Joel Skates

40

Sandie McKoy on 24th October 2020

Please ignore the previous story I posted - I'm locked out of my Hotmail account, so I can't edit it. Joel Skates is born In 1808 at Finchampstead, a brown haired, blue eyed baby with a small nose was born to William Skates and Ann Bailey. They named him Joel and baptized him on the 7th of June 1808 at All Saints Parish Church, Wokingham. William and Ann were married 24 November 1805 at Wokingham. Ann was a widow and her married last name was Bailey. She was born around 1771. Research of the records show an Ann Simpson marrying a William Bailey in 1804. This could have been Joel’s mother. The same witness was present for both marriages, but I couldn’t find a death for a William Bailey in the records in 1804 or 1805. In the first marriage Ann could sign her name, but not in the second, so I’m not 100% sure if it’s the same Ann. When Joel was only 14, William died in 1822 and was buried in the St James Church Yard . Ann then became solely responsible for their welfare. This must have been very difficult and she may have had to access Parish relief to ensure she had enough food and clothing for her children. Joel was at the age where he could now work and he probably worked as a farm labourer/servant during this period. Dinah was 12, but probably worked as well in the home and also as a farm labourer. Ann would have done her best to make her own clothing and buttermilk, grow food and raise farm animals. Her network of friends and the local Church may have also helped her with crucial resources. She didn’t remarry and ended up living with Dinah later in life. Joel meets Ann Wells At some point, Joel met Ann Wells and they married at St James Church on the 5th of March 1833. Their marriage certificate stated that both Joel and Ann lived at Finchampstead. Joel was 25 years old and a farm labourer. He was now 5ft 10, had a sallow complexion, and his skin was 'pock pitted' which indicates he had small pox at one time. Joel’s siblings were William, baptised 18 October 1806 and Dinah baptized 6 May 1810 – both at Wokingham. Joel and Ann’s life together in England. Ann and Joel lived together at Finchampstead between 1833 – 1838 and Joel worked as a farm labourer. They had two children in England: Joel: Ann fell pregnant shortly after marriage and she and Joel had their first child – Joel junior. Joel was baptised on the 21st of December 1833 at Finchampstead. Sarah Ann: was born 21 July 1838 at Finchampstead. On 27 Jun 1837, Joel stood trial at the County Sessions in Hants, Hampshire for Fraud. He was sentenced to three months imprisonment and hard labour in the Bridewell for receiving money under ‘false pretenses', at Eversley. He was also at some point sentenced to 1-month imprisonment for abandoning Ann. This must have been very difficult for her – especially being deserted by Joel with a young child to care for. Then came the event that would change their lives. Whilst Ann was pregnant with Sarah, Joel stole a wether sheep from James Parson’s at Finchampstead. He was apprehended and admitted his guilt. He was charged with theft and held in goal until trial. He was found guilty at his trial at the Berks Mid Summer Assizes and sentenced to 15 years transportation to Van Diemens Land. His convict records show that he could read and write, he had been imprisoned twice before, and that his character and connections were very bad. On the 19th of July 1838 he was moored on the prison hulk Ganymede at Chatham and Woolwich, Kent . He resided there as a prisoner until the 16th of March 1839 when he left England on the convict ship Marquis of Hastings. One can only imagine the filthy conditions on the Convict hulk. To make space in jails, convicts were often held in floating prisons – called hulks. These were decomissioned naval ships. Prisoners were often chained below decks and breathed feotid air, ate stale food, and rarely were able to wash. You can only imagine the smell of stale sweat, unwashed bodies, mouldy food, urine/vomit and human waste. Whilst on the hulk, his behavior was reported as being good. No doubt missing his wife, children, best friends, family and community, Joel passed away the months on the hulk thinking about what his future may hold. He may have thought throughout the long and lonely hours waiting to leave England that he would never see his ancestral land again. Whilst Joel was on the hulk, Ann had to give birth to Sarah alone and raise a newborn with little support. She may have taken Ann and Joel to visit their father in prison and to farewell him when he left in March. Joel would have had little memory of his father and Sarah none before they immigrated to Australia. Ann was left to raise her children alone for the next 10 years. She was closely involved with the Church and may have received Parish support for food, clothing and money. She may even have received support from Joel’s mother Ann and her sister in law Dinah. They were both living at Finchampstead. Ann died in 1847 and Dinah and her family lived there until at least 1871. Joel is transported to Australia On the 18th of March 1839, Joel left Portsmouth, England on the convict ship Marquis of Hastings, bound for Van Diemen’s Land and arrived 23 July 1839. He was one of 233 convicts transported. According to the surgeon’s report his behaviour was good. It took 128 days for the ship to reach Van Diemen’s Land. The convicts were mainly kept below decks and were probably unchained for most of the journey. Joel would have been given medical attention by the ship’s surgeon and spiritual support by the ship’s minister. He would have forged friendships and connections with other convicts on the long journey. One can only imagine how homesick Joel would have felt – leaving behind his ancestral home and journeying towards a primitive new settlement on the other side of the world. Once Joel arrived in Van Diemen’s Land, he was marched to the Prison Barracks to be processed. He was asked about his criminal history, and