James Spalden

342

Maureen Withey on 21st January 2025

James Spalden Hawkins, for a burglary in the dwelling-house of R. Webb, Aston; Birmingham Chronicle, 8 April 1824. James and Thomas Hawkins, for burglary the dwelling-house of R. Webb, at Aston. Aris’s Birmingham Gazette, 12 April 1824. It seems that James was sentenced to 7 years transportation, and that Thomas Hawkins was imprisoned. The crime of house breaking is confirmed on his Tasmanian conduct record (written faintly sideways on his record) https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON31-1-38/CON31-1-38P228

2

Sonya Pegg on 20th January 2025

James Francis Spaulding was born Sep 8 1812, in Aston Warwickshire, England. He was a pearl button maker.

4

Gina Ramsay on 7th November 2015

• James was born about 1805 in Birmingham, England. So far I have not found his actual birth. 27 March 1824 James was tried at the Warwick Assizes Unfortunately his convict record does not show what he was convicted of. Keith Spaulding advised that the trial records from Warwick have not survived, but he believes that James was sentenced to death and then this was changed to 7 years transportation. He came to VDL as James Spalden but all records other than his convict record show his name as James Spaulding. He travelled on the "Sir Charles Forbes" leaving England 5 Jan 1825 and arriving in Hobart 17 April 1825. The shipping record shows he was 19 years old, 5 ft 4 1/2 inch, Hair and eyes brown. His trade was a pearl button maker. Native Place Birmingham. His Certificate of Freedom was granted 24 March 1832. After arrival James was assigned to work for Mr Newman at Glenorchy. On his convict record is only one entry "Jan 2 1826 Newman Glenorchy/ Threats to assault and beat Rich? Phillips a settler Glenorchy on Thursday last & RepT abusing him. PB & not to be ass? to this side of the Island." Meaning of the above: On Jan 2, 1826 while assigned to Newman of Glenorchy James was accused of threating to assault and beat Rich (probably Richard) Phillips a settler at Glenorchy on the previous Thursday and reportably or repeatably abusing him (Assault is physical, Abuse is verbal). The sentence is James is sent to the Prison Barracks (PB) and he is not to be assigned to another settler on this side of the island. Although Glenorchy to the Carlton (now Carlton River) is not very far apart in modern terms but in 1826 it was about as far apart as you could go without going to the north of the colony, ie; Launceston. Various other documents and family stories claim that James was then assigned to Hugh McGuiness at the Carlton. James was to settle there and stayed for the rest of his life. The Mr Newman that James was originally assigned to, had a daughter Margaret, who was married but apparently seperated and living with her father. It is probable that Margaret was still a child when she first met James as she was supposedly born in 1815. It is known that Margaret and James started a relationship at some time that was not approved of by her father. There are stories that the crime that James commited in 1826 was made up by Newman and his friend to get rid of James and seperate him from Margaret. However, they evidently continued to see each other or were reaquainted later,and their daughter Mary Jane was born 28 Feb 1836. Mary Jane was baptised 15 Jan 1837 at New Town, and the register gives the parents as James and Margaret Spaulding. However, I have not been able to find any record of a marriage for James and Margaret. Little is known about Mary Jane as she grew up but there were stories that Margaret had died when Mary Jane was young and that Mary Jane was raised by Granny Spaulding. This lead to a belief that James' parents may have come out. However I have never found any record of this. It is possible that Mary Jane was actually raised by James and his wife Abigail, as she spent time with her half siblings, and Sarah, the eldest of Abigail and James' children, was a witness at the wedding of Mary Jane to Joseph McGuinniss, a grandson of Hugh who James was assigned to. James married Abigail Rebecca Smith 6 Nov, 1840 at the Carlton. Abigail was the daughter of William Sale Smith, also a convict, and Martha Sheldrick. The Smiths were from Essex and Willam arrived in VDL in 1820 per the Dromedary. Sentenced to death for stealing and killing a lamb. This was repreived and changed to transportation for life. Between 1820 and 1823 Martha and her 3 children arrived in VDL, with them was Mary Smith a daughter of William and his first wife (name currently unknown). Mary married John Hall McGuinness a son of Hugh, and Mary and John were the parents of Joseph who married Mary Jane Spaulding. Another strand of the interwoven connections of the Spaulding, Smith and the McGuiness clans, which has continued for generations. James and Abigail had 9 children.