| Name: | Mary Shea |
| Aliases: | none |
| Gender: | f |
| Date of Birth: | 1763 |
| Occupation: | - |
| Date of Death: | - |
| Age: | - |
Life Span
Female median life span was 58 years*
* Median life span based on contributions
Sentence Severity
Sentenced to 7 years
| Crime: | - |
| Convicted at: | Ireland, Waterford |
| Sentence term: | 7 years |
| Ship: | Atlas |
| Departure date: | 29th November, 1801 |
| Arrival date: | 7th July, 1802 |
| Place of arrival | New South Wales |
| Passenger manifest | Travelled with 199 other convicts |
| Primary source: | http://www.nationalarchives.ie NSW Col Secretary - Musters, correpondence |
| Source description: |
Robin Sharkey on 1st December, 2016 wrote:
Mary Shea, per ‘Atlas 1’ arrived in July 1802; sentenced at Waterford Assizes in 1800 to 7 years transportation. She was 38 at the time of the departure indents in 1801. (therefore it’s likely that in Ireland she was a married woman).
By the time of the 1806 Muster, she had take up with Irishman John Desmond (per Friendship” in February 1800) and they remained together until John’s death in 1822, not formally married.
John Desmond had been tried at Co Cork in 1798 and received the death sentence, so he was probably involved in the 1798 Rebellion. He was 5ft 5&1/2 inches, fair complexion, blue eyes. In his 1816 Conditional Pardon his hair was silver-grey hair and bald.
1814 Mary Shea per Atlas 1, lives with J Desmond (T/L), Windsor Off stores.
FREEDOM and LAND GRANT AT WINDSOR
1816 - John Desmond was on a list of persons to receive a land grant - 30 acres - recommended by Wm Cox, so his and Mary’s lives may have become a little better. He also got a Conditional Pardon in 1816, so they were both now free.
1822 Muster - still together at Windsor. She is FBS, Windsor, servant to J Desmond and he is recorded as “Free by Servitude”
They are Resident as tenants - Total: 10 acres, Cleared: 10 acres, Cultivated, 7 acres wheat, 3 acres maize, 12 bushels maize held, 2 horned cattle, 12 hogs.
John Desmond died at the Hawkesbury on 14 Oct 1822 (recorded on his Conditional Pardon document) and so Mary Shea was alone.
The land grant was formalised after John’s Death - 30 June 1823 and it was in fact 40 acres described as being in the District of Kurrajong, bounded on the north by a creek (unnamed).
Robin Sharkey on 1st December, 2016 wrote:
Mary Shea remained on the land granted to John Desmond, and in 1828 at the age of 60 she was farming it.
1828 Census, Catholic, aged 60, Householder of Lower Portland Head. Three government servants, one T/L man, one lodder BC.
Eric Harry Daly on 28th December, 2012 made the following changes:
convicted at, term 7 years, voyage, source, firstname, surname, alias1, alias2, alias3, alias4, date of birth 0000, date of death 0000, gender, occupation, crime
Robin Sharkey on 1st December, 2016 made the following changes:
source: http://www.nationalarchives.ie NSW Col Secretary - Musters, correpondence (prev. http://www.nationalarchives.ie), date of birth: 1763 (prev. 0000)
This record was discovered and printed on ConvictRecords.com.au
