Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Transportation
William Stewart was transported on the Nile, departing 18th Sep 1857 and arriving 1st Jan 1858 with 271 passengers.
Nile (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/18, Page Number 234 |
| 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
No one has claimed William Stewart yet.
Photos
No photos have been added for William Stewart.
Convict Notes
IN WA: A change of trade, to horse breaker, and marital status -- listed as married on several colonial records. From his Fremantle jail record: STEWART, William; inmate #4517, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Date of Birth: 1818 Marital Status: Married Occupation: Horse breaker Literacy: Semiliterate Sentence Place: Exeter, Devon, England Crime: Burglary & being at large from gaol Sentence Period: 20 years Ticket of Leave Date: 28 Jul 1860 Conditional Pardon Date: 26 Apr 1865 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/). --00--
10 September, 1857: Sent from Portland, where his behaviour was "very good", to board the Nile for transportation to WA; listed as convict #10/6764 from Portland. His behaviour during the voyage was “good” and “industrious” (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; Character Book for Nos 4508-5585 (R8)). --00--
12 March, 1857: Admitted to Portland jail, Grove Road, Dorset -- inmate #6764. All details as per Millbank; health "good" (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for William Stewart; Portland Prison; Prison Records; labelled 1870-1875). Portland, Portsmouth, Chatham and Spike Island in Ireland were listed public works stations and the second stage in the penal process. After separate confinement, prisoners were “placed on work parties at various locations, most commonly naval stations, where maintenance of facilities was vital for the effective protection of Britain’s far flung commercial and military influences around the world. While there, attitude and behaviour were monitored closely. In theory, only after consistently positive reports was a prisoner moved on to the third stage of his incarceration—transportation.” (Edgar, p40) --0--
16 July, 1856: Admitted to Millbank prison, Westminster, London -- inmate #3040; served 7 months 24 days in separate confinement, behaviour "good". William Stewart was listed as 37 years old when convicted, a seaman, single, Church of England, able to read only. No next of kin/place of birth given (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for William Stewart; Millbank Prison; Register of Prisoners; labelled 1882-1885). --0--
JAILS: 11 January, 1856: Admitted to Devon County Gaol and Bridewell, New North Road, Exeter -- served 6 months 5 days in separate confinement, behaviour "good". “After a sentence of transportation was handed down, the prisoner entered into a separate stage where he was placed into an individual cell, isolated from others, apart from brief periods of exercise and attendance at chapel. However, no communication of any kind with other prisoners was permitted at any time. The philosophy behind this penal methodology had its provenances in the religious, monastic traditions; i.e., that in the isolation of his cell the malefactor would be able to contemplate the errors of his way, unadulterated by the negative influences of former contemporaries, and be reformed.” (Edgar, 2018, pp39-40) When first put into practice, the mandated period of separate confinement was 18 months. By the late 1840s, authorities had conceded that such conditions of imprisonment were “injurious to many prisoners’ mental health” and the stint was reduced to 12 months. Periods of separate confinement were reduced further “as a prisoner displayed good behaviour tendencies” (Edgar, p40). Millbank, Pentonville, Wakefield and Mountjoy in Ireland were the “Probation” or “Separate” prisons, as were some local jails such as Exeter. --0--
TRIAL: 15 March, 1856: William Stewart was convicted at the Castle of Exeter Assizes, Devon, of "burglary and being at large before the expiration of his term". He was sentenced to 20 years' transportation (England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 for William Stewart; England; Devon; 1856). --0--
Newspaper report of his arrest -- from the Western Times, p7: 12 January, 1856: "The escaped convict, William Stewart, who broke into Horseyhill Farm, a report of which appeared our last, has been captured at Ottery St. Mary [about 6 miles north of Sidmouth where he was committed]. It is supposed he took, after leaving Horseyhill, the route towards Moreton, thence Bovey, Chudleigh Knighton, Starcross, and crossed the Exe to Exmouth." --0--
ARREST & COMMITTAL: 10 January, 1856: He was arrested and committed to stand trial at Sidmouth [about 15 miles east of Exeter]. --0--
Newspaper report of his escape: 7 January, 1856 -- from the Globe, p4: "Escape of a Convict from Dartmoor Prisons.—a Convict, named William Stewart, made his escape from Prince Town prisons on Tuesday night, and succeeded in getting clear off. The warders endeavoured to trace him across the moor, but did not succeed. Several robberies having, however, been committed in the neighbourhood of Ashburton, suspicion rests upon Stewart, and the police are on the alert." --00--
JAIL ESCAPE: 1 January, 1856: William Stewart escaped from Dartmoor prison, at Yelverton. --0--