Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
Mary Stewart was transported on the Lord Auckland, departing 11th Oct 1848 and arriving 20th Jan 1849 with 118 passengers.
Built 1836 at Calcutta. Wood barque of 628 Tons. 1846 - VOYAGE; August 26 -Brown, master, from Dublin 19th April, Passengers-Dr. Roberts, R. N , Surgeon Supt. Lieut. Gorder ; Ensign Thillwall; 65th Regt j Ensign Despard, 99th Regt., and Mr. Moriarty, with 2 sergeants, 48 rank and file, 6 women, 6 children, 65th Regt., and 176 male convicts.
Lord Auckland (generic)References
| Primary Source | https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON41-1-20$init=CON41-1-20p177 |
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Convict Notes
MARY STEWART -- SCHOOLMISTRESS & GOVERNESS: Mary was one of only 29 female convicts sent to VDL who said they were schoolmistresses or governesses. Ten of those women were the subject of a study by Don Bradmore whose paper, “Convict schoolmistresses in Van Diemen’s Land”, was presented in November 2015 in Hobart at the Female Convicts Research Centre seminar, “What the convicts brought with them – and what they left behind” (see https://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/docs/seminars/DonBradmore-Nov2015.pdf). About Mary Stewart, Bradmore (2015, pp2-4) writes: “... she was often in trouble with the authorities and gaoled several times for various misdemeanours. Again, it is possible that she taught in the colony but no evidence of this has been found... Two factors made the finding of evidence for this study particularly difficult. The first was the difficulty of tracing the women after they had married and changed their surnames – in some cases more than once. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that details of their lives and whereabouts were no longer recorded after their release from the convict system. The second difficulty was the fact that there was increasing opposition to the employment of convicts and former convicts as schoolteachers in the colony during and after the 1830s. From 1849, in fact, the employment of convicts and former convicts as teachers in government schools was banned. Thus, while it is known that there were quite a number of female convicts and former convicts teaching in schools in VDL in the period, their names are not easily discovered.” —0—
3 February, 1852: Mary Stewart received her Ticket of Leave. 29 June, 1855: She was granted her Certificate of Freedom (https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON41-1-20$init=CON41-1-20p177). --0--
IN VDL: 20 January, 1849: On arrival, Mary Stewart was listed as convict #827, single, aged 32 years when convicted, born in Belfast, Protestant, able to read and write. She was a governess [option not listed above, so used school teacher]. The ship's surgeon reported her character/behaviour was "very good". Her Conduct Record and Description List also note that she has "lost use of her left side" but gives no date of this condition or its cause (https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON19-1-7$init=CON19-1-7p83). It seems likely this was a pre-existing condition. Although there is no mention of Mary receiving any treatment from the ship's surgeon during the voyage, she was not assigned the usual period of labour (such as 6 months or more) for arrivals in VDL. On her Convict Indents record, Mary is listed as a governess. Her father John and brother Joshua were living at her native place (https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON15-1-5$init=CON15-1-5P123). --0--
TRIAL: Convicted at County Antrim and sentenced to 7 years' transportation for stealing bed linen -- prosecutor Gillespie of Antrim; two previous convictions for stealing a waistcoat (3 months' jail) and stealing a coat and shawl (3 months) (https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON41-1-20$init=CON41-1-20p177; and https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON15-1-5$init=CON15-1-5P123). --0--