Summary
Personal Information
Crime
Voyage
Transportation
Thomas Futcher was transported on the William Jardine, departing 30th Apr 1852 and arriving 1st Aug 1852 with 212 passengers.
William Jardine (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 92, Class and Piece Number HO11/17, Page Number 449 (227). --00-- https://www.perthdps.com/convicts/con-wa6.html --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 |
Claims
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Convict Notes
DEATH: Name: Futcher, Thomas Sex: M Age: 50 Place of death: Bunbury Hospital Year of death: 1877 Reg. No.: 9237 Year of registration: 1877 (WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages at https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-justice/online-index-search-tool). --000--
OTHER: Thomas Futcher had more stints in prison. For example, in 1874, aged 50, he was sentenced to 14 days in Fremantle jail for being “drunk and incapable” – admitted on 23 August, and discharged early, on 3 September, Bunbury District (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for Thos Futcher; Fremantle Prison Correspondence Registers; Register of Local Prisoners; For Nos 3655 - 5197, 1870 - 1877 (F2a)). --00--
THOMAS WRITES A LETTER HOME: From the State Library of Western Australia: https://slwa.wa.gov.au/pdf/mn/mn2501_3000/mn2770.pdf (page 9) “This collection is from the Cecil Walkley Collection of postal history which was offered at auction in November 2010. Descriptions... of the postal marks are taken from the auctioneers’ catalogue... 1852, Convict Depot, Fremantle. Thomas Futcher to James Futcher, Andover, U. K. to be forwarded to his parents. Pleads his innocence and anticipates his ticket-of-leave & Conditional Pardon. (Thomas Futcher was sentenced to 10 years transportation & arrived 4/8/1852 on the ‘William Jardine’; granted his ticket-of-leave (parole) 1/12/1853 & conditional pardon -/1/1856. Edmund Yeamans Walcott Henderson arrived 1/6/1850 on the first convict ship ‘Scindian’ & was appointed Comptroller of Convicts. 1852 entire to England headed ‘Convict Depot/Fremantle’ & signed ‘Thos Futcher’. Endorsed ‘Convict letter/EYW Henderson’ at upper left, London transit & ‘ANDOVER’ arrival b/s, professionally and expertly cleaned. Ex Gartner. Catalogue MN 2770 Page 10 of 10 Copyright SLWA ©2011, PB March 2011, Lot. No. 266.” --00--
FREMANTLE JAIL RECORD: FUTCHER, Thomas; inmate #1271, arrived 1 Aug 1852 per William Jardine Date of Birth: 1825 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Labourer Literacy: Literate Sentence Date: 9 Apr 1851 Sentence Place: Andover Sentence Period: 10 years Ticket of Leave Date: 1 Dec 1853 Conditional Pardon Date: Jan 1856 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/research/convict-database/). --00--
1852, 4 August: On a list of “Prisoners received this day from on board H.M. Hired Convict Ship ‘William Jardine’ [who] will be located at the 2 & 3 Division...” -- Reg No 1271 Thomas Futcher from Pentonville prison (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for Thomas Futcher; Convict Department, Superintendent Orders; Superintendent Orders, 1850 - 1854 (So1 - So3)). --00--
IN WA: 1852, 4 August: On arrival, convict #1271 Thomas Futcher was described as: 27, 5’5” tall, light brown hair, grey eyes, round visage, fair complexion, stout build, no distinguishing marks; labourer; single, no children (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930 for Thomas Futcher; Convict Department; Estimates and Convict Lists (128/1 - 32)). --00--
THE VOYAGE: This 671 ton “William Jardine” left Plymouth, England, on May 3, 1852, bound for the Swan River Colony. She carried “the seventh of 37 shipments of male convicts destined for Western Australia. The voyage took 88 days and the ‘William Jardine’ arrived in Fremantle on August 1, 1852, with 102 passengers and 212 convicts. James Raiff and James Donnelly (aka Donnett) were the captain and surgeon respectively. There were no deaths recorded on the convict shipping and description lists and 212 convict numbers were assigned for the voyage ranging from (1265 to 1476). Of the 102 passengers mentioned above, 95 were pensioner guards and their families, the number being made up of 29 pensioner guards, 23 wives, 19 sons and 24 daughters. The other 7 passengers have not been accounted for but were possibly cabin passengers or regular soldiers.” (https://www.perthdps.com/convicts/con-wa6.html; Dictionary of Western Australians 1829-1914, Vol.2 Bond 1850-1868, by Rica Erickson; Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre-1829-1888, Vols.1-4, by Rica Erickson) --00--
1852, 17 April: Sent from Pentonville to board the William Jardine convict ship (UK, Criminal Records, 1780-1871 for Thomas Futcher; Prison Registers and Statistical Returns; 1842-1855; HO 24/16). --00--
1851, 8 November: Admitted to Pentonville prison, Caledonian Road, north London – same details as for Millbank; general labourer. 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. --00--
JAILS: 1851, 30 September: Admitted to Millbank prison, Westminster, London, from Winchester jail – #21941 THOMAS FUTCHER, 25, single, illiterate, labourer; convicted 9 April, 1851, Andover; stealing 4lbs pork; 10 years; once [previously convicted] felony. 1851, 8 November: Sent to Pentonville prison (UK, Criminal Records, 1780-1871 for Thomas Futcher; Prison Registers and Statistical Returns; 1850-1852; HO 24/5). --00--