Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
James Teague was transported on the Hougoumont, departing 10th Oct 1867 and arriving 9th Jan 1868 with 281 passengers.
875 ton ship was built at Moulmein in 1852. http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-in-history-australias-last-convict-ship-docks.htm ---------------------------- Incorrect Image ....This is a four masted steel hulled Barque in the drawing , im surprised Australian Geo didn't do a bit more research on this .......The Hougoumont was a works ship on the Forth Bridge Project in 1885 ....the one potrayed as a drawing in Aust Geo is the later version of this ship.....the photograph i have attached is the correct and original convict vessel. --00-- 1867 "The hired convict ship Hougoumont, which has been taken up by the Government for the conveyance of a numerous party of convicts to Freemantle, Western Australia, left the Nore on October 1, and proceeded down Channel, after receiving on board 150 convicts from the establishments at Chatham and Millbank. The convicts from the Chatham establishment, at St. Mary's, embarked from the dockyard on board the paddle-wheel steamer Adder, Mr. W. J. Blakely, and were in charge of a numerous party of convict guards and wardens, all heavily armed. Among the convicts shipped were a party of fifteen Fenians, who were engaged in the late conspiracy in Ireland, together with the officers and crew convicted of scuttling the ship Severn, and some others who have achieved notoriety from their crimes. The Fenian convicts, like the remainder of the prisoners, were chained together in gangs, but it was observed that they were kept apart from the other convicts in a portion of the vessel by themselves. The steamer Petrel also took down a number of convicts from the establishment at Millbank for shipment on board the Hougoumont, in charge of a strong escort and convict guard. On Tuesday, October 8th, the Hougoumont arrived in Portland roads. Shortly before midday ninety convicts were marched down to the Government pier at Portland under a strong escort of the 12th Light Infantry. The party included twenty-three Fenian convicts, among whom it was said, was Moriarty. The Government steamer employed in the breakwater service was used for conveying the convicts on board the Hougoumont transport ship. The convicts were chained together on embarking, and on board the steamer a strong guard of marines from her Majesty's ship St. George was formed, and saw the convicts safely placed on board the Hougoumont. The Governor of the penal settlement at Freemantle, Captain Young, is on board the Hougoumont, and returns in that ship to his sphere of duty after paying a visit to his native land." Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 19 Dec 1867, p4, English Shipping, available on Trove at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28608271?searchTerm=hougoumont.
HougoumontReferences
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 93, Class and Piece Number HO11/19, p241 (123). --0-- 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. --0-- https://fremantleprison.com.au |
| 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
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Photos
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Convict Notes
NOTE 2: Year of Birth is taken from official records but day and month are not known. The latter dates have been entered as 01/01 because the site does not allow those fields to be left empty.
NOTE: Occupation of horsebreaker is not listed in the options, so labourer was selected. He is first mentioned as a baker in jail records but this could be an error of transcription (baker/breaker). --0--
LONG LOST RELATIVE: 1891, 27 June: From the Eastern Districts Chronicle (York), p5: “THE following notice appears under the heading of ‘Long Lost Relatives’ in Lloyd's Weekly London Newspaper: James Teague, arrived in Australia in 1878, and was employed as a hotel waiter by Mr. Lefroy, at Jays, Blackwood, West Australia. Brother Joseph seeks.” Most likely this is “our” James Teague. Even though he arrived per Hougoumont in 1868, he did work at Lake Blackwood in early November 1878, as a labourer. By 25 November he had his Certificate of Freedom (it was sent to the Resident Magistrate at Vasse) (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/148137673). ANOTHER NOTICE: 1892, 27 July: From the Inquirer & Commercial News, p3: “The following notices under the heading of ‘Missing Friends’ appear in Lloyd's Weekly: — Samuel Lees, of Stalybridge, about 1856-57 was at Champion Bay, West Australia; his brother John seeks news. James Teague, fourteen years since was in service at Mr. J. Lefroy's, Blackwood, West Australia; his brother Joseph seeks news.” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66311719) --000--
FREMANTLE JAIL RECORD: TEAGUE, James; inmate #9890, arrived 10 Jan 1868 per Hougoumont Alias: KING George Date of Birth: 1836 [1838/9 on UK jail records] Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Horse breaker Literacy: Literate Sentence Place: Hertford Crime: Stealing Sentence Period: 10 years Previous Convictions: Yes Ticket Leave Date: 9 Apr 1873 Certificate of Freedom Date: 25 Nov 1878 Comments: General servant, labourer, herdsman, cook, well sinker (https://fremantleprison.com.au). --00--
