Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
James Tams was transported on the Norwood, departing 6th Apr 1867 and arriving 13th Jul 1867 with 256 passengers.
Norwood (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/19, Page Number 219 (112) --00-- Edgar, W. (Bill), (2018). “The precarious voyage of her majesty’s convict ship ‘Nile’ to the Swan River colony, late 1857 – and the unexpected aftermath.” The Great Circle, 40(1), 20–43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26783779 |
| 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 |
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Convict Notes
NOTE: Years of Birth and Death are known but not the days and months. The latter have been entered as 01/01 because the site does not allow those fields to be left empty.
DEATH: Surname: Tams Given names: James Sex: M Age: 49 Father: - Mother: - Place of death: Newcastle Year of death: 1893 Registration district: - Registration number: 583 Registration year: 1893 (https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-justice/online-index-search-tool).
NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF TRIAL: From the Western Mail, 10 July 1886, p15: “SUPREME-COURT CRIMINAL SITTING. (BEFORE HIS HONOR THE CHIEF JUSTICE. WEDNESDAY, JULY 7. … THEFT OF FLANNEL. JAMES TAMS and JAMES JONES were indicted with stealing a roll of flannel, the property of Joseph Perry, on May 7. Tams pleaded ‘not guilty’, and Jones ‘guilty’. The evidence having been heard, the jury found Tams guilty of receiving the flannel. His Honour said they were evidently very bad men, and Jones would have to go to penal servitude for seven years and Tams for five years.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32698184) --00—
COLONIAL CONVICTION: TAMS, James; inmate #10376 Other No: #9590 Date of Birth: 1846 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Crate maker, pottery work Sentence Place: Western Australia, Australia Sentence Period: 5 years Previous Convictions: Yes (https://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/research/convict-database/). --00—
IN WA: From his FREMANTLE jail record: TAMS, James; inmate #9590, arrived 13 Jul 1867, per Norwood (Journey 2) Date of Birth: 1846 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Labourer Literacy: Literate Sentence Place: Stafford Crime: Larceny Sentence Period: 10 years Previous Convictions: Yes Ticket of Leave Date: 10 Oct 1871 Certificate of Freedom Date: 21 Dec 1876 Comments: Labourer, general servant, gardener, shingle splitter, land clearer. Reconvicted in Western Australia (https://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/research/convict-database/). --00—
ARRIVAL: From the Inquirer and Commercial News, 17 July 1867, p2: “LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS. The ‘Norwood’.—The convict ship Norwood, Captain Frank Bristow, anchored in Gage's Roads at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday, 13th; Dr Saunders, Staff Surgeon, RN, Surgeon Superintendent, and Mr. Irwin, Religions Instructor; having on board a guard of 30 pensioners, 18 women and 30 children, 4 warders, with their families, and 253 convicts. The ship was inspected on the 14th, and the prisoners all landed on that afternoon. No set of such men could have conducted themselves with greater subordination and good order than these did on the voyage out, and they were all landed in good health. Only one death occurred among the convicts, and no other. There have been four births on board. The Norwood was here with convicts in 1862, under the Superintendence of Dr Watson, RN, and she belongs to Messrs. J. H. Juscombe, of London. Strong S.W. gales were encountered in the Channel, after leaving Portland on the 18th of April, with head winds as far as the Canaries. From thence fair average weather, with good trades. The Norwood had moderate winds in running down her easting, which she did between 39 and 40deg. S, until the 12th when a very heavy N.W. gale was encountered, which moderated early on the 13th, when she made Rottnest about noon. The ships spoken were the City of Shangai, for China, the Roxburgh Castle for Madras, and the Italian barque Oreste, near the line, which took letters home. The Palestine left the Downs for Swan River when the Norwood was lying at Portland. One more convict ship will probably leave in September. Dr Saunders has had charge of convicts for the first time, and the voyage has been most favourable with respect to the order, discipline, and cleanliness of the ship.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69384931) --00--
EN ROUTE: From the Inquirer and Commercial News, 15 May 1867, p3: “At the time the last English mail left the ship Norwood had been engaged, to convey 254 convicts to Fremantle. Another batch will close Transportation to this colony.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69387178) --00—
TRANSPORTATION: 1867, 2 April: He was sent from Portsmouth jail to board the Norwood for transportation to WA (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for James Tams; Portsmouth Prison; Registers of Prisoners, 1866-1868). -- From the Kentish Gazette, 2 April 1867, p6: “On Saturday [30 March] a batch of convicts left St. Mary's convict prison, and were marched to the landing place, at Chatham dockyard, where they embarked aboard the steam tender Adder, for conveyance to the Nore. On arriving there the ship Norwood was waiting to receive them, and will convey them to Fremantle, Western Australia, where they will undergo the remainder of their sentence.” (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000235/18670402/006/0003) From the Sun (London), 2 April 1867, p8: “The Norwood convict ship arrived at Spithead yesterday from the Thames to embark convicts for conveyance to Western Australia.” From the Morning Post, 2 April 1867, p6: “The Norwood, iron convict ship, arrived at Spithead this morning from the eastward to embark convicts to Western Australia.” (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18670402/026/0006) From the London Evening Standard, 3 April 1867, p6: “Norwood, convict ship, arrived at Spithead on Monday from the Thames. Yesterday she embarked prisoners from the Portsea convict prison [at Portsmouth] for conveyance to Australia.” (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000609/18670403/055/0006) --00—
1867, 28 January: James Tams was sent from Chatham to Portsmouth prison, Hampshire; inmate #730 (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for James Tams; Portsmouth Prison; Registers of Prisoners, 1866-1868). --00--
1866, 24 December: James Tams was sent from Millbank to Chatham prison in Kent (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951; Millbank Prison; Register of Prisoners, 1865-1866). Chatham, Portland, Portsmouth 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) --00—