his work skills in minute detail from the Superintendent of the Prison Barracks. After he was processed, he placed with William Archer Esq. who was a landowner, magistrate and free settler at Brickendon near Longford. William had a thriving merino sheep farm and Joel would have worked for him as a farm labourer, clearing trees, building fences, and looking after livestock. This work may have been similar to the work he undertook in England, but a lot of the ground would have been newly developed and the labour would have been tough in a new climate. William Archer and his family built many beautiful manors, estates and buildings at Longford and were very well known. They also farmed large amounts of land and had many convicts assigned to them. Above – picture of the Brickendon Estate where Joel worked. Brickendon Estate is now World Heritage Listed and the Archer family still farm the land today. William built a church onsite for the convicts so they wouldn’t go to Longford for service and get drunk at one of the many pubs. He also had a purpose built convict barracks erected and a large number of convicts were assigned to him. On the 9th of October 1839, Joel was given 20 lashes for being absent without leave . He may have been lashed previously in prison but either way, this would have been a very painful punishment. Joel was still with William Archer in 1841. In 1844, William wrote a letter of recommendation on the 17th of September for Joel to bring out Ann and his children to live with him at Brickendon. He wrote that he offered to cover the cost of Joel’s families passage to the colony and that Joel had been in his service for several years. He also advised that Joel’s family had written to him stating they wanted to come, but hadn’t been supported by the government to do so and they couldn’t afford the expense themselves. He asked the Convict Department at Hobart to consider his request. I’m not sure what happened after this, but Joel’s family didn’t come out to Tasmania until 1849. During 1844, Joel was granted the status of being a pass holder in private service by the Comptroller-General's Office. This allowed him to enter into employment contracts and receive a wage. He entered into an employment contract with William Archer and would have received a low wage. On the 20th of August 1845, Joel received a Ticket of Leave . Joel was now free to work for himself, but he had to stay in the Longford area, report to local authorities, attend Church and not leave the colony. He was now edging closer to freedom from the authorities. On 28 March 1846 he was fined for being drunk . It would have been difficult for convicts to lead perfect lives monitored by employers and the government authorities. He wasn’t given the lash again though thankfully. Whilst living at Brickendon, Joel made another application with the Van Diemen's Land General Comptroller to bring his family out to live with him in June 1848 . He identified that he had the means to support them and stated that the family was known by the Reverend Edward Ellis, Rector of the Parish Church at Finchampstead. Interestingly, Joel stated on the application that Sarah was 8 when she was actually 10 and that Joel Jnr was 13 when he was actually 15. By 1849 he had a conditional pardon and this strengthened his case for his application to be approved. Ann and the children leave England forever On 30 May 1849, Ann, Sarah and Joel Jnr boarded the immigrant ship the William Jardine. They had said goodbye to their friends, Joel’s family, and the Reverend Edward Ellis. This must have been a daunting prospect for Ann. Her time with Joel in England had been difficult – he had been jailed for deserting her and Joel Junior, had committed at least two major crimes of fraud and theft, had had ‘very bad connections’ with other criminals and she had not seen him for 11 years. Joel and Sarah would have also been apprehensive. They had known a life without a father and had their own friends and community connections. The family arrived in Hobart Town on 26 August 1849. Joel, Ann and the children settled at Brickendon or Longford and adjusted to their new reality. I’m not sure if Joel stayed working for William and living at the Estate, or if he Ann, and the family moved into their own place. Ann would have had to learn about new foods and ingredients to use in cooking, the children would have seen Aboriginals for the first time, and Joel junior would have started working – probably as a farm labourer. By the time the family arrived in Tasmania, there were only several people of full Aboriginal decent left alive. In 1803, it was estimated there were between 3,000 – 15,000 Palawa people. The family also arrived during the anti-transportation movement. Many people were against convicts being allowed into the colony, citing issues such as crime, convicts flooding the labour pool, convicts being seen as lower-class people, and perceived immorality such as homosexuality and prostitution. Convicts were desperate to achieve their certificates of freedom so they could move from Tasmania onto the mainland and start fresh. Transportation to Tasmania ended in 1853. Joel died only 4 years after Ann and the children moved to Tasmania to be with him. He died on 30th of March 1853 from Paralysis at the Colonial Hospital, Launceston and was buried at Launceston. At some point, Ann met convict Michael Connor and started a relationship with him. On the 25th of February, 1853 the pair were found not guilty of theft (the charge was ‘ignored’). This was roughly a month before Joel died. Had Ann left Joel and was living with Michael? Had Joel been paralysed for a long period of time and Ann had moved on with Michael? Or were they just friends at the time and they started a relationship after Joel died? We may never know. Joel’s death certificate has very little detail and lists him as being 60 when he was only 45.I'm not sure where he is buried. Information supplied by Sandie McKoy. Please source responsibly.