IN WA: 1868: On arrival, James Teague, 30, was listed as convict #9890; sentenced to 10 years, at Hertford, 15 October, 1866, for “felony and previous conviction (stealing a coat)”; horsebreaker; single, no children; literate; Protestant; family – mother Sophia, 19 Manning Place, Edgeware Road; behaviour “doubtful”. Described as 5’1¾” tall, light brown hair, grey eyes, long visage, fresh complexion, middling stout; pockmarked; broken joint little finger right hand. Previous convictions: See beginning of this bio. Ticket of Leave 7.4.73; Certificate of Freedom 25.11.78. His ToL was revoked for 18 months in 1875 “for absconding from the Wellington District”. When he absconded “from Master’s service” in 1878, he was sentenced to 6 weeks’ hard labour at Fremantle Jail (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department, Registers; General Register for Nos 9599-10128 cont. (R16)). --00--
EMBARKATION: 1867, 8 October: James Teague was sent from Portland Prison to board the Hougoumont for WA. Health for previous quarter “good”, begaviour “good” (England, Criminal Lunatic Asylum Registers, 1820-1876; Quarterly Returns of Prisoners in Convict Prisons/Lunatic Asylums; 1867; December; image 270). “The hired convict ship Hougoumont, which has been taken up, by the Government for the conveyance of a numerous party of convicts to Freemantle, Western Australia, left the Nore on October 1, and proceeded down Channel, after receiving on board 150 convicts from the establishments at Chatham and Millbank. The convicts from the Chatham establishment, at St. Mary's, embarked from the dockyard on board the paddle-wheel steamer Adder, Mr. W. J. Blakely, and were in charge of a numerous party of convict guards and wardens, all heavily armed. Among the convicts shipped were a party of fifteen Fenians, who were engaged in the late conspiracy in Ireland, together with the officers and crew convicted of scuttling the ship Severn [only two were on the Hougoumont – Thomas Berwick and Lionel Holdsworth, each sentenced to 20 years for fraud], and some others who have achieved notoriety from their crimes. The Fenian convicts, like the remainder of the prisoners, were chained together in gangs, but it was observed that they were kept apart from the other convicts in a portion of the vessel by themselves. The steamer Petrel also took down a number of convicts from the establishment at Millbank, for shipment on board the Hougoumont, in charge of a strong escort and convict guard. On Tuesday, October 8th, the Hougoumont arrived in Portland roads. Shortly before midday ninety convicts were marched down to the Government pier at Portland under a strong escort of the 12th Light Infantry. The party included twenty-three Fenian convicts, among whom it was said, was Moriarty [not the senior Fenian, Captain Moriarty; rather, this was Bartholomew Moriarty, aged 17]. The Government steamer employed in the breakwater service was used for conveying the convicts on board the Hougoumont transport ship. The convicts were chained together on embarking, and on board the steamer a strong guard of marines from her Majesty's ship St. George was formed, and saw the convicts safely placed on board the Hougoumont. The Governor of the penal settlement at Freemantle, Captain Young, is on board the Hougoumont, and returns in that ship to his sphere of duty after paying a visit to his native land.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Dec 1867, p4, at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28608271). --00--
1867, ... September: Admitted to Portland Prison, Grove Road, Portland, Devon, inmate #6307; James Teague, 28, stealing, convicted Hertford, 15 Oct 66, 10 years; surgeon’s report on health “good”; behaviour in quarter “fair” (England, Criminal Lunatic Asylum Registers, 1820-1876; Quarterly Returns of Prisoners in Convict Prisons/Lunatic Asylums; 1867; September; image 249). --0--
1867, 24 May: Admitted to Millbank Prison, London (UK, Criminal Records, 1780-1871 for James Teague; Prison Registers and Statistical Returns; 1864-1871; HO 24/18; image 119). --0--
1867, 10 January: Admitted to Pentonville Prison, London – inmate #4183, James Teague alias Davis, alias Smith, 28 years old, single, literate, baker; convicted 15 October, 1866, Hertford Sessions, 10 years’ P.S. On 30 April, 1867, converted to Roman Catholic (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for James Teague; Pentonville Prison; Register of Prisoners; 1866-1869; image 59; and UK, Criminal Records, 1780-1871 for James Teague; Prison Registers and Statistical Returns; 1864-1871; HO 24/18; image 119). “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. --0--
JAILS: 1866-67: James Teague was held at Hertford County Gaol and House of Correction, Ware Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire. Behaviour “good” (UK, Criminal Records, 1780-1871 for James Teague; Prison Registers and Statistical Returns; 1864-1871; HO 24/18; image 119). --0--