, 1790-1825; Parish: St. John's Anglican Church Parramatta New South Wales Government. Indents First Fleet, Second Fleet and Ships. NRS 1150, microfiche 620–624. State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. New South Wales Government.