19

Sandie McKoy on 14th February 2013

NAME I am unsure why Joel changed his name to Joseph once he came to Australia, but many convicts did to escape their past. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION Blue eyes, brown hair, sallow complexion, 5ft10, and small nose. His skin was 'pock pitted' which indicates he had small pox at one time. Source: Tasmanian State Archives, Description Lists of Male Convicts, Mangles 1 Aug 1835, Marquis of Hastings 23 Jul 1839CON18/1/16 pg 268 TRADE Farm Labourer HISTORY Joel was born in 1808 to William Skates and Ann Bailey. He was Baptised on 7 Jun 1808 at Wokingham, Berkshire, England (source: England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975) On 27 Jun 1837, Joel stood trial at the County Sessions in Hants, Hampshire for Fraud. He was sentenced to three months imprisonment (source: England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892) On 5 July 1838, Joel was convicted at Abingdon, Berkshire for sheep stealing and placed in the prison hulks of the Ganymede at Chatham and Woolwich on 19 July 1838. He was sentenced to 15 years transportation to Tasmania (source: UK, Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849). His conviction records show that he had a wife and 2 children at the time of his arrest, could read and write and was working as a Farmers Labourer. The records also say that he had been imprisioned twice before and that his character and connections were very bad. There is a note saying 'Lord of Marquis of Hastings 4 March 1839' The Hulk condition's would have been atrocious as it was broken up later that year after being in operation as a hulk since 1819 Joel was transported to Van Diemen's Land on the convict ship Marquis of Hastings. It departed 16 March 1839. He was one of 240 convicts transported. He was placed with William Archer Esq and on 9 October 1839, he was given 20 lashes for being absent without leave. The acronym FCP was next to this entry. Tasmania State Archives, Conduct Registers of Male Convicts arriving in the period of the Assignment System, Series CON31, Item Number CON31/1/41 On 12 March 1844 he was listed as being 3rd class. Tasmania State Archives, Conduct Registers of Male Convicts arriving in the period of the Assignment System, Series CON31, Item Number CON31/1/41 Joel is listed in the New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia Convict Musters, 1806-1849. In 1841, he is listed as being at Norfolk Plains. Joel applied for his wife and children to come to Tasmania in 1844 On 20 August 1845 he received a Ticket of Leave. Tasmania State Archives, Conduct Registers of Male Convicts arriving in the period of the Assignment System, Series CON31, Item Number CON31/1/41 On 28 March 1846 he was fined for being drunk. Tasmania State Archives, Conduct Registers of Male Convicts arriving in the period of the Assignment System, Series CON31, Item Number CON31/1/41 In 1849 he is listed as having a conditional pardon. His wife Anne and children came to Tasmania on the ship William Jardine. They left Plymouth on 30 May 1849 and arrived in Hobart on 26 August 1849 (source: Tasmania, Australia, Passenger Arrivals, 1829-1957) Joel died in 1853 in Tasmania around the time that transportation ended to the Colony (source: Australia Death Index, 1787-1985, Tasmania and copy of Death Certificate). He died from Paralysis in the Colonial Hospital. His death certificate has very little detail and lists him as being 60 when he was only 45.