Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
John Skeen was transported on the Recovery, departing 30th Jul 1819 and arriving 18th Dec 1819 with 189 passengers.
Built 1799 Batavia, 493 tons. 1823 voyage. Also arrived the same morning, (i.e. Thursday last) from Ireland, having sailed from the Cove of Cork on the 5th April, the ship Recovery, Captain Fotherley, with 180 male convicts, in tolerable health : no deaths on the passage. Surgeon Superintendent, Dr. Cunningham, R. N. The guard comprises a detachment of the 1st, or Royals, commanded by Captain Gill, who is accompanied by his Lady. Three free passengers come out by this conveyance, at the expence of the Crown. Sydney Gazette, Thurs 7 Aug 1823. 1835 voyage. Surgeon's general remarks. On 5th October 1835, the Guard embarked at Deptford, consisting of 1 staff, 1 subaltern, 2 sergeants, 1 drummer, 26 rank and file of the 28th Regiment, accompanied by 8 women and 4 children. On the 19th at Spithead we received on board 160 male convicts from the Leviathan and 120 from the York Hulk and in the 30th got under weigh, previous to which, the convicts were discharged to the hulks in consequence of their being a great nuisance on board. Source:The medical and surgical journal of HM convict ship Recovery for 5 October 1835 to 16 March 1836 by Alexander Neill, during which time the said ship was employed in passage to Sydney New South Wales
Recovery (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 88, Class and Piece Number HO11/3, Page Number 197 (100) |
| 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 |
Claims
"John Stanford married Mary Skeen My great grandfather 4 generation"
Photos
No photos have been added for John Skeen.
Convict Notes
WORCESTER ASSIZES, held before Mr. BARON GARROW and JUSTICE RICHARDSON, terminated on Wednesday, when sentence of death was passed upon twenty-three prisoners, who had been capitally convicted.—their Lordships, before leaving town, were pleased to reprieve the whole of these unhappy persons, with the exception of John Harris, The following are among the sentences passed upon the respective prisoners : … James Cooper, Silvanus Skeen, John Skeen, and Joseph Carr, for breaking into and robbing in the day time, the house of J. Sawyer, at Yardley; .. condemned. Aris’s Birmingham Gazette, 15 Mar 1819.
Amelia Collit was not in love with a bushranger. This story is pure fiction. Nor did she marry the first man to enter the Inn. The misconception come from the fictitious play written in the 1930's about Collit's Inn.
On 27th May John and his Brother were received onto the Prison Hulk Justitia moored on the Thames at Woolwich, he was noted as 'an old offender', his brother, also noted as 'an old offender' with a bad character'. On 19th November 1827 he was shown as a member of the No. 18 Road Gang stationed at Dr Douglas Hill near Stonequarry (now Picton), under overseer Thomas Fox, he was given two Saturdays lumbering as punishment for absenting himself from his camp. John was recommended to the Evan Bench on 3rd June 1830 for his Ticket of leave for aprehending a runaway. Ticket of Leave; 30/946 was granted on 27th December 1830, allowing him to remain in the district of Parramatta, this was altered to Bathurst in 1833 and Vale of Clywdd on 10th July 1837. In October 1833 he resigned from his overseer position on the Road Party No. 9 forming the road to Bathurst. He had been the overseer on the building of the Mitchells Pass. He assisted his father in law - Pierce Collits in supplying convict cut sandstone, which was incorporated in the building of Rose Inn at Little Hartley. He was issued with Pardon No: 42/234, Type: CP, approved by the Secretary of State for the Colonies on 22nd April 1842, and signed by Governor Gipps on 14th September 1842. On 14th February 1843 he was in the Debtors Prison, John had £66/19/- in debts, against £17/10/- in assets. At the Insolvency meeting held in Bathurst on 3rd March 1843, neither the insolvent or the creditors appeared. No proceedings were had in this case.
John Skeen was tried on Saturday 6 March 1819 at Worcestershire Lent Assizes for breaking and entering the dwelling house of James Sawyer during the day-time ( no person being therein) and stealing a flitch of Bacon and other property and received a sentence of transportation for life. His brother Silvanus and James Cooper and Joseph Carr were tried with him. Left England on 30th July 1819. Ship:- the 'Recovery' sailed with 188 male convicts on board, there were no reported deaths during the voyage, his brother was also a convict on board Arrived on 18th December 1819. Married Amelia Collits (daughter of convits Pierce Collits, 'Minorca' 1801 & his wife Mary) on 29th June 1832 at Kelso in the Central Tablelands of NSW, they had 9 children between 1832-1854. Amelia had been in love with a bushranger who had a hide out in a cave at Mt. York. He would visit Amelia at the inn. One of the female servants at the inn was jealous of Amelia and the bushranger. The servant notified the police that the bushranger was at the inn. The police came and killed the bushranger. Amelia swore to marry the first man who next came to the inn. This was John Skeen, he was a convict overseer of the men building Victoria Pass. The play "Collits Inn' is said to be about Amelia, who travelled over 55 miles on horseback to Kelso, for her marriage to John. He had been the overseer on the building of the Mitchells Pass. He assisted his father in law - Pierce Collits in supplying convict cut sandstone, which was incorporated in the building of Rose Inn at Little Hartley. John and Amelia obtained a license in 1835 under the sign of 'The Rising Sun'. John died on 29th June 1873 aged 78 at Little Hartley, Central Tablelands, NSW. Amelia died on 8th October 1896 aged 84 at Round Swamp, Central Tablelands, NSW