Robert Mccall Smith

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Janet McArtney on 31st May 2020

Robert Smith arrived in Fremantle on the convict ship 'Pyranees', on 1 Jul 1851. He had been convicted of his second crime in Glasgow, Scotland and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. At his trial, he was listed as a single weaver,17 years of age.His father's name was given as John and his mother Mary (nee Graham ). Robert received his Ticket of Leave on board three days before he embarked, the reason being , there was no prison at the time.He was assigned to an area and a job, at which he remained, until he was given a Conditional Pardon.This was granted on the 22 Apr 1854.There are no records of where he worked and once he received his pardon, he could go anywhere he liked and was unlikely to say how he arrived. Robert was employed as a labourer or shepherd at 'Cave Hill'. He employed 4 Ticket of Leave servants in 1864 and 1872-1874. "Cave Hill" was a farm at Gwambygine near York. His religion was Church of England. Robert married Sarah at Gwambygine, in a room used as a place of worship on Sundays by the Reverend Charles Clay. They had eight children of whom only three survived infancy. Their last child Sarah was born eight months after Robert died. John, Albert and Robert were only 16, 14 and 7yrs when Sarah died in 1881. Tradition says that they were then brought up by their maternal grandparents, however, as Joseph died 4 yrs earlier than his daughter and her mother 11yrs earlier, it is most likely that Joseph Jnr and his wife Rosina, cared for them.